As much as I’ve remained interested in Danny Boyle’s work through thick and thin, I’m struggling to pinpoint why I’m not more excited about his well-buzzed “127 Hours.”
The story of Aron Ralston — better known to some as “that mountain climber dude who cut off his arm” — is a remarkable one, and yet I question how many potential avenues of discovery it presents on a big screen. Boyle will need to be at his least fussy, and James Franco galvanizing, to make the film more than a gruelling technical exercise.
The trailer premiered this weekend at London’s Movie-Con, so it will surely surface online soon enough. Empire has posted an extract from Boyle’s onstage interview accompanying the trailer — from which it seems that the film’s makers and handlers are well aware of the marketing challenges posed by a film that centers on a single immobile character over the titular period of time.
Boyle, clearly enthused about the technical resourcefulness necessitated by this seemingly uncinematic narrative (not that the puppyish director ever doesn’t sound enthused about anything), says, “We want it to be a challenge to you guys … to see whether you can sit and watch it.” This is unlikely to be music to the ears of the marketing team, who have reportedly sidestepped that problem by cutting a trailer that lingers on Ralston’s active, partying lifestyle prior to his mountaineering mishap.
Check out more of Boyle’s Movie-Con chat at the Empire site here.
[Photo: Entertainment Weekly]
Comments
26 responses to “Boyle on ‘127 Hours’: “We want it to be a challenge to you.””
I get the feeling it is going to end up as a poor man’s Gerry. I hope I am wrong, though.
Or a richer man’s “Gerry,” so to speak. But yeah, that’s kind of where I am right now.
I feel like the sentiment “It worked for ‘Cast Away’” probably came up at some point during the pitch.
Kind of a different set of limitations. Hanks could move.
Danny Boyle is no Robert Zemeckis. So…I’m cautiously optimistic.
NYFF lineup is out. As eccentric as ever but mainly just Cannes redux + Eastwood.
Hey, this is the guy who turned child abuse and torture into the feel-good movie of the year.
For some reason I thought you loved Gerry, Guy. It makes me sad otherwise.
If Garland had written this one, I would be much more excited.
Hmm… I don’t know.
NYFF has a better lineup than last year’s, but I am so pumped for Social Network, I could be biased…
@Matthew Starr- thanks.
For the rest of the kind folk, here’s the list- straight from the horse’s mouth-
http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/index.html
Opening Night
THE SOCIAL NETWORK, David Fincher, 2010, USA, 120 min
Centerpiece
THE TEMPEST, Julie Taymor, 2010, USA, 110 min
Closing Night
HEREAFTER, Clint Eastwood, 2010, USA, 126 min
ANOTHER YEAR, Mike Leigh, 2010, UK, 129 min
AURORA, Cristi Puiu, 2010, Romania, 181 min
BLACK VENUS, (Venus noire), Abdellatif Kechiche, France, 166 min
CARLOS, Olivier Assayas, 2010, France, 319 min
CERTIFIED COPY (Copie conformé), Abbas Kiarostami, 2010, France/Italy, 106 min
FILM SOCIALISME, Jean-Luc Godard, 2010, Switzerland, 101 min
INSIDE JOB, Charles Ferguson, 2010, USA, 120 min
LE QUATTRO VOLTE, Michelangelo Frammartino, 2010, Italy, 88 min
LENNON NYC, Michael Epstein, 2010, USA, 115 min
MEEK’S CUTOFF, Kelly Reichardt, 2010, USA, 104 min
MY JOY (Schastye moe), Sergei Loznitsa, 2010, Ukraine/Germany, 127 min
MYSTERIES OF LISBON (Misterios de Lisboa), Raul Ruiz, Portugal/France, 272 min
OF GODS AND MEN (Des homes et des dieux), Xavier Beauvois, 2010,
France, 120 min
OKI’S MOVIE (Ok hui ui yeonghwa), Hong Sang-soo, 2010, South Korea, 80 min
OLD CATS (Gatos viejos), Sebastian Silva, 2010, Chile, 88 min
POETRY (Shi), Lee Chang-dong, 2010, South Korea, 139 min
POST MORTEM, Pablo Larrain, 2010, Chile/Mexico/Germany, 98 min
REVOLUCION, Mariana Chenillo, Fernando Embecke, Amat Escalante, Gael Garcia
Bernal, Rodrigo Garcia, Diego Luna, Gerardo Naranjo, Rodrigo Plá, Carlos Reygadas,
Patricia Riggen, 2010, Mexico, 110 min
THE ROBBER (Der Räuber), Benjamin Heisenberg, Austria/Germany, 90 min
ROBINSON IN RUINS, Patrick Keiller, 2010, UK, 101 min
SILENT SOULS (Ovsyanki), Alexei Fedorchenko, Russia, 75 min
THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA (O estranho caso de Angélica), Manoel de Oliveira,
Portugal, 97 min
TUESDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS (Marti, dupa craciun), Radu Muntean,
Romania, 99 min
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL PAST LIVES (Lung Boonmee raluek chat),
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010, UK/Thailand, 113 min
WE ARE WHAT WE ARE (Somos lo que hay), Jorge Michel Grau, Mexico, 90 min
James D: I do like “Gerry.” I meant “richer man” as a reference to commercial prospects. Weak joke.
Matthew: Isn’t “Cannes+Eastwood” the usual formula for NYFF?
I actually had no knowledge of the self-amputation, but better to have known now then be more furious reading a review of it the day before I see it. =)
I like that it isn’t galvanizing expectations–it has less to live up to that way, other than sheer promise.
It is but I was hoping with a new selection committee that it might be a little different this time around.
I find it amusing that the most prominent film festival in the United States never has any films from the United States!!!
Having said that I want to see…
Social Network
Tempest
Hereafter
Another Year
Carlos
Meeks Cutoff
Inside Job
and maybe Certified Copy and Uncle Boonmee.
I imagine it will have lots of backstory and flashbacks…?
You’re not alone, Guy. I’m also not caring about this movie very much. In fact, there are three other movies coming out on the same weekend that I’d rather see: Megamind, Due Date, and Fair Game.
The Other James D: Apologies. I thought the story was pretty common knowledge, having made headlines only seven years ago. But then I’m old.
lisbeth salander has been cast..http://www.accesshollywood.com/rooney-mara-cast-as-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo_article_35676?__source=rss%7Cimdb%7Clatest-originals
we shall see…
This movie sounds interesting and Boyle has only ever made one awful movie (Slumdog) so I’m in.
I wouldn’t say Slumdog is awful, but it isn’t his or 2008’s best.
The story is common knowledge. There would be no reason for this movie to be made if it weren’t. Don’t apologize.
The trailer they showed at Movie Con was awful… Cheap looking, ADD Cut, and a ridiculous scream to the heavens from Franco at the end when he got trapped. Kate Mara looked good, and so did Franco (screan excluded) but I worry the film is going to be another Castaway.
The trailer editor should be fired.
Cast Away is great
Not a fan of “Cast Away,” but I don’t blame those who made it.
I’m a big “Cast Away” fan, but I think there is validity to Guy’s assertion that the circumstances aren’t exactly identical. Nevertheless, considering those involved, my expectations of “127 Hours” aren’t lowered because of the character’s immobility.
Agreed on the Alex Garland thought…Boyle needs to dump Simon Beaufoy and get back to his genre work.