NT

Chris1401 · November 2007

1

Off I Go. · November 2007

Thanks for that a great read!!

onebadbootleg · November 2007

Critical Analysis of Into the Wild - It really did suck. Too bad Eddie freakin Vedder made a soundtrack for a movie that really sucked.

ledvedderman · November 2007

twilighthummer wrote:

Critical Analysis of Into the Wild - It really did suck. Too bad Eddie freakin Vedder made a soundtrack for a movie that really sucked.

I was moved beyond words for about 30 minutes after the movie ended. I thought it was beautifully shot and is a great story to tell. I much prefer the book, but it did a wonderful job capturing as much as they could.

callen · November 2007

ledvedderman wrote:

I was moved beyond words for about 30 minutes after the movie ended. I thought it was beautifully shot and is a great story to tell. I much prefer the book, but it did a wonderful job capturing as much as they could.

agree...and add to that 99.99% of movies made in the US are utter crap....hard to understand folks tearing up this movie...

callen · November 2007

"A year younger than McCandless would have been today had he lived, Keith has a distinctly Alaskan viewpoint on his death, unsentimental and unswayed by romanticism. He points to a clear pool in a stream not 50 feet from the bus, in which dozens of foot-long grayling swim against the current. "You could practically shovel those out with a spruce branch," he tells me. "And I just don't get why he didn't stay down by the Teklanika until the water got low enough to cross. Or walk upstream to where it braids out in shallow channels. Or start a signal fire on a gravel bar." He peers inside the bus and shakes his head at what he sees as a greenhorn in over his head who had retreated to the only sign of civilization for miles when he realized he couldn't make it. "Tough enough to live out here without trying harder," he says. "We're hard up for heroes if that's what it takes -- some guy who starved to death in a bus."

Why is it humans relish in others demise? There seems to be this glee...."he sucked, he should have died...I'm not feeling sorry for him"

Kel Varnsen · November 2007

callen wrote:

"He peers inside the bus and shakes his head at what he sees as a greenhorn in over his head who had retreated to the only sign of civilization for miles when he realized he couldn't make it. "Tough enough to live out here without trying harder," he says. "We're hard up for heroes if that's what it takes -- some guy who starved to death in a bus."

I have not read the book or seen the movie, but every article I have read on this guy makes it sound to me like he was really dumb or had mental issues. I mean yes it is extremely noble to want to live off the land in the wilderness. But to attempt this with very planning or knowledge of the outdoors and minimal supplies seems foolish. To try and take on the Alaskan wilderness on top of that seems crazy.

Riverrunner · November 2007

callen wrote:

"A year younger than McCandless would have been today had he lived, Keith has a distinctly Alaskan viewpoint on his death, unsentimental and unswayed by romanticism. He points to a clear pool in a stream not 50 feet from the bus, in which dozens of foot-long grayling swim against the current. "You could practically shovel those out with a spruce branch," he tells me. "And I just don't get why he didn't stay down by the Teklanika until the water got low enough to cross. Or walk upstream to where it braids out in shallow channels. Or start a signal fire on a gravel bar." He peers inside the bus and shakes his head at what he sees as a greenhorn in over his head who had retreated to the only sign of civilization for miles when he realized he couldn't make it. "Tough enough to live out here without trying harder," he says. "We're hard up for heroes if that's what it takes -- some guy who starved to death in a bus."

Why is it humans relish in others demise? There seems to be this glee...."he sucked, he should have died...I'm not feeling sorry for him"

I don't think this means that the guy is relishing in McCandless' demise, or that he is gleeful. I think that he trying to say that McCandless' death was senseless because if he had used common sense or had known more about the out of doors he could have made it. I also believe that McCandless was mentally ill. Of course, I am talking like I really have some insight....... I haven't even seen the movie or read the book. But I am going to see the movie Saturday or Sunday night. It is FINALLY coming to town.

duggro · December 2007

Kel Varnsen wrote:

I have not read the book or seen the movie, but every article I have read on this guy makes it sound to me like he was really dumb or had mental issues. I mean yes it is extremely noble to want to live off the land in the wilderness. But to attempt this with very planning or knowledge of the outdoors and minimal supplies seems foolish. To try and take on the Alaskan wilderness on top of that seems crazy.

dude, read the book or see the film (better choice is the book). film is awesome though

he was a silly boy who overestimated himself and made a few simple but deadly errors.

Transcendental · March 2011

I SAW THIS BEFORE

blondieblue227 · March 2011

dude. this is so old but i'm going to add my 2 cents.
chris had issues...don't we all.... his parents did him pretty shitty and he went off to Alaska to work it out. we all have coping mechanisms. he just happened to fuck up out there. ok so? big deal. read the book before i saw the movie and couldn't stop thinking about it for a month. chris taught me not to be scared of dying when faced with life's adventures. to share your love with others. life is about friends and being loved.

a lot of people don't get it. :(

keepnfaith44 · March 2011

Although I liked the movie for most part, as someone who grew up rural parts of upstate NY and spent many years hunting, fishing and camping mostly in Adirondacks and CA. with my Dad and uncle both very experienced outdoorsmen they had traveled to all over US going back to 1960's through mid 80's and had made it to Alaska 3 times I am pretty sure and I can remember them telling me when I was 13-14 yrs old going out with them to Long Lake NY where my uncle had a cabin to not take anything for granted when you are out of your element.They would go most places on their own, but they always said if you ever go to Alaska to hunt or just travel be prepared and that really meant hire a guide, as Alaska no matter the season is completley unforgiving, from the unprictable weather, the landscape, the "Foodchain" humans are not on the top and really the biggest factor they talked about was vast areas of uncivilized land if somethem goes wrong.So, as I watched the movie and started to understand Chris ultimate goal, I could could only imagine one outcome based on his lack of even basic outdoor experience, he actually lucky he made as far as he did as he could have been killed 2 or 3 times based on his poor decisions and lack of experience. I still found the movie very moving and compared to most movies nowaday worth my money.The link to the article was not working, but I believe I read it before, as after movie I research it bit as his recklessness made me curious why someone who was supposedly very smart would not have researched it more.I read a couple articles from Alaska based journlist and they kinds ranged from the one in this thread(which if you lived in Alaska or had some outdoors experience they would be good questions to my take on his recklessness and deadly choices.So Sad either way

Loulou · March 2011

Yeah, you can go into all the nitty gritty about why he did this and why he did that. He shouldn't have done this and shouldn't have done that but I thought it was a stunning movie about how getting away from it all is everyone's dream sometimes but the reality turned out to be that got lonely. I think it was a beautiful movie with an absolutely incredible soundtrack that I listen to at least once a week. I think it's easy to over-analyse movies sometimes.

BH304897 · March 2011

It seems like a lot of outdoor people tend to hate this movie because McCandless was a little reckless and not exactly the most prepared but I really think if your viewing the movie this way your completely missing the point of the movie and or book. Krakauer investigated and wrote the book, not because the kid went up there and died but more because he wanted to find out what it was that drove him up there. The main theme of the story is society and it gives the reader/watcher a compelling story that hopefully inspires. McCandless made some minor mistakes and he paid with his life but that doesn't mean we can't learn from him.

polaris_x · March 2011

i'm an outdoors person ... and it baffles me the people who are critical of a guy who simply decided to choose his own path ... sure, he died ... but I can guarantdamtee you that if you are an outdoorsy person who has spent any significant in the wilderness - you have at least at one point or another put your life at risk whether you knew it or not ... most of us all live to survive it and we move on ...

how many people here drive their car perfectly? ... how many people remember to wash their hands before they eat? ...

at the end of it all ... the moral of this story is that life to chris was about charting one's own course without the social constraints that unnecessarily bind us ... he gave pretty much all of his belongings to oxfam ... how many of you who are so critical can live a life without your big screen tv or espresso maker? ...

dr0ptheleash · March 2011

Loulou wrote:

Yeah, you can go into all the nitty gritty about why he did this and why he did that. He shouldn't have done this and shouldn't have done that but I thought it was a stunning movie about how getting away from it all is everyone's dream sometimes but the reality turned out to be that got lonely. I think it was a beautiful movie with an absolutely incredible soundtrack that I listen to at least once a week. I think it's easy to over-analyse movies sometimes.

I totally agree Loulou, well said. I actually first read the book for a college assignment and didn't get much out of it, but when I went back and read it at my leisure without over-analyzing I ended up loving it. Overall, I found the movie to be entertaining and inspiring; just something I enjoyed. And I will always love the sound track and am happy to listen to it just as often as my other PJ music.

blondieblue227 · March 2011

BH304897 wrote:

It seems like a lot of outdoor people tend to hate this movie because McCandless was a little reckless and not exactly the most prepared but I really think if your viewing the movie this way your completely missing the point of the movie and or book.

exactly.

i can honestly say that book has been the only book that has changed my life.
the fact that Ed did the music to the movie is just the cherry on top.

derbydave · March 2011

Sundance Channel did an "Into the Wild" edition of "Iconoclasts" featuring Jon Krakauer & Sean Penn.
The Author of the Book and The Director of the Film returned to the Magic Bus together.
If you get a chance to see this it is really good! :ugeek:

polaris_x · March 2011

blondieblue227 wrote:

BH304897 wrote:

It seems like a lot of outdoor people tend to hate this movie because McCandless was a little reckless and not exactly the most prepared but I really think if your viewing the movie this way your completely missing the point of the movie and or book.

exactly.

i can honestly say that book has been the only book that has changed my life.
the fact that Ed did the music to the movie is just the cherry on top.

both eyedclaar and i are outdoor people and we have nothing but respect for chris ...

blondieblue227 · March 2011

derbydave wrote:

Sundance Channel did an "Into the Wild" edition of "Iconoclasts" featuring Jon Krakauer & Sean Penn.
The Author of the Book and The Director of the Film returned to the Magic Bus together.
If you get a chance to see this it is really good! :ugeek:

i've been wanting to download or rent that.

EV + SP on charlie rose was very cool too.

polaris_x wrote:

both eyedclaar and i are outdoor people and we have nothing but respect for chris ...

glad to know there's people out there that do.

Jason P · March 2011

polaris_x wrote:

i'm an outdoors person ... and it baffles me the people who are critical of a guy who simply decided to choose his own path ... sure, he died ... but I can guarantdamtee you that if you are an outdoorsy person who has spent any significant in the wilderness - you have at least at one point or another put your life at risk whether you knew it or not ... most of us all live to survive it and we move on ...

how many people here drive their car perfectly? ... how many people remember to wash their hands before they eat? ...

at the end of it all ... the moral of this story is that life to chris was about charting one's own course without the social constraints that unnecessarily bind us ... he gave pretty much all of his belongings to oxfam ... how many of you who are so critical can live a life without your big screen tv or espresso maker? ...

I think the story offered many perspectives that are dependent on the viewer's (or reader's) ideologies and personality. I agree that most people that spend significant time in the wilderness put their lives in danger as I've had many close calls. My biggest problem with Chris' story is that he continued to throw caution to the wind and not learn from his mistakes and close calls.

My take from both reading the book and watching the movies is that he was mentally instable. No one in their right mind treks off into the Alaskan wilderness without a map or compass unless your not particularly concerned about returning.

NT

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