This Is The End (2013)

Year: 2013
Director: Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogan, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Emma Watson, Michael Cera
This Is The End is currently screening in the USA and the UK
To be released in Australia on the 18th July 2013

Rated MA15+ for strong crude humour, coarse language, sexual references, comedic violence, nudity and drug use.

With warnings like this, you may be a little concerned and cautious about the viewing of This Is the End you are planning. The poster doesn't lie, they are all there, but the movie doesn't lose it's hilarity in it's warned content. This Is the End is one of the funniest films of the year and is one of those rare comedy films that come along every so often that have longevity and staying power.

This Is The End isn't your typical film for any of the A-list celebrities involved. Instead of pretending to be someone else, they are all playing themselves. Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogan decide to go to a party at James Franco's house where everyone who is anyone is. During the wild party, chaos erupts outside in a fashion which indicates that this may well be the end of the world. Together, Jay, Seth, James, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride must find a way to survive and work together.

This is one funny film. It is able to conquer the audiences who love comedy, but are not fans of crude and gruesome comedy. This Is The End has these things, but has so much comedic power that it makes you almost believe that it needs to have it's crude moments and that they are completely relevant. The script, written by directors Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan, is just wonderful and contains many great ad-libbed one liners.Although there are so many films in recent history regarding the end of the world, this one is completely unlike any other. It's not a common thing to be able to laugh at the concept of the end of the world.

There is nothing really serious about this film, it is a comedy in every way possible. There are some biblical references regarding Revelations and the apocalypse, but that is as far as it will get. The "dramatic" moments of the film are just so overdone that you know that the film makers are trying to achieve laughs rather than critical success. There is also some dodgy and a little B-grade CGI, but you can only assume that the CGI was never meant to be world class and a little B-gradeness just makes it a bit funnier.

The brilliance of this film is that everyone is making fun of themselves. All the male actors are poking fun at themselves throughout the film in several different ways, including Franco's movie memorabilia collection and his art collection and Hill overplaying the sensitive role which he has often been cast in. There are cameos throughout the film, especially in Franco's house party, but stay until the end of the film for one of the most hilarious endings you will see in a film. Completely overdone, but completely fitting and hysterically funny.

All the actors in the film do so well. Baruchel, Rogan, Franco, Hill and Robinson all do well and remain likable throughout the film. Perhaps Hill stops being actually likable at one point, but is still hilarious. Danny McBride can become annoying at times, but that is his role in the film. It is hilarious seeing Emma Watson drop the F-bomb for the first time in her film career. She is a great touch to a predominantly male movie. You can't help watching This Is The End thinking how much fun this film would really have been to make.

It is incredible what Goldberg and Rogan have achieved with This Is The End. A concept that could just sound silly has given birth to comedic brilliance.

8/10

Warning: This YouTube clip contains some coarse language

On a side note.....

Check out this Cast Featurette as supplied by Sony Pictures to get a bit more insight into the making of This Is The End

Sydney Film Festival: The Iceman (2012)

Year: 2012
Director: Ariel Vromen
Cast: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans. David Schwimmer, James Franco, Stephen Dorff
The Iceman will be screening at the Sydney Film Festival on the 8th and 10th of June 2013.

It is hard to be a gangster film. There are so many amazing films in it's class that so much is expected of you and you have to live up to moviegoers expectations.

The Iceman isn't a bad film, but it is certainly not one of the best gangster films. Truth be told, this isn't your typical gangster film, but definitely falls into that category. It is an interesting enough watch with some good performances, but the state of the film due to bad editing choices makes it all just confusing and a bit of a mess.

The Iceman is based on the true story of Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon), the notorious American contract killer who is said to have killed up to 100 people. The film begins when Kuklinski meets his future wife, Deborah (Winona Ryder), who remains oblivious throughout the whole film as to what Kuklinski actually does for a living and the crimes he has committed. The film spans over the period of 22 years from the time that he first comes attracts the attention of mafia boss, Roy Demeo (Ray Liotta) to his final arrest in 1986.

Although this film is based on real events, there are many inaccuracies in the movie. This may have been done to protect the family or to liven the film up and is really not that big an issue, but it is important to remember if you are using The Iceman as a history lesson that it is only based on true events and is not actually a re-enactment of true events. The film is interesting enough and the great thing is that it does provide some suspense as to the safety of his family and of how he is going to be caught.

There is not much to be said about the cinematography and editing of this film. It's not particularly impressive visually nor is anything done to enhance the audience's senses outside the character's actions and dialogue. Director Ariel Vromen has made some bad decisions in regards to how the screenplay will be played out on screen. There are several times during the film that one scene cuts to another in a future time period and there is no indication how long has elapsed or even that any time has elapsed. This makes it very confusing for the viewer.

The other problem with the editing is that there are some scenes which don't seem exactly relevant. The scene between Kuklinski and his brother, Joey (Stephen Dorff) has some relevance to the conclusion of the film, but it feels very out of place where it is and like it has just been thrown in to any part of the film so that Vromen can say something about Joey right at the end.


Michael Shannon is very good as Richard Kuklinski. His ability to portray the sociopathic tendencies of the character is scary, but his ability to break lose and show intense emotion at the right times is brilliant. The chemistry between Shannon and Winona Ryder is very good, as is Ryder's performance. Ryder plays the mother and wife role well and is extremely likable, although you do wonder how she can't tell that she is married to a killer.

Besides Shannon and Ryder, the only other actor who creates a real impact when on screen in Chris Evans. He is extremely unrecognisable in his screen time and gives a performance like no other you have seen from him. He is actually so interesting to watch that he is almost likable, even though the acts he commits are unforgivable.

Ray Liotta is good, but it seems as though this is starting to become a semi-typical role for him so his performance is clearly not a stretch at all for him.David Schwimmer is actually quite good with the smallish role that he has and James Franco, although having little screen time as one of Kuklinski's victims, is also quite good.

It would seem that The Iceman has a lot of good, but not great performances. It also has a lot of bad decisions made in the post-production stage that have clearly impacted on the overall quality of the film and made this into a so-so event.

6/10





The 60th Sydney Film Festival will be running from the 5th-16th of June 2013. For more information, please see the official website

You may have also seen Winona Ryder in.....
Black Swan as Beth Mcintyre

You may have also seen Chris Evans in.....
The Avengers and  Captain America: The First Avenger as Captain America/ Steve Rogers

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

Year: 2013
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Zach Braff, Joey King

Before I begin my review....
"It's not as good as The Wizard of Oz"

This is what I got told someone I know said after seeing Oz the Great and Powerful, and the first thing I thought after hearing this "Did you really go in expecting it to be a complete and utter classic that people are going to be in awe of for at least another 70 years and want to share with their children and grandchildren?"

That's called setting yourself up for disappointment.

When it comes to a prequel or a sequel of a film, I believe the best thing to do before you see it is just hope to enjoy it. Very rarely is the follow up as good as the first film, so don't set the bar too high. The good thing about a sequel or prequel to a film you love, is that it adds to your knowledge about the characters you loved and situations you enjoyed watching in the first film. If anything, you get to take this away from the film and you are not let down, because you enjoy seeing these characters again and learning more.

I myself are a bit of a Wizard of Oz fanatic and I know that people, like me, will enjoy Oz the Great and Powerful because it stays true to the 1939 classic. There are very little inconsistencies between the two and you really do believe you have learnt more about the original film by watching it. I was also a fan of 1985's Return To Oz, which is the sequel. However, both the prequel and the sequel are not as good as the original, but no one expects them to be. The Wizard of Oz was completely before it's time and there will never be another film like it.

By the way, if anybody was like me and wondered why there was no mention of the ruby slippers in Oz the Great and Powerful, I did a bit of research and found out why. Warner Bros own the rights to the elements of the original MGM film and as Oz the Great and Powerful is a Disney film, the studio cannot legally include mention of or images of the slippers in the film.

Studio politics.

Review

Oz the Great and Powerful does it's predecessor proud by continuing on The Wizard of Oz tradition with respect and beauty, something Disney have a knack of doing. 

It is hard not to compare and liken Oz the Great and Powerful to the 1939 classic as it is a prequel to it, but it would be unrealistic to expect it to be as good as it. However, all those who are fans of and enjoyed The Wizard of Oz (which would be the large majority of those who have seen it) will enjoy this film as it stays true to the original as well as being accompanied by extraordinarily beautiful visuals and amazing special effects. 

Oscar "Oz" Diggs (James Franco) is a Kansas sideshow magician when we meet him, who has dreams of being a man of greatness, but is struggling just to be a good man for the time being. He escapes the sideshow in a hot air balloon and gets caught in a classic Kansas twister. He lands in a beautiful land and meets the beautiful witch, Theodora (Mila Kunis) who tells him that he is in Oz. The coming of Oz to the land seems to fit the description of the prophecy in which a wizard will land and save the good people of Oz from the evil witch. Oz is not convinced that he is the wizard from the prophecy, but everyone believes otherwise. 

The story of Oz the Great and Powerful is easy to watch. It doesn't evoke too many emotions, but it is a whole lot of fun. The screenplay isn't exceptional and it is a very light film. It is not powerful by any means, except visually. However, it is what it is meant to be and that is a family film. It is just very entertaining and enjoyable.

The film has such a magical feel to it and is very easy on the eye. There are some incredible images and some of breathtaking beauty. Oz's landscapes are beautiful and cityscapes such as the broken China Town and the Emerald City are exquisite. If you have seen Disney's latest version of  Alice in Wonderland , may feel there is a Wonderland feeling about Oz. It will probably not surprise you to find out that the producer of Alice in Wonderland , Joe Roth, is also the producer of Oz the Great and Powerful.

Again, it is hard to look at Oz the Great and Powerful as a stand alone film as it does have so many references to The Wizard of Oz. The film starts off in sepia and then turns into colour when Oz arrives in Oz, just like in the original. There is also the appearance of characters in Oz who resemble or mirror those who were in Kansas, again what happened to Dorothy in 1939. Prior knowledge of The Wizard of Oz is almost essential so that you know the meaning of several little things throughout the film, but that isn't a problem as you'd be so hard pressed to find someone you know who hasn't seen the film. It is a joy to see the original being honoured in so many ways in this new film, and director of The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming would have been proud. 

James Franco completely personifies Oz. In the original, you get the feeling that once Dorothy and her friends discover him behind the curtain, he comes across a bit ashamed of himself that he isn't all that he pretends to be. Franco plays on this and shows how the wizard over does certain things he does to try and convince others how wonderful he is. Franco is perfectly cast and wonderful to watch. 

The three witches are all very well cast and are played by three of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. Michelle Williams is just gorgeous on screen as Glinda and is so likable, just as her character is supposed to be. Strong, but so very sweet. Rachel Weisz plays subtle evil very well and Mila Kunis becomes terrifying through the film and watching her change is excellent.

Joey King, who plays the little girl in the side show and the China Girl in Oz is wonderful. King, at 14, is one to watch. She has been in various films and glows in each of her roles and outshines many of her older co-stars. She is definitely a star to watch as she progresses.

Oz the Great and Powerful does The Wizard of Oz proud. It is a film lover's eye candy and is sure to become a guilty pleasure to many. 

7/10

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes- The Planet Of The Apes for those who didn't like Planet Of The Apes

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Year: 2011

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Cast: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Tom Felton, Brian Cox

In My Own Words

                I have just had a double dose of James Franco. Not complaining at all.

                I decided I had to see the early session of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes today so I could come home and catch the interview with James Franco on Hamish & Andy’s Gap Year, a weekly television show by an Australian comedy duo. I know I have said it before on here, but James Franco is one of my most admired actors. I admire how he is able to take part in university education at a PhD level, which is no easy task in itself, as well as juggle him film career. I’m sure it does take its toll on him and Franco probably really enjoys a good night sleep, but I just admire him so much for knowing the value of a college/ university education. Plus he is a fantastic actor, there is no denying that.

                The other man I would like to pay tribute to here is Andy Serkis. With this film he has sealed for himself the title of being the greatest CGI (computer-generated imagery) actor in its existence thus far. He first found fame playing Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. It is said that Peter Jackson was pushing for Serkis to be nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal, but the academy wasn’t convinced on the CGI front. There are whispers on the net that Serkis fans believe that his efforts as Caeser in Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes are worthy of a nomination.

 I take my hat off to (actually I don’t take my hat off, purely for the fact I am just not wearing one right now) Mr Serkis. You’ve just got to hope that he isn’t a method actor. He might not be the most popular person in his social circles if he spends his time being an ape!

                These are my own words and here is my review.

Review

                Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is the Planet Of The Apes film for those who didn’t like Planet Of The Apes.

                More dramatic and heartfelt than its predecessors, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes still has the elements which make the phenomenon such a cult favourite. It has been revamped with the amazing technology used in film today to make the characters seem more lifelike than ever before. And thankfully, what Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes possesses which many action blockbusters haven’t of late is a solid story to support of the amazing images we are seeing.

                Will Rodman (James Franco) believes he has found a cure to Alzheimer’s disease in a substance he has been testing on chimpanzee’s. However, the substance is found to make these apes substantially smarter and more aggressive. Will finds himself adopting a baby ape who has lost its mother in tragic circumstances and he and his father (John Lithgow) name him Caeser. As Caeser grows, it becomes evident he has inherited some of the characteristics his mother had as a result of the substance. He doesn’t seem to be too much trouble, until he his protective instincts kick in and he is then placed with his own kind, which is when all hell breaks loose.

                What makes Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes work so well is the way the story is played out. It completely flows and it kept interesting throughout the whole film. It is not all about the attack of the apes, as some people may think, but more about the evolution of how the apes turned against humans. The actual attack in the city of San Francisco is perhaps the only part of the film which seems over the top ridiculous, yet it is what the film is moulded around so it really cannot be neglected in the film. It is what Planet Of The Apes is all about.

                There really are some emotional moments and rather than the relationship between Caeser and Will be about scientist and specimen or human and pet, it is about best friends and family. There are underlying themes of companionship, family and also of loss.

                The CGI is truly amazing in this film. From the very first scene in the lush forests where the apes way of life is disturbed, you are constantly struck by how far film has come. We are now able to create for ourselves animals for the screen which we don’t have to train or worry about how much they are going to disrupt filming. At many occasions during the film, you forget that these are not actually real apes, but CGI creations. In 1968 when the first Planet Of The Apes was released, who would have ever thought we would be able to do this rather than make masks and have people dress up as monkeys?

                Although James Franco has top billing for this movie, it is Andy Serkis who is the star of the film. Serkis is now a master of CGI after his performance as Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and Kong in King King. You have to remember that every emotion you see Caeser give and every moment, is Serkis himself. When you see Will walk around with Caeser on a leash, that is Serkis on the leash. He really is an incredible actor and one of a kind.

                Franco is also very good in this film. He never forces his performance and is subtle at all times, which really works in his favour. John Lithgow is another standout as Will’s father crippled by Alzheimer’s. Freida Pinto is fine as Will’s girlfriend, Caroline, but although being Caeser’s doctor at the beginning of the film, she doesn’t have much of a purpose for the rest of the film. Tom Felton does well in his first post- Harry Potter role. He carries on the bad boy attitude as Dodge, who loves to torment to apes. He is allowed to get a bit more aggressive in this film than he ever did as Draco Malfoy.

                Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes will never let you look at apes the same way at the zoo again. You may be paranoid that they are plotting to take over every time they look at you and nightmares involving gorillas wouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Great to see a prequel that reaches a wider audience than what it’s previous films did.

7.5/10

Your Highness

Your Highness
Year: 2011
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel

In My Own Words
Well, this movie may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you like crude humour,you will love it. If you don't like crude humour and don't like overuse of the "f-bomb", then you may want to avoid this movie like the plague. I am not usually one for crude humour and with some of the jokes of this nature in the film I could do little more than roll my eyes, but for some strange reason I found Danny McBride's overuse of the "f-bomb" and words of other such nature quite hilarious. I may need to check my temperature. I think it was the way which he swore most of the time was so non-chalant and random that it was just my type of humour. I understand that not everyone shares my sense of humour where I find the random hilarious, so that part of my thoughts about the movie appears in "In My Own Words"!

I've said it before and I will say it again, I have the utmost respect for James Franco. I love that he does movies like these as well as the dramatic film. Why? Because it is just fun! What better way to break up your films than to do a few dramatic films and then break it up with something like this? Plus I love the fact that he studies while being an actor, and he has done as many degrees as he has done. It's great to know that he truly appreciates film as an art form, rather than just what he does for a job. I salute you James Franco.

These are my own words and here is  my review.

Review
"Your Highness" is the most over the top comedy you will see this year. It is completely ridiculous, over-acted and there is no way you can take it seriously. However, the best thing is it knows it is all of these things. "Your Highness" does not try to be anything that it isn't, which is commendable. It laughs at itself and laughs at the genre it is in. It knows it is ridiculous so it plays up to it and makes it no matter how stupid it may seem, it is bearable and even quite funny.

Long ago in a medieval kingdom, there lived a king and his two sons, Fabious (James Franco) and Thadeous (Danny McBride). Thadeous is continually in the shadow of his older brother and the kingdom considers him to be a joke. When Fabious' bride to be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) is kidnapped by an evil wizard, Leezar (Justin Theroux), the two brothers set off on a quest to save her. This could be Thadeous' chance to prove his worth to himself, his family and the whole kingdom!

"Your Highness" will definitely not suit everyone's sense of humour. There is a lot of sexual inuendo, crude language and images and dirty jokes which a lot of people will find downright disgusting. Yet, if you don't mind that sort of things and you can handle the sight of and find funny a minotaur humping one of the king's servants, you will have a good giggle at this film. "Your Highness" was largely improvised and no proper script was used for the majority of filming. When you think about this, it actually gives you more respect for the film and it's actors as they have come up with some very funny lines themselves.

The best thing about "Your Highness" is that it doesn't try to be anything that it is not. It knows what it is and accomplishes everything that it should. It is not a classic, it won't be remembered for years to come, but it does it's job for the here and now. It pokes fun at the fantasy genre and the over-the-topness of some of the key elements of fantasy films, such as the wedding song by Fabious and Belladonna and he valiant prince going to rescue his true love.

There are really no good dramatic performances in the film nor any performances which show what the actor is capable of. All you see is a group of actors having some fun with something different and trying as hard as they can to make their performances as over the top as possible. Danny McBride is the unlikely lead and is repulsive and disgusting as he aims to be. Yet, he is also very funny. James Franco's performance is so exaggerated that it is perfectly suited to the role which he is playing. His character is probably the most wholesome of all the male characters. Zooey Deschanel is good, but her performance isn't anything we'll remember when speaking of her best films. Natalie Portman holds her own well, but she is not particularly funny. While Portman may be at the top of her game in her dramatic roles, comedy is still not really her forte.

"Your Highness" is not for everyone. This point cannot be exaggerated enough. Yet, it is actually refreshing to see such a crude comedy in a different light rather than it being about modern day men on quest for their manhood. If you are open, "Your Highness" is a bit of fun and good for a giggle.
5/10

Howl

Howl
Year: 2010
Director: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Cast: James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels

In My Own Words
I have a great respect for James Franco. I have great respect for anyone who tries to balance completing a university degree with a full time career. Could you imagine trying to complete a university degree while being one of the most popular male actors on the planet at the present time? Franco must have wanted a challenge, but good on him! He started acting while completing his Creative Writing degree at UCLA and he is currently enrolled at NYU's Graduate Film program and Columbia University's Graduate program for Fiction Writing. That's what I love, when an actor appreciates the art form behind what they do and continues their education in what they love.

That is not all I appreciate about James Franco. He loves to take risks. He was critically acclaimed for his role of James Dean in the TV movie of the same name, Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man trilogy, the lead male role in "Tristan + Isolde" and of course, as Aron Ralston in his Oscar nominate role in "127 Hours". The scope of his acting roles is very impressive. I think we need to give him a break in regards to his performance as an Oscar host. He wasn't Billy Crystal, but there are not too many people who could do the job that Franco did in front of the whole world. And there isn't too many people who could host the Academy Awards and be at class the next day. Kudos Franco!

I have to mention one of my favourite Franco roles, as himself in "30 Rock". Yes, I am a big fan of "30 Rock" in general so that may contribute to the fact that I find the idea of Franco having to find a fake girlfriend in order to cover up the fact that he is in love with a Japanese body pillow extremely hilarious.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
"Howl" proves that it is possible to be captivating and weak at the same time. It is not boring and not slow, but it is also not suspenseful and not powerful either. It is extremely unusual for a film to be all of these things at once, but then "Howl" isn't an ordinary film. The elements that go into making "Howl" the film that it is show complete originality and creativity. "Howl" is almost two stories in one, with the centre of the film being Allen Ginsberg's poem, "Howl". From one angle, the film is about Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) and his life, specifically focusing on his life and loves in the time in which "Howl" was written. While Ginsberg talks about his life from his New York apartment, on the other side of the country in a San Francisco courtroom "Howl" is on trial. The question is, is "Howl" a work of art, or just a work of obscenity?

The people who will find "Howl" the most interesting are literary fans and fans of James Franco. People who don't fit into these categories will most probably find this film bizarre and lack lustre. It is the biopic aspect of this film which makes the film bearable. "Howl" would have perhaps been more of a success if the whole film had in fact been the story of Allen Ginsberg and the courtroom drama been left out. You can see what directors, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman are trying to do by trying to capture what "Howl" meant to the poet and the readers and the cause and effect, but they would have been better to have left it at the poet. The courtroom scenes have no suspense, no drama, no depth, the acting is poor and the best thing that comes out of these scenes is that you find out what makes a piece of writing credible.

However, the scenes with Ginsberg are quite enthralling and the animation segments are almost hypnotising. It is a surprise to those who had not heard much about the film beforehand to find so much simple yet brilliantly creative animation involved in the film's editing and cinematography.  Franco's performance of Ginsberg is fantastic. He becomes Ginsberg in this role and masters his voice and tone. He can also be quite heart breaking in some flashback scenes, such as when he realises that his lover has left him. Franco makes Ginsberg's character lovable and brings emotion to the film. In short, he saves the film.

"Howl" is quite simple, but it is not hard to determine that it wasn't supposed to be. It is obvious that it was supposed to work as a film in two parts, yet one part of the film fails to really do anything at all. Epstein and Friedman should thank those at The Monk Studios for their amazing animation and James Franco for his accurate performance for the successes in this film, as without them "Howl" would be completely unfulfilling.
6/10

127 Hours

127 Hours
Year: 2010
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clemence Poesy

In My Own Words
Oscar contender review number no.7. Never fear, by February the 27th we will have all of the Best Picture nominiee's reviewed. As far as "127 Hours" goes, it is infamous as being the film where the guys cut's his arm off. I hate to be a killjoy and supplying a major spoiler of this film, but if you don't know this part about "127 Hours", you must have been living under a rock. This was the major reason I wasn't looking forward to seeing this film. I don't know about you, but watching people amputate their limbs is not really one of my favourite things to do. However, the film around the amputation....is actually quite beautiful. I never thought you could have bodily amputation and beautiful in the same sentance, but there you go. That is Danny Boyle for you. He is one film maker who is able to make the most unlikely aspects of a film beautiful. All you need to do to see proof of that is watch "Slumdog Millionaire". Boyle is truly one of the geniuses of ensembling a film with beautiful and amazing cinematography around a gruesome reality.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
"127 Hours" is another work of genius by Danny Boyle. Not only is it another beautiful piece of work for Boyle, but it is also a career best performance thus far for James Franco. This combination allows for a subject matter and story that could be completing unsettling and uncomfortable, to be life changing and inspirational. Although, the film can definately be unsettling as it can remind you of the powers of nature beyond our control. "127 Hours" is based on the book of the same name by Aron Ralston (James Franco) who retells the 5 days which begun by canyoneering in Utah and getting his right arm submerged between a fallen rock and a canyon wall. He is stuck in this position for 5 days on his own and in this time, re-evaluates his life and the relationships he has with the people in it.

The direction of this film is brilliant right from the very beginning. The cinematography is just beautiful and takes on the form of a storyteller. For example, the beginning opf the film shows a montage of the things which Aron is seeing from his car as he drives to his destination. This montage of images such as a McDonalds sign and other pieces of main stream advertising logos shows the superficiality of Aron's life before the accident. The visuals of Bluejohn Canyon and it's surrounding areas are just breath taking. However, it is unreal how such a beautiful piece of nature could also be so dangerous and life threatening. The flashback scenes are also made with great care and definately give the feeling of nostalgia. They show how Aron, in hos time stuck in the canyon, is almost having an out of body experience and is seeing himself from other eyes. Director, Danny Boyle is one of the masters of cinematography and lives up to his reputation in this film project that seems like it was made for him. The soundtrack of the film is also a winner, another sign of a Boyle film. It perfectly fits each scene and creates tension by working with the visuals and the feeling of the scenario.

As previously said, this is a career best for James Franco. He carries the film from beginning to end by himself, being the single focus and in every single scene. It is difficult to maintain a film from beginning to end by yourself, let alone be that you are in the same position and location for the large majority of it. His performance is definately Oscar nomination worthy as Franco perfectly shows Aron's initial cockiness and his descent into madness over the time period he is stuck in the canyon. The change of character is perfect throughout the course of the film. Franco's performance is inspiring and he was the perfect choice for Aron. The man himself should be proud to have been depicted with such a brilliant performance.

"127 Hours" is beautiful. With the final event the unfolds while Aron is in the canyon, the film should be anything but beautiful, but there is no other way to describe it. It is completely captivating even if you know what is going to happen and it's visuals are almost hypnotic. Boyle has made yet another masterpiece with "127 Hours".
8.5/10

Eat Pray Love

Eat Pray Love
Year: 2010
Director: Ryan Murphy
Cast: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, Richard Jenkins, James Franco

In My Own Words
The worst thing about living in Australia is that you hear the whispers come from overseas about films which have yet to be released here. So when I started to hear that “Eat Pray Love” was getting bad reviews, it wasn’t a massive surprise to me. I read “Eat Pray Love” in the middle of last year and I loved it. I love Elizabeth Gilbert’s tale of self discovery while travelling over the world. Some people severely dislike the book or find it really hard to get into. I think I loved it so much because I went through a stage of selfishness where I jet-setted to the other side of the world to do something for myself after giving too much of myself to someone else. However, my journey took me to LA, not to Italy, India and Indonesia. LA was the right place for me to go and find myself though so I’m not complaining! Being big on travel as well, I loved hearing about the three countries that Gilbert visited. Italy, India and Indonesia are three countries I am dying to go to, even though I have been to Bali before. Again, films act as a great tourist tool. I stand by this fact because people love going places and identifying with it because of a movie. And there is no better way to get excited about going somewhere than to watch movies about it.

Anyway, before I went into “Eat Pray Love”, I knew what to expect of it and why it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. “Eat Pray Love” is a selfish memoir. It is all “me, me, me” for Gilbert. It doesn’t bother me, but I could see how it would other people. And memoirs are great storytelling for books, but they are not always well interpreted on the big screen. I knew “Eat Pray Love” would be one of those memoirs that wouldn’t be. There is no real beginning, middle or end and no major conflict where the story takes a turning point. Gilbert’s book is really a collection of thoughts, which can only be thought, not seen. It may seem like a great idea for a film, but it should have just been left as is. It’s a good book, let’s not destroy it.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert could well be known as the most successful girls book to be released in the past 10 years, the movie is very far from the best chick flick to be released in the past 10 years. It is purely a case of the book should have been left alone and not meddled. There are some good points about the movie, but it isn’t a story. The book isn’t even a story, it is a collection of Gilbert’s travels and thoughts about her life and her past few years. There is no suspense in the book at all as it is not that type of story. Therefore, putting it on the big screen was never going to work and was always going to leave a sour taste in audiences and critics mouths who were going to see it. Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) has decided for the first time in her life to devote her life to herself rather than her ex husband or current boyfriend. She has decided to go on a journey of self-discovery by spending 4 months in Italy, 4 months in India and 4 months in Indonesia. Along the way she meets lots of people who make a difference in her life and make her see the world differently.

The production of “Eat Pray Love” has good intentions behind it. It is bringing Gilbert’s book to the big screen in order to send out a message to women out there, who may not read the book that sometimes you do need to be selfish and let yourself go in order to be at peace with yourself. It is a good message to be sending out, but it gets entangled in this film that falls short of the bar which its enormous amount of promotion has set. The movie just comes across as an enormous amount of selfishness set up against some amazing landscapes. The best thing about the film is definitely the presentation of Italy, India and Bali. These three countries are sure to attract many tourists because of the beautiful way in which this film was shot. The camera techniques chosen are amazing, and Julia Roberts is a wallflower compared to the scenery. For the life changing experiences that Gilbert goes through, there isn’t as much emotion as what you would expect. There is no feeling to the beginning or any part through it. It’s all nice is the only word to describe it. The majority of the film is just bland. It is also not a short film as there is so much to cover. Two and a half hours of this film may be way too long for some people.

Julia Roberts is not bad in this film. She does give her role as Gilbert everything she’s got and performs to the best of her ability role the role she played. It is certainly no “Erin Brokovich”, but she does well in a bland film. Richard Jenkins also does well in his role as Richard from Texas. His character perhaps has the most amount of character out of any in the film. On a side note, it is interesting that Tuva Novotny, who is a Swedish born actress, can manage to play Swedish girl, Sofi and speak with an American accent. Something has gone wrong there.

It is sad to see a film which is hyped up so much fall short of everyone’s expectations. What is even more depressing is that the book shouldn’t have been made into a movie at all and should not have been subject to the back lashing it has received just by existing. It should have been left as a type of self-help book for girls and the peace would not have been disturbed. On the other hand, it will always be a good movie to watch if anyone is planning on eating gelato in Italy, meditating in India or just chilling out in Bali.
5/10