"127 Hours"

James Franco has been wearing a lot of hats lately. After a brief stint on the soap opera "General Hospital," he can now add author to his resume for his first collection of short stories enitled "Palo Alto." This month, the Emmy award-winning actor (James Dean) tackles the role of Aron Rolston, the real-life mountain climber who gets trapped underneath a bolder in Utah for nearly six days and lives to tell the story in 127 Hours.

Many of us who were familiar with the story of the real-life Rolston (from his various TV appearances or his 2004 autobiography "Between a Rock and a Hard Place") already know how this story pans out and how he manages to escape. So they may appreciate watching this movie to learn what happens in between those two crucial moments. Too bad what does happen isn't nearly as interesting as those two turning points. And it ends up getting boring and repetitive after, say, the third day.

Franco, who has the daunting task of carrying this film on his own for nearly two hours, delivers a solid performance as the strapping climber who shows his vulnerability when he reflects back on his life--the mistakes he's made and the moments he may miss. Danny Boyle, the Academy award-winning director of Slumdog Millionaire, charms audiences with his clever camera tricks catching the point of view of the movie's protagonist. But together they still couldn't make more of the real story than what it was--something that might have been more compelling on the Discovery Channel. Franco was trapped in a mountain, and audiences may feel trapped waiting for something more to happen.

Reel Talk rating: B