127 Hours

And that’s why you always leave a note.

—J. Walter Weatherman

I’ve been a fan of Danny Boyle’s films since Trainspotting, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to go see 127 Hours. A movie based on the true story of a hiker who gets trapped under a rock and has to cut off his own arm? Wouldn’t that be unbearable to watch? Turns out, yes and no.

Honestly, if you’re squeamish, you can still watch this movie. The whole thing is tense, but it only gets really bad for about two minutes. If you’re worried you can’t take the arm-cutting, here’s my advice: after about an hour and fifteen minutes, he realizes what he has to do. The scene starts with him breaking his own arm. When that happens, leave the theater for three minutes, then come back. You’ll be fine and he’ll be free.

I stayed, and it was an overwhelming but rewarding experience. When he finally gets free, my heart rate was elevated and I took a bunch of hurried breaths to release the tension. It’s amazing what James Franco pulls off, doing a whole movie stuck in what looks like a tiny chasm. He has to carry the film single handedly, so to speak, and does.

Millions

Watched Millions last night, which I’d been wanting to see since it came out but had just never gotten around to it. Danny Boyle is a director who maybe doesn’t get enough auteur credit, even though he’s never made a movie I didn’t love (well, I haven’t seen The Beach, so I can’t say that for sure). Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, 28 Days Later, and Millions are all excellent films.

What’s funny, too, is the jump from 28 Days Later, a tense zombie flick with lots to say, to Millions, a light kids movie. (Though the record for stark filmographic contrast has to go to Robert Rodriguez for going from Sin City to The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D.) For an extra dose of craziness, compare the magical realism of heroin to the splendor of being a kid. Boyle uses basically the same tricks in the same ways, but the difference in the settings and characters are (obviously) vast.

A Review Less Ordinary

Browsing on Amazon today to find something to buy along with The Matrix Revolutions to qualify for free shipping, I noticed this DVD recommendation. I guess Amazon’s script for pulling movie reviews didn’t figure out that a blurb calling a film a “surprising disappointment” wasn’t the best way to sell it.

I actually happen to like A Life Less Ordinary a lot. In fact, in addition to the amusing coincidence that he has the same name as my next door neighbor, I’ve liked every Danny Boyle flick I’ve seen (those being Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, and 28 Days Later.)