Banff Mountain Film Festival unleashes daring movies at the Rio Theatre

Go climb a rock. Or at least watch a movie about people who climb rocks, and put their lives at risk for fun, by catching the Banff Mountain Film Festival at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 and 27 at the Rio Theatre. The thrill ride of a festival is back once again to woo adventurers with a series of short films that are inspiring, jaw-dropping, and feature feats that are beyond your imagination. Sporting a fantastic lineup of films, two of the ‘scene stealers’ are the films Finding Farley and First Ascent: The Impossible Climb. The latter stars Santa Cruz’s own spectacular rock climber Chris Sharma, who scales perhaps the world’s most difficult rock climb, and Finding Farley explores the aquatic journey of a couple, their toddler, and their dog as they travel down bodies of water in search of a legendary writer who did a similar trip long ago. Here’s a quick run-down of these two highlighted films.

Disturbingly beautiful ‘White Ribbon’ ponders the nature of evil

Where does evil come from? Is it sheer, blind chance, an unfortunate genetic malfunction, a random fluke of an uncaring universe? Or is it seeded and grown like a living thing, to be rooted and nurtured in a particular hothouse environment of intolerance and injustice, malice, brutality and fear? Filmmaker Michael Haneke invites us to consider this question in The White Ribbon, his disturbingly beautiful drama that imagines life in a remote German village in the generation before Hitler’s rise to power. More complex than a simple parable, it’s a stately piece of dramatic fiction with the dread-generating intensity of a horror movie.

Plus Letters to Good Times
Oh … Some Hope
Put it in Park

Love is all around. But how much of it are you getting? Or giving, for that matter. I came across some old notes of mine that documented some interesting readings I found over the years. Love—loving—actually promotes good health. More on that next week, but for now, it’s great to see some love emerging in the form of the many benefits for Haiti taking place around the county. Motiv in Downtown Santa Cruz had one last week, and The Red has plans to host one. On Friday, Feb. 12, First Congregational Church in Santa Cruz welcomes Franklin Marshall for an event. Now that one news cycle has rolled out, much has been reported on Haiti, but it shouldn’t stop there. More attention can be drawn to the events unfolding there as Haiti rebuilds. One organization I found intriguing, which News Editor Elizabeth Limbach wrote about in our “Fresh Dirt” blog, is Save the Children. It’s an entity on a mission to generate lasting change in the lives of children in need around the globe. Presently, Save the Children is offering assistance in Port au Prince— food, water, shelter and more. Consider making a donation to Save the Children at savethechildren.org. Learn more about other ways to contribute to this cause by logging onto our website. Just click on the ‘Fresh Dirt” blogs and you’ll find updates on Haiti and what locals can do to assist.

Films This Week
Check out the movies playing around town.
With reviews and trailers.

Cirque du Soleil’s delicious new “eggs”stravangza is a winner

Hold the fly swatter! “Ovo,” Cirque du Soleil’s fascinating new outing, is more than a headturner. It’s simply outstanding.

A memorable, often spellbinding frolic from beginning to end, the show, which opened in The City last fall, has settled into its San Jose digs. But in a fun turn, the outing takes audiences inside the inner workings of the ecosystem. More specifically, a place where a bountiful universe of  bugs—all kinds—engage in great mysteries. Here, Cirque’s clever creatures fret over the arrival of a mysterious egg–by a neurotic fly (fittingly)–which forces everyone to question the egg’s existence and perhaps their own. In other words: This is the best eye-candy of the season!

He strives to keep Cambodian heritage alive in Santa Cruz
I sit mesmerized as I watch a young girl tear a hairy leg from a plump tarantula and pop it in her mouth. She happily chews on the crunchy thing, enjoying her afternoon snack. A giggle escapes her lips when she notices my open-mouthed expression, and she extends the bag of deep-fried arachnids toward me. My stomach churns. Should I? Didn’t I travel to the Kingdom of Cambodia precisely to collect exotic experiences such as this one? Despite my internal pep talk, I cannot bring myself to eat a dead spider, let alone pick one up. I politely decline. She shrugs her shoulders and glances away, incredulous that I would turn down such an obvious treat. Suddenly I feel just like Dorothy—absolutely not in “Kansas” anymore.

Behold the beautifully luscious treats of local chocolatiers, Richard Donnelly and Ian and Mary Rose Mackenzie
Behind an attractive storefront on Mission Street in Santa Cruz, Richard Donnelly makes internationally award-winning chocolates and truffles. At the front door, customers gather in the small retail space. Bookshelves and tables hold pre-packaged sweets, and a glass cabinet displays available truffle flavors. In the open kitchen, chocolate is being mixed and candies are laid out for packaging. Much of the work here is done by hand—the hand of a master.

On Feb. 8, Assemblymember Bill Monning proposed a bill to protect the California public from potentially hazardous pesticides. Monning proposed the bill partly as response to chemical sprayed in the Santa Cruz area two years ago to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth. “The lack of information about the inert ingredients used in the aerial spray program caused a great deal of fear and mistrust among the public,” says Monning in a press release. “I believe that people have a right to know what they are eating, drinking, and breathing and should be allowed to make informed decisions based upon full disclosure.” California Senator Mark Leno proposed the same legislation to the state senate.

Inside the the fascinating mind of Disney animation legend Floyd Norman

Since Walt Disney first put pen to paper and created that cute little mouse in 1928, America has had a perpetual love affair with all things Disney. Animation has come a long way since the early days of artists drawing sketch after sketch to create a continuous story, but there’s something about the classic art of animated cartoons that has thoroughly captured the hearts and imaginations of both young and old.

Cartoonist Floyd Norman, who will be the guest of honor at Atlantis Fantasy World on Saturday, Feb. 13, has played a major role in creating many of the animated features that are synonymous with the Disney empire.

Rawlings imports an element of surprise at Dawes’ recent concert in Santa Cruz

Remember when an encore was something a band had to earn? Most likely, you probably can’t. That’s because a standing ovation or a crowd calling for more, waiting in front of a stage while the rock star at hand walks off to the wings—oh so momentarily, has become a mundane ritual rather than a sign of rare, high regard. I often feel a sense of disappointment at the contrived nature of how show endings go off these days, wondering why bands end a set at all when they (and the rest of us) know that, whether or not anyone asks for it, they’ll pick up the mic and power through their amps for an additional few songs in straightforward form. Why bother walking offstage in the first place?