DIRECTOR: Sean Penn
CAST: Emile Hirsch, Jena Malone, Vince Vaughn, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener, John Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden
THE PLOT: After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire savings to charity and hitch-hiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness.
BEN'S VIEWS: Into the Wild is one of the most profound and stunningly beautiful films I have seen in a long time. It poses so many thought-provoking questions, such as how we as human beings can attain true happiness in our short lives and what the real point of our existence is. Of course the answers aren't all provided but their is so much left to ponder after the credits roll. There are many ways in which the subject matter of this film could have been Hollywood-ized and turned into a G-rated crowd pleaser. It is the moving true story of two years in the life of Christopher McCandless, a young man fresh out of college and looking for the meaning of life. McCandless traveled across the country until he was able to gain the supplies and skills he needed to achieve his dream: to live in nature in the Alaskan wilderness. Luckily this material fell into the hands of Sean Penn. Penn is a brilliant actor and now you can add brilliant director to his resume. This is really the crowning achievement of his career. He found a great young actor to play McCandless in Emile Hirsch. Hirsch pours his soul into the role and becomes McCandless (especially with some dramatic body transformations. Penn follows him across the United States through the people he meets and the adventures he finds. Some of the best moments (and underlying meaning) of the film come from Chris' interactions with the strangers he runs into and turns to friends. My favorite is his time spent with an older gentleman played with great care by Hal Holbrook. Their are dozens of different locations used in the film and Penn doesn't shy away from letting his camera stop and look at the breath-taking scenery. This is not simply a movie, it's an experience. It is a great movie for our generation, full of lost and confused souls. McCandless journey should be learned from and the lesson behind it, discovered in the painful final moments of the film, cherished. Movies are rarely this good so relish in it and enjoy every second.
DIRECTOR: Rob Reiner
CAST: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes
THE PLOT: Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a a list of to-do's before they die.
BEN'S VIEWS: The trailer for The Bucket List is one of the best I had seen all year last year. It looked as if you couldn't go wrong with this one. Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman team up as dying cancer patients looking to fulfill their last wishes before they "kick the bucket". It looked sad and funny and heart-warming and life-affirming and everything else you'd want in a film. Surprisingly, grade-A director Rob Reiner flubs the material...sort of. This could have been the type of movie that really moves people as its bringing home 'buckets' of awards in February. Instead it's just a decent diversion that will entertain you for a scant hour and a half. The movie was obviously built around a concept. Let's get these two old coots doing all kinds of crazy and fun things to make the most of their last year of life. But as Roger Ebert has said, all realism is left at the door. These gentleman are so sick they can barely keep down food one minute and the next they are jumping out of planes and racing fancy cars, NASCAR-style. But if your expectations aren't too high then it is worth it to see two acting legends on screen together. There are some amusing moments and plenty of cheap tear-jerking for you as well. But you will be wishing this could have been what the superb trailer promised.
