Tuesday 1 February 2011

Buried

Looking at my last post and review, I realized that some of what I wrote could easily be found on other websites, and let's face it, much better ones than this - definitely more professional looking! So this time I'm just going to ditch the formality hopefully it'll work out better.

Buried.....okay, in summary this is about a man who works for an American transport company and whilst doing his job in Iraq, ends up being kidnapped and....BURIED.....alive. Yep....talk about havin' a very bad day!! He wakes up in a box. Think about that the next time you wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

Now it's not a very pleasant looking box, like the inside of a coffin would be like but more like a large crate. I can't imagine anyone being able to turn themselves around inside a coffin like he does. So he wakes up and for a short time completely freaks out. Not exactly surprising given his circumstances and he does get a little claustrophic - again, quite understandable! Anyway he finds a few things in with him, like a cellphone that he is able to use and one of two other items where the quality is of extremely dubious quality.

The guy who plays the lead role - Ryan Reynolds is usually found in more comedic roles but this time he's completely serious and the language reflects this. Since all the action takes place within the 'box' he needed to play the role very well to carry the viewer along with him. He does that well and convincingly. The film received positive critical acclaim and deservedly so for Reynolds' performance alone.

However, there were a couple of times during the movie when I thought he could possibly have had a remote chance to escape and he didn't. One time was when he had an unwanted visitor in the box who slithered out a hole in the side and instead of trying to find out where it had gone, he simply blocked the hole up to stop it returning......hmmmmm. I'll not tell you about the other one.

Oh and then there's the music at the end - I felt it was totally inappropriate for a film of this nature but I guess the makers thought otherwise and who am I to argue. The ending itself is not the typically feel-good ending we all usually expect and with that I'll write no more.

Hope you enjoy it!

Friday 28 January 2011

127 Hours

As with most films that come out, this was not without hype. The director, Danny Boyle is well-known, especially for his most recent work, "Slumdog Millionaire'. The lead actor, James Franco is probably best known in recent times for his role in Spiderman. But this film was NO Spiderman.

It's the true story of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who finds myself in very real trouble when, due to a freaky incident, finds himself stuck, literally, as his book puts it, "Between a rock and a hard place." That's basically what it's about. But even if that doesn't do it for you, seeing his performance just might. After all, it was nominated for six Academy awards.

A film that is 94 minutes long and about that subject matter means the actor really needs to pull it off......and he does! He's convincing as a rock climber and outdoors guy and his time spent saying his 'farewells' to his family, come through well.

But the real clincher in it all is when he decides to take serious action, choosing between life and death. Breaking the bone is not something everyone will like watching and even less so is the scene where he cuts through the flesh with what seems like a pathetic little knife. It all looked very real, at least to me anyway. And then there's the cutting of the nerve itself. Full prizes to how he portrays himself in that part - the sheer expression on his face carries with it the effect of someone who could easily have passed out! It was not easy watching but it was well worth it for those of us with stronger dispositions.

In all though, it was a good movie to watch. It was your typical Hollywood action blockbuster but that's good. Those movies can be really run-of-the-mill after a while and you can get seriously fed up with them. This film was definitely worth the hype! Go see it, I dare ya!