127 hours: tik tok

damn, it would suck to be literally stuck between a rock and a hard place, wasting away until time snatched your soul from your nubile body. that's where aron ralston (james franco) finds himself in 127 HOURS, deserted in the desert and left only to imagine escape, the past, and his own loneliness.

danny boyle mounts the director's chair to tell this true story, something that proves to be both a cinematic and riveting experience. for the most part, audience members live the character's experience (though not as suffocatingly-so as this year's BLACK SWAN), realizing his regrets, despair, much-needed humor, and most memorably, his pain. in living the accelerated 127 hours with mr. ralston, we can see boyle's argument against solitary livelihood when our time on earth can be/is so limited.

it's a fun one--heartfelt, too. kate mara forever.