Call off the dogs -- and don't forget to leave a note...

Call off the dogs, because as far as I'm concerned, 127 Hours is the movie of the year. Granted, I haven't seen Inception or The Black Swan yet, but those movies are going to have to get out in the driveway and detail my car in order to impress and rock my soul as hard as Danny Boyle's latest piece of astonishing craftsmanship.

Adapting the true story of Aron Ralston into a feature film was a pretty audacious idea -- which is maybe why Danny Boyle is the perfect choice to take this journey. This is easily Boyle's best move since 28 Days Later -- and I loved Slumdog Millionaire. But this story clearly inspired the hell out of Boyle. More likely awed him. Once you've seen it you'll understand why. The filmmaking on display here is immediate, immersive and totally compelling. At a furious 93 minutes, 127 Hours is a master class in economy, editing and use of sound. Much ink has been spilt about the intensity of being a witness to what Ralston decided he had to do. If that is even remotely keeping you on the fence about seeing this, please believe that the "violence" here is in no way extreme or sensationalized. Given what happened and the courage Aron Ralson found, it's note perfect. Everything serves telling this story in a realistic way, even the brushes with fantasy and delerium that begin to take their toll after the five longest days a man ever endured.

But it would all fall apart and the illusion would turn to powder if it weren't for the phenomenal central performance of James Franco. Gone forever is any reference to "that good looking James Dean guy from Spider-man." Franco will need mantle space very soon, as this is such a mature, open, exposed performance. There's no star puffery, no BS -- it's all real, every facet of man's emotional extremes laid bare -- hubris, ego, terror, tenacity, madness, love...belief -- there are pieces of Aron Ralston we can all relate to, even if we've never climbed anything but a staircase. Franco does superb work here and will now be stealing scripts away from Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

If you love filmmaking, if you love bravery, if extreme stories of survival such as Into Thin Air or The Endurance have ever captured your imagination... you miss this film at your peril. It's the best movie I've seen this year, hands down and I'll be rooting like hell for it come Oscar time.

But when you do see this picture, don't go alone, and if you do...please leave somebody a note.

The beginning of The End...of an era...

Thank you, thank you, visiting relatives, for generously offering to babysit so we had the opportunity to get to the theater and revel in the latest Harry Potter movie. I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve, I feel that these films just keep getting better and more mature and The Deathly Hallows doesn’t disappoint. I think it was a great move on Warner Brothers to split the 7th novel into two films. The Deathly Hallows dares to take its time and focus on character, which fans of the novel are bound to appreciate. There is plenty of smoldering suspense – and lots of novel atmosphere. We don’t even get so much as a glimpse of Hogwarts! We do, however, get our most sustained look at He-Who-Must-Not, who is positively chilling.

The most marvelous things to behold in this wondrous film are the performances of Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe. They have truly grown up and delivery beautifully nuanced performances here, packed with emotion.

Bill Nighy has a great scene early in the film as Minister of Magic. The role of Luna Lovegood’s father, Xenophelius, is somewhat awkwardly cast, which adds a somewhat creepy dynamic that probably wasn’t intended. The ending will have you foaming at the mouth for the final chapter – but one can’t help feeling a little nostalgic knowing this is the last holiday season that will see a Harry Potter film. Every since Goblet of Fire, these stories have just felt so much a part of the winter season. Summer just doesn’t feel like it does them justice. So go and be dazzled, go and be moved. The faithfulness to Rowling’s work is a wonder to behold and the enchantment will prove impossible to resist.

"It's a good day to be dead!"

What kind of champagne do zombies like? Better ask 'em over at AMC, where Halloween's premiere of the Frank Darabont/Andrew Kirkman horror series The Walking Dead delivered AMC's highest original series premiere numbers ever.

How big was it? Season 4 of Mad Men debuted with 2 million viewers. The Walking Dead averaged 5.3 million viewers last night, with a heavy 3.6 million made up of the coveted 18-49 year-old demo, making for... the best series premiere in that demographic for all of cable in 2010!

"It's a good day to be dead," said AMC President Charlie Collier. Reviews were extremely positive across the board. I'll just say that for me, there is this certain type of property where you really love it and just worry to death that someone won't get it and will screw it up. Lord of the Rings, for example. It's something you cherish and you're kind of holding your breath. Well, if you haven't seen The Walking Dead yet, what the hell are you doing reading this?!? It's without a doubt one of the most intense things I've seen in ages. It is just staggeringly well done and Darabont basically shows the rest of the horror world how it's done here. The cinematography in the pilot (Days Gone By) by David Tattersall is remarkable. They keep making choices that favor realism over contrivance, particularly in a wonderful supporting turn by Jericho fave Lennie James that is as human as it gets.

Watch this series!!! This is work that needs to be supported. And if you haven't sampled Kirkman's comics, there are years worth to get crazy with -- he's an amazing talent. My very high expectations were surpassed in ways I am still recovering from. This is the real McCoy and I can't wait for next Sunday night...