Steep

First Hit: Not only does this film show unbelievable extreme skiing, it provides the history and interviews with the people who pioneered this amazing sport.

Bill Briggs of Jackson Hole, WY climbed and skied the Grand Teton, which is a jagged spire of rock so steep and serrated that snow barely sticks to it.

When you see the pictures of his tracks cutting in the brief snow fields, the story he tells comes to life. You get that this is the greatest thing he’ll ever do in his life.

The film leaves the United States and heads to one of the greatest extreme skiing places on earth, Chamonix France. In the 1970s and 1980s this French Alp town becomes the center of the world for extreme skiing.

Anyone and everyone who despises chairlifts to another groomed face of snow, goes to Chamonix to try their hand at carving their own steep trail. It is here one learns just how treacherous this sport is.

The skiers are looking for faces of snow that have angles of 40, 45, and 50% of slope. At this level of steepness, gravity cannot be denied and one has to fall into the pull and head down the mountain.

The movie then takes to you Valdez Alaska. Here the snow is 80 feet deep, clings to the steep rocks like a velveteen blanket, and give skiers the adventure of their lives.

All through this film, we are introduced to some of the wild characters that extreme ski. They are willing to jump into their fear and race the wave of snow that may follow them down these steep mountains always threatening to swallow them up.

Overall: If you like skiing you’ll love this film and you'll see through its pacing and continuity issues. If you go, sit back and enjoy the ride into a different world.

Nanking

First Hit: This is a powerful film providing a glimpse at one of the worst massacres of World War II.

Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman did an outstanding job of interweaving archival still photographs, film footage, current day interviews, and the journals of a small group of Westerners who, by establishing a security zone in Nanking, were able to save thousands of lives during the takeover by the Japanese.

The light shone by this film focuses on the utter disregard for the lives of the Chinese citizens living in Nanking by the Japanese soldiers. The soldiers raped thousands of women old and young alike along with killing more than 20,000 citizens in this once proud, productive capital city.

The journals were read by actors including Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson, and Jurgen Prochnow. The interviews were heartbreaking, enlightening and included both Japanese soldiers and Chinese citizens of Nanking.

Overall: I left the film filled with compassion, sadness, and sorrow that man continues to, in the 21st Century, think that war solves problems or can be humane.

In the Shadow of the Moon

First Hit: “Extraordinary.” This is an amazing film. It truly marks a moment in time for all mankind.

There aren’t enough words to express the amazing trip this film takes you on.

Ron Howard captures the events of the time with a wonderful mixture of authentic footage from NASA, television, and narration by the people who made it happen.

Telling the story of how these hard charging, brave, brilliant, and prideful men who were labeled as having “the right stuff”, landed on the moon and came back could have been a cold factual flag waving story.

However, what Ron presents is a beautifully open, honest, and factual story through the Astronauts eyes which reflect a human and world view. Each of them shares their own intimate experience as the images weave through the facts of this remarkable event.

What the audience receives is a beautifully human story giving us a real sense of what it was like to be part of this extraordinary event.

At the end of the film each of the interviewed Astronauts shares a few words about how this event changed their lives spiritually. Each of them had an epiphany, an “ah ha”, or an insight about themselves and the human race. And although each of them experienced it differently, there is no doubt in my mind they each have seen things as they truly are and this does change one’s life forever.

Overall: It is a must see because these are the only human beings to ever see the whole earth at one time. They saw a brilliantly beautiful blue ball suspended in the black emptiness of space. And as one of the men commented, if I held my thumb out I could cover the entire view of the earth.

Deep Water

First Hit: What a truly interesting documentary about sailing, people, and what happens to them when pressed to be with themselves by themselves.

This was an extraordinary event that took place in 1968.

The film mostly focuses on one man who felt the need to show up in the world and "to the world" and his family in some way.

I do find it interesting how the English (and I saw two English films this week) talk about themselves and behaviors in the third person. Rarely, when they are speaking, do they own their feelings or understandings of themselves in the first person.

However, the logs, his journal, the tape recordings and the 16mm footage do not hide the real person and it is hear that ownership begins to take place.

The interviews during the film are timely, touching and interesting.

I loved the Frenchman coming into his full understanding of who he is and his willingness to live his truth.

The decision he makes towards the end of the film is both flabbergasting and of the truth. I bow to this man.

It would be easy to give away the ending of this film, but I suggest you go see it or rent it on DVD because it is worth watching.

Overall: I’m so glad I saw this film and I loved hearing the narration of the journals they kept. What a risk and what an adventure.

The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters

First Hit: I liked this film and it was one of the few where I actually applauded at the end of the film.

My applause wasn’t because it was a great film, it is a very good film, but because of the way it ended.

This film is an interesting look at the beginning of the video game revolution, the competitions, the people behind the players, and the drive to achieve “the” high score. It showed the “wanna be” types as well as the real players.

It shows you honest emotions, the frailties, and the strengths of the people pushing the buttons on the consol.

The film exposes the fear, disappointment, vengeance, sadness, joy, and humanness of the players and organization (Galaxy) supporting active gaming.

Overall: It was a very good documentary with real people being themselves.