127 Hours (***1/2)

127 HOURS
Directed by Danny Boyle

***1/2

In telling the story of Aron Ralston, there are few film directors I would have preferred more than Danny Boyle. When you know that the majority of a movie is going to be a guy stuck in the same spot for an hour and a half, you'd like the guy making the movie to bring a lot of energy. And that's what Boyle has brought to any film he's ever made: a great abundance of energy. In his first film since the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle moves toward a more singular story - even if the visual style isn't much different - in telling the harrowing and infamous tale of Ralston's journey at the bottom of a canyon.

Played with stunning physicality and captivating charm by James Franco, Ralston is displayed as a rambunctious thrill-seeker, taking very little time to think before his next great (or dangerous) adventure. When we first see him, he is waking up in the middle of the night, preparing for his morning hike through the Blue John Canyon in the Utah desert. He rides his bike haphazardly over small hills and valleys, looking for nothing in particular. Hiking is not about the destintion for Ralston, it's about the adventure itself. So, who cares if your front bike tire ramps off a small bush of dry grass which catapults you twenty feet through the air, landing on your back. For Ralston, that's all part of the fun. And he always makes sure to take pictures.

So hungry for excitement, Aron approaches two young women (played by Kate Mara & Amber Tamblyn) who are lost near the canyon. He volunteers to help them and tells them that he's a guide (in reality, he's just an engineer), leading them to a spring at one part of the canyon that you have to slide down a crevice to get to. It's something of a make-shift water slide, and this act endears him to the two girls. But as soon as his guide duties are finished, he does not follow them elsewhere. They invite him to a house party where they promise free alcohol and a giant inflatable Scooby Doo. He accepts the invite... tentatively. Then he's off.

Trekking deeper into the canyon, the space gets smaller and smaller. The walls start to close in on each other and the sun begins to hide. As Aron tries to climb over a boulder, it slips out and he falls. The boulder has trapped his arm underneath it and he cannot get it out. He screams the names of the girls he'd been with moments earlier, but he's so deep down that no one can hear him. At this point, I'm sure most of us know the story. Aron Ralston has run the media gambit telling his queasy story of survival, but part of the greatness of 127 Hours is how it tells us just about every thing we didn't know - and that's all in Aron's mind. How do you survive 127 hours with only a burrito and five hundred milliliters of water? We already knew how Ralston survived physically, but Boyle's latest film shows us how he did it mentally.

A picture of the actual Aron Ralston with his arm trapped under the boulder. Proof of the film's impeccable attention to detail. Franco and Boyle used the actual, seldom seen recorded footage of Ralston stuck in the canyon to make the film further more true to the actual story.

Everybody knows one thing about Aron Ralston: he amputated his own arm so he wouldn't die in a Utah canyon. We can imagine the kind of spirit and will that a person must contain in order to perform an act like his - we can also imagine the desperation. If there's one thing that I appreciated about 127 Hours, was that it did not default toward histrionic melodrama to visualize that desperation, as it would have been so easy to do. We are not shown a man with an unbridled will to survive - we see a charming, adventurous young man who's put in a very foreboding situation, who has to make difficult decisions about whether or not he even can survive. Ralston's story has become the stuff of folk tale, but this film does its best to present him as a very engaging human being not a back-against-the-wall hero. This makes his actions - even though we already know what they are - seem even more heroic.

You can credit the screenplay (written by Boyle and his Slumdog co-scribe Simon Beaufoy), which does an excellent job of forming an empathetic character without having the flexibility of being able to set up a strong backstory. But I feel all of the power emotes from its director and main star. Danny Boyle takes a chance by giving the film a very steady, borderline upbeat tone, utilizing his usual breakneck editing style and inspired soundtrack choices (a montage scored by Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" is particularly exceptional). And James Franco also rolls the dice with his stunning performance here. It would have been so easy to play Ralston with a brave desperation that lionizes him (you want to try and convince me that Daniel Day-Lewis wouldn't have played it that way?), but instead makes him a bit reckless, slightly nonchalant, almost unaware of the severity of the situation. It's hard to do a scene where the main character has to drink a bag of his own sterile, days-old urine without making it seem histrionic, but Boyle and Franco downplay it almost gracefully. I fully expect Boyle and Franco to receive Oscar nominations for their work (if they don't, it would be criminal).

The film was a bit of a Slumdog Millionaire reunion of sorts, since both films have the same production designer (Suttriat Larlarb), cinematographer (Anthony Dod Mantle), and film scorer (A.R. Rahman) - in addition to Boyle and Beaufoy. This shows in much of the visual aesthetic, t
where the two films are very similar throughout. Both films have a very strong forward movement that are manifested in camera effects, quick shots, and an astonishing use of color. But 127 Hours hit me a whole lot harder between the ears than the 2008 Best Picture winner did. Perhaps the character of Ralston just stuck with me more than Slumdog's Jamal did. One thing that can't be disputed, James Franco is a much more seasoned acting talent then most of the no-names in Slumdog, but this film goes beyond just the performance from it's lead actor. All the glitz and style was used to serve the story and the character, which I don't think was always the case with Slumdog.

I really feel like 127 Hours will get better with repeated viewings. The film's final moments felt long to me and there were some storytelling decisions in the last act that I may have questioned. Perhaps that has more to do with my own heavy anticipation of the ending, than it does with the ending itself. Despite all that, we still have this: the work that Boyle and Franco combine to do here makes one of the best movies of the year. It's a story of survival, sure, but a psychological survival more than anything. As a member of the audience, you expect a big physical release by the time his arm has become detached. But you don't get that. What you get is something you never saw coming.

Top Ten: Films I'm Most Excited About This Fall (Part Two)

FILMS THAT JUST MISSED THE LIST (with the reasons they were nixed):

-Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger seems like a great filmmaker going back to the well to tackle the same themes he's tackled fifty times. Can't he slow down? One film a year is starting to get tired.

-No End In Sight director Charles Ferguson's newest film Inside Job is meant to be a muckraking piece that will get everyone upset about what really caused the economic downturn. I'm sure it's good, but do we need extra motivation to hate the recession. Knowing who caused it won't chance the fact that it's here.

-Nowhere Boy is a pre-Beatles biopic on John Lennon, one of my biggest heroes. Word has been good, and there's a lot of Supporting Actress buzz surrounding the performance of Kristen Scott-Thomas. But how can this film possibly do justice to such an iconic figure?

-Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go has a group of fantastic young actors including Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield, as well as veterans Sally Hawkins and Charlotte Rampling. I do become weary, though, with the concept of a film that spends nearly half its time creating flashback backstory.

-The Coen Brothers are reconnecting with The Dude (Jeff Bridges) for their remake of the 1969 western True Grit. With the Coens' current hot streak and Bridges fresh off his first Oscar win, what's not to get excited about? Well, I've actually seen the original True Grit and sitting through anything close to that again is not terribly appetizing.

-Barney's Version is a fictional biopic about Barney Panofsky, as played by Paul Giamatti. He plows through wives (one played by Minnie Driver), hoping to find some form of happiness, but never seems to be successful. He also has a witty, equally curmudgeoned father played by Dustin Hoffman. The supporting cast also includes Rosamund Pike, Bruce Greenwood, and Saul Rubinek. How did this miss the list? The chances of it actually coming out in 2010 are getting slimmer and slimmer.

Alas, I will most likely see all of these films anyway, so their placement (or non-placement) on my list doesn't really matter that much. Speaking of list, here are the top five:

5. 127 Hours
Release Date: November 5

Danny Boyle has been a great filmmaker for close to two decades, but never got his full due until he won the Best Director Oscar in 2008 for Slumdog Millionaire - his least interesting film, by far. Still, with films like Trainspotting, 28 Days Later..., and Sunshine on your resume, every one of your films should be considered required viewing. The trailer for this film has just come out recently. It stars James Franco as the infamous rock climber Aron Ralston, the man notorious for having to cut off his own arm when it became trapped underneath a boulder in the Utah mountains. This happened in 2003 and became one of those great news stories that everyone loved talking about around the water cooler, saying "Man, that would be an awesome movie, don't you think?". Well, here it is. Not sure how awesome 127 Hours will or will not be. It's going to be a particularly tough watch, I assume, if you just consider what it's about. And Boyle has all but said that he hopes that parts of this film will challenge audiences in ways they're not usually challenged. Boyle has always made films that were visual wonders, but what's understated is his talent with actors, and Franco is young actor whose been waiting for that one role to make a real statement with his talent (he'll have a double-shot this year, since he's also playing Allen Ginsberg in Howl - but that didn't make my list, so let's move forward).

4. Somewhere
Release Date: December 22

Sofia Coppola was supposed to be the next big thing in contemporary filmmaking after winning an Original Screenplay Oscar for Lost In Translation in 2004. Since then, it has been mostly quiet, with the exception of 2006's Marie Antoinette, which was appreciable in its audaciousness, even though it was a total mess. Considering that, it probably shouldn't be too shocking that Somewhere came to me as a surprise. I had no idea that this film even existed until the trailer popped up in iTunes. The film stars Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning as a father and daughter. Dorff is a fast-living party boy actor who finds Fanning sitting in his hotel room after his ex-wife (played by Michelle Monaghan) drops her off - for good. It's a pretty tired premise: former lousy parent learns to love his child after they're forced to spend more time together. It's the Kramer Vs. Kramer plot. Coppola, herself, was the daughter of a fast-living Hollywood icon (legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola), which may come as an advantage to her screenplay. Coppola is very good at showcasing personal connections, and it'll be exciting to see how well she works with Dorff and Fanning. Plus, it has Chris Pontius - who will also be in Jackass 3D this Fall. That film would've made the list if I was actually being honest.

3. Blue Valentine
Release Date: December 31

Everyone gushed over this film when it premiered at Sundance in January. Everything from the cast and filmmakers were championed as brilliant. It centers on a young, married couple played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. It showcases how they fall in love and how, over the years, fall out of love. In writer-director Derek Cianfrance's first feature film, he takes a page out of the Annie Hall playbook, showcasing a relationship by shifting through timelines erratically. This blueprint was used in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It may seem a bit dangerous to recycle a process used in two masterpieces, but all word has said that Cianfrance hits it out of the park. Then there is the combination of two young, very talented actors in Gosling and Williams. All notes have expressed nothing but unrelenting love for both of their performances, and early buzz has shown that either has a good chance at an Oscar nomination next year. It does bother me that the film's distribution company has waited till the last possible day to release it. It's very possible that no one will see it, as it gets swallowed by the titanic Christmas releases from the big studios. Perhaps, those are only trivial details, since there is no other film coming out later this year that has gotten more positive feedback.

2. Another Year
Release Date: December 29

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an overbearing fan of film director Mike Leigh (and if you weren't so sure, you can scroll down a couple of posts to see for yourself). His last two films (Vera Drake and Happy-Go-Lucky) were two of his most brilliant, and all good things come in threes (or is that celebrity deaths? Oh whatever, don't crush my enthusiasm). When it premiered in Cannes earlier in the year, many reviews were very positive, with particular good words being written about Leigh veteran actress Lesley Manville. The film appears to center around an upper-middle-age married couple played by Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen, and how they get along with their collection of friends and family members. Once again, Leigh is focusing on middle class England and the mundane lives that roam around it. There is a reason why Leigh's films are always exceptional, and it's because he has the ultimate trust in his actors and the ultimate belief in his characters. When you gain that kind of reputation, you're going to get a good effort from your cast, no matter how talented the actors may be. And this cast is good, including Leigh regulars, Broadbent, Sheen and Manville, as well as Peter Wright and Imelda Staunton. So, here's to another year with an excellent Mike Leigh film.

1. Black Swan
Release Date: December 1

I can't see any surprise coming here. My expectations for Darren Aronofsky's new film have no reached unreasonable levels. So, why am I more excited about this movie than any other this Fall? And why is it not even close? Well, it's a combination of several different things, since my enthusiasm has formed because of a perfect storm of timing and talent. Natalie Portman is probably me favorite young actress and the concept of this being her breakthrough adult role is quite tantalizing (Brothers failed in that regard last year). I've had my reservations about Aronofsky in the past, but since The Wrestler, I've gained new respect for him. If he can combine the visual ambition of Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain with the stunning character development, then he will probably be the greatest filmmaker of all time - but that's not very likely, though it's something to aspire to. More likely, we're going to be greeted with a happy medium, but even that is something very good. And let's not forget a supporting cast that includes Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassell, Barbara Herschey, and (gasp!) Winona Ryder. The film's plot is unique as well, since it's not too often that there is a psychological thriller about ballerinas - in fact, I'm confident in saying that this is probably the first one - and the self-destructive themes that the trailer suggests can be real meaty. One question what the hell is Natalie pulling out of her back at the end there?

I have to watch it, just to figure out what the hell is going on there, don't I?

COMING SOON:

THE AMERICAN
THE TOWN
MORE MOVIES WITH THE WORD 'THE' IN THE TITLE