Movies

There are a few movies out in theaters and DVD that are worth noting:

500 Days of Summer--We saw this at Sundance last year--a very refreshing romantic comedy with some positive insight. But I could have done without the bluebird.

Adam--Another Sundance 2009 movie and another different take on a romantic comedy. Adam has Asperger's, a mild form of autism. Makes for an interesting relationship. Try to ignore the unnecessary sub-plot with Peter Gallagher.

The Brothers Bloom--Just out on DVD. I hesitate to actually recommend this, because it's terribly flawed. But still, I enjoyed it, probably because I love grifter mvoies. It's just that this one grifts a little too long.

Coraline--Yes, this movie was hyped enough that you all are aware of it. But you might have stayed away because you're not a fan of animation, or maybe of creepy stuff. Neither am I, really. But I liked this a lot. Coraline is a totally cool character, the kind of girl I'd like to be ... if, you know, I had to be a girl.

Defiance--Out on DVD, an inspiring action movie based on a true story of Belarus Jews that fought back in WWII. Daniel Craig is great and Liev Schreiber once again shows off his amazing versatility.

The Hurt Locker--You'll probably have to wait until this comes out on DVD, and hopefully they ClearPlay it, but it's a gripping story of bomb squads in Iraq. Powerful.

Disappointment: Sunshine Cleaning--I missed this at Sundance last year and was eager to get it on DVD, about two women that go into business cleaning up after crime scenes. The trailers made it look funny. Instead, it was dull and depressing.

Most Unusual: Cold Souls--Finally released, and another film I saw at Sundance last year. Someone described it as Being John Malkovich meets Eternal Sunshine. A very strange and existential movie starring Paul Giamatti. The director said it was inspired by a dream she had about Woody Allen, who she originally wanted for the starring role. You'll either really like it or really not. Caveat emptor.

From the Archives: Everything is Illuminated., 2005. Rebecca recently recommended this to Merritt and Stacie, who both really liked it. And it reminded me of how much I enjoyed it. Directed by (once again) Liev Schreiber and (once again) with a WWII/Jewish theme. Starring Frodo (aka Elijah Wood). An absolutely charming movie.

Moab

Spent a couple of really fun days around Moab this week. Late last week Steve Ramras (AKA Ram--canyoneering legend) called and asked if I wanted to join him for some unpublished canyons around North Wash. I thought about it for maybe three seconds before saying yes. Unfortunately, the weather turned very bad and so we went to a back-up plan--Moab.

Tuesday Ram, Rick F. and I hiked near Devil's Garden in Arches, but well behind the tourist trails and found plenty of interesting climbing and, of course, several awesome arches--Landscape Arch, Navajo Arch, Double-O Arch, Black Arch and Partition Arch--plus the Dark Angel monolith and other remarkable sites. We climbed around the fins and had a great time.

Wednesday we were joined by a couple of guys from Salt Lake and spent the day in The Fiery Furnace in Arches, aka The Fins or Finland. The area is filled with extraordinary features--fins that rise up from the earth, forming a maze of canyons and alleys. We spent the day climbing, chimneying and squeezing through the tight cracks. I also experienced more exposure than I am used to--and several times had to jump places where a loss of footing would have meant likely death. It was good for the adrenaline, but definitely sobering. I remember one climb looking down maybe 300 feet from an 18-inch ledge and facing a jump up over the top. Uh, yeah. I kept telling myself that I'm going to die sometime, and at least this way I'll leave a good story. But in the end, I was just being overly dramatic and a bit of a scaredy-cat.

At the close of the day we drove south of Moab and descended a river gorge, called The Pleiades. It was a totally different world from Arches--green, forested and humid with fast-running water. Lots of fun and I look forward to getting back there sometime.