127 Hours

OK so the new Danny Boyle film 127 Hours is neither a documentary or an independent film, but since it is aggressively based on a true story I decided it'd be OK if I wrote about it.
Mostly because I WANT to write about it. It's quite possible that this film changed my life. Changed my life in the smallest little, "gives me something to think about" way, but still created a change.

Boyle's last movie, Slumdog Millionaire, won eight Oscars, and he is at it again. The movie follows Aron Ralston (played by James Franco) through his 5-day struggle of being caught in between a ditch in a canyon in Utah. I also think its important to add that he was in shorts and a t-shirt in the desert which falls as low as 20 degrees at night, with one canteen of water (he drank his own pee), and the few items in his backpack.

(Ralston & Franco)

Ralston played a heavy part in directing the drift of the film film, making sure that the way he felt at each and every moment would be demonstrated correctly through Franco in the feature film. Oddly enough there is a comedic edge to him being trapped. When he had to drink his own pee he says, "That ain't no slurpee." Ralston/Franco documented all 5 days of his entrapment on his digital camera.

The most exhilarating part of the movie is when Ralston had the epiphany that the only way he would get free was to break his bones, and cut his own arm off with the dull swiss army knife he had in his backpack.

The tools he used to cut off his own arm and release himself. 

"Lesson learned, don't buy the cheap Swiss Army Knives" - Ralston

I actually felt like I was induced with a nervous breakdown for 2 hours, for absolutely no reason that included myself, from start to finish my hands were in fists and I was chewing on my sweater. And I wasn't the only one, someone actually fainted from watching this film! The importance of this movie is evident, Ralston believes that the wilderness not only gave him the gift of life, but the gift of this story to share with other people. The movie portrays him walking into his hike, alone, selfish enough to not tell one person where he was going with a goal to find himself and break records - walking out of the canyon grateful for everything around him, life especially.

I recommend this movie because it will make you think. You can literally see the pain in Franco's eyes. Don't watch it alone though, you do see graphic details of bleeding muscle and hear the bones crack. The enthusiasm Ralston had and Franco had when cutting off his arm is quite frightening, like a beast who just noticed his hunger. Franco will get an Oscar for this role. He will!

You can watch the trailor here:




AND GO SEE IT NOW! BE GRATEFUL. Also, I mean, who wouldn't want to spend 127 hours with James Franco? Just sayin'.

Changing it up - Independent Films!

A film that the New York Post claimed was "as powerful as anything Hollywood could throw at us," has hit the airwaves and made it to a 2010 Acadamy Award Nomination. The Most Dangerous Man in America,a film distributed by First Run Features, focuses on Daniel Ellsberg, the man who is famous for releasing the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
Check out the trailer, here:



There has been a lot of recent buzz about this film, even though it has been around for a while. Ellsberg and his wife attended the Academy Awards in March, something that would seem so out of character for a political hero (or enemy, to each his own). Wiki-Leaks, the release of 91,000 hidden documents regarding America's involvement in Afghanistan is being called the "new Pentagon Papers." Sure enough, Ellsberg states that he sees a lot of similiarities in the two, despite the fact that his expose happened before the internet. He has been on the news constantly recently as the wise owl providing knowledge on a young man's media betrayal toward our government. You can check out one of his interviews here, but there are just so many others since he is in high demand as a source to put in word and clarify America's public about what is going on. At the same time, this new newsworthy outbreak has brought Ellsberg back in the political spectrum at 79 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxdYJzXd-PM

Daniel Ellsberg has stated that he admires the Wiki-Leaker for challenging governments.It is easy to judge Ellsberg as a "dangerous man," after all he holds the title of The Most Dangerous Man in America. It couldn't be clearer. But after watching the documentary on him, narrated by him himself, he is revealed to be one of the bravest politicians we have. He is placed in the light of a hero. It takes a lot of balls to do what he did in the middle of one of the biggest wars in our history, and in my opinion it doesn't even compare to Assange, the Wiki-Leaker who used the internet to personally reveal mass secrets. Ellsberg once had to do it completely on his own, under the radar.
Ellsberg is no longer a wanted civilian, Assange has taken his place of being the governments #1 enemy. But time will have to pass before anyone can take Ellsbergs title as The Most Dangerous Man.