Check Out this Steelhead Monster

This is video from a recent trip in Southeast Alaska.  I took the photos and videos with my waterproof Pentax Optio WG-1.  Pretty cool fish.

Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 - A Review from a Critical Thinker

Atlas Shrugged - the movie.  Since I finished reading it in 1999 I have often wondered if it could be made into a movie.  For one thing it espouses ideas that are violently opposed to the, decidedly left leaning, Hollywood elite.  I have also wondered whether the didactic nature of the story could translate to film, and if it could, would the masses would go see it.

Ayn Rand's masterpiece is essentially a tale of the collapse of a society in which innovators (free thinkers, captains of industry, producers) are threatened by an exploitative, government led, populous.  Throughout the novel the protagonist, Dagny Taggart, struggles as she watches producer after producer disappear just as the "looters" suck the very will to live from society.

Rand's novel promotes the idea that living for the sake of one's self is paramount.  The antagonists in her story think otherwise, and through various laws come up with ways to make sure that the efforts of those who "produce" are shared by those who "can't" do the same for themselves...after all, who could expect people to take care of themselves (sarcasm for those who can't tell).

I consider Ayn Rand's novel to be one of the greatest novels ever written, and as such, it is one of my favorites (if not my favorite).  On a personal level, I would love to have the movie be a smashing success.  In my heart I hope for a huge blockbuster that would miraculously show everyone just how we need to change the direction we are headed in, not only as country, but globally.  In my brain, I know that people are pretty set in their ways.  Those that have read the novel with an open mind see what I see.  Those that have not read the book, or refuse to, will not change their mind because of a movie.

Having said all of that, this is a movie review.  I want to be impartial, unlike many of the film critics out there.  By all accounts this was a very low budget film, $15-$20 million.  As such, there are no "stars" in the film.  I could list the primary cast, but it would be silly to do so.  I have never heard of any of them, although I have seen them in supporting roles in other movies.  Despite the relatively unknown cast, the actors seemed to hold there own on camera.  I did not sense any awkward moments that you can sometimes get in a movie with "B" actors.

The cinematography and production value were, likewise, very good.  There were grand sweeping shots and very good CG scenes that made me feel like I was in a much higher budget film.  So far so good.

The movie follows the books storyline pretty closely.  To fit on film, it has to be an abridged version, but it is true to the book.  Again, so far so good.

Where the film may be a let down is in the translation from book to film.  Rand's nearly 1200 page book has huge moments in which the primary characters made grand soliloquies.  There is simply no way to bring these to film without most of the audience getting up to refill their popcorn buckets.  The very length of the book also means that the movie will, at the very least, need two more installments.  This may work for Harry Potter, but will it work for John Galt?  Much of what I love about the book, besides the simple message, is lost because of the loss of these grand speeches.  To bad, but that is what happens to books when they are turned into movies.

I believe that in the end only those of us who want the movie to do well will allow ourselves to go and watch it.  I thought the movie was good.  I would give it a solid B, or 4 out of 5 stars.  I would not expect anyone who has not read the book to go see it.  I would hope they would see it, but that is all.

If you are someone who is truly open minded, and you can stand being bludgeoned by Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, then you should go see the movie.  You probably won't feel like you have had the cost of a movie ticket stolen from you.  If you are someone who believes everything you read in movie reviews, or if your heart is hardened to the idea that "attacking the most productive of society" is a bad thing, then you should probably go ahead and wait for the next mindless film that comes out....Scream 4 perhaps.

To all of you who are already love the story of Atlas Shrugged, go see it.  To all of you are not afraid to challenge your socio-political beliefs, go see it.  To all of you who think that we need to stifle the productivity of the brightest and hardest working in our society, go see it....then come back here to complain about it :)

Atlas Shrugged Part 1 is coming soon! Can't wait!
Visit the Official Atlas Shrugged Movie Web Site!

Christmas 2010 - Murray's South

We had our first Christmas as a married couple today. It was nice and we both love all our gifts. The stand out for me has to be the Sig Sauer .45 that Sarah got me. I think Sarah really likes the Kitchenaid appliance that I got her. She is excited to use it right away. My parents also sent some nice gifts. Thanks for the knives, Atlas Shrugged shirt, bamboo utensils, and the defrosting sheet.

Later today we will be going to Sarah's parents' home to have some brunch and Christmas out there. On the way I am going to drop off some gifts for the Cochran's.

Bread Fruit and Kayaks

I am not sure when I am going to be able to make another post until we get back to the states, so I thought I would make the rare second post in one day. Today we slept in until 8a and pretty much had our day planned out. After some breakfast and my first post, we were on our way.

We started by heading up to Belvedere lookout because it looked a little clearer than yesterday. I was able to get a better shot of both Opunohu and Cook's Bays as well as the mountain separating them. There were also some other picturesque mountainous views that I got some photos of.

After our return to the hotel we promptly checked the kayak out to take take around the northeast corner of the island to the pearl shop and the friends we made yesterday. The trip, about a mile and a half long, took about and hour and a half as we faced strong headwinds the entire trip. Once there we were shown around their property and then treated to a meal of bread fruit, coconut, and canned beef.

The bread fruit was barbecued over an open flame for about an hour. While that was cooking we husked a couple of coconuts, cracked them open, and then grated the inside. The result was a pile of coconut shavings on a plate made from coconut palms (which we helped to weave). Once the bread fruit was cooked it was peeled and plated on another leaf plate. The canned beef was quickly heated in the fire that the bread fruit was cooked in.

With the food plated we began our meal. The bread fruit is pinched off the core of the fruit and then used to pick up coconut, beef, or both. The fruit is very doughy (hence the name) and quite good. At one point our host had me pick up a handful of coconut shavings and squeeze them over the beef and bread fruit. The result was coconut milk and the taste on both the beef and bread was tasty. It was reminiscent of a dish I had last night (tuna marinated in coconut milk or poisson cru).

After our meal we talked with our gracious hosted for about 30 minutes before climbing back into our kayak for the ride back to the resort. The return trip was about 1/2 as long, only about 45 minutes because we had the wind at our backs most of the trip. After a quick dip in the pool, a shower, and a Hinano or two, we are both refreshed.

Tonight we are going to stay in an eat some leftovers and cook up some of the food that we have in our cupboard. We will probably shoot the breeze with Muk (the proprietor) and some of the other guests. In the morning we have to check out by 10:30a, but we are supposed to return our rental car by 9:30a. I am hoping to be able to keep the car until 2 or 3p so that we can spend more time on Moorea.

Tomorrow we have to catch the ferry across to Papeete and then catch a taxi to our hotel near the airport. We stay the night in Papeete and fly back on Sunday the 19th (my parent's anniversary). We get into LA Sunday evening and then fly to Seattle. We have about a 6 hour layover in Seattle before flying home on the 20th.

Our timing is apparently pretty good. Moorea has very few tourists over the time that we have been visiting, but there are a lot more on the way. The weeks in and around Christmas are very busy. I am very glad we were here during a slow period.

Anyway, hopefully we will be able to make a post tomorrow, but if not, then probably once we land in LA, or at the latest, in Seattle. TTFN.