I haven't seen 127 hours but I really disliked Into the Wild. I'm probably curmudgeonly before my time but it was a story about a dude who goes into the wild and dies because he's so busy being a free spirit that he doesn't bother to listen to any good advice. Damn long-hair.
I liked Into the Wild even though I didn't like that guy at all. He was really full of shit.
I think the audience was supposed to find his actions and choices questionable. For me that was what made it so tragic and emotional. A young man, a silly dreamer, can be driven to a very unhealthy place when left to his own devices. It's an intensely frustrating thing to know someone has been presented with reason and for them to ignore it, but it happens so frequently, and I liked the way it as presented, where as in 127 Hours *spoiler*
it was totally brushed off as an "oh, I was stupid, but now I leave a note." He still does this shit. He has a wife and child and he lost a limb, but he still endangers his life regularly. *spoiler* The problem is, human beings long for freedom, and will seek it out to the point of self endangerment and possibly stupidity. It's a fascinating thing to examine, and I think 127 failed to even touch upon that aspect in any deep way.