Hancock (2008) and Into The Wild (2007)

I haven't posted in a couple days, but that certainly doesn't mean I've stopped watching movies. Time to catch up with a little feature I'd like to call a double... feature. Work with me.

Hancock. Directed by Peter Berg. Written by Vincent Ngo & Vince Gilligan. Release Date: July 2, 2008. Country of Production: United States of A! Key Cast: Will Smith (John Hancock), Charlize Theron (Mary Embrey), Jason Bateman (Ray Embrey).

This movie is the quintessential, big-budget, summer blockbuster. A real guilty pleasure... and by that I mean that I'm really guilty about not spending my $8 on Son of Rambow. If you're a Will Smith fan, then chances are he's already put your ass into one of those seats, but what did you really think? This wasn't the same Will-Smith-saves-the-world-story that we all know and love. Much like the apathetic, slacker character of John Hancock, the whole movie felt kind of half-assed. Take for instance, the CG. After being dazzled by Will Smith's sexy coolness under the pressure of CG villains like in M.I.B. and Independence Day, I can't say that I didn't expect the time to come for him to be granted his own superhuman abilities, I just wish it was done with a little more finesse. As I'm sure D'Artagnan will agree with me: zombies are awesome, but I was a little let down by I Am Legend (although if they had shown it with the alternate ending that's on the DVD, it would have been fucking awesome). I hope this isn't the beginning of a trend of Big Willy overhyping his hand.


Into The Wild. Directed by Sean Penn. Written by Sean Penn. Release Date: September 21, 2007. Country of Production: USA. Key Cast: Emile Hirsch (Chris McCandless), Marcia Gay Harden (Billie McCandless), William Hurt (Walt McCandless), Jena Malone (Carine McCandless).

This movie was really well-shot and the story definitely tugged at my heartstrings at least a little bit (at most, a lot), but it left me with really ambivalent feelings. It raises another bunch of really interesting issues that play into the discussion we've kind of generated about the definition of heroes. I believe this is based pretty strictly on a true story, but regardless, Chris McCandless's journey is certainly epic and inspiring. But, it was pretty cowardly in some ways, too. He kind of abandoned his family in a Fight Club-ish protest, stirred with a swizzle-stick of intellectualism rather than shaken with homemade napalm.

To me, the real hero(ine?) of the story is Corine, who even after not hearing from her brother until after he had died, managed to keep her own hope and belief in him alive. There are certinaly parts of his journey that resonated with me, and I think would with many people, but I suppose my favorite part of Penn's filmmaking touch is that he did not canonize this boy. He is portrayed as human, which is important, because behind the wit and humor, there are still mistakes, and things are taken for granted, and in his encounters he meets people who approach him with feelings that he is not ready to face, and for that, this is a good movie.