I'm so Upset

We just got out of our last movie of the day and I'm going to start by talking about that film and loop back around to our first movie. Actually, it was my first movie. Jois and Kim went to a 9:00 AM movie and I headed up to the box office around 7:00 AM to see if I could exchange or sell some tickets. We had two tickets for a 9:00 PM movie at The Sundance Resort (which is an hour outside Park City) and, after exploring all options -- shuttle, taxi, hitchhiking -- we abandoned hope of getting there at a reasonable price. I successfully exchanged those tickets for two tickets to "Fire in the Blood."

Fire in the Blood

This is one of those documentaries that every American should see. You will start out sad and end up pissed. Dylan Gray does an excellent job of explaining why the same antiretroviral drugs that have changed the outcome for thousands of Aids patients in the U.S. are not being utilized in third world countries. I'll give you a hint, the big Pharmaceutical companies are not very nice (unless you happen to be running for office.) The result, poor people in places like Africa and India are dying by the millions. That's not OK. Please visit the film's website, www.fireintheblood.com to hear more of the story and find out how to get involved. By the way Oregonians, I talked to one of the advocates featured in the film and he said Ron Wyden has been helpful, but it wouldn't hurt if he heard from his constituents.

Shopping

Earlier in the day, we saw a dramatic film set in New Zealand in the '80s. Based somewhat on the filmmakers' lives, it told the story of Willie, an 18-ish kid who is fiercely loyal to his little brother, torn between the two cultures of his mixed-race family and gets involved with a traveling band of petty thieves. The little brother steals the show, but the intensity and honesty displayed by first-time actor Kevin Paulo, who plays Willie, is pretty remarkable. This is why I love Sundance: During the Q and A we learn that the filmmakers "discovered" him while he was eating butter chicken at a food court at the mall and the brother scenes were mostly improvised. I'm not sure it has commercial appeal, but we suggested they submit it to the Portland International Film Festival. We'll see ...

We capped the day with some lousy Chinese food (our favorite burrito joint was closed), packing and a little perusing of the real estate ads. Anyone want to go in on a condo in Park City with us?
We are out of tickets now, but that's not going to stop us from trying for one more movie tomorrow.

P.S. The title of tonight's post refers to both the documentary and the bad Chinese food.