"Into The Wild"

[mCowboy]

Is it suitable reading for a 15 yr old?

Dunno, but at 15 I was devouring "Papillon" (they sell a paperback in Finland with both Papillon and Banco, picked mine up in Suomalainen's sales bin)

and look how you turned out..

[Karhunkoski]

Papillon eh?

Corruptive reading for a Lutheran!

Full of chewy cocaine leaves and shagging native sisters in between sliding a money-filled tube into his rectum IIRC?

[Ravvy]

The movie opening is set for the latter part of September, and I will be standing in line to see it. Engrossing, tragic story.

...any idea what the certificate is on that film?

The book is available from the book depository £5 P&P to Finland is free. Looking forward to reading it. Is it suitable reading for a 15 yr old?

Sorry, not sure what you mean by "certificate". The rating perhaps? Don't know (yet) but I'll be watching for more info about this film and keep you posted.

Regarding suitability for a 15 yr old, I would say abolutely YES. Some USA schools have made it required reading for English classes (though I don't know what grade level). Modern day true story of young hubris ending in tragedy.

This story hooked me in a couple ways. First I related to the young man because I nearly did a similar thing as a way to rebel against my parents and reject the traditional 'college education to an 8-5 job' path. Then at the end of the book this guy's parents visit the bus site where his body was found, and suddenly I was relating as the parent of an early teen who is in 'early rebellion mode'.

[Ravvy]

Release date: September 21
Running time: 140 minutes
MPAA rating: R (due to language and some nudity)

[Rosamunda]

What's an R mean?

Here we have

S (everyone)
K7 (7 yrs or 5 if with an adult)
K11 (11 yrs or 9 yrs with an adult)
K15 etc etc


Sounds like the book/film will appeal to my lot. Who's in the film?

[mCowboy]

What's an R mean?

Here we have

S (everyone)
K7 (7 yrs or 5 if with an adult)
K11 (11 yrs or 9 yrs with an adult)
K15 etc etc


Sounds like the book/film will appeal to my lot. Who's in the film?

G = general audience
PG = parental guidance suggested
PG13 = parents strongly cautioned
R = restricted (under 17 requires parental guidance)
NC-17 = No one 17 and under admitted

[Ravvy]

What's an R mean?

Here we have

S (everyone)
K7 (7 yrs or 5 if with an adult)
K11 (11 yrs or 9 yrs with an adult)
K15 etc etc


Sounds like the book/film will appeal to my lot. Who's in the film?

Here you go; I found a UK movie site with info. Appears it will open internationally on November 29th per this site.
http://www.intothewildmovie.co.uk/intl/au/

My understanding of the "R" rating in the USA is that they do not want any unsupervised teens attending an R movie. IF a teen is with a parent it is OK. The qualifiers "language" and "nudity" are also an indicator, because it could also say "violence" and/or "sexual content" however in this case it does not.

[Rob A.]

BTW having worked in an opposite environment - Death Valley National Park, went on a few hiking trips, never "out of vicinity alone" and "never without telling anyone so I could "check back in" - as the desert in the summer is quite unforgiving. I just wish I had had my Yashica back then (though I'd blown all my money on film ) One place I yearn to visit. BUT - just like the hippies on those desert ranches you need to figure out a few things... (no, I don't put my bed legs into tin cans filled with lamp oil, nor have a water bottle with me always, but I am known to knock my shoes together to drop the scorpions out )

Hank..you never fail to surprise me.... So you've spent some time in Death Valley... Indeed, ...a fascinating place... and so humbling... it "commands" your respect. Any "stupid" moves there and the coroner will be hauling your mummified remains off to the county morgue... I didn't even like going onto any of the side roads...You know the thoughts..."Gee, what if the car breaks down?"....or "a flat tire?" As it turned out I did get a flat...but not until the evening... Basically the sidewall had collapsed... I would guess from all the heat...

I was there around the beginning of September...the hottest I saw was 111F....(44C)...which, of course, is well below the temperature you'd get in early August. And it was very windy, except the wind was like sitting in front of a forced-air furnace duct...

But it was absolutely beautiful... Zabriskie Point...all sorts of vistas, salt pans... A sense of timelessness ... And Badwater, which is the lowest point in North and South America...what is it a bit less than 100 m below sea level???...with little guppy-like fish swimming around in the warm water pools...

Yes, I can see why you yearn to re-visit the place...it's both enchanting and creepy at the same time...well worth a visit for those who haven't been there before, but don't do anything "stupid"...

[Hank W.]

it's both enchanting and creepy at the same time...

Ever visited Charlie Manson's ranch?

[enk]

'A couple of years ago I was collecting acorns'

Are you a squirrel?

Acorns are edible when prepared properly and quite frankly a better source of most of the "nutritional" parts of rice:

*Anyone who brings a 10-lb sack of rice, which is totally devoid of any nutritional value, to survive on is a down and
outright imbecile.'

Sorry Enk but...

http://www.pechsiam.com/allabout_nutrition.htm.

It's still a waste of space when he could have brought something
to help him out that would be nutritionally better for him. Even the
fireweed surrounding the bus he was in was nutritionally better for
him.

I've lived in both Alaska and across the Bering Strait in Siberia
and seen idiots like that guy come and go (or not in his case). My favs
were of course the idiots that believed they could actually drive across
the Bering Strait to get to Russia.

On the other end of the climate spectrum, I spent part of my summer
vacations at my grandparents' place in Florida calling ambulances to
come take idiots who refused to believe a kid's word that they shouldn't
walk on the pylons out to the edge of the wall (they were covered in
barnacles, and so when they fell, as they inevitably ended up doing, they
ended up for month's in the hospital with nasty skin infections).

Idiots are idiots, only the scenery changes.

-enk

[littlefrank]

'Acorns are edible when prepared properly'

Yes I know, if you're not a veggie like me, you can eat the squirrels too.

*It's still a waste of space when he could have brought something
to help him out that would be nutritionally better for him.*

Agree with you there, actually I wonder if he died of starvation because he couldn't find a power outlet to plug in his steamer.


'and seen idiots like that guy come and go'

Well C. Mcbrainless was an idiot that definately went.

[Rosamunda]

Ravvy,

Have you seen the film yet? The reviews are good (even The Economist gave it s decent review last week). Unfortunately no sign of it coming to Finland in the immediate future but I'm hoping it will be showing in the UK at Christmas.

[Ravvy]

Ravvy, Have you seen the film yet?

No, not yet. I was all set to see it last Wed but a domestic issue prevented me from going. Thursday was the USA Thanksgiving holiday, and then I had stomach surgery on Friday and have not been in circulation since. Hope to see it soon! Recovery is moving right along but slowly.

[enk]

Hope you have a speedy recovery Ravvy!

-enk

[Rosamunda]

Get well soon. (I am eversoslightlyenvious of anyone with a good excuse to stay in bed at the moment.... I just want to sleeeeeeeppp.... any tips for staying awake during my son's guitar concert tonight.... what if I doze off before he does his bit??? No sun today.)