Posts Tagged ‘slumdog millionaire’

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127 Hours (2010)

April 12, 2011


Starring: James Franco
Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later, Trainspotting)

Quick Thoughts: Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours is a gripping, claustrophobic film. James Franco plays Aron Ralston, a perpetual outdoorsman that must fight for his survival after his arm gets trapped under a rock while hiking through the mountains and canyons of Utah. It’s a compelling story, as Ralston slowly realizes the severity of his situation: it takes at least 24 hours for the boulder on Ralston’s arm to transform from major inconvenience to a seriously life-threatening object. No sir, that rock’s not going anywhere. 127 Hours makes you squirm in ways that would make a horror auteur jealous; it’s genuinely scary. Take a step outside the film and realize this is something that actually happened to someone and then put yourself in his shoes… it will send shivers down your spine. Due to the nature of the situation, the scope of the film is pretty limited, but Boyle and Co. more than make up for this in the first twenty minutes, most of which features stunning cinematography of the beautiful landscape this crisis takes place in. Franco is great in this movie and well deserving of his Oscar nomination, displaying a wide range of character that goes from cocky to scared to outright delusional. 127 Hours is a haunting, true tale of survival that is thrilling throughout its duration despite the fact that the majority of the story unfolds in a very small space.

Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Doesn’t strike me as something I’d want to watch repeatedly, but I’d strongly consider buying it.
Sequel Potential: None.
Oscar Potential: Six nominations: Best Actor (Franco), Best Director (Boyle), Best Original Song, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Picture. No wins.
Nudity: None.
Grade: 7.5/10 (Must See/Excellent)
Recommendation: 127 Hours is a great story with a fast pace and clocks in at just over 90 minutes, making for a quick watch. I’ve heard complaints about the hallucinations (Scooby Dooby Doo… where are you?)–people calling them silly–but I suggest going five days without food or water… or mobility… and seeing how your brain holds up. Personally, I thought this movie was great, but if you didn’t like Into The Wild or Slumdog Millionaire, you suck… and you should probably skip this.

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Slumdog Millionaire Review

February 2, 2009

This movie is definitely worth of all the hype you’ve been hearing about it. I first got wind of Slumdog Millionaire via some random website’s list of the 25 best films of 2008. I was shocked to see it ranked #2, especially since, at the time, I had yet to hear of the film. The premise sounded promising enough: a young man goes on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” and makes it to the final question only to find himself arrested for cheating and having to explain himself through flashbacks on how he happened to know the precise answers.

The high ranking on that list and the story had me interested enough to propel it to the top of my must see list. I entered the theater with a mixture of excitement and apprehension (how seriously can I take a website that lists Iron Man as the absolute best film of 2008?). I left the theater thinking that it was a good film, but feeling slightly disappointed that I wasn’t blown away. However, over the past month, the more I’ve thought about the film, the more I’ve realized how great everything about it was. In all honesty, I thought the story had the potential to be really hokey, but it didn’t come across very corny at all; some moments are downright chilling. The cinematography is astounding and Danny Boyle is a near lock to win the Best Director Oscar later this month. Also, anyone that fails to mention the effort that was put into the sound and music of this picture is making a mistake. I’m sure once you’ve seen this film a couple of times, you’ll be singing “Jai Ho” unintentionally over the days that follow. Finally, the cast of unknowns did a remarkable acting job and it looks like Dev Patel might be on his way to stardom, as his casting in M. Night Shamylan’s The Last Airbender, due out in 2010, might indicate.

I think when all is said and done, Slumdog Millionaire is taking down the Best Picture Oscar and will be remembered as the best film that came out in 2008.

Score: 8.5 out of 10 (Must Own/Potentially Classic)

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