Danny Boyle's follow-up to Slumdog Millionaire is visceral filmmaking at its best, infused with the director's signature kinetic style and meticulously crafted to elicit a physical response from the audience. And while the subject matter definitely covers some dark territory, ultimately this movie (like Aron Ralston himself) rises above those aspects and emerges an inspiration to everyone.
127 Hours Director: Danny Boyle Starring: James Franco, Clemence Poesy, Kata Mara, Amber Tamblyn
The movie tells the incredible (and I don't say that lightly) true story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who, after being caught in a Utah canyon for five days in 2003, cut off his own arm with a dull blade and hiked miles to safety to survive. Boyle and his co-writer Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, The Full Monty) took occasional liberties with the story to form a better narrative, but for the most part the events are an accurate depiction of Ralston's trials in Blue John Canyon.
Stylistically, 127 Hours continues Danny Boyle's fantastic recent trend of energetic filmmaking. This movie does conjure recent memories of Rodrigo Cortes' Buried with its "trapped in one place" experimental style, but there's a distinct difference between the two: while 127 Hours spends a majority of the time in one location, it does have the freedom to expand and cover more ground. The opening scenes are particularly effective examples of this: Ralston's preparation for his bicycle/hiking excursion (including a heartbreaking "almost had it" moment where he forgets his Swiss Army knife) are included within a split-screen format aside throngs of people moving en masse down busy sidewalks, representing the heartbeat of society from which he is so desperately trying to escape. His perceived independence, of course, is nearly his downfall - and as he drives toward the desert, passing fast food restaurants and leaving the lights of the city behind, he gets excited.
His brief separation from humanity is cut short the next morning (after a fantastically dynamic mountain biking scene through the desert, past more abandoned buildings - further relics of society) when he encounters Kristi (the always wonderful Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn), two hikers a bit out of their element in a landscape in which Ralston is utterly familiar. After introductions and some endearingly awkward humor, Ralston leads the girls to an underground swimming pool, a moment captured on his video camera that he revisits during his upcoming ordeal. In an arrangement I can't remember seeing in recent years, Boyle's dueling directors of photography (Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak, who both do fantastic work here) take this as an opportunity to show off some dazzling camerawork, including a plunge from a canyon above into the water, following the three adventurers as they drop into the water. These girls are the last people Ralston will see before his incident, and the life and exuberance they radiate is an unsettling reminder of an event Ralston may never again experience. "Rock on," he says as he leaves the girls to continue his hike, unaware that his motto is about to take on a literal meaning.
I haven't yet mentioned James Franco as Aron Ralston, an actor who has shown remarkable range in the past few years and one who is almost assured an Oscar nomination for his astonishing work in this film. Like Ryan Reynolds in Buried, this is essentially a one-man show for Franco, who dives headfirst into the challenge and delivers perhaps the most emotional performance of his career. Franco easily has the capacity for the mental gymnastics necessary - which are many, as this is almost more of a mental endurance test than a physical one - but he also embodies the physicality needed to convince us he's the type of guy who can, on a normal day, pull off an expedition like this without a hitch. He gives Ralston an emotional arc that is entirely believable, one that begins with his escape from humanity and concludes with his desperate return to it, and with his declaration of "I need help," he sheds all pride in the process.
A large portion of the film is spent alone with Franco in a canyon, and on the surface I can see how that might sound boring. But Boyle is able to make it totally compelling from both a storytelling and visual standpoint. Ralston uses his video camera to record messages to his family (one particularly memorable scene involves him interviewing himself as a fictional game show host that reminded me of Jack Nicholson's Joker), and Boyle comments on technology in an interesting way over the course of the film. With all of Ralston's efforts to escape society, it is technology which he turns to in times of need so he doesn't go crazy. Even the illusion of speaking to someone (though there's not another physical person in the canyon with him) seems to support the fact that humans are communal beings, and connectivity is what we thrive on as a functioning civilization. Boyle and his editor Jon Harris also employ flashback scenes with various family members (Treat Williams, Lizzy Caplan) and ex-lovers (In Bruges' Clemence Poesy) mixed with premonitions of family yet to be born in order to keep the audience's collective attention.
Boyle reteams with Slumdog Millionaire collaborator A.R. Rahman for the score, which is at alternating points nostalgic and intensely immersive. Utilizing the guitar as his main instrument, Rahman composes a variety of tracks that perfectly accentuate the events on screen: as the sun streams through Ralston's canyon, the music turns warm and acoustic; as a flash flood enters, colder harsh tones give a foreboding sense that death is only seconds away. In the gruesome climactic amputation scene, an electric feedback noise screams through the speakers as Ralston touches exposed nerves in his arm before he cuts through them. It reminded me of a real life game of Operation.
Like his previous effort, Boyle has crafted a film that is an affirmation of life, a celebration of humanity and one of the best movies of the year. Films like this only come around every so often, so sit back, absorb, and enjoy it. Even if you don't care for the movie, respect the awe-inspiring fact that the real-life Aron Ralston is a living exemplar of a "never give up" attitude to which we all should aspire. Until next time...
I've written before about how comedy is perhaps the most subjective genre because specific types of humor either work for you, or they don't. Due Date isn't my preferred kind of comedy. It's broad and has some funny sequences, but it's just not my thing. This is a movie in which Zach Galifianakis breaks down in tears during an impromptu acting showcase in a rest stop bathroom, and it actually works as an effectively emotional moment. But it's also a movie that features a masturbating dog.
Due Date Director: Todd Phillips Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan
Essentially an update of John Hughes' Steve Martin/John Candy classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Due Date pairs the uptight Peter Highman (Downey) with the flamboyant Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) as they travel from Atlanta to Los Angeles to get back in time to see Peter's wife Sarah (Monaghan) give birth to their first child. It's a buddy road movie with all the trappings you'd expect from the genre: random stop-offs resulting in drug deals (which results in a we've-seen-that-before drug trip sequence), car crashes, mix-ups with the police, and more eye-rollingly forced plot points. It's too bad the laughs aren't there to accentuate the movie's quick pace.
When Robert Downey, Jr. calledDue Date "the second greatest movie [he's] ever done," I foolishly allowed my expectations to rise. Perhaps Downey truly believes that, as each person is entitled to his or her opinion. I'm not going to call him a liar and say he's just drumming up publicity for his new movie, because I have no right to do so (nor any proof). But I'm guessing you'll be hard pressed to find even a handful of people who agree that this is the second best movie RDJ has ever made. This writer believes it's nowhere close, and I could name probably six or seven other things that more adequately fit that description. (For the record, I would say the first Iron Man is the second best movie he's made, right behind Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.)
Downey gives a good performance as the straight man to Galifianakis' Ethan, but as crazy as Ethan is, at least Ethan is always genuine. Peter is just kind of a douche; a guy who lets even the smallest thing get the best of him and who - spoiler alert - punches kids and spits on dogs. While those things may come off as funny (OK, the dog thing wasn't funny at all), it's hard to step back and actually like this character. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying Downey has to play the good guy in everything he's in. I'd love to see the guy show off his range even further than he already has since his 2008 career renaissance. But in a dynamic like this where Ethan dominates most of the movie's landscape with his ridiculous antics, it'd be nice to have an on-screen anchor to return to every once in a while.
Speaking of range, I have not yet seen Zach Galifianakis in It's Kind of a Funny Story, but after seeing him in Due Date I'm looking forward to seeing the actor spread his wings a bit and give a dramatic performance for a change. It's going to be hard to separate him from these kinds of roles for a while (especially with The Hangover 2 coming soon), but hopefully he can continue to sprinkle in smaller, more serious roles here and there along the way. Honestly, I'm hoping he doesn't take the career path of Jack Black: some solid off-beat comedic performances (ala High Fidelity and School of Rock), the occasional drama (King Kong), and ultimately sinking to headlining what looks to be utter garbage (Gulliver's Travels).
I liked Zach Galifianakis' early stuff better than what he's doing now. I know that makes me sound like an anti-conformist obnoxious asshat, but it's true: his Comedy Central specials and stand-up performances are funny because they're strange, weird, and nonsensical. Even in his first collaboration with director Todd Phillips, The Hangover (which I thought was funny but wildly overrated), he seemed a bit neutered by the script and that trend continues with Due Date. He's funny here, but in a very controlled sort of way; in his own comedy, he can bypass that overwhelming feeling of limitation and cut straight to the heart of the weird randomness that has so far defined him as a comedian.
The movie itself keeps things moving at a good clip, but just never clicked with me. The story just felt a little too tried-and-true, and didn't bring enough fun into the mix. Even similar stories like Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle or this year's Get Him to the Greek, films with a specific destination in mind, were able to sustain interest throughout their run times. I feel like Due Date doesn't ever reach that point, and it's no fault of Todd Phillips (who does a fine job here) - it's simply the writing didn't make you feel anything along the way. In the aforementioned films, it's fairly obvious from the start that (spoilers, I guess) the guys are going to make it to White Castle and get Aldous Snow to the Greek Theater, respectively. But by upping the stakes a bit, those films succeed where Due Date fails. This film's idea of upping the stakes involve a dead father's ashes in a coffee can (guess what happens to those?) and a relatively useless cameo by Jaime Foxx just to introduce a point of conflict that lasts for all of 25 minutes.
It's not my job to predict if you'll like something or not; only you can make that choice. But it is my job to tell you why a movie works or doesn't work for me, and ultimately this one just...doesn't. It's not a bad movie, and it certainly won't achieve Hangover-level status, but I'm slowly beginning to grow weary of Zach Galifianakis in these big studio comedies. Hopefully he can break this streak and take his career in a new direction. Otherwise, get ready to watch him suit up for a live-action adaptation of ALF sometime around 2013. Until next time...
BONUS: I actually did some background work on this movie, as evidenced by this screencap from one of the TV spots released by Warner Bros.
Gymkata is terrible. Not in a Troll 2 kind of way, where the filmmaking suffers on every basic level, but in a way that you'd expect a movie that combines gymnastics and karate to be terrible. Olympic medalist Kurt Thomas took some metaphorical classes at the Van Damme School of Acting and puts all of those "skills" on display here, in a movie eerily reminiscent of many starring the Muscles from Brussels.
Gymkata Director: Robert Clouse Starring: Kurt Thomas, Tetchie Agbayani, Richard Norton
Coming off as the unwanted spawn of Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and The Princess Bride, 1985's Gymkata has one of the most basic plots you can imagine (even in the martial arts genre): Jonathan Cabot (Thomas) is recruited by the government to fight in an ancient battle in the fictional country of Parmistan so the American military can place - and I quote - "an early warning Earth Station...in Parmistan for the U.S. Star Wars Defense Program."
Almost none of these points come to be important to the actual story, though - basically, Cabot shows up in this country and has to complete nothing more than a massive obstacle course. No big organized battle between multi-national contestants, no elder judge peering on from on high, no cheap tricks like putting glass in your gloves at the last second, no crane kicks for the championship. There's the standard montage sequence, but it's over and he's on the way to the actual event within minutes of the film's opening. Van Damme movies (The Quest, for example) generally take at least half of the film to get to this point, concentrating heavily on the training aspects that this film decides to speed past.
The reason the filmmakers toss the training to the side? So Cabot can stumble through foreign countries being doublecrossed by his military contacts, Princess Rubali (Agbayani) inexplicably in tow (apparently she's a "master of The Game," the obstacle course Cabot must complete, but she never proves her mastery or does anything worthwhile). Luckily, Cabot comes across random gymnastics equipment supposedly organic to the area so he can dispatch the thugs that are after him. The king's chief aide plots to overthrow the nation (shocker!) and is betrothed to the Princess (double shocker!), who has fallen madly in love with the American gymnast (C-C-C-C-COMBO SHOCKER!). In an alley, there happens to be a parallel bar connecting two walls for Cabot to swing from and knock people out. This comes after a 10 minute sequence in which the same series of events happens: Cabot and Rubali run hand in hand through the street until they hit a wall, where they pause to look at the gun-toting thugs behind them, who fire their weapons and hit the cement near the couple. Repeat ad nauseum.
If you've read this far, just watch the trailer.
Looks kinda awesome, right? It's terrible, that's for sure, but there's also a level of seriousness to this that makes it very easy to laugh at. You can tell that the filmmakers (especially Clouse, who directed Bruce Lee in his only English-speaking role in Enter the Dragon) are taking this as seriously as the rules for getting into Parmistan ("everyone who enters must play The Game!"). I think the narration was what sold it for me. The supporting cast is a hodgepodge of lookalikes that resembled Alan Rickman and Mel Brooks, but with a fraction of their talent. Actually, forget the acting entirely since it's basically nonexistent.
There's no need to tell you how the story ends, because if you have the capacity to read these words then you already know exactly what happens and can probably predict it scene for scene within the first 15 minutes of the film (if not earlier). There were some highlights, to be sure: one dude gets an arrow to the gut mid-sentence that made me laugh really hard because of how random it seemed (there are an inordinate amount of arrows fired in this movie), and when Cabot discovers a pommel horse in the middle of a town where the Parmistanis send their mentally insane, he uses it to fend them off with spinning kicks and some of the most ridiculous moves you can imagine.
But is this worth seeing? Unless your name is Alan Trehern (my good friend over at The Solar Sentinel who loves these kinds of terrible movies), I'd say stay the eff away. Just watch the trailer again and you'll get all the enjoyment out of this that you need. Until next time...
(Note: if you listened to this episode in iTunes from 10:00-10:25pm PT on Halloween night, my apologies. We had some brief issues that have since been resolved.)
In this week's episode, Ben, Pat, and Tyler are joined by Joey Paur (aka Dr. Venkman) from GeekTyrant.com to discuss Michael Dougherty's 2007 film Trick r' Treat. I actually wrote a review of this movie last year, so check that out for some supplemental material.
Don't forget, we've now got a voicemail account so you can leave us a message at (904) 469-6566.
