Into the Wild (2007)

Written and directed by Sean Penn

From the book by Jon Krakauer

***** 

A raw, inspiring and ultimately tragic true story, sensitively adapted for the screen, beautifully shot and accented with haunting original songs, Into the Wild was the hit of the festival circuit the year of its release.

Pieces of story are puzzled together to focus on Christopher Johnson McCandless, a bright young graduate of a prestigious university, the toast of his parents and adored by his younger sister. Troubled under his pretence of normality, Chris pulls a disappearing act, shucking off the constraints of society and hitting the road in search of the greater meaning of life.

Travelling through beautiful landscapes, placed in front of the viewer like canvases, Emile Hirsch plays livewire Chris thoughtfully and with great energy. A mix of profundity and young man’s egotism, Chris chooses the alias Alexander Supertramp and journeys where the mood takes him. He tests himself against the elements and new experiences, aiming to see and taste all he can. People are incidental to his journey, and although he had a deep impact on many of the characters he met, he was always able to separate himself from them in pursuit of something larger.

Poetically narrated from both the perspective of Chris, the escapee, and his sister Carine (Jena Malone,) representing those he left behind, the film delves into the ways people make sense of life. The two story strands weave together, making piercing observations so startling they seem the most extreme truth and clearest message we’ve ever heard.

Carried along on Chris’s journey, we glory in the outdoors as he does, and an episode stopping off in LA helps us understand him – after the wide open spaces, free from constraint, the city feels like a trap, the fake smiling faces of its willing prisoners reminding him of his need to escape. Alaska becomes his ultimate goal, and when he enters the wilds and makes his final discoveries we are happy for him, and though touched, can almost forget to be concerned.

Into the Wild is a magnificent watch, concentrated without being heavily laid out, an astounding debut from the always introspective Sean Penn. Eddie Veder’s songs perfectly tap into the themes of the story, and the glorious photography of incredible locations transport us the rest of the way. Highly recommended.

Trainspotting (1996)

Directed by Danny Boyle

Written by John Hodge

From the novel by Irvine Welsh

Seen on DVD

***

Occasionally a film becomes so part of popular consciousness it defines the decade for those of the relevant age. Trainspotting was that seminal film for those of us leaving high school in the late nineties. Although we were too young to catch it on first release, having seen it gave you instant street-cred, and the poster on your wall was a marker of edgy cool.

A grungy film about drug addicts, with a legendary gross-out toilet scene? I wasn’t really interested, except for the hype - if that many people were talking about it, it was a film that had to be seen sooner or later. Obviously, I chose later. Coming across it on the comedy shelf of the DVD store fourteen years after its release finally made me give it a go.

Mark Renton is a wiry, shaven-headed young heroin addict, with a disparate bunch of mates, most also hooked on various drugs. Following Renton through several attempts to get clean, it becomes apparent his slips are caused by the bizarre code of honour binding him to his so-called friends. Even when seeing them for what they really are, he’s drawn back in, unable to shake his obligations to them.

This sense of honour makes Renton’s journey interesting, but it also makes his eventual break from the group more shocking. Although cheering for him to “choose life,” as the film’s tagline goes, his traitorous turn leaves me questioning whether he has really triumphed. Having kicked the habit, and his friends, has Renton really become a better person? Was his characteristic loyalty the price he had to pay, and what sort of person is he going to make without it?

This central, intriguing point is in part supported by the realistically sad stories which affect Renton: the straight friend getting sucked in and consumed by drugs, the tragic baby, the squalor, and the measures everyone must take to ensure constant supply of their drug – but somehow the circus of activity, comic filthiness, and humorous tirades make the important points incidental nuance rather than the focus of the story. This is essential if trying to brand an urban horror tale a comedy, and Danny Boyle’s creative, fast-paced direction and fantastic soundtrack choice show his intention to entertain rather than reflect.

A spectacular performance as Renton catapulted Ewan McGregor into stardom. Robert Carlyle is often singled out from the rest of the group for his portrayal of the psychotic Begbie, and he certainly had fun with the rich stories his over-the-top character wielded. As an ensemble the gang have deservedly gone down in history, and the movie remains a defining moment in British film.

Trainspotting was not McGregor and Boyle’s first movie together, it was just the one that made them famous. Just starting out in their careers, two years earlier McGregor acted in Boyle’s Shallow Grave. A twisted little thriller, it managed to just miss the mark in some indefinable way, but it’s an excellent watch.

Holiday Inn (1942)

Directed by Mark Sandrich
Written by Claude Binyon, Elmer Rice
With music and lyrics by Irving Berlin

Seen on DVD

** 1/2

Holiday Inn has its place in film canon, but the film itself doesn’t merit it. It’s fluff, and not even particularly good fluff, compared to the stellar offerings of the period. Trivial and lacking in heart, the story barely hangs together, and though it’s dripping with supposedly charming situations, they are unconvincing and the characters unlovable.

Normally sparkling Fred Astaire plays Ted Hanover, dancer extraordinaire and show biz partner of singer Jim Hardy, (Bing Crosby.) The two are in constant competition to prove more talented and a bigger hit with the ladies. Ted settles it, and causes their break-up, by winning the affections of their co-star from under her fiancée Jim’s nose, and Jim bows out of show business for a quiet rural life.

Finding farm work tougher than anticipated, Jim launches an inn with a gimmick: it will open only on holidays, and feature musical performances themed for the occasion. Rapidly falling in love with Linda, his shop-girl-turned-hostess collaborator, Jim looks set: until Ted turns up, single again, and (surprise!) discovers Linda is his perfect partner as well. In a blink the two are up to their old tricks, each trying to win her as their partner on stage – and in life.

By unplugging your brain, it’s possible to find Holiday Inn entertaining, but it can’t be called inoffensive. We are expected to believe any and all women must fall head over heels for two men who care more about their game of one-up-man-ship than they do about the woman they profess to love. Crosby and Astaire walk through their roles, coming alive only when performing - Astaire's solo tap-dance is a real cracker. The female characters are passed around, treated as possessions to be won or lost, barely granted their own free will, and neither they nor the men so in love with them show the slightest sign of real passion.

There’s also a number done in blackface, ostensibly necessary to the plot for reasons of disguise. Although cringe-making these days, such performances were common in at the time, and the scene’s recent removal from American television broadcasts of the film has caused much debate.

In spite of its many failings, Holiday Inn is a remarkable piece of history, for the music which inspired it and the trivia surrounding it. The film includes a strange little insert of patriotism and munitions factories, which doesn’t mesh at all until you realise Pearl Harbour was attacked when the picture was filming and overnight, America stepped into World War II. The film's name lives on in the small hotel chain which became a global empire, but perhaps its most lasting legacy is one little song, overlooked on first release, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1942, and went on to become the best selling single of all time: “White Christmas.”


If you’re after exceptional musical comedy, check out Fred and Ginger setting the stage afire in Top Hat, instead. Lighter than air, it’s a farcical case of mistaken identity and true love filled with magnificent dance numbers and brilliant performances from a star-studded cast.