Blu-ray Review: Trance

Danny Boyle is back in the saddle with his latest thriller, Trance.  Unfortunately, as expertly directed and wonderfully acted as it it, it just isn't that great.

From the box:

From ACADEMY AWARD-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) comes an "exhilarating brain-twister" (New York Post) starring James McAcoy (X-Men First Class) Vincent Cassel (Black Swan) and Rosario Dawson (Sin City).  When a fine-art auctioneer (McAvoy) undergoes hypnosis to remember the location of a $27 Million painting he stole, the line between reality and illusion becomes blurred in this fast-paced, unpredictable, "sexy and suspenseful" (Empire) thriller.

Danny Boyle might just, scratch that, IS one of the best directors we have working today.  It is a testament to his talent that he was able to elevate this rather unremarkable film into something far greater than it ever should have been.

The extremely confusing (and not in a good way) story revolved around Simon, an auction house employee who is involved in a art heist.  Some point during the heist he hides the painting they are stealing and forgets where he puts it so he has to go to a hypnotist (??) so he can remember.  Hijinks, twists, turns, and so called suspense, occurs.

The problem here is not with the cast.  Everyone is stellar.  Some might be pleased to know that you see just about every square inch of Rosario Dawson, for whatever that's worth but even that can't save this movie from collapsing under the weight of its convoluted on purpose story.

In the end it just doesn't make sense.  Part of the end reveals are interesting and pretty cool but the rest of it just makes not an ounce of sense.  Relationships aren't explained enough to make anything clear.

Certain plot devices like "Strawberry" are never fully utilized which makes the purpose of even introducing them moot. 

The real saving grace of this movie is Danny Boyle's direction which is nothing short of masterful along side the beautiful cinematography of Anthony Dod Mantle.

Overall, Trance is best for die hard Boyle fans.  I haven't seen all of his films yet but this one currently sits at the end of the list of those I have seen.  It's definitely not worthy of a purchase, although the $17.99 price tag at amazon right now isn't too bad but still you're probably better off waiting for it to show up on Netflix.

TRANCE

6 out of 10 McAvoys!

RAWR(for more)

Danny Boyle's '127 Hours' - Trailer

Even after winning an Oscar, director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) continues to stay true to his craft.  He always seems to bring a independent vibe to his films without making them too artsy.

His latest film, 127 Hours, is based on the true story of mountain climber, Aron Ralston (James Franco).  While chasing his next thril, a boulder crashes down on his arm and traps him.  All alone, Ralston endures five-days alone, full of regrets and questions about his life.  Eventually he finds the strength overcome nature, scale a 65 foot wall and make an eight mile hike back to safety.

We're extremely curious how this story will comes across, as told by Boyle.
127 Hours will be released in theaters on November 5.

RAWR(for more)

Bluray Picks 3/31

We've chosen two new releases to point out to you guys today. One you will certainly want to get as it is a MUST BUY film. The other is a film I actually really want to see as it's part of a film genre I love (also loved the book).

The first is Slumdog Millionaire.

This is a incredible film. Danny Boyle has delivered an amazing piece of art with this movie. It is my favorite film of last year and one that I absolutely CAN NOT wait to see again. I can't wait to see how it looks on bluray.

The second film is one I haven't actually seen yet but one I really want to (In fact I am hoping to pick it up later this evening.)

I'm referring of course to Marley and Me.

It made a huge amount of money this past Christmas and is based of a wonderful book about a overly rambunctious dog (that may be underplaying it a bit). It's the story of a family and their pet, not only about the dog, but about the dynamic of the entire family and how they relate to him. I have heard nothing but good things about the movie and I can't wait to pick up my own copy.

Slumdog Millionaire and Marley and Me are available on Bluray and DVD today.

RAWR(for more)