127 Hours (2010)

A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

Danny Boyle returns to the big screen again with his first movie since Slumdog Millionaire. Boyle seems intent on mastering every single genre of movies, and he doesn't disappoint with this psychological/thriller/adventure/action/drama. Boyle recreates the story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who gets trapped when a boulder comes loose pins his arm to the canyon wall. Over the next 127 hours he will have to deal with the physical and emotional struggle to survive, and eventually have to make the decision of how far he is willing to go to get out from under the rock.

James Franco plays Aron, and already there is oscar buzz about his performance. Its hard to even imagine what you would go through in that situation, and watching Franco's performance it seems that he must have spent a lot of time with Ralston,  trying to find the right emotions to put into each day that he is stuck under the rock. Franco's performance is great as he struggles between trying to survive and the realization that he is about to die, and he is not happy with the way that he left his relationships with family and friends.

The other thing I really liked about the movie was it had a message, it seems like most movies these days are just about the big action scenes or the creepy hauntings, but don't have much heart. This movie brings a great message whether you are rock climbing alone in Utah or driving your car on the 101. You never know what moment is going to be your last, either from a rock trapping you in a canyon or your car flipping over on the highway. No one ever goes out expecting it to happen to them,  so people don't think about the things that matter most in their lives until it is to late.

Danny Boyle seems to have a little bit of a goofy side that comes out of him every once in a while, and unfortunately I think its the biggest setback in some of his movies. The Beach has the scene where it turns into a video game, and 127 hours has little pieces that seem just a little out of place. It doesn't hurt the movie at all, but I couldn't help like it took me out of the movie at the moment.  Reviewer John Ott put it best I think when he said it's a small budget movie made with a big budget, and I think at times it can feel a little over done.

127 Hours is a very tense movie that isn't for the feint of heart, but it is a true story that will entertain you as well as make you think. While it isn't the masterpiece that Slumdog Millionaire was, it is another excellent film from Danny Boyle.


When To Watch Rating: Now


Now Playing in Theaters

Making the Movie Review - HERE

Buried (2010)

 

Waking groggy in pitch darkness, Paul Conroy, an American truck driver working as a contractor in Iraq in 2006, slowly realizes he is trapped inside a wooden coffin, buried alive. 

When I was buying my ticket, I was asked by the employee why I was going to see this movie. He said "why would you want to see a movie where there is only one actor in the entire movie and he is in a coffin the entire time. Other people have been leaving very angry that this is the entire movie."

That is what this movie is, so do not go to this movie expecting to see an action packed thriller. Prepare to be in a suffocating, dark hole with Ryan Reynolds for 95 minutes.

Ryan Reynolds has come a long way since Van Wilder. I thought he did a very good job in this role, having no one to feed off of and only a tiny space to act in, he really played a convincing role. He takes us on a emotional roller coaster that really makes this film enjoyable.

The film is very frustrating to watch but in a good way. Every step that Reynolds character has to go through seems to be hindered by someone who seems to ask to many stupid questions or has other priorities above him. That's what really made the script good, you know he doesn't have much time to live and with limited cell phone battery every second is important. Yet everyone he talks to seems to take forever to help him out.

What hurts the movie is that the movie is what it is. A man stuck in a coffin. He can say the same thing on the phone over and over trying to get out, but he is still stuck in the coffin, there are no other story plots developing.  They also don't answer some questions that they bring up, like what is his relationship with his co-worker? 

In the end of it all it was good for what it was, a 95 minute movie about a man in a coffin buried someone in the middle east. Don't expect anything more than that.

When to Watch Rating: Indie Film Mood

Wide Release in Theaters October 8th