This Week on DVD: ’127 Hours,’ ‘Burlesque’ and ‘Faster’
The Movie You're Not Sure You Can Sit Through: "127 Hours"
For a moment, let's forget the James Franco we've known for the last several months -- that guy who hosted the Oscars and kept popping up in the news for the latest unusual endeavor he was doing. Let's instead remember the likable, regular-guy actor who was quite good in everything from "Milk" to "Pineapple Express" to "Howl." That's the Franco that makes "127 Hours" such a memorable experience, although the film couldn't help but be labeled as "That Movie Where the Dude Cuts Off His Arm" because of the harrowing incident that occurs near the end. Directed by Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), "127 Hours" tells the true story of outdoorsman Aron Ralston who found himself pinned under a boulder in the middle of nowhere. By this point, you most assuredly know what happens, but what's important is how Boyle and Franco build to that moment, and they very believably get inside Ralston's head so that his actions make sense, no matter how grisly it might. "127 Hours" isn't for the squeamish, but at least on DVD you can brave the gruesome parts from the safety of your couch.
The Total Gas: "Burlesque"
If you think a movie like "Burlesque" sounds awful, then you are someone who is absolutely not going to like "Burlesque." But for anyone who can enjoy cheese delivered with a lot of spunk and utter shamelessness, this Christina Aguilera pseudo-musical is just big dumb fun. The plot you'll recognize from 12,000 earlier movies of its kind: Midwestern girl moves to the big city to be discovered, finds a mentor, finds love, loses her soul, loses her guy, regains soul, regains guy, and eventually sings a bunch of ridiculously choreographed numbers. Aguilera can't act, per se, but she succeeds in not tripping over the furniture, allowing real actors like Stanley Tucci and Cher to give "Burlesque" a hint of quality. But only a hint, mind you: "Burlesque" isn't any good for you, and you probably shouldn't tell anyone you're going to see it. But it's top-notch mindless fun.
The Action Movie: "Faster"
Dwayne Johnson fans who wished he'd stop making stuff like "Tooth Fairy" were excited that he was in "Faster," an R-rated action-thriller about a man let out of prison who goes out looking for bloody vengeance. But the problem was "Faster" just wasn't that good. Director George Tillman, Jr. tries to give the movie a stripped-down, moralistic tone, but the whole thing would have been a ton more entertaining if the filmmakers had allowed the B-movie material to be as dark and nasty as it hints at. Still, "Faster" is recommended to people who never get tired of keeping up with Billy Bob Thornton's latest ridiculous hair pieces.
