“In January, 2015, American rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson captivated the world with their effort to climb The Dawn Wall, a seemingly impossible 3,000 foot rock face in Yosemite National Park, California. The pair lived on the sheer vertical cliff for weeks, igniting a frenzy of global media attention. But for Tommy Caldwell, The Dawn Wall was much more than just a climb. It was the culmination of a lifetime defined by overcoming obstacles …” [For more information, visit the official Dawn Wall site]
Film Recommendations
Valley Uprising
“For the past fifty years, Yosemite’s massive cliffs have drawn explorers and madmen to leave materialism behind and venture onto the high, lonesome granite. The larger-than-life characters of Yosemite carved out an extreme bohemian lifestyle in the valley: living in the dirt, clashing with the National Park authorities, and pioneering the boldest climbs on earth. The torch has been passed across three generations of climbers; through rivalries, tragedies and triumphs, the art of Yosemite climbing has advanced beyond anyone’s imagination. Narrated by acclaimed actor Peter Sarsgaard (Garden State, Jarhead, An Education) and produced by Emmy® Award-Winning Sender Films with Big UP Productions, Valley Uprising deftly recounts the history of Yosemite’s bold tradition: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity, and the laws of the land.” [For more information about Valley Uprising, visit the Sender Films official website.]
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)
“The Fyre Festival was billed as a luxury music experience on a posh private island, but it failed spectacularly in the hands of a cocky entrepreneur.”
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau: “In 1995, visionary writer/director Richard Stanley (HARDWARE, DUST DEVIL) got the green light for his dream project: An epic adaptation of H.G. Wells’ ‘The Island Of Doctor Moreau’ starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer. But only days into production, an unprecedented storm of natural disasters, monstrous egos and disturbing imagery – along with chaos, insanity and witchcraft – would trigger perhaps the most infamous behind-the-scenes catastrophe in modern movie history.”
Filmworker (2017)
Filmworker: “The remarkable, untold story of Leon Vitali who gave up fame and fortune to serve for decades as Stanley Kubrick’s right-hand man.”
31 Days of Halloween Movie Challenge
For the first time ever, I embarked on the 31 Days of Halloween Movie Challenge. My only criteria was that I picked horror movies that I had never seen before and that they at least had some horror elements within them (although several could be easily labeled thrillers or horror/thrillers). However, I did end up watching a lot of movies I had missed over the past 10 years or so that I had heard good things about. It was a fun odyssey and I found a few really good films (along with a couple of real turkeys like Pay the Ghost!), which I have highlighted in bold throughout the final list below:
1. Show Yourself (2016)
2. The Hallow (2015)
3. Wake Wood (2009)
4. Pay the Ghost (2015)
5. The Babadook (2014)
6. It Follows (2014)
7. The Invitation (2015)
8. Let Me In (2010)
9. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
10. From the Dark (2014)
11. The House of the Devil (2009)
12. Honeymoon (2014)
13. The Uninvited (2009)
14. The Pact (2012)
15. A Dark Song (2016)
16. Killing Ground (2016)
17. Better Watch Out (2016)
18. It Comes at Night (2017)
19. The Exorcist III (1990)
20. Creep (2014)
21. The Suffering (2016)
22. 1922 (2017)
23. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
24. The Endless (2017)
25. Spring (2014)
26. Craters of the Moon (2013)
27. Take Shelter (2011)
28. Apostle (2018)
29. The Dark (2005)
30. The Skeleton Key (2005)
31. Frailty (2001)
Heartworn Highways
“I don’t envision a long life for myself. Like, I think my life will run out before my work does, y’know? I’ve designed it that way.” – Townes Van Zandt
If you are a fan of legendary singer-songwriters Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and Steve Earle, I strongly recommend both of these documentaries: Heartworn Highways (1976) and Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004)!
Wandering Florida 