Ed's Review Dot Com

Cloud Eight Films, Everest Entertainment, Darlow Smithson Productions

James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Sean Bott, Koleman Stinger, Treat Williams, John Lawrence, Kate Burton, Lizzy Caplan, Clémence Poésy , Rebecca C. Olson

Aron Ralston (James Franco) is a mountain climber who made an awful mistake. Hiking in Utah, he has way too much confidence in his abilities. He took off on a hike without letting anyone where he is going. Hiking in a narrow canyon as rock slide pins him by the arm, way down in the canyon. He is unable to free himself and sets in for the long haul. Finally he has no other choice but to cut off his own arm to escape. This is the true account of the experience of the real Aron Ralston who appears in the closing credits.

This is a pretty decent adventure story. Similar to [Buried] the story of an American in the Middle East who was buried alive, this movie pretty much takes place in a small crack in the rock. There is a lot of things that had to be added to fill up the time, but it does keep you interested in the story. I can see why James Franco got nominated for a lot of awards. It is an exciting and beautiful film. The photography is stunning, and it’s a beautiful place. It’s hard to imagine being in a position like that. How Aron was able to survive this ordeal is beyone me.

I enjoyed this story, and I do recommend it for anyone who likes outdoor adventure films. This is certainly a story of survival agains massive odds. Is it the best film of the year? No. Not even close, but it’s worth watching for sure.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

RKO Pictures, Foresight Unlimited

Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Douglas

This film is available on “Watch Instantly” on Netflix.  This is one of my favorite genres, the courtroom drama.   A young reporter just knows that the DA is falsifying evidence so that he NEVER loses a murder case.  So to try to prove it, this nut decides to frame himself in a murder case to prove that he’s falsifying evidence.  Gee, how could that go wrong?

People either love this or hate it.  I find myself somewhere in between.  I guess it’s because I love courtroom dramas, and the fact that there are some really big holes in the story are not really that important.  If you ride it out and ignore the stupid things that nit-pickers like to fuss about, the story is kind of fun.

It’s low budget, and I’m not sure how they got Michael Douglas to do it.  He must be friends with the director, and he didn’t really have much to do.   But they are a few twists and turns.   Oh, and I guess I should mention this is a remake of at 1956 film by the same name.  I haven’t seen that one, but I hear it shows up on Turner Classic Movies once in a while.  I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.

So the point of the movie isn’t as some think, the value of direct versus circumstancial evidence.  The point is more about false evidence.  But it’s not really about that.  Twists and turns happen and for a while you’re not sure what’s up anymore.  I rated this movie in the middle, as I enjoyed the plot twists and the courtroom antics,  and the car chase wasn’t so bad either.  But it’s not a great movie either.  It could have been paced a bit better.  All in all though, I’m glad I slipped this into my “instant” queue.   The price was right!