Movie Review: "127 Hours" and "Buried"

127 Hours

Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: James Franco
Rated: R for language and some disturbing content/bloody images

It must be difficult to make a movie which most people know of before watching the film. It’s even more of a challenge when that film is predominantly with one character in one location. Yet, Danny Boyle’s new film 127 Hours is a splendid tale that surpasses all of those challenges. The movie follows outdoor adventurer Aron Ralston who is trapped for over five days by a boulder that pinned his arm to a cliff face. With the limited locations and characters, most would find the film boring, but Danny Boyle’s hyperactive visuals, stunning soundtrack, and Franco’s riveting performance make the claustrophobic tale work. While it’s extremely graphic (like most survival movies) 127 Hours takes you on a border-line spiritual journey. Through the course of the film, Ralston goes from self-sufficient individual, the modern man who needs no one to lean on and trust. By the end of the film, he sees the importance of people, community, and relationships, and ends the film with a plea for help. Ralston finds it, and it changes his life. In an age of individualism, this message is extremely important. In fact, it’s life-saving.

Buried

Directed by: Rodrigo Cortes
Starring: Ryan Reynolds
Rated: R for language and some violent content

Similar to 127 Hours, we have Buried, the film by Rodrigo Cortes which should have been titled Can We Make An Entire Film In A Box With Only Ryan Reynolds, which is all the film was: a huge gimmick. Most people saw through the films’ ploy, but even those who liked the film talk only about how the filmmakers pulled it off, rather than the quality of the story. To save you the trouble of watching it, Cortes simply creates a guessing game of the main characters fate in a failed attempt to build tension, while Ryan Reynolds simply curses and screams for 84 minutes. It’s exhausting, and doesn’t leave you with anything besides and un-fair hatred for humanity. It feels like solid gimmick; a waste of time. Do yourself a favor, and skip it altogether. Watching 127 Hours again is a better use of time, and will benefit you more, personally.