"127 Hours"
Warning: Do not go see this movie without a bottle of water. 
"127 Hours," directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) tells the true story of Aron Ralston, an avid rock climber who gets his hand trapped by a boulder that breaks free in a canyon. Ralston, played by James Franco is stuck between a rock and a hard place for 127 hours before he takes the plunge and cuts his arm off to free himself.
You probably remember hearing about this story on the news when it happened in 2003.... you know how it turns out, he cuts his arm off and survives...Despite knowing how this movie ends, it is so worth seeing.
The film moves at a pretty fast pace. The score by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) fits perfectly. The music, along with Boyle's direction kept me on edge and anxious the whole film, even before Ralston is trapped. Every move Franco made kept me guessing if this was the moment it was going to happen and what is going to happen next.
Franco's performance, the way he embodies this character that is absolutely hopeless was incredibly moving. I loved the moments where he was speaking into his handheld video camera, giving his last words to his family and examining his life. The use of flashbacks and hallucinations blended seamlessly into the narrative. It's not all doom and gloom. There's a scene where he is so dehydrated and incoherent that he hosts his own talk show, interviewing himself, which lightens the mood but also reveals a lot about his character and the life that he's led.
I had heard that viewers passed out or got nauseous during the amputation scene. I was skeptical about their reactions...I watch "Dexter," so I've seen my fair share of limb removal...Wow, was I wrong. There was a moment where Ralston breaks his bone and as I was watching with my mouth agape, this loud, disgusting noise involuntarily came out of me. Was it a scream? Was I gagging? I don't know, but it was pretty unexpected. My own ridiculousness made me start cracking up during one the most intense parts of the movie. Let's just say that the scene is as disturbing as they say. No matter how many scary movies you watch, seeing a man amputate his own arm and knowing that this 100% actually happened, is so much different.
This is one of those films that really makes you want to examine your own life. Not so much in the sense of what would you do in a survival situation, but about your priorities. He should have called his mom back, he shouldn't have acted like such a hot shot to his co-worker, the list could go on and on. Sure, he lost his arm but you get the sense that he gained so much more from the experience.
I left the theatre with sweaty palms, incredibly thirsty and a little overwhelmed. I really enjoyed the movie, but it's definitely not one of those movies you can watch over and over again.
