The Alpinist (Movie)

Marc801 C wrote:

As OLH said, that's no longer true. 

Another way of stating it: your statement is idiotic. Seriously, are you willing to risk the life of your kid via actions you can do to prevent it?

I’d love to see this movie in a theater on a big screen!

I’m fully vaccinated but even so, the risk of long-haul Covid is simply not worth taking a chance. I’m sure Marc-André would agree.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/covid-19-long-haulers-pandemic-future/619941/

edit - I wish there were some outdoor screenings.

Saw it last night and definitely recommend watching it. (FWIW, my wife and I saw it in a theatre...with one other person!) Aside from the merits and the dangers, I'm curious if anyone has insight on this minor aspect: Some of the footage of Leclerc's climb on Cerro Egger was shot from above, apparently quite high on the route. They explain in the film that Austin would be tagging along on the lower portion and that Marc carried a camera to film some of the upper portion. The sequences I'm referring to sure don't look like something that Leclerc pre-placed his camera on and then re-climbed just for all of us, and, like I said, it appeared to be well above where Austin was going to climb. I find the Nat Geo style of climbing videography where adventurous climbers are shown on the first ascent of Route A on Mount X, filmed from above rather irritating: Why doesn't the camera-person get credit for their climbing?! No problem if the film description reads something like, "Watch as Han Solo and Luke Skywalker complete the second ascent, following the lead of their truly intrepid camera crew who wished for credit only in the name of their videography."

Saw this in theatre last night and it was awesome. There were like 6 other people there. It was incredible on the big screen. I had questions about how they filmed some on of the scenes as well and it's discussed on the "Marc Andre Leclecr free solo footage" forum.  https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/118233901/marc-andre-leclerc-free-solo-footage-reel-rock-14?page=3

Every movie comes put into a theater first.  I'm hesitant, but I'd go if it was a mostly empty theater. I did it for Black Widow, and I'd do it for the alpinist. Grab an N-95, skip the popcorn and enjoy the film. 

Got tickets for tomorrow - only two other seats were taken. The reviews are making me cautiously optimistic that they really knocked this film out of the park. Also looking forward to seeing how my not-at-all-into-climbing partner thinks of it.

Long Ranger wrote:

Got tickets for tomorrow - only two other seats were taken. The reviews are making me cautiously optimistic that they really knocked this film out of the park. Also looking forward to seeing how my not-at-all-into-climbing partner thinks of it.

It was truly amazing

Just watched it in Los Angeles. 7 people in the theater. Masks required.  Many theaters let you see what seats have been purchased for the different show times, so if you're really worried about sitting in a crowded theater, you can do a little research beforehand and make the appropriate choice for your comfort level.

The film was excellent. Great cinematography and an interesting backstory about what made Marc-Andre tick. The scenes of Marc-Andre on the Stanley Headwall made my hands sweat more than  Honold on Freerider.  He truly was at the leading edge of alpinism.

I went and recommend it.  Theatre was not crowded.

Pete Nelson wrote:

Saw it last night and definitely recommend watching it. (FWIW, my wife and I saw it in a theatre...with one other person!) Aside from the merits and the dangers, I'm curious if anyone has insight on this minor aspect: Some of the footage of Leclerc's climb on Cerro Egger was shot from above, apparently quite high on the route. They explain in the film that Austin would be tagging along on the lower portion and that Marc carried a camera to film some of the upper portion. The sequences I'm referring to sure don't look like something that Leclerc pre-placed his camera on and then re-climbed just for all of us, and, like I said, it appeared to be well above where Austin was going to climb. I find the Nat Geo style of climbing videography where adventurous climbers are shown on the first ascent of Route A on Mount X, filmed from above rather irritating: Why doesn't the camera-person get credit for their climbing?! No problem if the film description reads something like, "Watch as Han Solo and Luke Skywalker complete the second ascent, following the lead of their truly intrepid camera crew who wished for credit only in the name of their videography."

I mentioned the same thing to my wife when we saw it today.    That was very high on the route and after some tough climbing.   I thought maybe the cameraman hooked up with a local hard man and they did the lower part together.   

According to the article below, Marc went back with Austin to re-film some stuff from the solo. Marc would lead a pitch, fix it for Austin, rappel down and solo it while  Austin filmed from above.

https://www.climbing.com/people/the-calculated-madness-of-marc-andre-leclerc/

Don Morris wrote:

OLH is not the end all of COVID science. Sorry. The death rate for children with COVID is a little over one third higher than the 2020-2021 annual flu. Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany have relaxed all protocols for children going to schools. And guess what? Their rates are not any higher and people 'Oh my' are not freaking out like we are here. And if you think the U.S. is smarter than the countries cited you are wrong. Stop watching CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS and any other XYZ. If you went to high school you should be able to do research and look for internationally peer reviewed papers that are truly respected. The data is not consistent with the rhetoric that is displayed on this thread.

Here is the data - even from the CDC: Children 17 and Under Account for 0.057% of All COVID-Involved Deaths in U.S. 349 children ages 0-17 have died of COVID since the pandemic began in January 2020. 188 reported pediatric flu deaths for the 2019-2020 season. Greatest cause of US child deaths in 2018 (and I would think these numbers stay relatively consistent) are 1) motor vehicle crash - 4,500 2) Firearm related injury - 3,500 3) Malignant Neoplasm - 2,250 4) Suffocation - 2,000 5) Drowning - 1,500 6) Congenital Anomalies - 1,500 7) Drug Overdose or Poisoning - 1,500 8) Heart Disease - 1000 9) Fire or burns - 750 10) Chronic Lower Respiratory - 650.

COVID does not even come close to the top eight reasons for child deaths. With the way we are reacting to COVID if it is rational would mean we should never have children in motor vehicles, no firearms in the home, no 'blankies' at night because the child is way more likely to suffocate than die of COVID. No swimming pools and natural bodies of water are off limit to children. No prescription drugs for children. No fireplaces or campfires.

And yes I do have children and one died of number six, congenital anomalies. And yes, I try to teach my children to be critical thinkers and not believe all the 'airheads' out there spouting 'the sky is falling'. And yes, my greatest desire is for my children to grow up not being afraid of this world and fly for the stars doing what you were created for. And yes, I have my oldest son who has to be undercover when he is helping Arabs in the Middle East because it is his passion and his love for Arabs.

And for you old people out there (which I am one) stop whining and crying about how COVID is killing you off. You have lived a good life and you are sacrificing the little ones by asking the world to shut down and mask up so you can live a couple more years. Our kids are being cheated out of a childhood we took for granted. That means playing, having fun and not worrying about the terrible 'adult' things of the world. It's time for the adults to grow up and stop crying like babies and protecting our children the right way.

And for the guy whining about not be able to see the movie when he wants to (meaning 'right now'!) because it is in a theater...grow up, do your research, and try to be a little courageous. And if that is too difficult sell your car, get rid of your firearm, get rid of blankets, put a leash on your kid around bodies of water (especially ensure no baths), stop using prescriptions and drugs, and no matches. Because your child is way more likely to die from the above than COVID. Oh! And pray your child does not get Malignant Neoplasm, Congenital Anomalies, and Chronic Lower Respiratory disease because you have no control over that.

Am I missing something here? What the hell is going on?

Alec O wrote:

Sorry I don't want to give my 2-year-old a deadly respiratory virus... I just don't understand why someone would attack me personally for starting a discussion about whether it's responsible for a company to only make their product available in a crowded theater...

Are you serious? Lol. Just don’t see it and wait until it’s available to stream. Nobody is forcing you to do anything 

Next thing you know, restaurants will be trying to get you to come to their businesses, too. It's outrageous. 

Stay scared, my friends.

Ive seen a few movies here in Denver and they are never busy. I even saw the Bourdain movie at the Esquire and there was hardly anyone there. Your risks are higher eating in a resturant with lots or people moving about and removing masks to eat etc.

I really liked it. You’ll experience heavier concentrations of people pretty much anywhere else in society, like one of the other movies, or the concession counter. There were 3 other people there for me. 

incredibly beautiful film, worth the big screen experience.  

unfortunately i got COVID and am now dead, but risk/reward amirite?

Brennan VanDyke wrote:

Am I missing something here? What the hell is going on?

That kind of rant is a classic fear response. The person is terrified of getting covid. That rant sounds just like this:

https://www.saynotosmokedetectors.com/

"The risk of fires is GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
More people DIE every year from drowning than die in fires.
YOU ARE IN MORE DANGER IN A SWIMMING POOL than in a fire!"

COVID did a great job of separating the emotional thinkers from the non-emotional thinkers

Pro tip: Unlike the people shouting about how taking COVID precautions means you're "scared," a great many humans don't rely on whether they're "scared or not scared" to make decisions. A great many of us can count, read, think critically, open a middle-school science textbook, and understand research publications. This is called "relying on something other than your emotions to make your way through the world." If you're the kind of person who only lives in the "scared or not scared" paradigm, I invite you to take a deep breath and learn how to read and count. The world will open up to you in a way that you are (apparently) genuinely not capable of understanding. It's similar to climbing trad. 

There's certainly a trad climber out there who checks with his or her FEELINGS before he or she places a piece --- am I scared, am I worried, am I hungry, do I look cool, do I feel like Alex Honnold --- but the climbers with the most long-term success are measuring, counting, thinking critically, and looking ahead. An emotional climber might pass one making a gear placement and say, "Wow, what a pussy, this guy lives in FEAR," but the emotional climber's inability to understand how people make decisions without consulting their emotions has zero bearing on what's going on inside the safer climber's head.

It's not that other people are "scared or not scared."

It's that other people have discovered more reliable methods of solving problems than consulting their emotions.

Pat Light wrote:

COVID did a great job of separating the emotional thinkers from the non-emotional thinkers

Pro tip: Unlike the people shouting about how taking COVID precautions means you're "scared," a great many humans don't rely on whether they're "scared or not scared" to make decisions. A great many of us can count, read, think critically, open a middle-school science textbook, and understand research publications. This is called "relying on something other than your emotions to make your way through the world." If you're the kind of person who only lives in the "scared or not scared" paradigm, I invite you to take a deep breath and learn how to read and count. The world will open up to you in a way that you are (apparently) genuinely not capable of understanding. It's similar to climbing trad. 

There's certainly a trad climber out there who checks with his or her FEELINGS before he or she places a piece --- am I scared, am I worried, am I hungry, do I look cool, do I feel like Alex Honnold --- but the climbers with the most long-term success are measuring, counting, thinking critically, and looking ahead. An emotional climber might pass one making a gear placement and say, "Wow, what a pussy, this guy lives in FEAR," but the emotional climber's inability to understand how people make decisions without consulting their emotions has zero bearing on what's going on inside the safer climber's head.

It's not that other people are "scared or not scared."

It's that other people have discovered more reliable methods of solving problems than consulting their emotions.

Pat,

Fear (being scared) can be a good thing. Fear can protect us. ("I'm afraid to solo that route" or "I don't want to walk across the street with all that traffic") 

However, there is a difference between justified fears and unfounded, or overblown, fears.

If someone is vaccinated and reasonably healthy, there is virtually no chance of being hospitalized or dying from COVID. 

More vulnerable people have good reasons to be scared of COVID.

So I believe both segments of society exist - people that are making rational decisions and people that are making decisions based on unfounded fears ("scared"). It's a wide spectrum.

Yeah, I think some people are making decisions based on unfounded fears and the mere thought of COVID rules their lives. Prevents them from making rational decisions. Like going to the movies or restaurants. That's their choice, though.