127 HOURS
4 out of 5 stars

watched another oscar contender, and i have to say this was the most intense movie i’ve seen in a while! it’s amazing when one is faced with a “live or die” sitch, that one will do whatever it takes to get out of it... including cutting off an arm! :/

the movie starts out with a guy named aron ralston, who LOVES to rock climb the canyons of utah. he drives out to the middle of nowhere, and begins mountain biking, hiking, the works. he’s charming and outgoing, and we see that when he meets these two girls, whom he shows a secret lagoon of water underneath a deep canyon. they’re swimming and having fun, and soon they part ways... suddenly, aron is trying to climb down as per usual when a big boulder snaps off, lodging itself next to his right arm. his arm is basically a lost cause because the boulder is way too big for him to move it...at least, by himself. he’s trapped, is low on food and water, and doesn’t know if anyone can find him since he’s so deep into the canyon. he starts to videotape his “experience” and the end result...

beautifully done and def has the danny boyle color touch! (a la millions, one of my faves) the natural beauties of the canyons are well shot/captured, and you can almost see some surreal effects going on as well. (reminding me of georgia o’keeffe’s artistic style, sorta?) aron’s hallucinations are vivid, and you can’t really tell if what’s reality and what’s not. one would be in that state after no food and water for 5 days, i suppose? james franco does give a great performance, which earned him an oscar nod...no kidding on that part. i mean, the guy ends up eating his contact lenses and drinking his own pee from a camel bag... if that doesn’t earn you an oscar nod, i dunno what does... ;)