Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place...

If you love stories about resilient people succeeding in tough situations, make sure you check out 127 Hours, a new movie that has just been released to DVD. It is based on the story, Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston, and tells the story of a harrowing hiking adventure. Aron is an adventure junkie, who enjoys hiking in Blue John Canyon in Utah. An avid mountain climber, 127 Hours is the true story of his remarkable mountain climbing adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon. He spends five days trying to free himself while examining his life, friends and family and surviving the elements and a lack of water. I admired Ralston's courage and tenacity and his amazingly upbeat attitude that remained throughout the five days. The movie is visually beautiful and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of this wonderful natural world contrasted with the gritty struggle of Ralston to break free from the boulder. The movie stays true to the book that it is based on, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and I think it's worth it to read the book as well as watch the movie in order to get the story in Ralston's own words. A truly great performance by James Franco (it will keep you riveted to your seat) and an incredible courageous story of survival about a man who deserves to be a hero.