Fresh off his Academy Award success, Danny Boyle went straight back into prestige mode with his superb 127 Hours, depicting the real-life mishap (to put it lightly) of Aron Ralston (James Franco), a young thrill-seeker who wound up literally caught between a rock and a hard place, eventually having to sever his own arm off in order to survive. With its lush visuals of the American wilderness and a stunning performance from Franco, the film is less a grim depiction of a harrowing event and more an uplifting hymn to the human spirit and the will to live. Boyle's sublime direction didn't receive a Best Director nomination which is pretty surprising, given that he made a film set in a single location extremely exciting and enthralling. However, Franco received a Best Actor nomination, Boyle's writing picked up a nod, and the film was nominated for Best Picture among other technical awards.