Extreme Danger

Movie Review: Open Water (2003)
The Indie hit, the 'Blair Witch', of 2003. Based on the true story of two divers who are left behind by their dive boat in the middle of the ocean. No one really knows what happened to the divers afterwards as their bodies were never recovered. Much like the film 'The Perfect Storm', this movie speculates on what might have happened to them. Most of this speculation revolves around sharks. This movie is a tight thriller and is worth watching. I find the way that this movie was produced just as interesting as the movie itself (I also think the same thing about Blair Witch). The crew consisted of only 3 people and there were only 2 key actors. The film was shot on weekends and holidays over a period of a few years as the film making couple had full time jobs to attend. All of the sharks used in the film are real and the couple were right out in the middle of them in a number of scenes. 8/10

Movie Review: Touching the Void (2003)
This film is a recreation of an actual climb and it's awful aftermath. In 1985 two young, British climbers were the first to climb a deadly peak in Peru. Of course, as most climbers say (or at least, as I've read that most climbers say) getting up a mountain is the easy part. Getting down is the hard part. After successfully reaching the summit, one of the two climbers suffers a serious injury on the descent and ends up dangling over a fissure. His partner, left with no other options, is forced to cut the rope and find his own way down the mountain. Here is where the story really starts...
Based on the best selling book of the same name this is a gripping tale. And unlike other Hollywood crap about mountain climbing this is the real deal. 8.5/10

Movie Review: The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Big special effects movie by the man who brought us Stargate, Independence Day and Godzilla. OK, to be honest, I had never intended to see this movie. The above list of disappointing movies is the reason why. One of the podcasts I listen to had a special episode about the science in the movie and I wanted to see it before listening to the show. As it turns out, the podcast in question hadn't been archived so I couldn't listen to it anyways. To my surprise, however, I didn't find the movie all that bad. Oh sure there are plot holes bigger than the icebergs banging into New York harbour, but I didn't mind it all that much. I think this is probably the best movie that Roland Emmerich has made.
In short, human-made pollution has altered the earth's environmental balance so much so that a new ice age descends on the northern hemisphere with the speed of an Olympic short course speedskater. Dennis Quaid plays an environmental researcher who just can't get the people in Washington to listen to his 'crazy ideas'. Meanwhile his son, Jake Gyllenhaal, is having his own problems (of the cute, female variety) in New York. In the middle of a blaring snowstorm and killer termperatures, Quaid literally hikes from Washington D.C. to New York to help him. This little jaunt through the snow and ice, in such a short time, is the most unbelievable bit of the movie (besides the actual ice age that starts). 7/10

Book Review: Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
Wow, of the first 4 books this one is by far the best. Besides the usual cast we get the return of: Sirius Black, Doby the house Elf, Lord Voldemort, Wormtail, Lucius Malfoy and Moaning Myrtle, we also get to witness the Quidditch World Cup and the legendary Tri-Wizards tournament. This book really seems to be setting up big things for the next book(s?) which I'm really eager to read now. The end of the story felt like the 'Council of Elrond' chapter in Lord o the Rings where the forces of good begin to marshall their forces for the upcoming battle. Wow, bring on the next one.

These are not travel guides.

Movie Review: Amistad (1997)
This is a Spielberg drama that takes place in the 19th century. A group of slaves takes control of their ship and they land in America. They are immediately placed in jail and a series of court dramas ensues. Various parties (such as the Queen of Spain, the owners of the boat, and the American navy offices who boarded the ship) all claim that the slaves are their property. Djimon Hounsou (from Gladiator) is brilliant as the unofficial leader of the slaves. Mathew McConaughey is less convincing in his role as an attourney. While not as powerful as Schindler's List this is still a strong movie about some of the deplorable things humankind has done in it's not-too-distant past. The scenes showing the horrendous treatment the slaves endured during their trip from Africa to Cuba are especially haunting. 7.5/10

Movie Review:
Last Life in the Universe (2003)
This is a mesmerizing movie about a Japanese man living in Bangkok and the Thai woman he befriends. There is also a complicated mix of Yakuza hitmen, vendettas, car accidents, and halucinations. This movie leaves a lot of questions unresolved at the end of the movie so people who like movies that are all neatly tied up by the end may be disappointed here. In fact, I think 3 different endings were shown at the end leaving the viewer to choose which one he or she prefers. This is just my impression though and I may be wrong. This is really one of those movies that requires multiple viewings. 9/10

Book Review:
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
Feynman won a nobel prize for his work in quantum electrodynamics. He also worked on the Manhattan Project and contributed to the official government report on the destruction of the space shuttle challenger. This collection of short stories reveals Feynman's brilliance, love of safecracking, and a great admiration for his father who instilled in him a desire to understand how things work. It was a little strange to read about how this great, but very funny man, was celebrating at the news of the 'success' of the atomic attacks on Japan.