INTO THE WILD
RYAN: Writer/director Sean Penn has brought us “Into the Wild” and after seeing it, I have decided that I do not want to go into the wilderness.
CAROLINE: [laughs’ This is not a movie that’s up your alley. Personally, I enjoyed it up to a point. There are some really interesting questions raised in this movie as well as in the book it’s based on by John Krakauer, which came out about 10 years ago. But sadly, the movie is way, way too long.
RYAN: Not to mention tedious, boring and annoying. I hated it.
CAROLINE: There are definitely boring parts to this movie, and it goes on for about a half hour longer than it should. But I thought they really captured the spirit of this young guy thinking he could survive on his own in the Alaskan wilderness without the proper supplies. The nature scenes are really stunning, but after a while, I was like, “OK, enough.”
RYAN: Sean Penn is obviously a really talented director, and the music in the movie is really good, especially the songs Eddie Vedder wrote and sung. The opening credits were some of the coolest I’ve ever seen, and the performances were great. I love Kristen Stewart; she’s great in everything she does.
CAROLINE: If I wasn’t paying attention, it would sound to me like you loved this movie.
RYAN: Not so much, but the acting was great. Jena Malone is really good in a thankless role.
CAROLINE: Well LBH, the focus of the movie is this kid, Chris McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch who was in “Alpha Dog” earlier this year. I thought he was pretty good. He underwent a mini-Christian Bale in the vein of “The Machinist” and lost 41 lbs. for the role. And I loved the supporting cast too, Vince Vaughn and Catherine Keener especially. It was nice to have some recognizable actors in the smaller roles since the lead guy isn’t super-famous.
RYAN: I just felt like other than some disgusting bloody wild animal moments and a gritty death scene, this could have been a made-for-TV movie.
CAROLINE: I don’t know about that. This is a slow movie about a kid in the wilderness; you should know that going in. It’s a very solitary film, and if that’s not for you, then you’re not going to like this movie.
RYAN: Right. If you like to be entertained when you go to the movies, then this one isn’t for you.
CAROLINE: Ha. This is definitely more of a thought-provoking film, sort of like Werner Herzog’s “Grizzly Man.”
RYAN: That was actually entertaining though, and it wasn’t nearly as long as “Into the Wild.”
CAROLINE: “Grizzly Man” was also a documentary and “Into the Wild” isn’t, though it is based entirely on true events. I really loved the last three minutes of “Into the Wild”; it was so well done.
RYAN: The entire movie is well done; this just in, Sean Penn is an amazing director. However, it’s boring. During it, I felt like I might sleep a little, or even leave the theater. I just didn’t care.
CAROLINE: Wow, tell me how you really feel. Bottom line?
RYAN: Ultimately, I was not entertained.
CAROLINE: Well, I was. I think it depends on the mood you’re in. You didn’t read the book, and this isn’t really your kind of movie. If you’re psyched to hear this guy’s story and learn about his hubris, you’ll be into this movie. I was frustrated by him because he fancies himself an idealist when in reality, he was just kind of carefree and stupid. And he paid for it with his life.
RYAN: There are definitely some thought-provoking moral issues raised in this movie, but this just in – if you’re gonna go out in the wilderness by yourself, let someone know where you’re gonna be and maybe check in once in a while lest you eat something poisonous.
CAROLINE: Note to self: don’t eat the poison flowers.