127 HOURS (2010) review, "Every second counts..."

Whilst previously admirable of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire but ultimately failing to connect with it on the level that several audiences and critics alike did, 127 Hours comes as an honest and brutal surprise, chronicling the true story that most everyone knows in some capacity, of which is a thing that a person should never have to endure.

When I first heard of this film upon its initial release, I, probably like some others, dismissed it before seeing it in an appallingly closed-minded fashion. The story is fascinating to be told within a 5 minute window, but how could someone take it and stretch it into a feature length film? After dismissing it all that time ago, a friend recently urged me to watch it... and if I could eat my own hat, I would. There are so many things that this film got right, but in the end, the film hinged on the incredible performance from James Franco.

He genuinely is the glue that holds this film together, as without a naturalistic performance like his, a disconnect with the story on offer would be immense. You spend the whole film looking at his face, often within intimate distance, contemplating his thoughts as he does. The aspect of hallucination and imagination play quite heavily into the runtime, and they serve as some of my favourite parts of the film, giving that glimmer of hope for his character that the ideal can happen, but pulling all sense of comfort away from beneath your feet just as you come to realise that what is being seen could be farce.

Video logs from his character as occurred in the real life scenario really help to detail the struggles of the character directly to the audience, as if the story could be taught in retrospect, if only seen from the view of the camcorder which could have been a potentially interesting angle, albeit clichéd. However, whatever creative liberties are taken with the true tale, they are concurred with the actual subject of the story and the flow of it instead of just dramatic effect for the sake of it, a majority of the events are factual, but streamlined to fit into the brisk 90 minute run time.

A notable moment towards the end of the film relating to a certain amputation is exhilarating, the nerve endings being represented with static and the screen filling with red, helping you to comprehend the immense pain involved in doing such an act. It's a certain type of phantom pain that not many films can achieve myself as an audience member to react to. You imagine the pain to the point that you can almost feel it. It can only be described as exceptional film making in terms of conveying such a painful experience to an audience without being overly brutal or exaggerating it to an aforementioned dramatic effect.

127 Hours is certainly something special, giving a true to life account of one Aron Ralston whilst not straying too far from the picture when it comes to turning it into a largely entertaining story of why you should never be alone while being in the middle of a desert. Perhaps its worth to travel backwards in time to see Danny Boyle's past filmography...

TRUE DETECTIVE returns in it's second season blues: a plea against early judgement...

I can't say I'm alone in saying that the first True Detective was an unexpected delight, taking actors not known for their dramatic gravitas and putting them in just that - a fascinating character study between Rust Cohle and Martin Hart, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, the latter set of names eventually forgotten as you, or I at least, came to love their fictional counter parts in all their fatal flaws.

Past the acclaim of the first, in comes the second. Troubled from the beginning, the fledgling second season had big shoes to fill after the news of it becoming an anthology. A clean slate for another story to be told - daring to say the least. The hype was and still is insurmountable for the second after the first, which seems to be deeply disappointing fans and critics alike. With only the first episode aired as of this writing, the picture hasn't been fully painted yet; this is the pilot, our introduction into the world that is far too early to be properly judged, a point that some publications don't seem to understand.

You look through any articles relating to the return of True Detective and you will only find the words "bad" and "disappointing" scattered through each piece, and this to a certain degree is true, but as aforementioned, it is far too early to tell.

From my perspective, this second coming is promising. It struggles to find footing, each of the characters flailing for a plot point to grasp onto which was finally answered by the four star-studded and solidly acted vignettes intertwining by the episode's end. The mutual connection to one Ben Casper. The atmosphere and look is as thick and enriched as ever, from the second the entrancing riff of Leonard Cohen's "Nevermind" kicks in, you know you're in for a ride, regardless of it's prioritisation of style over substance. This is Nic Pizzolatto's show through and through, it's made clear that this is exactly what he wanted, even from this first vertical slice, and that is admirable to say the least.

Retreating back past my potential hypocrisy to my previous ham-fisted moral: reserve your full judgement until the story is told, yes, do have your opinions and thoughts on each of the episodes as they come, but don't treat them as if it is representative for the entire season until the entire season is here. TV critics prove to be frustrating, putting their foot down before the picture is present - colouring the minds of viewers before the viewers themselves get a chance to form their own opinion on the basis of a three episode head start.

The blame is not on the critics to be perfectly honest, as while aggregate review scores on sites such as Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes have their place, they are taken far too seriously by some.

After all, it's not about what others think including myself. It's about what you think. However, consider this: give the second a chance, and for the love of god, don't compare it to the first, as it's not trying to be what it was before, but what it is now.

"I was not caught, I crossed the line..."

Check back for more thoughts about the second True Detective past it's finale on August 9. Then a conclusive tale can be told...