Review: 127 Hours

The fifth movie on my list of seven to see was 127 Hours.  This film was probably the most difficult to see and I made an effort to see it as soon as possible.  It had limited release on November 5th, so I knew it would be out of theaters soon.  I was so worried it would be gone that I drove down to Denver in a snow storm and saw it at 9:40 PM.  I was one of four people in the theater watching the film and suffice to say I'm glad I went to see it when I did (the theater that was playing it no longer is).  The film stars James Franco and that's about it.  There are a few other people that make brief appearances, but James Franco is the only person on screen for a majority of the movie.  Franco plays Aron Ralston, a young mountain climber who was trapped in Canyonlands National Park, Utah in 2003.  Ralston conveniently forgot to mention to anyone where he was going and was trapped for over five days, his arm pinned to the canyon wall by an incredibly large boulder.  The movie is based on Ralston's autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place and directed by Danny Boyle, the director of 2008's winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, Slum Dog Millionaire.

I'm not going to spend an awful amount of time explaining the plot because it's pretty self explanatory.  Most of what there is to talk about in concerns to this movie is James Franco.  From the start nothing he does is terrible impressive, he jumps around and acts like a goofy, nerdy 20-something year-old.  However, once he gets trapped, Franco has one of the best performances I have ever seen.  Not only is it impressive in and of itself, but the entire movie rests on him and all you see is him stuck in the same spot for over an hour.  To take something so limited and produce something so profound is incredible.  Franco expresses hope, anguish, insanity, optimism, frustration, a sense of humor, and desperation all with no more than about three feet of overall mobility.  One of the most impressive, yet disturbing scenes has to be a dialogue Franco has with himself, clearly showing that Aron Ralston was on the verge of breaking.  I don't even have to explain how shocking and painstakingly depressing the final scene is (in fact, I don't remember the last time I actually cringed at a movie), but Franco passes the depiction with flying colors.

Another impressive aspect of the movie is the cinematography.  The number of angles and points-of-view that are utilized during the movie make the it more interesting and some are so creative and fascinating they make the viewer see the tiny space in a completely different light throughout.  The editing is also strong making the atmosphere feel warm and inviting while at other times making the tiny place feel like a dark, inescapable tomb. While the music of the movie doesn't always stand out, A. R. Rahman does an original score that varies from the typical Indian themed music he typically makes.

127 Hours is an incredible story and parts of it are hard to watch, but James Franco's performance alone makes it a movie not to be missed.  He has easily garnered himself an Oscar nomination.  While he may not win (Colin Firth poses some tough competition), I personally think he should and I think it would be a welcome victory by many for the young actor.  Franco invested himself in the role and made a mountain out of a mole hill.  With such limited resources, Franco does an amazing job and, no matter what happens at the Academy Awards, gave the best male performance of the year in my opinion.  You might cringe, you might cry, but 127 Hours is worth seeing solely because of James Franco's performance.

Review: I Love You, Phillip Morris

One of the few comedies to crack my list of movies I wanted to see over break was I Love You, Phillip Morris starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor.  Carrey plays Steven Russel, a man who has a low key life married to his wife Debbie (Leslie Mann) with two kids working as a police officer.  Unbeknownst to Debbie, Steven spends his nights going out and sleeping with other men.  On his way home one night, Steven gets in a terrible accident which causes him to finally come out of the closet.  Shortly afterward he moves to Florida and, because living as a gay man is expensive, starts conning his way through life.  Eventually he is caught, arrested, and sent to prison where he meets Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) and immediately falls in love.  The rest of the movie follows Carrey as he tries to make a life for him and McGregor, conning various people and corporations to make sure they're living lavishly and, consequently, on the edge.

The movie is based on the real-life story of Steven Russel, a con man in the 1980s and 90s, and is adapted from the book I Love You Phillip Morris: A True Story of Life, Love, and Prison Breaks by Steve McVicker.  I Love You, Phillip Morris is definitely one of the best and most enjoyable comedies I've seen in a long time.  Carrey fits the bill to a T and it's hard to imagine anyone but Carrey doing the anticts that Steven Russel went through.  While his signature physical comedy is prevalent in the movie, what is more impressive is his ability to adapt to the character.  While you know it's Jim Carrey you're watching, he is entirely convincing as Steven Russel and this film is undoubtedly one of his best.  Ewan McGregor perhaps fulfills his role the best, portraying a timid, innocent, and shy Phillip Morris.  The relationship between the two is entirely convincing and heat warming; the only way I can seem to describe the bond is cute.

There isn't really much of a plot line in the movie, it's more of a following of Russel's seemingly endless efforts to escape from prison and win the love of Phillip Morris.  At times it seems absurd that Russel could get away with what he did and it seems more like something concocted in the mind of Carrey himself, but other moments, particularly towards the end, the audience will undoubtedly be taken back by not only Russel's devotion to Phillip Morris, but his genius.  Steven Russel may be charming, attractive, witty, and funny, but it is his intelligence that gets him places and why the police can never hold him down.

I Love You, Phillip Morris may be the best comedy I've seen all year.  The relationship between Russel and Morris is convincing and endearing and both actors do a stupendous job at forming a believable romance.  The supporting cast doesn't appear much, but each and every tertiary character fulfills its role well, the standouts being Debbie (Leslie Mann), Jimmy (Carrey's ex played by Rodrigo Santoro), and several of the various prison inmates.  The film is simply just enjoyable to watch, fun, and incredibly light hearted.  So, yes, I've decided: I Love You, Phillip Morris was my favorite comedy of 2010, hands down.

Review: TRON: Legacy

The third movie I saw this break was TRON: Legacy.  Now, this isn't exactly on my list of "Oscar movies," but I wanted to see it because, well, it's TRON.  TRON: Legacy follows Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) after his father, Kevin Flynn (Jeff bridges), mysteriously disappears.  Flynn's partner, Alan Bradley, believes that Flynn actually went inside his master project The Grid.  After receiving a mysterious page from Flynn's old arcade, Sam discovers his father's hidden work shop and gets pulled into The Grid and begins searching for his father.  Along the way he has to fight Clu (Jeff Bridges), a copy of Flynn meant to perfect The Grid, as well as Rinzler (Anis Cheurfa), The Grid's most skilled fighter.

The acting in TRON isn't stupendous; being a Disney movie, none of the actors are incredibly well experienced or talented outside of Jeff Bridges, but they fulfill their purpose.  Olivia Wilde who plays Quorra does a good job at acting her part, but doesn't stand out in any sense outside of the fact that she's super hot.  Jeff Bridges on the other hand does a great job of playing the two juxtaposed characters of Kevin Flynn and Clu.  What's even more impressive is that the age technology actually makes Jeff Bridges look younger as Clu, as opposed to creepy.  Michael Sheen also stands out in his role as Castor, a perturbed club owner and also The Grid's most powerful delegate, Zuse.

While the acting may be the weakest part of the movie, the special effects are stunning.  The vivid colors placed along the ever present wash of black pop and make the action scenes exhilarating.  The sets and scenes, costumes, and vehicles are both simplistic yet beautifully crafted.  The movie looks even better on the IMAX screen, although I have an ever present on-again off-again relationship with 3D technology.  If you want to go see this movie on the IMAX in 3D, I suggest either bringing a set of your own 3D glasses (I managed to save some nicer ones from another theater) or getting there as soon as possible so you can get a seat right in the middle.  I sat slightly to the left of the screen and the entire time there was a reflection on the right lens of the poor quality glasses the movie theater handed out.  This isn't a complaint against TRON, but a complaint against the new 3D rage.  I'll be the first to admit that 3D can be fun, but if they are charging me $17+ for a ticket, I want some quality 3D glasses.

Overall, TRON: Legacy was a fun, enjoyable thrill ride.  The acting isn't great, but Kevin Flynn is almost an exact replica The Dude.  He's Zen, he's hippy, he's totally rad and it's enjoyable to watch, even though slightly gimmicky.  If TRON is nominated for anything at The Academy Awards, it will be the special effects and possibly the original score.  Daft Punk does an excellent job of making a masterful score while intermingling their own personal techno flair at the same time.  While I wasn't impressed by the OST at first listen, once I heard it accompanying the movie itself, I realized that Daft Punk does an impressive job of making a grandiose, masterfully crafted movie score.  Daft Punk actually makes a cameo in the movie and blend in seamlessly with TRON's environment, which comes at no surprise.  TRON may not be the best movie out there, but transporting to The Grid is a thrill and I would not mind seeing the movie again.