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[Messypandas]

The film was good not brilliant. I think Boyle re-uses far too many of his thematic and emotional editing tricks and so I'm just reminded of his previous films rather than being captivated by his new ones. Although the film did well including some of Aron's deeper rationalising of events using the 'fake' interview scenario without relying on a narration which was a good work-around and very effective.

 

[Xun]

Just saw it.

It was a good film, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Nowhere near as gruesome as I expected either, which was a letdown! :lol

You guys made it out to be far worse than it actually was (in terms of the gore).

 

[Imm0rt4l]

Saw this about a week ago, it was a great movie.

 

[oatmeal]

Really good movie...really painful and really fucking powerful.

And goddam that shit looked painful.

Question: I'm assuming that white string-like thing was a nerve? Are they really that strong?

 

[saelz8]

Really good movie...really painful and really fucking powerful.

And goddam that shit looked painful.

Question: I'm assuming that white string-like thing was a nerve? Are they really that strong?

The movie made it seem more rigid they are in real life. It's more elastic in reality.

 

[Messypandas]

Hadn't saw this posted but actually get a quick peak at the actual video diary Ralston kept here at 4:20

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/aron-ralston/1263370

 

[J Tourettes]

Good film although it dragged in a few places. Franco was brilliant though and I absolutely loved the film from

Spoiler

when he cut off his arm to getting rescued by the chopper

, fucking brilliant.

 

[Drewsky]

This still hasn't showed up in my theaters. Am I fucked, at this point will it ever come to my town?

Every time this thread pops up I get more and more pissed that I haven't seen it yet.

 

[Helmholtz]

Hadn't saw this posted but actually get a quick peak at the actual video diary Ralston kept here at 4:20

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/aron-ralston/1263370

Thanks for the share. Looking at that footage and hearing the interview really makes the movie that much better; it seems like the film was surprisingly accurate. The real Aron is very charismatic and funny too.

 

[East Lake]

Yeah that Leno link is great, hadn't seen any of the actual footage before. What an awful situation.

 

[Dippindork]

Hadn't saw this posted but actually get a quick peak at the actual video diary Ralston kept here at 4:20

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/aron-ralston/1263370

wow, i knew it was based on true events, but wasn't aware how accurate the movie was to the situation. that there is a man with a real determination to live. glad to see life is going well for him now.

 

[oatmeal]

What a hero.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I saw tonight and really liked it. Much better than the overrated piece of tosh that was Slumdog Millionaire.

Very pretty to look at. Great cinematography.

I'm now going to read a lot about the real person. :lol

 

[WJD]

Loved it loved it loved it.

Maybe Boyle's best film. Though saying that, Sunshine was my favourite and lots of people seemed to dislike that - so what do I know?

 

[Man]

The sound when he breaks the second bone.. like a friggin pistol that goes off, crazy.

 

[Gav]

Just seen it.

Loved every minute. Extremely powerful and quite emotional in parts. Thought it was fantastic.

That second bone snap... wow.

 

[ciD_Vain]

I don't know why this wasn't even nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes.

 

[hiryu]

This movie was very uplifting. Franco is a pretty great actor.

 

[Zeliard]

Franco was great back in Freaks & Geeks and gave a nice performance as James Dean in some TV movie. He languished in the Spidey flicks in a poor role, but then was fantastic in Pineapple Express. The guy is a strong actor, and it's nice that he's getting to show that lately.

 

[Blader]

I went to see it again last night and my opinion of it basically remains the same: Franco puts in a fucking great performance, but Boyle's direction here kind of annoys me. If you already know the story, then a lot of the tension in the film is already sucked out of it; additionally, there are a lot of fake-out scenes (particularly the

Spoiler

rain sequence

) that just feel like big wastes of time because you know what you're seeing can't possibly be happening. I also found Boyle's sentiments about

Spoiler

Aron being a man disconnected from society and trying to fight his way back into being a more sociable, and more connected, person

really hamfisted and kind of poorly implemented. Some of the

Spoiler

flashbacks, particularly the ones of his ex

went on too long, but others (like

Spoiler

watching the sun rise with his father, or his sister playing piano

) worked pretty well because they were so brief.

So overall, some of Boyle's decisions annoyed me, but Franco is amazing and, like I said earlier in the thread, his whole

Spoiler

talk show shtick

is the best part of an already great performance.

 

[OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather]

Loved it loved it loved it.

Maybe Boyle's best film. Though saying that, Sunshine was my favourite and lots of people seemed to dislike that - so what do I know?

Haven't seen it, but no way. Nothing could ever be better than Trainspotting.

 

[vitaminwateryum]

A friend just told me this is getting a wide release next week? I can't find anything about it. Anyone know if it's true?

 

[Solo]

Okay but not great, sadly. Certainly didn't pack the punch that either of Boyle's last two films (Sunshine, Slumdog) did. Emotionally I felt it fell flat when it was supposed to soar. Franco was fantastic, but he wasn't enough to elevate the film, which frankly felt a bit lacking on every front. Boyle's direction in Slumdog was very flashy, but I never felt like it went too far, and suited the film well. Here, there is so much style over substance and fucking around that I was wondering what Boyle was trying to accomplish, and sometimes I felt like he was just trying stuff for no other reason than to be throw some technical wankery into the film (shots inside a water bottle straw, really?). The premise is simple, but I didn't fell the screenplay really did any sort of job for making me feel for Ralston's plight. The whole thing felt so shallow. Into The Wild was much more successful in tackling similar subject matter.

I dunno, first impression is that its the worst thing Boyle has done.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Okay but not great, sadly. Certainly didn't pack the punch that either of Boyle's last two films (Sunshine, Slumdog) did. Emotionally I felt it fell flat when it was supposed to soar. Franco was fantastic, but he wasn't enough to elevate the film, which frankly felt a bit lacking on every front. Boyle's direction in Slumdog was very flashy, but I never felt like it went too far, and suited the film well. Here, there is so much style over substance and fucking around that I was wondering what Boyle was trying to accomplish, and sometimes I felt like he was just trying stuff for no other reason than to be throw some technical wankery into the film (shots inside a water bottle straw, really?). The premise is simple, but I didn't fell the screenplay really did any sort of job for making me feel for Ralston's plight. The whole thing felt so shallow. Into The Wild was much more successful in tackling similar subject matter.

I dunno, first impression is that its the worst thing Boyle has done.

 

[Solo]

Sorry, man. I'd watch The Beach anyday over 127 Hours.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Sorry, man. I'd watch The Beach anyday over 127 Hours.

You say that as if The Beach is Millions.

 

[Solo]

You say that as if The Beach is Millions.

The Beach is Boyle's most maligned film in terms of the majority of people though. I am not one of them, but there still is no question its the film of his that most people are down on.

As an aside, I never got to Black Swan last week like I'd said, but I am finally seeing it tomorrow. I am just as hyped for it as I was 127 Hours, so I'm hoping it fares better.

 

[Why For?]

I liked it.

Nothing amazing, but a good movie.

 

[big ander]

I saw this about a week ago. Put me in the "good but not great" camp. Franco is great, some of the editing is cool, but other than that it was unremarkable.

 

[BertramCooper]

In my quest to see all 10 Best Picture nominees (only two left), I went to see 127 Hours this afternoon.

It was a great film with an awesome performance by James Franco.

That said, I am extremely glad that Boyle didn't get a Best Director nom, because Jesus Christ, he went overboard on this one. His shtick works for films like Slumdog and Trainspotting, but it was so completely overdone in this film.

It certainly doesn't diminish Franco's performance, but it definitely hurts the film as a whole.

 

[Acid08]

Everyone who doesn't think Trainspotting is his best movie is out of their mind.

 

[Mr. Sam]

I thought that the film was surprisingly cluttered for the story of a guy falling in a hole and cutting his arm off. Some of the clutter was necessary, some of it less so.

The transition from the camera snapshots really rubbed me up the wrong way. It was like something out of a twelve-year-old's media project.

 

[ConradCervantes]

Just watched this last night. Holy shit, easily the best movie of 2010 for me. It seems like Colin Firth is the favorite for Best Actor for The King's Speech, but having not seen that one yet, I refuse to believe that anyone could win that trophy over James Franco. What a fucking movie.

And Trainspotting is Boyle's best movie. Slumdog was a good watch, but I didn't get a sense of greatness from it. Time will forget it, and I'll consider Boyle's Oscar for Direction an overdue win for Trainspotting.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Just saw it.

It was a good film, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Nowhere near as gruesome as I expected either, which was a letdown! :lol

You guys made it out to be far worse than it actually was (in terms of the gore).

no, it was at least as gruesome as people said.

great movie.

 

[Jake.]

saw it last week, the arm amputation was probably the most intense scene i have ever seen in a mainstream hollywood film.

 

[big_z]

no, it was at least as gruesome as people said.

great movie.

i thought it was pretty tame considering word was people were passing out in theaters or puking.

the movie itself is fine but i found it a bit boring. probably due to taking in tons of media on this guy when it first hit the news 5-ish years ago. the guy is also a bit of a dumbass so that doesnt help but for those that have no prior knowledge on his story i think the movie will deliver.

 

[zoukka]

Well executed and very powerful story. My gf cried like a baby.

 

[Xun]

i thought it was pretty tame considering word was people were passing out in theaters or puking.

the movie itself is fine but i found it a bit boring. probably due to taking in tons of media on this guy when it first hit the news 5-ish years ago. the guy is also a bit of a dumbass so that doesnt help but for those that have no prior knowledge on his story i think the movie will deliver.

Exactly.

 

[MarkMclovin]

Everyone who doesn't think Trainspotting is his best movie is out of their mind.

The first 2 3rds of Sunshine is Boyle's best movie!

As for this, its was pretty good, definitely an 8/10 and the arm cutting was pretty intense I thought, but hardly anything more than that.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

i thought it was pretty tame considering word was people were passing out in theaters or puking.

oh well yea...I didn't realize people were being that extreme. but I think the gore here can affect people more because the entire movie is spent building empathy for the guy. as such, your average person will "feel it" more because they imagine themselves in the situation. the steady progression into desperation. it's a very real feeling. Even I was squeamish...and it's very rare for me to feel squeamish around blood, being raised in a family of doctors.

 

[D23]

saw this last night, probably the first movie that ever made me feel light headed and sick to my stomach for like ten minutes straight. franco did an amazing job!

 

[smokeymicpot]

Finally seen it recently it was really good. Him finally doing the deed and getting out was such a great moment.

 

[Plasmid]

I loved this movie, Franco was great. The

Spoiler

amputation

scene really made me cringe.

i don't know why i spoilered that though.

 

[artist]

Great movie. There are simple movies like these that score any day over Boyle's more complex movies. Franco was great, OST was awesome as well. I hope this bags as many Oscars as it can.

 

[WickedAngel]

i thought it was pretty tame considering word was people were passing out in theaters or puking.

the movie itself is fine but i found it a bit boring. probably due to taking in tons of media on this guy when it first hit the news 5-ish years ago. the guy is also a bit of a dumbass so that doesnt help but for those that have no prior knowledge on his story i think the movie will deliver.

The average person isn't as immune to gore as the average Internet addict.

 

[Solo]

Great movie. There are simple movies like these that score any day over Boyle's more complex movies. Franco was great, OST was awesome as well. I hope this bags as many Oscars as it can.

0

 

[BertramCooper]

Great movie. There are simple movies like these that score any day over Boyle's more complex movies. Franco was great, OST was awesome as well. I hope this bags as many Oscars as it can.

This should have been a simple film. It wasn't.

Boyle went completely overboard, which made the film kind of a clusterfuck.

Franco gets an A. Boyle gets a C-.

 

[Bit-Bit]

This should have been a simple film. It wasn't.

Boyle went completely overboard, which made the film kind of a clusterfuck.

Franco gets an A. Boyle gets a C-.

I feel the exact opposite. This could've been a very boring movie. Boyle took advantage of the film medium and created something very entertaining to watch and still kept the heart of it all. If anything, Franco could've been better.

Boyle gets an A. Franco gets a C.

 

[Solo]

This should have been a simple film. It wasn't.

Boyle went completely overboard, which made the film kind of a clusterfuck.

Franco gets an A. Boyle gets a C-.

Correct.

 

[Mr. Sam]

This should have been a simple film. It wasn't.

Boyle went completely overboard, which made the film kind of a clusterfuck.

Franco gets an A. Boyle gets a C-.

I'm afraid I'll have to agree with you, sir.