Tracks

Some films are made to make you laugh. (See: “The Naked Gun”). Some are made to make you cry. (See: “Brian’s Song). Some are made to make you think. (See: “American History X”). And some are made to wisk you off to far, far away lands. (See: “John Carter” … NO, don’t see “John Carter!” See: “The Emipre Strikes Back.”)

Then there are films that inspire us. They inspire us to to be better people. (“Forrest Gump”). They inspire us to never give up. (“Rocky”). They inspire us to stand up for what is right. (“The Passion of the Christ”). And some films inspire us to do the impossible. To reach down into your gut and do what you want to do no matter how ridiculous and difficult it may seem. No matter what anyone says. You got to just do it.

Well, I saw a film this weekend that may inspire many of you to “go fo it!” It may pull you off your lazy asses and inspire you to achieve that goal you’ve always wanted to do. Run a marathon, climb Mount Everest, hunt down Sasquatch, or my personal goal: See 120 movies in one year.

The movie I saw that may inspire you all to do what you were put on this Earth to do is “Tracks.”

And honestly, it didn’t inspire me to do anything that I wasn’t already doing.

That’s not to say it was a bad film, (because it wasn’t) it just didn’t inspire me the way the filmmaker had hoped it would.

This true story takes place in the early 70’s and is about a young Aussie girl named Robin (Mia Wasikowska), a loner who wants to follow in the footsteps of her old man and walk across the deserts of West Australia to the Indian Ocean with just four camels and her dog.

Sounds easy, right?

It isn’t. She needs money to fund the trek. She needs to buy camels, supplies, and a bunch of other knick-knacks for the journey.

You know who funds it? National Geographic. But the only way they will fund it is if Robyn allows a photographer to snap photos of her every month while she hikes through the desolate landscape.

Enter hunky photographer Rick, (Adam Driver) a cool cat just out there to take pics and secretly fall in love.

And that’s pretty much your story. Sure she has some trials and tribulations out there, but come on, you’re walking across a desert for crying out loud! To be truthful though, for a girl walking 1700 miles through a barren wasteland, she really didn’t have to face that much adversity. Yeah, there was a sandstorm or two, and she lost a few camels a couple times, but all in all, it was a pretty easy hike.

I mean, I’ve had tougher journeys. One night I was stranded at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut and decided to hike it home. (I lived two states away, in Massachusetts). Well, after a six hour jaunt, a quick tour with a trucker, a hitch-hike expedition with two guys that beat the crap out of me for drinking all their beers, a stranding on Interstate 95, and an eventual arrest for illegally strolling down an interstate highway while intoxicated, well, let me tell you, my freakin’ hike was a lot tougher than hers.

But I digress. I’m not trying to belittle her accomplishment, because it had to be an extremely hard undertaking. I’m just reviewing the movie, not her feat. (Her feat I am proud of.)

You know there was one part in this movie that I absolutely loved. (and I would’ve done the same thing). Robyn is out there in the middle of nowhere and she decides to hike the entire day in the nude. Let me tell you, the second I left town and no one could see me, well, I would’ve been naked until the next town! It’s fun to be nude.

That was my favorite part of the movie.

I’m going to close out this review right now by saying that I was not impressed with this film, but it wasn’t because of the acting. I think it may have just been a little to dull for my taste. That’s not to say you won’t like it because I know for a fact that it is an inspiring film. It just didn’t inspire me.

Maybe if they had some Tusken Raiders and Jawas out there in the desert with her instead of camels it would’ve been more interesting.

Matty W. Kelley, reporting.

Fun Fact: Adam Driver is having one hell of a year. He’s in “What If,” “This Is Where I Leave You,” and “Tracks” right now, AND he’s filming “Star Wars: Episode VII.” (That hunk is on fire!)

Fun Matty Fact: When I got picked up by the police when I was walking home from the casino I ended up only being put in protective custody. (not arrested.)
It saved me on some court fines.