127 Hours
Director : Danny Boyle
So.. 127 Hours. I trust everyone knows the story. Atleast I did, long before I saw the movie. For the select few who don't, it is the story of a man who gets his hand stuck in between a canyon's hard wall and a large boulder at a desolate place and how he solves the situation. That's it. That's pretty much it. That's the story of 127 Hours for you. And yes, it IS a full 100 minutes movie. Yes, its been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. And no, it is NOT a dull movie.
127 Hours is one of those rare experiences where you almost know or forsee everything that happens or will happen and yet you expect it, with unending impatience. To make a movie like 127 Hours, you need a director like Danny Boyle. So while Slumdog Millionaire had a grand canvas on which Boyle could paint with a hundred colors, 127 Hours is more like giving him a paper and a pencil, and seeing the result. And the result is a masterpiece, a sheer cinematic experience that is bound to be remembered for a long, long time. And all this is with the same one-line story i started this review with.
To greatly elaborate on the plot, the film tells the story of adventure enthusiast Aron Ralston (James Franco), who goes to the Grand Canyon for a trek. He does not inform his family and constantly maintains a video log of his trip. He meets two pretty girls on the desolate trek, and after spending some 'brief' time with them, he leaves on his path, promising to meet them later that night at a party at the end of his trek. While on his path, he falls into a small crevice with a boulder crushing his arm to the sides of the canyon wall. He soon realizes that the boulder is immovable and so is his hand. With no one around to help for miles, he remains stuck there for the remainder of the film. Except, of course, for a small exhilirating sequence in the middle of the film.
Based on the true life story of Aron Ralston and adapted from his book 'Between a rock and a Hard Place', 127 Hours is a true chronicle of the human spirit and its power. An awe-inspiring survival story, it shows how the will to live can make you overcome any adversity whatsoever. The tremendous will power that is exhibited in the film is infectious and stays with you much after you've left the cinema hall. At many critical points, the film forces you to think what YOU would have done in that situation. In that way again, the film scores full points in being an engaging watch, complete with beautifully done hallucinations. Some people may find the film a little slow-paced, but Boyle shows how little he cares about that. For he infuses the film with a realism, an authenticity that is unbeatable and lends the film its true spirit, setting it apart from other similar-theme films. And Danny Boyle is hardly the best thing in the film.
I mentioned in the beginning how if Slumdog Millionaire was Boyle's lush, full colored painting, then 127 Hours is his pen and paper masterpiece. The paper here is the Grand Canyon, which has never looked so grand before, thanks to Oscar winning Cinematographer and regular Boyle collaborater, Simon Beaufoy. The look of the film is absolutely stunning and in the beginning threatens to take over the plot. But then comes in the pen that Boyle wields, and THIS is the best thing that happens to 127 Hours - James Franco. Shedding all inhibitions and giving his career-best performance, James Franco steals the film with his amazing and extraordinary portrayal of a desperate man. There's nothing much that an actor can do being stuck at one place throughout the film apart from scream and squeam. But Franco does more than scream and squeam, for it is his silence that speaks volumes. He will be a strong Oscar contender to Colin Firth for the Best Actor category, and if none of them win, i will loose all faith in the Oscars. The film and Franco's performance is complimented by a splendid background score done by A R Rahman, which forms the pulse of 127 Hours. Deservingly, he's earned himself two Oscar nominations and a personal appreciative note from Aaron Ralstien.
Have patience, and you will be rewarded. A film like 127 Hours is not just to be seen, but earned, for the entire experience it has to offer. I give it a 4/5. A must-see on the big screen.
So.. 127 Hours. I trust everyone knows the story. Atleast I did, long before I saw the movie. For the select few who don't, it is the story of a man who gets his hand stuck in between a canyon's hard wall and a large boulder at a desolate place and how he solves the situation. That's it. That's pretty much it. That's the story of 127 Hours for you. And yes, it IS a full 100 minutes movie. Yes, its been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. And no, it is NOT a dull movie.
127 Hours is one of those rare experiences where you almost know or forsee everything that happens or will happen and yet you expect it, with unending impatience. To make a movie like 127 Hours, you need a director like Danny Boyle. So while Slumdog Millionaire had a grand canvas on which Boyle could paint with a hundred colors, 127 Hours is more like giving him a paper and a pencil, and seeing the result. And the result is a masterpiece, a sheer cinematic experience that is bound to be remembered for a long, long time. And all this is with the same one-line story i started this review with.
To greatly elaborate on the plot, the film tells the story of adventure enthusiast Aron Ralston (James Franco), who goes to the Grand Canyon for a trek. He does not inform his family and constantly maintains a video log of his trip. He meets two pretty girls on the desolate trek, and after spending some 'brief' time with them, he leaves on his path, promising to meet them later that night at a party at the end of his trek. While on his path, he falls into a small crevice with a boulder crushing his arm to the sides of the canyon wall. He soon realizes that the boulder is immovable and so is his hand. With no one around to help for miles, he remains stuck there for the remainder of the film. Except, of course, for a small exhilirating sequence in the middle of the film.
Based on the true life story of Aron Ralston and adapted from his book 'Between a rock and a Hard Place', 127 Hours is a true chronicle of the human spirit and its power. An awe-inspiring survival story, it shows how the will to live can make you overcome any adversity whatsoever. The tremendous will power that is exhibited in the film is infectious and stays with you much after you've left the cinema hall. At many critical points, the film forces you to think what YOU would have done in that situation. In that way again, the film scores full points in being an engaging watch, complete with beautifully done hallucinations. Some people may find the film a little slow-paced, but Boyle shows how little he cares about that. For he infuses the film with a realism, an authenticity that is unbeatable and lends the film its true spirit, setting it apart from other similar-theme films. And Danny Boyle is hardly the best thing in the film.
I mentioned in the beginning how if Slumdog Millionaire was Boyle's lush, full colored painting, then 127 Hours is his pen and paper masterpiece. The paper here is the Grand Canyon, which has never looked so grand before, thanks to Oscar winning Cinematographer and regular Boyle collaborater, Simon Beaufoy. The look of the film is absolutely stunning and in the beginning threatens to take over the plot. But then comes in the pen that Boyle wields, and THIS is the best thing that happens to 127 Hours - James Franco. Shedding all inhibitions and giving his career-best performance, James Franco steals the film with his amazing and extraordinary portrayal of a desperate man. There's nothing much that an actor can do being stuck at one place throughout the film apart from scream and squeam. But Franco does more than scream and squeam, for it is his silence that speaks volumes. He will be a strong Oscar contender to Colin Firth for the Best Actor category, and if none of them win, i will loose all faith in the Oscars. The film and Franco's performance is complimented by a splendid background score done by A R Rahman, which forms the pulse of 127 Hours. Deservingly, he's earned himself two Oscar nominations and a personal appreciative note from Aaron Ralstien.
Have patience, and you will be rewarded. A film like 127 Hours is not just to be seen, but earned, for the entire experience it has to offer. I give it a 4/5. A must-see on the big screen.
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Shoot!