127 Hours

There aren't very many Man vs. Nature movies that make a big splash around awards time. "Into The Wild" comes to mind and, uh........hmmmm, not many at all. Well, here's one for ya--"127 Hours". The man in this case is a gung-ho outdoorsman played by James Franco. The Nature part of the equation comes in the form of a big-ass rock. A big-ass rock that pins said man's arm in a fissure somewhere out in the Nevadan desert. After 127 hours, the man in the aforementioned Man vs. Nature conflict must literally remove himself from the situation, well... manually. How he does this makes for great cinematic storytelling, gut-wrenching and compelling to watch. Compelling to watch? Yes. Easy to watch? No. And the fact that it's based on a true story doesn't make it any easier.
Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) uses a tautly paced, kinetic style to tell this story in a breezy 93 minutes. An intense 93 minutes. James Franco gives his best performance to date as a daring, charming but somewhat self-absorbed adventurer who gets himself into trouble. How he gets himself out makes for some of the best cinema this year-if you've got the stomach for it. Man vs. Nature films will be well represented on the awards circuit this year.