Late Reviews: Into the Wild(2007)

  Every now and then I feel like I want to talk about a movie that I've seen. Not just any movie, but one that I've only seen quite some time after it was released-sometimes many years. I don't get to the theater but maybe once a year, so nearly every movie is late for me. Sometimes I skip them entirely for many years. But I still want to talk about them, even if I don't write so good. Oh and I might give spoilers because sheeeesh these movies have been out for long enough!

 
   Today's movie is Into the Wild starring Emile Hirsch. It is the true story of a young man named Christopher McCandless who left everything behind and set out to explore and try to find inner peace. I'm no fan of the director(whom I will not even name here), but the subject matter made me quite interested so I forewent the connections and viewed it without bias. It was beautifully shot, and the mixed time-frame(surely there is a word for that I can't find) is not always favorable(to some), but I quite liked it. You can see where he is-countered with where he came from, and how he ended up that way. I think a wholly linear timeline would not have been as effective.

    The directing was fine, the performance of Hirsch was quite good. The supporting cast really shone in this, especially Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook. The locations were stunning. The explanation of certain situations or locations I felt quite lacking. I had no clue he was at the Grand Canyon when he asked about kayaking(maybe I missed it; makes more sense later as to the ranger's response). Or where the wheat farm was located, until he mentions it later. Or exactly what the heck happened to Vaughn's character!

   What I really loved was the ideals of the character(the person). The idea of shutting out society and just getting away from everyone. I would love to do that. I dream about it frequently. I can completely understand romanticizing someone who has the gumption to just get off your butt and get out and "be free". I follow a number of youtubers who do this exact thing. Some have jobs, some don't. Exploring, seeing something, some place new every single day, would be an incredible thing to do.

   What I don't agree with is the way he went about the journey. He decided he didn't need money, and then went to work places to get money for things(such as the kayak). While I can understand his thought process in a way, I do think it was rather silly. He relies on the kindness of strangers, when he initially just wanted to get away from everyone and be alone. He also didn't have a plan. That can be exciting and freeing, but it can also be quite dangerous, as he found out. I can't imagine being stuck in Mexico these days without any identification at all. Or anywhere for that matter. There is nothing wrong with not preparing in certain situations, but I'm not interested in someone who wouldn't be prepared in life or death settings.

    I also think the treatment of his sister was heartbreaking. Sure, ditch the awful parents, but not the one ally you really had before the trek. Loads of people have had awful parents, or awful home lives as children, that didn't go off the deep end and become suicidal. I feel the most sorry for her, what a horrible time it must have been.

   I am a firm believer in the motto "it's not the destination, it's the journey". His journey was, for the most part, beautiful(if he had just done a few things differently). The destination was just awful. I was left thinking "what an idiot". If he had been more prepared, if he had stayed a shorter time and moved on to other locales, if-if-if...but he didn't. It is sad and not at the same time. I'm a seriously over-sensitive cryer in most cases and yet didn't cry once here. I did already know the outcome and was waiting for it. I mostly day-dreamed through the rest of the movie wishing I could do the same in some capacity.

MyScore: 7/10
Recommend? Sure, if you enjoy road trip type movies

The First Few Years

   It all started a long time ago in a galaxy, er town, far away. It was the late 1960's. My mom had two brothers in Vietnam-one Army, one Air Force; my father also had two brothers over there-one Marines, one Navy. My dad didn't go - I was always told that I was his excuse out. No matter. Parents met while he was bagging groceries at the local supermarket somewhere in the Channelview, Texas area. I was born in Pasadena, Texas. This:

isn't the actual hospital-this is the one that was built AFTER the one I was born in was torn down(and then this one was also abandoned). So I was probably born about where that light pole is...who knows.
   For my first three years, we lived in different spots in Pasadena...I think...I don't actually remember this part. Sometimes near my paternal grandparents, different apartments. One of my earliest memories is being at my maternal grandparents house, I was just over three years old, and one of them answered the telephone and asked if I would be happy with a new baby sister. I probably was not.
   I know we settled into some apartments in North Shore around the time she was born. And lived there until I was about 10, when we moved into the apartment complex next door.

   My dad worked at Armco Steel near the Houston Ship Channel. We did pretty good though I suppose my parents were most likely just frugal in our home life(I recall lots of tuna casserole!). We went back and forth to Southern California nearly every summer. We flew to Hawaii when I was 7. I do remember not being allowed to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial because my sister was too young(not a pleasant memory). And I recall taking my first photo with my parents 110 instamatic camera-it was of Koi fish at some arboretum we visited. From that moment, I wanted to be a photographer.
   The next summer, in 1975, we went to Walt Disney World in Florida.

   This is Space Mountain from that trip. We also stopped by Cape Kennedy. I remember seeing the Apollo rocket for the Russian docking test mission on the launch pad. Disney I don't remember, NASA I certainly do.

   My mom's dad passed away in September of 1974. I think I am a lot like him. He had a room in their house that was his "man cave"-wall to wall maps of the world and ham radios. I loved it and spent as much time in that room as I could. I am certain that I inherited my love of travel and maps and just wandering from him. When my mom was younger, and they lived in California, they would wander the desert on the weekends-but that will be a whole other blog post.

   I played lots of sports. Honestly I know my dad wanted a boy and got me, so I was into sports from day one; in fact, my first Christmas present was a football. I sometimes feel like I grew up in the Astrodome.

   I played baseball when I could, switched to softball when sort of "forced"(early 70s, I won't complain too much). I asked in high school if I could try out for football, was told to play soccer. I did play 3 years of soccer at the YMCA, and hated it. Astros, Oilers, Aeros, Rockets-we saw them all. I am still rather obsessed with some sports-and over the MOON about the Astros finally winning a World Series last year!!

   Those are the basics of childhood. I will probably expound more on different details in the future. Spilling all this is rather cathartic. I hope someone will enjoy reading. If not, that's okay too.

TL; DR (Too Long; Didn't Read) or An Outline of My Life

  Hi, my name is Kim. I currently live in Tennessee, and let's just say I'm a year younger than the Super Bowl(you can figure that out, I'm sure). I am married and have a teenage daughter. This is going to be a quick(ha!) outline of my life...for my family, for my memory. The stories will be added over time.

YOUTH

• Born in Pasadena, Texas
• Grew up in North Shore, Texas
• Four uncles(2 maternal, 2 paternal) in Vietnam when I'm born
• One sister, 3 years younger
• Lots of family all over Texas, lots in Southern California
• Many trips to Southern California
• Hawaii in 1974, Florida's Disney World in 1975
• Parents divorce when I'm 12

TEENAGER

• The 1980s
• High School I was invisible, 1 friend
• At 16, I move in with the 1 friend
• Move to town of California, Missouri with friend 1984
• Attempt to move back to Houston Oct 1985
• Only friend is hit and killed by a car
• Severe depression
• Finally get job at record store, get new roommates

ADULT

• Work at Wendy's
• Work at St Luke's Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital
• Work at Drug Emporium
• Work at Block Trading in Galleria
• Get season tickets for Houston Aeros
• 1996 Mom moves to Tennessee, I decide to follow

TENNESSEE

• Move in with mom, sister, nephew
• Work at Kroger
• Meet a guy who works there, just retired from Air Force
• Get married, have a kid
• Move apartment to apartment around Nashville
• 2002 choose home in Rutherford County-southeast of Nashville
• January 2018 decide I should finally write this out for the kiddo

I've probably left out major things, but this is just an outline-the bullet points. I take photos of places that might soon be gone so that they will be remembered. That's why I write this, so I can remember.

A Photo Test

Testing

   I have honestly forgotten how to do this. Bear with me... want to customize the look...need my teenager to help me!

   This is going to be a semi-chronological history of my life. Why should anyone care? My kid, maybe other family. My life hasn't been all that interesting, but maybe it has...?

  Once I get the layout the way I like it, I will post a TL;DR opener. An abridged version. An outline, if you will.

Coming soon...