127 Hours
Director: Danny Boyle
Actors: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara
Danny Boyle has taken audiences on journeys to places never before seen. In this film, there is no change. Boyle takes the audience on a breathtaking, suspenseful, survival adventure while staying in only one place. If you haven't heard of 127 Hours, you have probably heard of who it is based on. Aron Ralston, who in 2003, was hiking a canyon in Utah when he his arm got pinned against a fall by a boulder that was unstable. The film is about just this. When Aron (James Franco) gets stuck, he tries vigorously to move the boulder but is unsuccessful. As the days go by, Aron examines his life and the mistakes he has made from ignoring his parents to letting his ex-girlfriend go. He thinks about his friends and two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met just before being trapped. As days go by and his supplies deplete, Aron admits to his friends and family, via a video camera he has with him, that he has made mistakes and that he loves them all. Aron finally decides to do whatever is necessary to survive.
I went in to see this movie with high hopes. Knowing it was going to be Oscar worthy, as the Oscars have already been announced, I knew that it should be good. I went out knowing that it was Oscar worthy. I don't really care about the Oscars because they usually are very pretentious, picking films that are political and of the highest caliber while denying others. But the Oscar nominees were not the only thing that made me think this film would be great. It was also that Danny Boyle was directing it. Boyle is, in my opinion, one of the greatest directors working today. Whenever he makes a film, he gives the audience a vision of a specific genre that only he could do. His films don't redefine genres, but rather make them his own while giving an artistic tone to them. He is able to take a zombie film, 28 Days Later, and give it weight, depth, and perception. He does the same thing with 127 Hours. He is able to take the survival sub-genre and make it into a film that is artistic.
James Franco is another reason this movie soars above all others. He gives one of the best performances of his career in this film. As the days go on, you are able to see that Aron is becoming physically and mentally anguished due to conflicting emotions about his life and decisions he's made. It is truly incredible and tear-jerking to see him, through all of this, overcome the greatest of obstacles to survive. It is one of the best performance of the year and I am thrilled he has gotten all the recognition he deserves. There is one scene where he is filming himself on a fake morning talk show where he is the host, himself as the guest, and a man who calls the show to say that, if he didn't tell anyone where he was going, his friend and co-worker would not report his disappearance till Tuesday where he would not be considered actually missing until Wednesday at the latest. All the while, the film plays sounds of applause, cheering, and booing for the show which Aron is imagining in his mind. When you watch this scene, you are almost ready to break into tears because he knows inside that he will not be rescued and that he is going to die. When the man who calls that what he said, Aron answers that what he said is true. Then, as the host, he says a very long oops. Aron then shakes his head slowly while saying in a whisper oops. The scene is very moving because it has a deeper message to it. He says he is sorry to his parents. He tells his mom he wished he had returned all of her phone calls. He says he loves his parents and that he will always be with them.
When people go to see this film, they might think of it as the movie where the guy has to cut his arm off. But it isn't. That part of the story is the plot, but most of the film builds up to it. Instead, the film mainly deals with Aron's journey and understanding of his life. When this film came out, there were incidents where people in the theaters fainted during the amputation scene. While, I watched the entire scene with amazement at the struggle Aron goes through to do it, I understand why people fainted because there is a lot of blood and it is very gruesome. At the same time, though, it is an incredible scene which depicts his struggle to survive. Before he brgins the amputation, he has to break the bones in his arm, something he was unable to do with his dull knife a few days earlier. When he has cracked the bone, he lets out a scream. The scream was not a scream of pain but rather a scream of excitement because he knows he is going to survive and not die in that spot.
Other great aspects of this film are the soundtrack and the editing. The editing, like most of Boyle's films, is rough and not consistent. There is usually more than one image on the screen. This style is used a lot in this film and is executed very well. The soundtrack is done by A. R. Rahman who has done many Indian films but is well known for Slumdog Millionare, another Danny Boyle film. The soundtrack presents itself as a scratchy, rough type of sound for some songs but is more smooth for others. It is a great soundtrack that fits well with the film.
One thing I have to say is that the film is slower but artistic at the same time. I didn't have a problem with it but others might. Also, if you are squeamish, this film is probably not for you either because the amputation scene is quite graphic.
Overall, this film is amazing. If I had to have one complaint, it would be that the first few minutes are a little tedious but that only lasts for about five minutes. In terms of perfection, it is near perfect. It is a heart pounding, tear-jerking, drama that succeeds on so many levels. It is one of my favorite Danny Boyle films so far. It pulls you in from the very beginning and doesn't let you go. It is one of the best films of the year.
Rating: 4.5
Matt
I went in to see this movie with high hopes. Knowing it was going to be Oscar worthy, as the Oscars have already been announced, I knew that it should be good. I went out knowing that it was Oscar worthy. I don't really care about the Oscars because they usually are very pretentious, picking films that are political and of the highest caliber while denying others. But the Oscar nominees were not the only thing that made me think this film would be great. It was also that Danny Boyle was directing it. Boyle is, in my opinion, one of the greatest directors working today. Whenever he makes a film, he gives the audience a vision of a specific genre that only he could do. His films don't redefine genres, but rather make them his own while giving an artistic tone to them. He is able to take a zombie film, 28 Days Later, and give it weight, depth, and perception. He does the same thing with 127 Hours. He is able to take the survival sub-genre and make it into a film that is artistic.
James Franco is another reason this movie soars above all others. He gives one of the best performances of his career in this film. As the days go on, you are able to see that Aron is becoming physically and mentally anguished due to conflicting emotions about his life and decisions he's made. It is truly incredible and tear-jerking to see him, through all of this, overcome the greatest of obstacles to survive. It is one of the best performance of the year and I am thrilled he has gotten all the recognition he deserves. There is one scene where he is filming himself on a fake morning talk show where he is the host, himself as the guest, and a man who calls the show to say that, if he didn't tell anyone where he was going, his friend and co-worker would not report his disappearance till Tuesday where he would not be considered actually missing until Wednesday at the latest. All the while, the film plays sounds of applause, cheering, and booing for the show which Aron is imagining in his mind. When you watch this scene, you are almost ready to break into tears because he knows inside that he will not be rescued and that he is going to die. When the man who calls that what he said, Aron answers that what he said is true. Then, as the host, he says a very long oops. Aron then shakes his head slowly while saying in a whisper oops. The scene is very moving because it has a deeper message to it. He says he is sorry to his parents. He tells his mom he wished he had returned all of her phone calls. He says he loves his parents and that he will always be with them.
When people go to see this film, they might think of it as the movie where the guy has to cut his arm off. But it isn't. That part of the story is the plot, but most of the film builds up to it. Instead, the film mainly deals with Aron's journey and understanding of his life. When this film came out, there were incidents where people in the theaters fainted during the amputation scene. While, I watched the entire scene with amazement at the struggle Aron goes through to do it, I understand why people fainted because there is a lot of blood and it is very gruesome. At the same time, though, it is an incredible scene which depicts his struggle to survive. Before he brgins the amputation, he has to break the bones in his arm, something he was unable to do with his dull knife a few days earlier. When he has cracked the bone, he lets out a scream. The scream was not a scream of pain but rather a scream of excitement because he knows he is going to survive and not die in that spot.
Other great aspects of this film are the soundtrack and the editing. The editing, like most of Boyle's films, is rough and not consistent. There is usually more than one image on the screen. This style is used a lot in this film and is executed very well. The soundtrack is done by A. R. Rahman who has done many Indian films but is well known for Slumdog Millionare, another Danny Boyle film. The soundtrack presents itself as a scratchy, rough type of sound for some songs but is more smooth for others. It is a great soundtrack that fits well with the film.
One thing I have to say is that the film is slower but artistic at the same time. I didn't have a problem with it but others might. Also, if you are squeamish, this film is probably not for you either because the amputation scene is quite graphic.
Overall, this film is amazing. If I had to have one complaint, it would be that the first few minutes are a little tedious but that only lasts for about five minutes. In terms of perfection, it is near perfect. It is a heart pounding, tear-jerking, drama that succeeds on so many levels. It is one of my favorite Danny Boyle films so far. It pulls you in from the very beginning and doesn't let you go. It is one of the best films of the year.
Rating: 4.5
Matt
