The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is as sleek, slick, and black as the oil covering naked bodies in the opening credits of David Fincher's adaptation of Stieg Larrson's bestselling novel. Fincher is the master at creating mood and atmosphere and his skills are far from lacking in this film. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" slithers its way into your mind and lingers there for a very long time.

The film stars the completely transformed Rooney Mara as the goth-punk genius hacker Lisbeth Salander who serves as an aid to disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) as he investigates a 40 year old murder case. The film begins (and continues on for an incredibly long time) as two disparate storylines until they finally converge somewhere in the middle. Daniel Craig is perfectly amiable as Mikael Blomkvist. Blomkvist is just getting off fresh public humiliation at the hands of a corrupt but extremely powerful corporate businessman when he is then summoned to northern Sweden by Henrik Vanger, the patriarch of an extremely wealthy family, who is still haunted by the case of his missing and presumably dead niece, Harriet, some 40 years earlier. Blomkvist agrees, and then is introduced to the Vanger family, "the most detestable people you will ever meet," according to Henrik.

The Vangers all live on one island, within extremely close proximity of one another, and it is with comic irony that Henrik explains who lives where, even those family members who were involved in the Nazi party. It is on this island that Harriet disappeared on, so Henrik knows it is someone in his family who was responsible for her disappearance and murder. As Blomkvist searches through 40 years of police reports and other documents, he is struggling to find something the police have failed to find in the past four decades.

In the meantime, Lisbeth, for reasons unknown until the end of the film, endures the humiliation of having a social worker be in charge of all her finances. In exchange for money, however, the social worker forces Lisbeth to perform sexual acts and even in one brutal scene, anal rape. Never have I seen an actress who conveys so much without so much as a twitch of a facial expression. Lisbeth is violent and completely asocial; if she snaps, the look in her eye is more than enough to convince doubters she'll bring fire and brimstone down upon her attacker. In the film's most graphically violent moments, Lisbeth exacts revenge on the social worker who violated her. Fincher doesn't glorify what Lisbeth does, but he handles it in a grim manner which rightfully speaks volumes about her character, but also gives her reason to help out Blomkvist in his search to track down a killer of women. While most films that depict rape (most recently in my viewing of Kate Bosworth in "Straw Dogs"), the rape seems out of place and just way to glorify violence. Not in this film.

Rooney Mara, who was the beautiful girl that dumps Mark Zuckerberg in 2010's "The Social Network," is a revelation as Lisbeth. All at once, you understand how vulnerable she is, but how much power and violence she possesses. While the film focuses on Blomkvist, Mara, clad in her piercings, drop-crotch style army pants, and black mohawk are burning up the screen in one of 2011's most memorable and committed performances.

Once the two separate storylines converge, and Lisbeth starts helping Blomkvist, the film barrels towards its climax, sometimes at an increasingly incoherent pace. For people who haven't read the novel, beware. Fincher expects the audience to keep up with his rapid-fire pacing, and if you don't, you will most certainly get lost somewhere in the middle with no way of finding yourself back. Surprisingly, Lisbeth and Blomkvist start up a casual sexual relationship. While it feels as though there is very little chemistry there, this tryst maybe the only real relationship Lisbeth has ever had in her life.

Also in the mix here for actors include Robin Wright, who plays the co-editor of the magazine, Millenium with Blomkvist, with whom he's been having a long standing affair with; Christopher Plummer, who is always a joy to watch on screen as Henrik, and Stellan Skarsgaard as one of the Vanger family members, Martin.

Overall, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," in its impenetrable darkness, pierces its audience with a bleak message on humanity--that it is rife with hidden decay and moral bankruptcy. Blomkvist and Lisbeth uncover an incredible amount of corruption, making the audience doubt its very human nature. Can everyone succumb to evil and corruption, or is it an inherent trait in all of us?

David Fincher's swift direction paired with Rooney Mara's bravura performance will hopefully ensure everyone's on board for the next two installments of Larsson's bestselling series. The plot becomes a little clunky after the film's climax, which may shake some as a major drawback. Overall, Fincher's stylishly jet black film is the adrenaline shot 2011's films have been missing, and one film that should definitely not be missed.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars

Melancholia

As with any Lars Von Trier film, "Melancholia" is one of the most hauntingly visceral and visually stunning films you will ever see. The opening scenes of "Melancholia" are absolutely gorgeous, with super slow motion images of Kirsten Dunst in a wedding dress, tangled in roots, struggling to break free and walk away. This is one of Von Trier's most accessible films which may have a fractional amount of interest in a mass audience as a result of casting Dunst in the lead role. His other films have been shocking, graphic, violent, and almost too much to handle for most viewers, as was the case with his last film, "Antichrist." Another one of his films, "Dogville" is another example of Von Trier's highly artistic films, a bare-boned production starring Nicole Kidman on an intentionally shoddy looking soundstage being the location of all shooting.

"Melancholia" centers around young bride Justine, played by Kirsten Dunst, who begins to question her marriage to her handsome husband (played by Alexander Skarsgaard) and struggles to remain happy on what should be the happiest day of her life. The incredibly lavish wedding reception is held on an English manor and with seemingly no concept of the time in which this film takes place or budget constraints. The reception is put on in sumptuous fashion by Justine's sister, Claire and husband played by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Keifer Sutherland respectively. The two sisters relationship becomes increasingly strained throughout the film, as Claire can't understand what is going on with her sister and why she's acting so depressed on her wedding night. At the same time, a large blue planet, "Melancholia" is threatening to collide with the earth and end all humanity as we know it.

The film is operatic and even over the top with its drama sometimes, but it serves as a metaphor for the devastating effects of depression and provide a bleak outlook of humanity and our time on earth. The film can oftentimes be confusing with some entirely unexplainable human behavior, but the film also serves as an amazing showcase of Kirsten Dunst's acting abilities. Thus far, Dunst's work has been less than impressive, from her break out role in "Bring It On," to "Marie Antoinette," to "Spiderman" to her more recent, "How to Make Friends and Alienate People," Dunst always seems to be on hand to phone in her performance and give nothing else. In this film however, this assessment couldn't be further from the truth. Dunst's meditative performance in this post-apocalyptic film gives it the most gravity.

Also, Charlotte Gainesbourg, who is no stranger to Lars Von Trier's directorial tutelage, also gives an amazing performance here as Justine's sister Claire, who can't come to grips with the idea that the end of the world is near. Kiefer Sutherland is also appreciated in this film, as well as Alexander Skarsgaard, playing Justine's loyal and supportive new husband.

Viewers might be put off by how slow and tedious the pace of the film travels at, but its the visuals and the metaphor that are what truly matters in this film. While certainly not for every moviegoer, "Melancholia" is a visual treat and while still devastatingly bleak with its messages on humanity, proves to be one of the most watchable Von Trier movies, with Dunst's acting skills taking center stage.

Rating- 3 1/2 stars out of 4

Part 3: The Downright Ugly

Have you seen a film this year that made you feel like you lost some brain cells as the credits rolled? Made you want to cry or beg for your eight dollars back at the cineplex? Well, you weren’t the only one. There were plenty, and I mean plenty of films that demonstrated if not one, then all of these qualities. The more cynical film critics are calling 2010 one of the worst years in film. It’s these films right here that make you scratch you head and wonder: what were people thinking? They aren’t even worth watching on instant watch on NetFlix. The point is, these are the movies that make you regret the two hours you wasted watching it as your eyes and ears were assaulted while you took these films in. Without further ado, here they are.

Kevin Smith directed “Cop Out.” I hope he sincerely regrets this decision. Starring Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan in a buddy-cop film, “Cop Out” was released in February. The jokes and gags were completely tasteless, uninspired, and downright stupid. It also proved to be one of the year’s largest flops. Also in February was “The Bounty Hunter.” This script for this film could not have been any worse. Combined with stale acting, this film starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler was so uninspired, it hurt. Jennifer Aniston should probably take note: touching your hair is not acting, it’s just touching your hair. Released in April, “Death at a Funeral” was one of the most unfunny comedies of the year. Starring Chris Rock, Danny Glover, Zoe Saldana, and Martin Lawrence, gags and jokes about a funeral fall unmistakably flat. Especially when Martin Lawrence is involved. The only amusing part of this film is James Marsden, who doesn’t quite go down on with this sinking ship. His ever-present charm in his role as the mistakenly drugged-out Oscar is Marsden’s life raft. “Furry Vengeance” was also released in April and it starred Brendan Fraser. Enough said. May gave us the absolutely pitiful sequel to “Sex and the City.” With Sarah Jessica Parker and her gang of girls, they take fake Dubai by storm (since Dubai didn’t let production film there), and the climax of the film has the girls racing against time to avoid suffering the worst type of punishment: flying in coach, not first-class.

Josh Brolin took a serious misstep in June’s “Jonah Hex,” which received a hack job in editing into a swift, incomprehensive eighty minute run time. The film’s tag line is “revenge gets ugly,” which is a perfect adjective to describe this bomb. “Hex” is another candidate for worst film of the year. Megan Fox was also in this western, starring as a prostitute. To put it kindly, the role of a prostitute wasn’t much of a stretch for Fox. This film is about Hex, a bounty hunter during the Civil War who sees his family murdered in front of him by a Confederate general, and Ulysses S. Grant wants Hex to stop the general’s plans to bring the Union to its knees. Also released in July was Adam Sandler’s “Grown Ups,” also starring Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James, and Rob Schneider, it’s nice to see Sandler is keeping his inner circle employed. This incredibly immature film about childhood best friends who reunite in their adulthood was absolutely awful. When you have grown men joking about peeing in a kiddie pool, something is wrong. Very wrong.

Just when I thought M. Night Shyamalan couldn’t get any lower after “Lady in the Water,” and “The Happening,” the man defied all odds and managed to sink even lower. Congratulations Shyamalan for redefining cinematic “rock bottom” on a yearly basis. This year, Shyamalan released “The Last Airbender” in July. Taking his movie way too seriously, “Airbender” fails on almost every level. Between the heinous dialogue, pitiful acting, lame plot, and the arrogant set up for a sequel (or two), I can’t determine exactly which element of this film is too blame for its own downfall. Any one of these failures could account for a box office bomb, but Shyamalan managed to combine all of them in one film. Halfway through, it wasn’t all the flame from the fire benders that made me smell something ablaze, it was the distinct smell of the crashing and burning of Shyamalan’s career. To explain it briefly, the film is about the Airbenders, who are people who have the ability to harness the power of either air, water, fire, or earth. One special person, however, the avatar, is reincarnated over centuries and has the ability to control all four elements. The avatar, portrayed by Noah Ringer, is charged with the task of preventing the Fire Nation from conquering the Water, Air, and Earth nations. It’s just as ridiculous as it sounds.

All in all, there were some delightfully crappy movies in 2010. Definitely more so in the past year than in previous years. What makes all of these films tolerable is knowing 2010 wasn’t a complete loss. They were many movies this year that were beacons of light in an otherwise bleak year for film. It is these great films that will keep us going, providing us with optimism as we open our wallets for another eight dollars at the cineplex, and giving us hope we can experience films that make us laugh as much as “Easy A,” think as much as “Inception,” cry as much as “Toy Story 3,” scare us as much “Black Swan,” and inspire us as much as “127 Hours.” With 2010 winding down, the exciting prospects of what 2011 has to offer is just around the corner.

Part 2: The Bad

Alright, let’s get on with it: the bad. While this year had some very inventive plot lines provided by “Inception,” brilliant scripts as seen in “The Social Network,” and beautiful performances, such as Natalie Portman in “Black Swan,” there were some bad films in 2010. Here, we’ll salute some of the year’s disappointments, which all seemed to prove one thing—some very bankable stars can’t even be relied on to make a box office hit. Years ago, Julia Roberts starring in a film was enough to make it successful, but not the case this year. We saw this time and time again in 2010. The only conclusion one can make is that behind the stars in a film, an audience needs a little bit more substance to go along with it.

The romantic comedy “Leap Year,” starring Matthew Goode and Amy Adams, released in January, was completely awful. About the story of a woman who decides to go to Ireland to propose to her fiancée on leap year, she experiences troubles getting to Dublin on time and along the way falls in love with her guide, played by Matthew Goode. Cue the clichés and horrible dialogue. January also gave us “Tooth Fairy” with Dwayne Johnson and “The Spy Next Door” with Jackie Chan. February faired a little better for moviegoers with the popular (albeit crappy) romantic comedy “Dear John,” where Channing Tatum’s acting method is the same as a tree stump: wooden, stoic, and boring. Another awful romantic comedy came in the form of “Valentine’s Day” (Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, among others) which was staler than a box of week old Valentine’s Day chocolates. “The Last Song” with Miley Cyrus was released in March, showing that with each Nicolas Sparks adaptation, the films continue to get progressively worse. Cyrus should stop trying to prove to everyone she’s not a little girl anymore and take an acting class or two.

In June, the Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise starrer, “Knight and Day” failed to make anything more than a whimper at the box office, showing that the audience continues to be alienated by Tom Cruise. In May, Jake Gyllenhaal’s sword and sandal epic “Prince of Persia: Sands of Time” was very disappointing, despite the subtitle’s suggestion that there might have been a sequel. The Ridley Scott directed “Robin Hood,” proved to be the poor man’s “Gladiator” in disguise, with Russell Crowe passing off Maximus as the titular character of this film. Needless to say, it didn’t work. Both films were released in May. In July, some of the duds were “Dinner with Schmucks” with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore” (yes, this was a real title of a film), and Nic Cage trying to clamber out of financial debt by starring in Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”

“Love and Other Drugs” as well as “Burlesque” proved to be substandard in November. The first film starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. While the two stars showed a lot of skin (and I mean a lot), the disparate storylines involving their love story and the criticism of America’s pharmaceutical industries didn’t ground it enough to be satisfying. “Burlesque” proved that Christina Aguilera can put out a bad album and a bad performance in her first screen debut all within the same calendar year. Even Cher or Stanley Tucci couldn’t elevate this film to loftier heights.

December received the disappointing “The Tourist,” starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. Maybe the audience doesn’t like Johnny Depp playing somebody normal—Depp saw a lot more box office success with “Alice in Wonderland,” but not much here. Other bad films throughout the year included Kristen Bell in her romantic comedy with Josh Duhamel “When in Rome.” Don’t remember it? It’s okay, nobody else does either. Kristen Bell stars as a woman in love with some other than a man—her job. We know, because she literally says “I am in love with my job” showing that the age old “show, don’t tell” strategy to basic, good story telling is too much work for some screenwriters. Once Bell’s Beth goes to Rome and steals some coins from a love fountain, it gives a bunch of men absurd reasons to act like buffoons while they chase Beth around because they’re in love with her. Among the men, are actors Jon Heder (going nowhere fast), Dax Shepherd, and Danny DeVito. Josh Duhamel is her suitor, who is really in love with Beth, but she’s convinced that it’s not true love because she thinks she stole one of his coins from the love fountain. Sound ridiculous? That’s because it is. Jackie Chan, while successful in the summer’s “Karate Kid,” started the year off with a thud with January’s very lame “The Spy Next Door.” “The A-Team” was one of this summer’s many offerings, and it was another disappointment. While audience members must have been laughing, physics teachers were crying as in one of the year’s most ridiculous action sequences, an army tank is dropped from a plane to shoot at another plane. Star Bradley Cooper controls how fast he is falling by firing the tank. This film did little to capitalize on the success of the television show of the same name.

The Good, The Bad, and the Downright Ugly: Reviewing the Best and Worst of 2010 in Film

Part 1: The Good

2010 was an interesting year in movies to say the least. We got a little bit of just about everything: some fantastically realistic special effects in the likes of “Inception,” a profile of the loneliest man in the world with the most friends in “The Social Network,” and some considerable flops in “The Last Airbender” and “Cop Out.” This year showed us how entertaining animation could be with “Toy Story 3,” “Tangled,” and “How to Train Your Dragon.” Some of the box office smashes (“Alice in Wonderland”) weren’t all that great, but this year was all about the smaller, lesser known films that weren’t readily available in wide release, like “127 Hours” or “Black Swan” (at first). As 2010 comes to a close, here’s to toasting the very best and the very worst of what 2010 had to offer.

Early on in the year, we received some pretty solid work from Martin Scorsese in “Shutter Island” with Leo DiCaprio starring as Teddy Daniels (“a duly appointed federal maaah-shall”) who investigates a prisoner gone missing at an insane asylum. Scorsese got the biggest box office returns with this film, even over 2006’s “The Departed.” Though mediocre in my opinion, 2010 got the second largest box office winner of the year in March’s “Alice in Wonderland” ( and I still can’t understand why Anne Hathaway’s arms are up in the air all the time). Despite not-so-stellar reviews, four hundred million dollars at the box office is nothing to dismiss.

The month of June was all about the absolutely delightful, charming “Toy Story 3,” which used its loveable characters as a vehicle for a beautiful story about growing up. Pixar provided one of its best films yet, which is fitting because “Toy Story” was the first feature-length film that launched their company.

No one could forget the mind-bending, intellectual caper “Inception” directed by Chris Nolan and starring Leo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, released in July. A rare combination of huge box office returns and critical adoration, “Inception” was pure magic. Also in July was the fantastic “The Kids Are All Right” with great performances from Annette Benning, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. A thoroughly modern story about two married women, we finally see a film that treats a gay marriage as one that experiences the turbulences of any other marriage. August was nothing too special this year, except for the buddy-cop comedy done right with “The Other Guys” with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. With absolutely hilarious cameos from Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson, “The Other Guys” was one of the funniest comedies of the year. Kevin Smith, director of the universally panned “Cop Out” could have taken a leaf out of Adam McKay’s book with this film.

In September, Emma Stone was absolutely delightful in “Easy A,” a high school comedy about a girl named Olive who makes up a lie about losing her virginity to gain popularity. Stanley Tucci provides some extra laughs as Olive’s oblivious father, and Thomas Haden Church’s dry humor also helped elevate this wonderful comedy. Also in September was the second directorial debut of Ben Affleck for “The Town.” Affleck can seemingly direct himself better in movies than other directors can because he was great as Doug Macray, a Boston bank robber who starts to wish he could leave behind his criminal lifestyle, but finds himself roped into it anyways. Jeremy Renner was great as the hot headed Jem, Macray’s best friend, and Blake Lively was brilliant as the trash-tastic druggie Krista.

As September melted into October, some of the best films of the year were released. The only film that really mattered in October was one of the year’s best: “The Social Network.” Buoyed by a sizzling script by Alan Sorkin, David Fincher takes this film to the next level, putting a magnifying glass on the man who created Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. Jesse Eisenberg is a revelation as the creator of Facebook, and Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake put in some good work as well. In November, we got a kinetic, vivid story of a human’s will to live in Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours.” James Franco starred as Aron Ralston, a hiker who gets pinned by the arm in a remote canyon. Touched with some beautiful humor, Franco puts in one of the best male performances of the year.

December was a fantastic month for film. Starting off with a bang provided by “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky takes the ambitious world of ballet and turns it into a fantastic, psycho-sexual, melodramatic horror film that reaches lofty heights because of Natalie Portman’s reckless abandon in her approach to her role as Nina. Mirroring the story of “Swan Lake” with that of the sexual and psychological awakening of Portman’s character, the film is Aronofsky’s best since “Requiem for a Dream.” Also in December were Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, and Christian Bale in “The Fighter” about the Boston boxer Micky Ward. Christian Bale plays his trainer and brother in a blistering performance. He should just start preparing his Oscar speech now, as he slips into his role as Dicky like it’s another skin. The Coen brothers offered up another fantastic film this year in “True Grit,” starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. A remake of the John Wayne film of the same name, Bridges plays the crusty Rooster Cogburn, who helps Steinfeld’s Mattie track down the man who killed her father. Based off of Charles Portis' novel of the same name, the Coen brothers adaptation of this book is an inspired one, offering some of the same humor that was so loved in the novel.

Love and Other Drugs- dedicated to Natalie Keeler

Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway star in Edward Zwick’s “Love and Other Drugs,” which sells the drugs quite well, but not necessarily the love. The story is set in the 90’s, just when major drug companies began to take flight with the commoditization of health. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a pharmaceutical salesman for Pfizer and a complete charmer who will do whatever it takes to make a sale, even if it includes bringing flowers to the receptionists in a doctor’s office or throwing the competitor’s drug (in this case, Prozac) in the trash.

His world is turned upside down when he meets Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), a cynical, free-spirited spunky woman whose been diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 26. While Jamie is pretending to be an intern in a doctor’s office, Hathaway’s character exposes her breast in the office for the doctor to examine (a role that could have been used to a lot more potential by Hank Azaria). Once Maggie figures out Jamie is a drug rep, she smashes him in the face with her briefcase. Jamie has finally met his match. And so begins their courtship.

After a number of very realistic and adult sex scenes, they realize they have fallen in love. Or rather, the high number of sex scenes is supposed to substitute scenes of their courtship, and so their love throughout the rest of the film seems a little unauthentic at certain parts, but overall their story is treated in a very adult-like and realistic manner. Some of their discussions and dialogue ring very true, although they don't seem to fall in love gracefully, it's more of a thud.

Maggie’s character arc throughout the film seems stagnant, however. She’s supposed to be the sarcastic, bitter one, but halfway through, she drops that refreshingly original part of her personality and becomes sugary sweet and emotional. Hathaway plays the role of a Parkinson’s patient with a considerable amount of seriousness. Those who were screaming “Oscar” based on her role are now biting their tongues, unfortunately however. Hathaway’s natural charisma on screen made her sarcastic, spunky character seem a little unbelievable, but there were some scenes where she was incredible, particularly when she goes to a meeting with a bunch of other Parkinson’s patients or after a particular bad day with her tremors, she lashes out at Jamie and feelings of self-pity spill out of her.

Jake Gyllenhaal, probably turns in the best performance of this film, but this might be more because of his natural charisma then his acting ability. Nevertheless, he plays the role of the charmer perfectly, and his character arc is extremely believable as he transforms from the masculine, hotshot drug rep into a man capable of love and caring well over his love of making money. One of the best scenes in the whole film comes when Jamie goes to the meeting with the Parkinson’s patients, and he speaks with a man whose wife suffered from the disease. As the man goes through the absolute hell that Maggie’s life will transform into once she goes through some of the higher stages of Parkinson’s, the realization of what Jamie is about to put himself through really hits home. Is he prepared to deal with this?

The major problem with “Love and Other Drugs” is the plotline. There were several disparate plots that don’t feel cohesive enough, though we may be blinded by the star power that Gyllenhaal and Hathaway provide. The story of their love doesn’t really seem to connect with the social commentary skewering pharmaceutical companies, and it isn’t until the end that Jamie realizes he is willing to spend the rest of his life taking care of Maggie. There is one scene in which Jamie is speaking with Hank Azaria’s doctor, where he is talking about how he is forced to make people pay for expensive drugs that are essential to their health. This scene could have been extremely poignant and could have hammered the point home that health care companies are no longer out to help their patients, but are instead out for a profit. Gone are the principles set down in the World Health Organization’s 1978 Alma Ata Health declaration, stating everyone deserves proper healthcare at no cost. But all of this is lost, as the film tries to juggle its social commentary, its love story, and its moments of disjointed comedic relief, provided only by Jamie’s brother Josh, played by Josh Gad.

This film had so much potential. A very strong cast here puts in very good performances, but the incongruent storylines severely stifle it and diffuse the film’s purpose. Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, and Judy Greer are all in the film, but are criminally underused. By the film’s end, no solution or final conclusion is made on the pharmaceutical companies, and we just come to understand Jamie is going to put up with Maggie’s illness, but whether or not he can handle all that is going to come with her illness in her later years is unresolved. A tighter, more connected plot could have kept the film from becoming messy. The love story and commentary on pharmaceutical companies are two separate storylines. If they had been fused together properly with some more natural comic relief, this film could’ve been great.

Where to Find It: In theaters 11/24
Rating: 2 ½ stars

127 Hours

2010 just received its second power-player at the Academy Award ceremony this year alongside “The Social Network.” From the director of 2008’s Best Picture winner, “Slumdog Millionaire,” Danny Boyle has created another work that celebrates the vibrancy of life, while also chronicling one man’s strength of human spirit and will to live in “127 Hours.” Everything about the film is beautiful, from the acting, writing, music and cinematography.

With splashes of bright yellows, golds, and suede colors, “127 Hours” is a film that is gorgeous to look at. The bright sunlight draws out all the wonderful colors in the canyons of Moab, Utah. Every color is captured so precisely, and any screenshot from this film could be a beautiful photograph used to advertise tourism. With every sweep of the camera over the rich landscape however, we understand: this is a dangerously powerful but awe-inspiring place. As James Franco’s character gingerly tests out certain rocks and squeezes into certain tight spaces, we know the danger at hand. One can easily be killed here, and no one would know.

The story, written by longtime Boyle collaborator Simon Beaufoy, is based on the memoir of Aron Ralston, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place.” Ralston is a mountain climber, a canyoneer, an adventurer. He seems to flit from one place to another, following his whims and his love of the outdoors. Ralston meets two fellow hikers, Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn). He serves as their guide, showing them a gulf in between two canyons full of water where they cool off from the hot sun. As he darts away, continuing his afternoon in the canyon, Kristi turns to her friend Megan (Amber Tamblyn), remarking, “I don’t think we figured into his day at all.” This sentiment may describe Ralston’s character best. All is going well with him until a boulder falls onto his arm, crushing it in a narrow tunnel. Ralston is completely trapped; the boulder is crushing his hand and is wedged between both sides of the tunnel. Ralston screams for help, but as the camera zooms out, we realize just how alone and isolated Ralston really is, as the empty canyon stretches on for miles and miles. Unsuccessful in trying to chip away the rock with a dull pen knife, Ralston has no water or food left. He’s hallucinating and weak. His choice is to die by himself in this remote canyon or hack his own arm off with the dull knife. In graphic, horrifying detail, we witness Ralston cut his own arm off in order to escape and get help.

James Franco plays Ralston, and is a complete gift to this film. This man has finally come into his own. After paying his dues and suffering through films like “Flyboys,” “Tristan and Isolde,” and “Annapolis,” Franco is pitch-perfect in “127 Hours.” The oftentimes self-deprecating humor he brings to his role is brilliant, and it shows us the light even in Ralston’s darkest hours. We understand that this is a man who is not about to give up. Mostly shown in close-ups, every twitch in Franco’s face is crucial to his character.

Danny Boyle’s direction is flawless here as well. The choice and composition of the shots are interesting, even a shot of Ralston sipping water from his camel-back, as the water goes up from the pack, up the tube, and into his mouth. This isn’t a story that plunders on until Ralston cuts his arm off. The movie isn’t just solely told to show this graphic scene. The scene itself only lasts for a few minutes, and is indeed horrifying, but Boyle uses flashbacks, and hallucinations of Ralston’s past life and the future he might miss out on to bring this story to life.

A.R. Rahman’s musical scoring is also notable here, provides this film a pulse, a sense of constant motion and intensity. The music is fast-paced, frenetic, and full of energy, just like the film’s main character. A.R. Rahman is also great at providing a contemporary, hip hop-sounding soundtrack, making it fresh and wholly original. What he provided for “Slumdog Millionaire,” he exceeds even more in “127 Hours.” Expect an Oscar nomination for this magical score.

“127 Hours” is a raw, visceral cinematic experience that shouldn’t be missed. It is utterly incredible and a breathtaking piece of filmmaking. The last sequences are so uplifting as Ralston stumbles into a helicopter with what’s left of his arm. You can’t help but marvel at the endurance of the human spirit exhibited in this film. “127 Hours” will slowly be opening in a more wide release in the next couple of weeks, so you may have to go out and find this film, but if you’re looking for a film that is a thrilling, exhilarating ride, “127 Hours” is definitely worth the search.

Where to Find It: Limited release, 11/5
Rating: 4 ½ stars