Saturday, November 27, 2010

Different Yet Uninteresting

Based on Aron Ralston's autobiography, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Danny Boyle's latest directorial venture, 127 hours depicts the real-life incident in 2003 in which Ralston, while on a hiking trip, got trapped in Blue John Canyon in Utah for five days because his right arm was pinned against the canyon wall by a rock. As those of you familiar with the incident may know, he eventually had to cut his arm off in order to survive and get out of the canyon.



The only reason to watch this movie is James Franco's remarkable performance as Ralston. Other than that, I don't think the film has much to offer. It is no doubt different than usual cliche and formulaic plots but that's only because it's based on an unusual real life incident and just because it's "different" doesn't mean it's interesting. Watching a guy struggle to free his arm that is pinned by a rock is not exactly my idea of a "fun" movie night. Some may find this film inspirational as it is about survival in the toughest of times; others may be discouraged to ever go hiking or mountain climbing again. The moral of the story is: don't go on a dangerous adventure without telling someone close your whereabouts.

If you don't watch this film, I don't think you will be missing much. However, since professional critics seemed to be raving about it as it is "different", I think it might get nominated for Oscars. So if you wish to watch a potential Oscar nominated film, watch it on DVD or spend $9 on a matinee show. It's definitely not worth spending $12 on.

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