In 1959 in the Ural Mountains in Russia, an expedition of nine was killed. It is referred as The Dyatlov Pass Incident. The circumstances have remained a mystery, although there are many theories as to what actually occurred: wild animals, aliens, yeti, avalanche, radiation, secret government experiments. Devil’s Pass (2013) follows a contemporary, fictional group trying to find the answer. I watched it last night courtesy of Netflix. It is not easy to follow and the ending is unsatisfying. A contributor at IMDb, a fan of Lost, likened the film to the series. He also brought up a point I hadn’t considered and won’t divulge, as it would spoil a surprise. Even if what he said makes sense, it simply raises another question in my mind. I was unable to rack down where the flick was shot, although from the number of eastern names in the production credits, I’d guess it was Russia or a country nearby. I was completely unfamiliar with the young English-speaking cast, which is a good thing, as I had no preconceived notions of any of them. There is a little too much exposition in the first half, some of it repetitive. The scenery is beautiful and the proceedings, which feature noirish lighting, creepy. It lacks originality, of course, as almost every genre production does. I think it’s appeal is restricted to diehard fans of horror. It was directed by Hollywood veteran Renny Harlin, whose most notable work is probably Die Hard 2 (1990). He also did one of the Nightmare on Elm Street bloodbaths. On a scale of five, 2.75. It is rated 5.6 of ten at IMDb. It runs an hour and 40 minutes.
A Duke University freshman is financing her education doing porn under the name Belle Knox. She contends the school supports her. Its policy seems to focus on whether the sex is consensual and safe. Curious, I checked her out in action -- and her partner wasn’t wearing a condom! Most porn stars do not use them (How do I know that?). The sex is supposed to be wonton, reckless, the sense of which a prophylactic diminishes markedly. Anyway, I don’t know that there is anything anyone can do legally about the issue, and I’m not sure anything should be done. Society has pushed the envelope so far left that porn has become mainstream. It is legal. Why is anyone surprised some women would choose to capitalize on this? It seems even feminists have surrendered on the issue. I believe it is always best to err on the side of freedom in such cases, even though I sometimes fear we’re headed the way of the Roman Empire. For many, quantity seems to have supplanted quality in the sexual realm. This morning, in searching for a daily quote to post on my Twitter page in my continuing shameless self promotion there, I came across this one at Brainyquote.com by Jacques Lacan: “What does it matter how many lovers you have if none of them gives you the universe?” I wonder what percentage of the population still believe in finding a soul mate, “the one.” Was that something many once just longed to believe and has now been lost to harsh reality? Have we, overall as a society, become cynical or are we now simply modern, wise?
It was another cold day on the street. The sun didn't come out until closing time. My thanks to the kind folks who bought books.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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