Rambling Review #1: "127 Hours"

Hey there! Awww...you came back! I must be doing something right, or you're just bored again. Either way, kudos to you for making one seriously good decision today.

A self portrait.

So, where was I? In keeping with what will hopefully be one of many reviews to eventually grace this little blog o' mine, I've decided to kick off my Rambling Reviews with the highly entertaining Danny Boyle film 127 Hours which is conveniently available on DVD at your local store starting today.

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I can't give it all away in the first two and a half minutes like most modern movie trailers do. First, my requisite ramblings for the day (the blog is called that for a reason).

How did I/will I choose the films that I will review on this blog? Well luckily for me I get a LOT of free movie rentals, so I generally watch those (unless it looks too horrid to even consider). The rest of the time, I head out to my second favourite place in the world, the theatre (please read this in a British accent) to see something that sounds good, looks good or has gotten good reviews.

I should say to that I try (and you should too), to not to let actual reviews stop me from seeing something if it appeals to me. Reviewing films is largely subjective, which is why I think people who review films for a living are often wrong. And why I may often be wrong. But I don't get paid for this. Those other lucky bastards do.

Despite this I am a huge movie review junkie. I read all kinds of blogs and other websites to hear everything and anything about films. So who do I agree with/think you should also check out? Well, this guy is awesome (obviously). Oh and these two guys (who are also awesome and have an awesome podcast that you should ALL download because it is far more comprehensive, nerdy and rambling about films than this blog will ever be).

Anyway, phewf, on to what matters here: the review.


127 Hours
Starring: James Franco, the Utah desert, and a very stubborn reddish coloured rock.
Directed by: Danny Boyle (other films include Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later, and Trainspotting).
Spoilers in this review? Yes, but hopefully not too many.

What would you do if you were stuck in a large mountain crevice in the Utah desert, with your right hand pinned between a large reddish coloured rock and an unmovable canyon wall? Oh yeah, you've also got hardly any water left, little food, no means of communication, no one knows where you are, and to top it all off - you have no real way of getting said rock away from your slowly dying, purply coloured hand. While most of you would probably say "Pish paw I would never get myself in that position to begin with!" this is in fact what happened in real life to adventurer Aaron Ralston. It is then naturally Ralston's book based on this ordeal called Between a Rock and a Hard Place  that is the basis for the film adaptation (I have yet to read the book but it is definitely high on my list now).

Spoiler alert! As I'm sure you all know by now, Ralston did end up surviving the incident by cutting off his own arm and stumbling to safety. But what the film does extremely well, apart from showing that excruciating three minutes when he's actually removing the appendage with a dull utility knife, is depict this man's journey to that lonely canyon, and what was going through his head while his own personal hell is occurring.

What I particularly loved about this film was how it made me feel (like an emotional, blubbering mess by the end), and the overall content of it (beautifully shot, edited, directed and acted). Danny Boyle really gives a lesson in sheer skill here, somehow taking what could have been an incredibly dull 94 minutes of James Franco staring into the camera, and making it insanely watchable.

For anyone familiar with his other work (Slumdog Millionaire in particular) you will notice some of the same frenetic pacing that Boyle likes to use, with lots of jump cuts, wide establishing shots and some seriously wicked handheld work that we see when Ralston is stuck in the same place for 3/4 of the movie. This paired with an awesome score by A.R. Rahman (of Slumdog fame as well), combines into a truly beautiful film.

The structure of the film is what ultimately works the most here. One of my favourite things about it is how Boyle has book-ended it with shots of crowds: crowds running in a race, crowds getting on and off the commuter train, crowds at a sports game. At the beginning of the film you see the way Ralston lives - we are introduced to him as he scrambles to prepare for another weekend of outdoor solitude, ignoring his sister and mother's phone calls...he's clearly a huge loner. He heads off into the canyons of Utah to bike and hike his way all over the mountains, not telling a soul where he is going. He also keeps a video diary of sorts that looks like something he would later post on YouTube; the camera later coming into major play when he is stuck in the canyon.

The point here is that you almost long to be him at the beginning (at least I did): away from the rat race, biking and hiking through the wilderness with not a care in the world. I'll get back to this at the end of the review.  

After a brief encounter with a couple of girls hiking, Ralston slips and falls down a large canyon crevice, bringing the giant rock (which is totally a character in the movie) down upon his right hand. As the next 127 hours take place (albeit, in a sped up fashion for film purposes) we see him go through a range of emotions from panic, anger and sarcasm, to acceptance and delusions, as he realizes what he needs to do to get out of this very unfortunate pickle.

This is where the other major kudos for the movie comes from: James Franco's exquisite acting. He was nominated for an Academy Award for this performance and rightfully so. Franco here is able to bring to the role all of the things this character needs to convey, and he does it very realistically. Not that I haven't liked him before, but I think this is by far his best performance to date. When you see Ralston apologizing into his little camera to his parents for not being a better son, it is heart wrenching. I doubt another actor would have been able to make this film as interesting as he did.

My other favourite element of the film is the vignettes. As his time in the canyon grows longer and more dire, there are some really beautiful moments where we see Ralston having flashbacks to otherwise minor events in his life: playing piano with his sister, meeting a the first girl he ever loved, laughing with his family. I've read in other reviews that some thought these moments were too stereotypical, but that is really the reason why I think they worked so well - they are moments that anyone could have had, that anyone can relate to, and that anyone would look upon with sadness if he or she were faced with their own impending doom.

It is through these images that we come to realize not only that he is changing as he lays stuck between this rock and a hard place (haha clever, aren't I?), but that we should all consider how precious these small moments in life really are. It may sound trite, but the way it is conveyed is very beautiful...I dare you to not be just a little moved.

Something of course must also be said about the infamous butchering of the arm scene. I challenge you to sit through it without cringing. I managed to stick to it though, keeping my eyeballs glued to all the nastiness that ensues. I read one review that said it best: by this point in the film you are so committed to Ralston getting out of this predicament alive, that you feel it would be an insult to him and yourself not to watch this horribleness unfold. Let's just say it's not for the faint of heart...oh and you might want to employ earmuffs too as some of the noises are quite jarring.

Going back to that book-end sequence that I mentioned before...this kicks in once again at the end of the film. But by this point, the strangest thing had happened to me: I no longer wished to be that carefree guy we saw biking and hiking in the wilderness, I just wanted to live. Live every small, boring moment of my life with gusto and happiness and respect.

Ultimately this is why I loved this film so much (and why, if my girlfriend hadn't been sitting near me I would have cried HARD for a good ten minutes after it was over). It somehow tapped into that core part of me that has always wanted (but likely failed) to subscribe to the Carpé Diem (Seize the Day) philosophy. 

I don't know about you - but when I film can make me feel emotions that strongly...I'd qualify it as a huge success. All in all, if you care at all about any of the things I just mentioned, I would highly recommended checking it out.

So, what did you think of 127 Hours? Did you love it, or hate it? Let me know in the comments.