Skirts On Fire

Star Trek (2009)

In a word: yes.

In several more words: JJ Abrams is a god.  First of all, I like all the things he’s created thus far so there was a good chance I’d like this movie.  Second, I did come in as someone who likes Star Trek to begin with so that ups the chances  even more.  Lots of action, great pace, good dialogue – everything you want in a sci-fi flick that’s aiming to restart a brand.  I’m wondering how long I’m going to have to wait for the next movie.  I’ve also decided that the best way to see a movie is to know absolutely nothing about it beforehand.  No or low expectations are the way to go.

Lastly, amusing JJ Abrams note: apparently this guy likes big red balls of liquid that float.  See Alias, season 1, episode 1.

Up The Yangtze (2007)

Don’t make comparisons of Canada and the US.  Don’t talk about Quebec Independence.  You have to love a doc that can define Anglo-Canadian identity so summarily.  These are two of the rules defined by the manager of a cruise ship that takes Western tourists up the Yangtze river in China for a farewell tour.  With the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the water level was slated to rise a total of 175m.  That is fine if you happen to not live next to the river, your father a poor farmer who can’t afford to move his family.  Yu Shui is the elder daughter in just such a family.  At 16, with dreams of becoming a scientist but unable to afford high school, she goes to work on one of these cruise ships to make $200 a month – the equivalent to her father’s annual income.

I like a doc that can drop your jaw in the first view minutes.  Between shots of the beautiful scenery and bridges spanning the Yangtze to the concept that a family couldn’t afford to move, this one nails it.

http://uptheyangtze.com/

http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/uptheyangtze/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam