Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2011)

The first thing I have to mention, and I'm certainly not the first, is the incredible performance by James Franco. His role as Aron is gut-wrenching and charged with emotion. The various hallucinations and struggles he goes through more than convinced me that the real Aron went through the same torment. Which brings up a good question. What does it take for James Franco to get an Oscar? I asked the same thing of Mark Wahlberg in THE FIGHTER. I know there can only be one Best Actor, but WHAT. DOES. IT. TAKE? Both are talented, who infuse their roles with convincing emotions. When both actors are going through struggles, you feel it and cheer them on when they succeed. And both have played roles that are so natural and down-to-earth (with the exception of Max Payne in Wahlberg's case, but let's forgive him for that.) Second, the cinematography is astounding. Considering that most of the running time takes place with Aron trapped in the crevice, Danny Boyle and his team are at it again! Filming their scenes in dozens of new and creative ways. The best scenes I felt were the hallucinations. They were spot-on without feeling staged or fakey. There is one in particular that makes you think the movie's over, until you realize along with Aron that it's all a fantasy. Of late, I've been really impressed with Danny Boyle's work. TRAINSPOTTING was a force to be reckoned with, 28 DAYS LATER redefined the zombie genre, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE was an inspiring journey into a part of India that we rarely see outside of Indian cinema, and now 127 HOURS has us diving into the world of extreme sports (along with the perils of living life on the edge.) I highly recommend this to anyone who wants an inspiring story, with a word of caution if you're squeamish about realistic gore effects.