Tuesday, January 15, 2008

INTO THE WILD

Hey, the good news is that I’ve already seen 6 movies in the first two weeks of 2008!



There’s more good news, this movie is really quite excellent. I knew almost nothing about it beforehand, which worked in its favor actually. Somehow I thought it was going to be an uplifting tale of a man learning how to be independent and live harmoniously with nature, on his own terms… The movie is kind of about that, but mostly about the opposite of that. I really don’t want to elaborate because I don’t think you guys have seen this movie yet. Suffice it to say that this movie is incredibly dark and quite bitterly depressing.
It’s amazing that I have such a high opinion of the film – it’s really long, and in spite of the amazing shots of breathtaking natural vistas, the pacing is kind of plodding and aimless. The main character is also difficult to sympathize with (or even like). That’s part of the point, however, and Sean Penn rolls it all up and somehow makes it perfect by the end of the movie. It’s really quite an experience, and I’m not sure I want to see it again very soon, because the painful bits are not painful in a fun and cathartic way… Anyway I would recommend this movie very strongly, although I think it’s already left the theaters, and a lot of people will (possibly) think it’s boring.

3 Comments:

Blogger ginsoakedgirl said...

Oh, in case you guys couldn't tell, I have some free time now that I'm unemployed again... which means I'm hijacking the blog for my own nefarious goals! Ha ha ha!

12:22 AM  
Blogger Sandy said...

I saw this already! Ha! My blog post about it was in a semi-unfinished state so I never published it. Sean has come a long way, baby, since The Indian Runner. I liked this movie, too. My favorite scenes were the ones with Hal Holbrook, and the ones with no dialogue but with Eddie Vedder's haunting melodies. Next, the book!!

12:46 AM  
Blogger ginsoakedgirl said...

Wow, I wouldn't have expected you to like this movie for some reason... who knows, anyway I'm glad you liked it too! I agree, Sean Penn is doing some great work behind the camera, and not doing a lot to brag about it or draw attention to himself, which is cool. And I'm reading the book next too, already have a copy... I started reading again (which I'll post about soon) - another luxury of unemployment!

5:57 PM  

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