127 Hours (2010)

“You know, I’ve been thinking. Everything is… just comes together. It’s me. I chose this. I chose all of this. This rock… this rock has been waiting for me my entire life. In its entire life, ever since it was a bit of meteorite a million, billion years ago up there In space. It’s been waiting, to come here. Right, right here. I’ve been moving towards it my entire life. The minute I was born, every breath I’ve taken, every action has been leading me to this crack on the earth’s surface. ” – Aron

Number of Times Seen – 2 (10 Jan 2011 and 16 Aug 2016)

Brief Synopsis – Based on the true story of an adventurer who gets trapped all alone while rock climbing in Utah

My Take on it – I saw this film a few years back and enjoyed it but was baffled by the fact that it got a Best Picture Nomination come Oscar time along with 5 other nominations.

I do like this movie and I think they did it quite well, but I’m not 100% sure that I think it was one of the best films of 2010.

If they were still using the 5 Nominee system, I’m pretty sure that this wouldn’t have made the cut.

All that being said, I truly believe that they were able to tell a great story in a minimalistic way that makes us feel the loneliness and despair of the main character while he is going thru his ordeal.

James Franco was a great choice for the lead here because he is a very underrated actor and is much better at what he does than most people believe.

He plays Aron Ralston really well and we easily can sympathize with his plight.

He also is able to carry this film solely on his own and it’s easy to get thru nearly 90 minutes of just watching him without any additional characters.

Knowing that this is a story of a real event adds to the suspense and tension of each scene.

Bottom Line – Very interesting tale that is told quite well. We really get to feel the character’s loneliness and despair during his ordeal.  Franco is a much better actor than most people believe and is able to carry this tale on his own. I’m still a bit surprised that this was able to garner an Oscar Best Picture Nomination because although it’s very good, it isn’t great. It definitely would have made the cut in a 5 BP nom year. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Aron Ralston filmed a daily video diary while he was stuck in the canyon; parts of the video diary were shown on a televised special about his entrapment, however most of the footage has only been shown to close friends and family and is kept in a bank vault for safety. Before shooting began both James Franco and director Danny Boyle were allowed to view the footage in order to accurately portray the events in the movie.(From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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