127 Hours

The harrowing true story of Aron Ralston resorting to primal survival instincts is a captivating gem of a film. The story is no mystery, as it is based on real events from the media amplified event of 2003. A project like this has little room for error, as it is virtually a one man movie. Danny Boyle uses his trademark unconventional camera angles and peculiar music to enhance the tension while adding a little much-needed levity.

Before I discuss the film's triumphs and shortcomings, I would like to say that this adaptation could have taken a much darker, suspenseful tone. Why Boyle chose to add humor and inspiration to such a grim story is testament to his vision as a filmmaker. I will return to this later.

The setting couldn't be more beautiful. The Moab desert in Utah; the perfect landscape filled with caves and canyons older than civilization itself. Hues of red and brown with smooth walls carved from millenniums of erosion and weathering. Untouched by humans except for hikers, climbers, and other adventure enthusiasts.

From the opening credits, there is a barrage of foreshadowing and irony. A frenetic montage of humans in their communal element. Running of the Bulls, Crossing urban intersections, basically interacting en masse. Cut to Aron who is getting ready for his solo adventure, escaping the company of his species. Boyle lingers the camera teasingly on a bottle of water, a small drop of condensation rolling down its lip signifying that every last drop is precious. Aron grabs his food and drink for his journey, the remaining choices a subtle reminder of the sustenance rejected. He reaches into the dark closet shelf for his knife, finding only a cheap, imitation Leatherman and leaving his pristine Swiss Army Knife on the shelf, just inches from his blind reach.

It is clearly going to be a movie of sublime imagery.

He embarks on his journey with reckless abandon, driving through the night until he finally reaches his destination; a small campsite outside of Blue John Canyon where he curls up in the bed of his truck. The morning jolts the viewer awake with his adventurous spirit in high gear, riding his bicycle into no-man's land. After an already exhausting biking and hiking, he comes across two young women, and we get to see James Franco begin his true transformation into Aron Ralston.

There is a sort of morbid anticipation for the tragic events that befall Aron, but as we see into his personality and his undeniable free-spirited optimism, we get a sense that everything will be alright.

From the moment that his arm is pinned under a boulder until the shocking climax, it is like the second act in a movie, but the buildup is short enough, and anticipation managed with an artful crescendo. The simplicity and humanity of the story works. Brilliantly.

As I stated earlier, there is levity thrown in that numbs the viewer from what might have been an unbearable and visceral terror of claustrophobia and moribund realization. Franco gives his last words into the camera, jumping between self-aware humor and reflective remorse and brightens his own spirit with a mock interview of himself in a delirious state. The timing of these intervening quips bring the viewer back to the reality that we are sitting in a theatre and that this is just a movie. Without it, the intensity would border on unbearable.

There is no false sense of bravado or heroism. Franco captures the spirit with a raw emotional sincerity rarely seen. He handles his predicament with grace and rational problem-solving intent, but as his strength and hydration wear down, so does his spirit. We follow a strong, young man down the spiraling inevitability that a primal choice must be made. Filming himself chronicling his experience, and watching the pallid complexion fade away, it is cinematic magic.

At the first nine screenings of this film, there were nine victims of the graphic realism who passed out. I won't lie, it is heart-pounding intensity. The amputation scene which is obviously the climax, is the most realistic and rawest I have ever seen. There is a beauty embedded deep in it however. Almost indescribable, once free of the arm that is slowly killing him, there is a sigh of relief. A feeling of freedom after 127 hours of captivity. Franco's Ralston utters two simple words while staring back at his prison; "Thank you."

What I like about it is that there is no intentional gratuitous camera work. The focus is on the emotional decision, and the arm itself becomes an afterthought. The circulation dead already, the pain and bleeding are minimal, and although gruesome in its own right, Boyle and Franco handle it with the utmost grace and professionalism.

I would highly recommend this film for the message of the strength of survival, and for the combination of Boyle and Franco. It is reminiscent of Into the Wild, a film that was overlooked by many, and which had a decidedly more tragic outcome. This is an adventure of another kind. Go see it, but be prepared. 10/10.

The Social Network

A two syllable compound word. An idea so revolutionary, yet so obvious that it has become the icon of the technological age. A dot-com success story that has withstood the flash-in-the pan glitz and glamor of imaginary money and has come out on top, with the likes of Google and Yahoo!.

It may sound dramatic, but Facebook is worth an estimated twenty-five billion dollars just a few years after its creation, and with its eccentric and a little bit autistic founder, Mark Zuckerberg, it makes a fantastic story.

Rewind to 2003, Harvard University. The campus was brimming with money-hungry future leaders just salivating to hit the job market and make millions with the next big thing. The commercial possibilities of the Internet was gaining speed like a freight train, and social networking was limited to a few dating sites and Myspace. Mark Zuckerberg, a sophomore genius, through a series of deliberate, yet chance encounters and interactions with his colleagues (because he doesn't truly have any friends), created the phenomenon that now boasts over five hundred million members worldwide.

The movie plays like something that is too good to be true; suspense, brilliant dialogue courtesy of Aaron Sorkin, truly interesting characters, and best of all, it is mostly a true story. The writers had to take some liberties due to the refusal of Zuckerberg and others involved to grant interviews. The public records however, through the lawsuits and statements of those steamrolled in the rise of the juggernaut company have pieced together enough of a story to be just believable enough.

David Fincher, one of my favorite directors since the mid-nineties, crafts this seemingly harmless story into an amazing journey and character study of Zuckerberg. He manipulates the audience's emotional response from intrigue, to abhorrence, to ultimately a sense of understanding and sympathy. Fincher hits the mark and will certainly be recognized with the minimum of a nomination.

You would think that a story like this would fail to captivate a large audience, but the writing is so excellent, and the events are portrayed so comprehensibly that it works. The details are what trap the viewer like a car wreck.

Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, and the twins (who aren't actually twins to my surprise) Armie Hammer, and Josh Pence do an amazing job in an ensemble cast. Nobody stands out as miscast, and the lack of true star power is a tribute to Fincher's vision and confidence.

Eisenberg particularly captures the essence of his character with his quirks and clear signs of Aspergers Syndrome. He is distracted by rain on a window, runs through the snow in flip-flops, pounds away at his computer for 36 hour sessions, and ironically, due to his deficient social skills, develops the largest social networking site this planet will ever see.

This is the first truly great film of 2010. It is hard to imagine that it won't be a serious contender, and with the travesty that Fincher experienced in 2008 losing his Oscar to Slumdog Millionaire, this might be his year. If not, I will gladly stand in line to see anything he creates from this point forward.

Go see this movie. It is a barometer of where technology and the Internet stand in our fast paced, always changing world of business, and is done without bias or malice. 10/10.

The Town

Ben Affleck's sophomore effort is no slump. He solidifies himself as a director to be reckoned with at the helm of the star-studded film The Town. Set in Charlestown, a neighborhood in Boston that is notorious for its disproportionate number of bank robberies, Affleck is back in his element, letting the accent run wild and donning the cinematic Boston uniform like a bastard; the wicked track suit and hoody. (I had to try). Boston's sports team logos are given as much screen time as the stars, but I can't hold that against a guy.

Affleck runs a crew of very good bank robbers and locks horns with a zealous and a little bit shady, but in a respectable way FBI agent played by John Hamm. The tension builds, surprisingly through dialogue and character development more than traditional cops and robbers action and end up in a suspenseful standoff worthy of Michael Mann's approval.

In a move that is very Eastwood-esque, Affleck takes the starring role and although he does a commendable job, his talents are better served behind the camera, although he did manage to give himself the gratuitous shirtless workout scene and he got ripped for the role. Jeremy Renner stands out as the gritty best friend with a chip on his shoulder and a proclivity for violence. He pulls off Boston pretty well for a California kid, and and is truly becoming a strong leading man after his breakthrough role in The Hurt Locker last year. He has no less than three huge projects lined up for the next two years: Teaming up with Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible IV, working with Paul Thomas Anderson (Top 2-3 directors around today) and Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master, and playing Hawkeye in the heavily anticipated 2012 Marvel flick Avengers. Didn't I call a rise to stardom after SWAT?

John Hamm takes a break from Mad Men to play the FBI agent tracking the robbers, and he is given the best lines of the bunch. This is the role that must have been coveted in Hollywood, and as much as I enjoy Hamm as Don Draper, I would have chosen someone a little older and a little more intimidating. That role itself could have propelled someone to an Oscar and the film itself to the top of the awards pile.

The rest of the cast is just average save one brilliant five minute cameo. Pete Postlethwaite, Rebecca Hall, and Blake Lively contribute to the film, but it is Chris Cooper who plays Affleck's imprisoned father who owns the screen in a prison visitation scene. He is simply captivating.

Critics tout this as being The Departed meets Heat, and I couldn't disagree more. The only thing it has in common with The Departed is the setting. Heat? Perhaps, just without the epic appeal, cat and mouse, and prolonged gunfight sequences. The Town is less cerebral and more visceral. The characters have nothing to lose and seem to be magnetized to their neighborhood with some sort of pride and sense of obligation that is completely lost on me. It is a pathetic criminal existence that brings up a lot of questions.

There was one particular flaw in the development of this story that made me scratch my head a little. If an area of town truly had the reputation as the bank robbery capital of the country, wouldn't there be some sort of additional precaution taken by the banks or armored transports? More armed guards or a heightened state of alertness? Wishful thinking that would have decimated the effectiveness of the movie.

I liked this movie very much, and respect the hell out of Affleck as a director and a writer (although the word range is yet to be added to his lexicon). It may have been released prematurely to be seriously considered, but it was definitely the first contender out of the gates. Go see this for Renner, Cooper, and the suspense of the last thirty minutes alone, appreciate the story and the action. 9/10.

The Expendables

Sylvester Stallone. 64 years old and still kicking ass in his own cinematic style. The man behind Rocky and Rambo assembles an all-star action cast in a nostalgic throwback to the cheesy, yet magnetic mercenary films of the 1980's. I have to admit, the twelve year old in me has been excited about this one for almost a year, and I wasn't disappointed.

Stallone approaches his projects with one sole objective in mind; entertainment. Rambo, Rocky, Staying Alive. Wait, scratch that last one. All kidding aside, this film delivers exactly what it advertises and more. Macho male bonding, brilliantly ridiculous one-liners (particularly Dolph Lundgren in what may be a career role; did you know he speaks English?), and fast-paced unbelievable action sequences.

The story plays to each of the actor's strengths (which are all kind of the same). Jet Li gets his martial arts scenes, Terry Crews gets to show off his enormous muscles, Stallone gets his slow motion run-and-dive scenes, Mickey Rourke gets to pontificate with his low, gravelly voice, and Dolph Lundgren gets to be... big. Jason Statham is typical Statham; probably the only one of the bunch who is capable of carrying a big-budget action movie on his name alone.

Randy Couture and Steve Austin round out the muscle, and Eric Roberts gives an exceptionally giddy-inspiring performance as the bad guy.

The unexpected angle is the ultra-violence, but that also leads to much of the juvenile cheers and the high energy level of the film. From the opening sequence (Warning Shot!) to the grand finale, the explosions and blood pours out from the screen. It is a classic action movie the way that it's meant to be.

Don't expect greatness, but you may be pleasantly surprised how accurately this film transports you back to the height of action cheese. There is even the obligatory cameo by Schwartzenegger and Bruce Willis to cap off the testosterone.

Go see this movie for one reason. It is fun. Dream team of a cast as well. The only two missing were Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme. 8/10.

Predators

Do you ever have one of those movies that you are super excited to go see on opening day, even though you know it will be a major disappointment? Predators is that movie for me this summer. A true fan of the Alien and Predator franchises (and admittedly their retarded hybrid children as well), I thought Robert Rodriguez would bring life back into this series and make the sequel that we have all been waiting for since 1987. Unfortunately it's not so much a sequel as a remake.

The plot can be surmised from watching one of the previews. A group of warriors and one doctor (I know, Topher Grace in an action flick?) are dropped on an alien planet to serve as prey for three predators who are probably on safari. You have the Russian heavy gunner, the death row inmate, Yakuza assassin, African freedom fighter, Mexican drug enforcer, etc. and finally, Adrien Brody.

I know, Adrien Brody? This is his first try at action to the best of my knowledge, and he overplays the gravelly accent worse than Christian Bale's Batman, though he did add some considerable weight for the obligatory shirtless climax battle scene.

The rest of the cast is recognizable, but not memorable. Laurence Fishburne is an absolute waste of screen space as a crazy hermit surviving in this alien planet, and Topher Grace and Walton Goggins are thrown in for comic relief, but both of their roles seem a little out of place when contrasted with the rest of the killers, especially Grace. I am still scratching my head as to why he was there in the first place. There is no real explanation aside from an opportunity for a flat twist.

It wasn't all that bad though. The music was almost identical to the original, and there are many references to that film throughout this one, either through dialogue, homage, or just plain imitation. In the jungle, die one by one, leader takes his shirt off, man defeats the predator. Just not the most likely of stories.

They could have done a lot more with the alien planet. It seemed like a typical jungle with some photoshop done to make plants look extra exotic. They also added some new creatures and technological advancements on the predators, but they were unimaginative and needed a little more screen time. You would think I hated this movie by this point, but it was the second best of the series...

Brody will take a little getting used to, and he needs better dialogue and delivery if he wants to make it in action (my advice to an Oscar winner...). Arnold he is not, but it looked like he had fun doing it.

Perhaps the bar was too high, or perhaps I expected more from a director whose best work so far is a toss up between Vacancy and Armored. There just is so much potential with this franchise and this story, and it keeps disappointing. Oh well, I will still go see the sequel. 6/10.

Inception

Chris Nolan's latest endeavor places Leo DiCaprio and his team in a Matrix-like world where dreams can be shared and influenced by the visitors. Sounds a little hoky and confusing? Perhaps a little redundant or overly ambitious? It's actually not.

Unlike the Matrix, which relied on breakthrough visual effects and incredible choreographed fight sequences, Inception follows a more mainstream approach with a deep, layered story and A-list actors. The sci-fi element is unbelievable, but they do a nice job masking that with the dialogue and acting.

Inception refers to planting a seed of an idea into a dreamer's head thus deliberately influencing their subconscious into making decisions that benefit the client. Leo plays Cobb, an expert extractor, or team leader who goes into other dreams to get valuable information. His supporting cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Michael Caine, Cilian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, and Tom Hardy.

Most of the film is setup for the big extraction, or in this case the inception, and the introduction of the various characters and their roles in the job. There is the architect, the chemist, the dreamer, etc.

Particularly effective are Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Leo's right hand man, Arthur, and Tom Hardy as Eames, a sort of chameleon operator. Levitt is a rising star even though he is approaching 30. He's been cast in some choice roles lately, and will continue with an upcoming action flick, and a Seth Rogen cancer comedy (that's not a typo). Hardy on the other hand, has been on my radar since his stunning role in the little known 2008 biopic titled Bronson, about a psychopathic inmate with a serious penchant for violence. He is a great actor, and gives Inception just the right jolt of action and some quick one-liners.

Leonardo DiCaprio, one of my favorites, just seems to go through the motions with this one, overshadowed by Nolan's haunting score and vivid scenes (see Dark Knight) the true beauty of this film lies in the dreamworld visual effects and the intrigue of the story. The supporting characters pick up the slack (if you could even call it that) and are the perfect assemblage of talent.

Truly original and suspenseful, the viewer gets sucked in as the team dives deeper and deeper into dreams within dreams, until the brilliant climactic conclusion. Some people may balk at the Sopranos-like ending, but it was perfectly complementary to the style and tone of the rest of the film.

All in all, this is a great film. If you enjoy the mindbending entertainment and can put on your disbelief suspenders, you will love it. We haven't seen a story this original in the action genre since the original Matrix, and probably won't again anytime soon. It was an excellent project for Nolan to slip in between Batman's, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with for that one in the next couple of years.

My only complaint, albeit a minor and insignificant one, is that Ellen Page seemed wildly miscast as the young, cynical architect joining the group. I can't get her cute, silver-tongued Juno out of my mind, and I really think the film would have benefited from a young male actor. This would have obviously cut women almost completely out of the picture, which was clearly a conscious decision on the Nolans' part, but I think for the story it would have been both more appropriate and more believable (take that very lightly).

I really enjoyed this film. Great film to kick off July. 9/10.