127 Hours (2010)

A hiker named Aron Ralston goes out on his own to Utah’s famed Canyonlands National Park, and dicks around, young guy stuff, all bravado and all by himself. He’s bold and brash and ready to go-go-go … until one bad move sends a massive boulder smashing against his right arm and a crevice wall. “Oops.” His words. Not mine. You know the rest of "127 Hours," right? This is one amazing true story, nearly all of its 90-minute stuck in one place. With Aron. “Hours” vibes loud as life because director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) doesn’t just show us Aron’s FUBAR predicament, he puts us in Aron’s desperate situation. Aron is careless, but he’s no dummy. His engineering training saves his life, along with a cheap knife. Yes, that arm comes off. But it's not cheap horror-film gore. The blood and tissue are nasty, difficult to watch, but real. Visceral. James Franco gives a killer performance – reckless, geeky, scared, desperate, starving, delirious, comical and fully determined. Boyle’s film soars on Aron’s – Franco’s – spirit, and amazing editing and camera work. A-