Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Thursday, 20 January 2011
127 Hours
"There is no force on earth more powerful than the will to live"
That is the last line from the trailer for this biopic about Aron Ralston, and how true that proves to be in this case.
In my opinion James Franco deserves an unbelievable amount of credit for his role as Ralston. Being able to hold the screen on your own for the best part of an hour is not easy, but he conveys the struggle and downward spiral into almost insanity excellently.
The real Aron Ralston has only showed his video diaries from his days trapped in the Blue John canyon to close friends and family, but James Franco and Danny Boyle were allowed to see them for the purposes of making the movie as real as possible. Ralston himself says that the film is as close to a documentary as possible while still being a drama.
At just over an hour and a half long, i didnt think it felt particularly long or drawn out, as the time passed quickly. However, if it had been longer i think it may have lost people's interest as there is only so many ways to show a man losing his mind while being stuck in the same location.
Possibly one of my favourite scenes from a film for a very long time comes when Franco is making a video recording while pretending his is on a radio show. The clever use of camera work and voice acting making it clear when it is Aron the mountain climber talking, or when it is the host of the show. He is self depricating and humble, apologising to his mother for not answering the phone to her and admitting he would not be in that situation if he had told someone where he was, calling himself a "hard hero". This scene serves to show how low his mentality has sunk, and also that he is changing because of the situation he finds himself in.
My major issue with the film is the overuse of split screen. I didn't think it necessary, effective or even good to watch! With this in mind, 127 hours is still an emotional drama which is well worth the watch.
Here's an interview with the real Ralston about the moment he realised how to chop his arm off
That is the last line from the trailer for this biopic about Aron Ralston, and how true that proves to be in this case.
In my opinion James Franco deserves an unbelievable amount of credit for his role as Ralston. Being able to hold the screen on your own for the best part of an hour is not easy, but he conveys the struggle and downward spiral into almost insanity excellently.
The real Aron Ralston has only showed his video diaries from his days trapped in the Blue John canyon to close friends and family, but James Franco and Danny Boyle were allowed to see them for the purposes of making the movie as real as possible. Ralston himself says that the film is as close to a documentary as possible while still being a drama.
At just over an hour and a half long, i didnt think it felt particularly long or drawn out, as the time passed quickly. However, if it had been longer i think it may have lost people's interest as there is only so many ways to show a man losing his mind while being stuck in the same location.
Possibly one of my favourite scenes from a film for a very long time comes when Franco is making a video recording while pretending his is on a radio show. The clever use of camera work and voice acting making it clear when it is Aron the mountain climber talking, or when it is the host of the show. He is self depricating and humble, apologising to his mother for not answering the phone to her and admitting he would not be in that situation if he had told someone where he was, calling himself a "hard hero". This scene serves to show how low his mentality has sunk, and also that he is changing because of the situation he finds himself in.
My major issue with the film is the overuse of split screen. I didn't think it necessary, effective or even good to watch! With this in mind, 127 hours is still an emotional drama which is well worth the watch.
Here's an interview with the real Ralston about the moment he realised how to chop his arm off
The next three days
I watched this last week, so thought it was about time that i sat down and wrote about it.
The Next Three Days is the about the story of a man (Russel Crowe) whos wife (Elizabeth Banks) has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her boss following an argument at work. Crowe's character then sets about proving her innocence, but as this fails due to the overwhelming evidence against her, he sets out to break her out of prison. Seeking the advice of a criminal (Liam Neeson) who has escaped prison 7 times, he learns how quickly the police can shut off roads, intersections, train stations and airports.
Elizabeth Banks shows her potential for a leading lady with a convincing performance of a woman who has lost everything. We see her go from being a loving mother and wife, who takes a photo of her family every morning before work, to being a shadow of her former self as she is locked in prison, with a son who doesn't talk to her, and a husband who blames himself for their son being bulleyed at school.
Crowe is equally successful in his role as the husband who is desperate to free his wife from prison, so much so that he risks his own freedom to do so. Throwing caution out of the window he too loses his way from being a good father, to just being someone with one goal, regardless of the consequences.
Liam Neeson, although only a short cameo, plays the part of an escaped criminal excellently. His dark performance serves to enhance the desperate nature of Crowe's endeavour.
My major complaint with this film is that it felt long at just over 2 hours long, with parts of the story feeling dragged out and unnecessary. Also i had a numb ass by the end, but i'll put that more down to the rubbish chairs of Odeon rather than the film!
Overall it was a good film, if a little long.
The Next Three Days is the about the story of a man (Russel Crowe) whos wife (Elizabeth Banks) has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her boss following an argument at work. Crowe's character then sets about proving her innocence, but as this fails due to the overwhelming evidence against her, he sets out to break her out of prison. Seeking the advice of a criminal (Liam Neeson) who has escaped prison 7 times, he learns how quickly the police can shut off roads, intersections, train stations and airports.
Elizabeth Banks shows her potential for a leading lady with a convincing performance of a woman who has lost everything. We see her go from being a loving mother and wife, who takes a photo of her family every morning before work, to being a shadow of her former self as she is locked in prison, with a son who doesn't talk to her, and a husband who blames himself for their son being bulleyed at school.
Crowe is equally successful in his role as the husband who is desperate to free his wife from prison, so much so that he risks his own freedom to do so. Throwing caution out of the window he too loses his way from being a good father, to just being someone with one goal, regardless of the consequences.
Liam Neeson, although only a short cameo, plays the part of an escaped criminal excellently. His dark performance serves to enhance the desperate nature of Crowe's endeavour.
My major complaint with this film is that it felt long at just over 2 hours long, with parts of the story feeling dragged out and unnecessary. Also i had a numb ass by the end, but i'll put that more down to the rubbish chairs of Odeon rather than the film!
Overall it was a good film, if a little long.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
The Movie Game
I was at the pub earlier, and we were talking about films when someone suggested that we play the movie game. Basically, this entails one person naming an actor or actress, and then going round the group each naming a film that the person has been in. Sequels, prequels and animations not allowed!
It's surprisingly fun and addictive, and gets you thinking about films that you may not have watched for a long time, not watched at all, or never even heard of!
Just a bit of fun, but thought i'd share it, because sharing is caring. And lord knows i care.
It's surprisingly fun and addictive, and gets you thinking about films that you may not have watched for a long time, not watched at all, or never even heard of!
Just a bit of fun, but thought i'd share it, because sharing is caring. And lord knows i care.
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