Open Water

Both DH and I enjoyed this thriller. It was somewhat slow, which in the beginning annoyed me. However, I realized this probably only added to the suspense later in the movie.

The premise is loosely based on a true story where a couple goes diving on a vacation, and are inadverdently (sp?) left at sea by the divemaster. It was really disturbing- especially if you are avid divers like DH and myself.

It is an indie film made by husband and wife dive buddies. I believe that it is a more intimate film because it is both an indie and made by spouses. I guess I should also add that it is not a happy, feel-good movie, as my secretary ripped into me for not warning her.

It really made DH and I think - in fact the next day we bought space blankets to tuck into our BC (bouyancy control device) for the next time we go diving!!! (ps- space blankets are lightweight, reflective, and interrupt radio transmission, keep you warm out of the water, and are just good disaster stash.)

[Auspicious]

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This has nothing to do with the movie but is my favorite space blanket story.

FH was on a multi-day hiking trip with his German friend Kai. They were bedded down for the night in their sleeping bags in a hikers' shelter on the trail, when at like midnight this other guy shows up. They don't know if he was on the lam or his wife threw him out of the house or what, but he was skanky, in a horrible mood, and the only thing he seemed to have with him was a space blanket (and it was really cold).

The guy immediately commits some breach of hikers' ettiquette--coming in noisily, I think--Kai says something to him about it, gets a "shut the &$*# up you &*%#@ nazi" (idiot), blah blah blah, they stop short of throwing punches, and everyone goes back to sleep.

Or tries to, because not only does the guy snore, but every time he moves, the space blanket makes loud crinkling noises. *sigh*

So they leave as soon as it gets light, and Kai says, really wounded, in his heavy German accent, "It is not fair for him to call me 'nazi' . . . he should have said 'kraut.'":| Aww. I think that's the only time I know of someone expressing a preference between slurs.

Anyway, the bad hiker has gone down in lore as: Herr Kartoffel (Mr. Potato--wrapped in foil, get it?) and Herr Kartoffel has proven to be a surprisingly versatile phrase--for rude hikers, for people who are mad and you don't know why, etc. etc. Plus it's fun to say.

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