127 Hours

 

So I thought it was a good time to write about one of my favourite films! Its difficult to pick an absolute number 1 but if I had to choose  '127 hours' (2010) is my favourite film! Adaptations of true stories are definitely my favourite genre of film and '127 hours' directed by Danny Boyle doesn't disappoint.

'127 hours' is about the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) who becomes trapped alone when his arm is wedged beneath a boulder. He manages to survive 127 hours (as explained by the title!) and can only escape when he removes his own arm. It is a remarkable tale of human survival, made all the more amazing as it is a true story, with the real Aron Ralston and his family making a cameo appearance at the end of the film.

During these hours, the real Aron Ralston had kept a video diary, and Boyle had been the first person to ever watch it. He used this as inspiration to construct the film. It is built up of various video diary style clips with Aron telling the story himself. This engages the audience and allows them to empathise with him. There are moments that made me laugh - when Aron films his own morning breakfast chat show, starring himself as the special guest, and also moments that made me want to cry- such as when he is telling his family how much he loves them if someone is to ever discover him and his camera.

An hour and a half of a man stuck in a canyon seems a little tedious on paper, but it is constructed in such a way that makes you want to watch on. Boyle does not skim over any detail, my favourite shot of the film is the shot where Aron first stabs the knife into his arm. Boyle inventively uses a shot that positions the audience as if they are inside Aron's arm, watching the blade sink to his bone- a little gruesome- but spectacular. I still have not yet been able to watch the complete scene where Aron removes his arm, I do not do well with blood and broken bones! but the fact that I cannot sit through it is a compliment, it has created the intended cringing feelings !!!

'127 Hours' never gives you a moment to relax, there is a constant tension as you wait for the disaster, and despite a few alleviating moments, the inevitable is always looming making this film one of my favourites!

The Fault In Our Stars

Last summer, whilst staying with my grandma in the Isle of Wight, I received a phone call from my mum. She said that my sister and her had been to the cinema to see the newly released 'The Fault In Our Stars' (2014, Josh Boone), which my sister was desperate to see. I have to admit, I'd never read the book and didn't really know much about it. In all honesty I didn't even know what it was about. My mum told me that her and my sister had cried all the way home from the cinema and couldn't stop thinking about it. Naturally, I thought this was an exaggeration, until I saw the film myself.

'The Fault In Our Stars' is based on the book by John Green and follows the relationship between two teenagers, both diagnosed with cancer as they holiday to Amsterdam to meet Hazel's (Shailene Woodley) favourite author Van Houten (Willem Dafoe). With a dramatic plot twist towards the end, 'The Fault In Our Stars' is one of the most moving films I have seen, and has made it to my sisters no.1 spot!

The film is excellently cast with Ansel Elgort and Nat Wolff starring alongside Shailene and Willem to create realistic engaging characters that cause our hearts to break as the story develops. Although I expected it to be sad, I did not expect to finish the film sobbing, unable to control the flow of tears. It really moved me, maybe as the characters were the same age as myself, but it seems to have had an affect on everyone who has seen it. It is difficult to sit down and watch a film that you know will make you cry, and I put it off several times. Having seen it however, I wish I had watched it sooner.

'Paper Towns', another of John Green's novels has also now been made into a film by a different director, starring Nat Wolff and Cara Delvigne. I can't wait to see it, and hope that it will live up to the standards of 'The Fault In Our Stars'.

Pixar Shorts

A recent article in Empire brought back many memories of endlessly watching Pixar films on video! Not just the films themselves, but the famous shorts that came before them!
In the latest issue (312, June 2015) Empire rated the 14 Pixar shorts in order of their favourites.
Their top three were:

•  'The Blue Umbrella' (2013) a sweet but simple tale of an umbrella who falls in love during a rainstorm in the busy streets of the city.
•  'Luxo Jr' (1986) the first Pixar short starring the iconic lamps!
• 'Day and Night' (2010) interpretations of day and night discover a bond, despite their initial differences

I think these three are all brilliant, but personally I have a slightly different top 3. My all time number one favourite is without a doubt 'Geri's Game' (1997). This came before both 'Toy Story' and 'A Bug's Life' (The first film I ever saw at the cinema and my favourite film of all time!). It  focuses on an old man- Geri- who plays a chess game with himself, a simple idea, yet full of imagination. As the game develops, Geri becomes two very different personalities, opponents both striving to win. This short reminds me of watching 'A Bug's life' on repeat, rewinding the video back to watch it again! Geri was Pixar's first main human character and makes a further appearance in Toy Story 2 as the Toy mender that fixes Woody.




For my second favourite Pixar short, I am in agreement with Empire, 'Luxo Jr' (1986) . It stars the iconic lamp that makes Pixar what it is. But what makes it so engaging is the fact that it causes its audience to empathise with two inanimate objects which are present in al our daily lives that we have never given thought to before. 






Finally, my third favourite Pixar short is' One Man Band' (2005), a story that follows two musicians who compete to earn a single coin from a girl who seems to be the only person out in the village. A cleverly thought out plot, and vibrant music create a fast paced conflict that engages its audience.


I have now come to look forward to watching the Pixar shorts as much as the actual film itself! and I hope Pixar continue to envelope us in the depths of their imaginations.

Withnail and I

Continuing the theme of films recommends by family members, 'Withnail and I' is my uncle's favourite film, and I have to say I agree! It took me a couple of watches before I started to enjoy this film, it's a simple story brought to life by the films extremely engaging characters.

'Withnail and I ' is one of Richard E.Grants early films and follows the lives of two unemployed actors who travel to the country to clear their heads and get their lives back on track. Their trip is interrupted however when Withnail's flamboyant Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths), owner of the country cottage, joins them in order to pursue a potential  relationship with Withnail's close friend Marwood (Paul McGann), the 'I' character in the story.

I have now seen this film easily more than 5 or 6 times and I love it more and more with every watch. What I like most about it is that it is a very British film, set in London and Penrith, with reference to other English towns. It has a realistic feel to it, perhaps as it is based on the actual life of writer/ director Bruce Robinson, which makes it all the more engaging.