Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours is one of 2010’s overlooked gems. I happened to catch a screening of it in Las Vegas back in December and I can honestly say it’s one of the director’s finest works. Of course it helps to have James Franco on board, delivering a heart wrenching, even gutsy performance as Aron Ralston, the daredevil hiker/mountain biker who became trapped in a gorge after an accident left his right hand pinned between a rock and a hard place. I should also mention the film contains one of the most graphically explicit hand-chopping sequences I’ve ever paid witness to (the bit makes Saw look like a children’s PBS special).  Despite my wild enthusiasm for the film, I’m sorry to say not many people have had a chance to see Boyle’s work. That’s because it’s currently showing on just 76 screens across the country.Well, fret no longer movie fans! According to THR, 127 Hours is getting a pre-Oscar expansion in order to take advantage of Franco’s sure-to-be-nominated performance. Fox Searchlight is planning on expanding the film to more than 600 screens January 28, three days after the Oscar noms are announced, which should give you plenty of time to see this magnificent tour de force before the Academy Awards on February 27.  Franco himself will host along with Anne “Catwoman” Hathaway. Hit the jump for the trailer and the synopsis.Here’s the official synopsis:

127 HOURS is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers (Clemence Poesy), family, and the two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet? A visceral, thrilling story that will take an audience on a never before experienced journey and prove what we can do when we choose life. 

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And here’s the awesome trailer: