Thursday, February 10, 2011

Releases 10/02


Opening in cinemas this week are 127 Hours, the new film from Danny Boyle, Hereafter, the 34th directorial achievement from Clint Eastwood, and the Valentines Day romantic comedy, No Strings Attached. 
Firstly, 127 Hours is awesome. It is a film based on the experiences of Aron Ralston, a hiker who found himself isolated in the canyons in Utah with his arm caught under a boulder. He spends a period of five days there, battling impending dehydration, the harsh elements, and a dwindling grasp on reality. He figures the only way to escape is to sever his lower right arm. This scene itself is incredibly realistic, and has even caused some viewers to faint in the cinema. Despite this, I urge you to see it anyway. Not just a powerful survival story, but a dynamic examination of life itself. Boyle's visual flair provides great energy, and James Franco is outstanding. One of the best cinema experiences of the Oscar season. With Hereafter, Clint Eastwood has failed to maintain his form, which has been so solid over the last decade. The film tracks three converging individual stories, that of a San Francisco clairvoyant (Matt Damon), a French television journalist (Cecile De France) and a young London boy, who all experience death in different ways. Questioning the existence of a hereafter, it certainly has it's moments, but it's so unevenly paced that it fails to engage. No Strings Attached I haven't seen, but I imagine it is the typical Valentines Day raunchy rom com. Lets hope it is better than last years Valentines Day. It stars Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher as two people who decide to use each other purely for sex, with no strings attached. Mixed reports coming in, but could be worth a shot.

This week you should definitely see: 127 Hours

So, here are my reviews of 127 Hours and Hereafter. Happy Viewing! 

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