Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

 

This is a great book. I read it in four hours. In my defense, I had to make dinner while reading the last half.

~ Whilst going to visit his father in the Canadian North for the summer, the small bush plane Brian Robeson is flying on crashes into a lake after the pilot dies of a heart attack. A born and bred city kid, all Brian has to help him survive in the Canadian wilderness are his wits and a hatchet looped to his belt, given to him by his mother as a present right before he left New York. Despite being thirteen and completely alone, as well as bearing a terrible secret of his parents' divorce on his mind, Brian will have to overcome fear and self-pity if he is to survive ~ 

If you're not a nature/wilderness fan, I know what you're saying. 'Great, a survival book. Enjoy it if you like, but definitely not my cup of tea.' And it may be that you won't enjoy Hatchet (there's no accounting for taste, they say), but I rather think you will. It's the most engrossing wilderness survival novel I've ever read, and I've read a few. For some reason Gary Paulsen makes it that every time Brian, the main character, completes one task in the effort to stay alive, we just can't wait to see what happens next. The excitement never wanes as Brian becomes more resourceful and hardens both physically and mentally. At thirteen years old, he's just imaginative enough to stay alive and cope with the shock of being left alone in the middle of nowhere, but not so brilliant at survival skills as to be unbelievable. He is from the city, after all. Even though most of the book takes place in the woods, a second theme of Brian's home life and divorced parents weaves its way though the story, very seamlessly. I don't know how Paulsen manages to make talking about a kids divorced parents not out of place while he's trying to survive in the wilderness, but he does, and he does it with what I imagine is a great deal of understanding, even though I have never been put in that situation. 

Since Brian doesn't know much about the woods, anybody reading this who is not familiar with nature and survival will not be confused or baffled by Brian's terming of plants and animals, while nature lovers will smile at the made-up names. My favorite was 'Foolbird', which I was correct in assuming was a grouse. 

I'm telling you, this book may not sound interesting to you, but you'll eat it right up! I couldn't help thinking of how I would survive if suddenly the house blew away while I was heating up dinner. It filled my thoughts all day and I think people of all ages will enjoy it. It earned the Newberry Honor Award in 1986 and I am seeing here on the internet that it has a bunch of sequels, so I think I have some ordering of books to do. Until next time, have a good day and always carry a box of matches, just in case.

~ Irene 

Three Classic Movies to Watch on Halloween

As Halloween is tomorrow, I wanted to do just a little post in connection with the holiday. I thought it should be useful as well, so here are three classic movies that are perfect for Halloween!

      

    
                       

 

 

 

 

1. Mad Love (1935) : This is definitely the worst movie on the list, but it was just so perfect for Halloween, I couldn't resist adding it. From what I remember when watching, a creepy doctor (Peter Lorre) has a *mad* crush on this one actress, and to get her to like him he offers to do surgery on her pianist husband's hands after a terrible accident. Only in this particular case, the cure is worse than the problem, as Mr. Crazy replaces the pianist's hands with a dead serial killer, knife-thrower's hands. This may not sound like the worse thing ever, but it turns out that the hands still have a desire to kill!!!! It's as crazy as it sounds. I would recommend it if you want a good laugh, although I must state that there is one part in the movie that is actually quite frightening. It's when Mr. Crazy is coming home from being dressed as the ghost of the knife-wielding serial killer (again, as crazy as it sounds) and the main heroine is in his house and is trying to find a place to hide. It's probably the best part in the movie, as it really is scary. Perfect for a G-rated Halloween! Well, maybe PG.

2. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) : This one is actually one of my favorite movies. I won't disclose too much, as I want to write a more in depth review some day. If you don't know the classic story by Oscar Wilde, here's a little bit about that: Dorian Gray is a young, handsome man who wishes to never grow old. In his desire for eternal youth, he gives away his soul. Instead of his body growing old and ugly, Dorian Gray will remain forever young, and a portrait of him shall bear the marks of his evil life. It's a really great story, and the movie is quite a work of art. It illustrates the effect that each evil deed one commits has on one's soul. It's very scary and the whole film is moody and dark. It's also very entertaining and beautifully shot, and all the actors are top notch. I would recommend it to anyone. We all watched it last Halloween and it was just perfect.

3. The Thing from Another World (1951) : Don't be fooled by the cover of this movie. It's actually really fun! There were a lot of cheap sci-fi horror films made in the 50's, so you might be a little wary when trying this one out, but never fear, it's rather good! The plot, roughly speaking, is this: An American military base in the arctic is nonplussed when a little shuttle from outer space comes crashing into the ice outside their research center. They don't know what it is, but they sure as heck soon find out, as a monster comes out in the night and starts to kill the sled dogs, feasting on their blood. It's not gruesome, but it is pretty scary when they find out that the monster is made out of plant material and grows on blood. Most of the movie is the hero and his men (along with his girlfriend who just happens to be there and is pretty fun) trying to find ways to stop the monster from eating them all up. The characters come up with many ingenious ideas and the acting is decent. It is never too serious either, so you can enjoy some horror without being really horrified. Howard Hawks directs the movie, and he does not disappoint. The Thing from Another World is one fun movie, that's all I can say.

Well, there you have it. Three classic movies that I whole-heartedly recommend you watch on the scariest of all holidays, or whenever you wanna be scared, but not too scared. Have a happy Halloween!!!👻🕷😈

 

At the Heart of the White Rose: Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl Edited by Inge Jens

                                                    

 I just recently finished reading the letters and diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl, so I wanted to share some of my thoughts on them. I wrote about the anti-Nazi resistance group White Rose (resisting Nazis, not resisting anti-Nazis) lead by Hans Scholl in my brief write-up on Alexander Schmorell, but every single member of the group was awesome and presents plenty of subject material.

I think through Hans' letters and diaries one can conjure up a pretty vivid picture of his personality and life philosophy. Hans is very serious in his writings, and you can tell that he's hurting inside at his inability to stop the Nazi regime. Just reading the letters of Hans and Sophie, you actually don't really notice they're in a tyrannical regime, (at least not like the movies show) except for little, tell-tale signs. For example, Hans, and I believe Sophie as well, were investigated by the Gestapo for being part of a youth group in the early days of Nazism that wasn't the Hitler Youth. It's just mentioned casually, but the notes at the back of the book illuminate the situation a great deal. I would definitely recommend checking out the notes whenever you come to a numbered word, name, or phrase. I found it explained a lot of helpful details and gave a fuller view of the big picture. Also on the note of little signs of tyranny, about half way through the book, Hans starts writing in his letters to the Gestapo agents that he knows are reading through his private correspondences. It's rather funny. Hans is always lamenting that he has difficulty in writing letters, which I certainly didn't notice. I was constantly amazed how people would just randomly break into a philosophical dissertation in the middle of a letter. Hans was obviously very smart, and he is always throwing ideas around and discussing them with his family, friends, and girlfriend.

Hans never reveals in his letters or diary that he has started the White Rose. It was definitely a enormous weight to carry. In his diary entries he never puts a name on anything, but you can tell that he couldn't just accept the evil that was alive in his country. He had to do something about it. He also tried so hard to be good, and to trust in God. I'll say it once and I'll say it again. The members of the White Rose, including Hans, are so epic and inspiring, it's not even funny.

Sophie reminds me more of me. She's flippant and light-hearted in her writings, although as time goes on she grows more and more serious. In the latter part of the book she writes about how an enormous melancholy overtakes her whenever she is alone. 

Both her and Hans had an obvious love for nature, but I think Sophie describes it more, and she describes it so beautifully. She said she sometimes longed to be a piece of bark on a tree. I think I get that. Sophie is very witty in her letters but her heart is poured out in her diary. I don't know about you, but I sometimes feel uncomfortable and self conscious reading other people's diaries. Like, it was written in confidence, privately, and not to be seen by prying eyes. But luckily Sophie doesn't write anything stupid in her diary like me. She often writes about how difficult it is to pray, but how she has to try and talk to God, even if she can't feel his presence. In one of the last letters the book shows, Sophie, before she and Hans were captured and killed by the Nazis, is writing about listening to Schubert's Trout Quintet, how she felt how well the music described a trout swimming in a stream. It's a touching moment, because as the reader, we know she's about to die, and it's just so... I don't know. Simple, wholesome, pure? I can't think of the word, but as I said, it was very touching.

Reminds me of the tree bark comment.

Paul Robinson (I don't know who he is either, but he commented on the book) said the collection of letters and diary entries 'Conjures up an uncanny sense of the spiritual and physical world inhabited by young Germans during the war,' and he's so right, although I didn't feel like I had that insight until the near-end of the book. I also picked up many interesting historical bits whilst reading the letters, as well as some fan-girl inspiring bits about Alexander Schmorell. It was so cool whenever he was mentioned, as it gave an actual real description of him, not just some third-hand account on Wikipedia. Sophie especially had some interesting things to say about him, but I'll leave that for you to read. There was also a neat section where Hans attends a Russian Orthodox liturgy, and as it bears a resemblance to a Byzantine Catholic liturgy and church, I was quite delighted.

August 9, 1942

'... A week ago today we were in Vyaz'ma. I managed a visit to the Russian church there. The service differed from those familiar to prosaic Central Europeans like us. I entered a spacious hall. Warm semidarkness filled the interior, except where candles beneath the altar and the icons showered the sacred pictures of gold. People stood together in haphazard groups, bearded men with kindly faces, wearing the finest of sarafans [actually, caftans], women with their hair done up in colorful kerchiefs, forever bowing low and making the sign of the St. Andrew's cross with splendidly ceremonious gestures. Many bowed their head to the ground and kissed it. The liquid gold of the candles tinged their faces with red, their eyes shone, and the murmur of voices gradually died away as the priest raised his own voice in song. A choir responded with some magnificent chords. Again the priest sang, and again the choir answered him, reinforced by many additional voices, bell-like tenors and wonderfully mellow basses. The hearts of all believers vibrated in unison. One could sense the stirring, the outpouring of souls unfolding after a long and terrible silence, souls that had at last found their way back to their true home. I could have wept for joy, because my heart, too, was loosing its bonds one by one...'

Although our liturgy and church is not exactly the same, I still smiled to read about the 'sacred pictures of gold' and 'the splendidly ceremonious gesture' as well as the choir singing with the parish after the priest chanted, and the colorful kerchiefs. Makes me a little homesick, even though I'm not away from home. I can't boast of our cantoring resulting in 'magnificent chords', but our head cantor is quite talented and we don't sound half bad. I wish Hans could have come to our church.

Anyhow, if you get the chance, pick up a copy of the Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl. They were so brave and deeply religious, they really are inspiring. 

                                                                                          

Bonanza: "Escape to Ponderosa"

 Hello again! I (Irene) decided we should have at least two posts done for Legends of Western Cinema Week, so I decided to write a little review of something both Anna and I recently watched so it would be decently fresh in my mind. And despite Bonanza not even being my favorite western t.v show, here I go, yet again reviewing a Bonanza episode. I was inspired, what can I say?

The episode begins.... Well, it begins as you might expect. Near a rock, in Nevada, there lived three convicts, except they don't live there. One of them is sitting by and not helping the others try to break the shackles that are wrapped around an unintelligent looking chap's wrists. The one helping break the cognitively-lacking fellow's shackles' is noticeably attractive and considerate. Anyway, back to the story....From the dialogue being spoken it is easily deduced that they escaped from some branch of the military. And while they are talking about what they should do next, who should come along but dear old Adam Cartwright?

 

 

He hears voices, goes to check on them, and is promptly knocked out. I don't know if this happens more often to Little Joe or Adam, so if anybody has been keeping count, please inform me.

Back at the Ponderosa ranch house, Hoss is intent on building a house of cards and Little Joe, being the delightful little sibling he is, blows it down. This scene is pretty darn funny. As the youngest child, I feel a kindred spirit with Little Joe.

 

 

 

Anyway, while the family is relaxing at home and Little Joe is trying to ward off the imminent arrival of a young death in the form of Hoss, a troop (brigade? squad? I dunno) from the army comes riding up and the leader of them, a Capt. Bolton, walks up to the house and arrogantly knocks on the door. He then arrogantly walks in, arrogantly asking Mr. Cartwright if he's seen three convicts running around. Seems they escaped from the cavalry stockade and are suspected to be on the Ponderosa. Ben Cartwright says no, he hasn't seen any. Bolton wants to search his house, but since he's such a jerk and the fourth amendment is a thing, Mr. Cartwright kicks him out of the house. Right when Bolton is about to leave, Adam shows up at the house with a bad gash on his head. He tells his family that he was jumped, and he thinks he saw prison uniforms on the men who did it. He remembers he heard at least two men, maybe three, arguing about whether they should kill him or not. Capt. Bolton, Mr. Cartwright, and Little Joe take off to find them.

 

The boys looking fine and fresh, especially Adam, with Mr. Ugly Bolton in the background.

We cut back to the convicts and Jimmy Sutton (the unhelpful one) is telling his two compadres about how he knows of a little ranch they can go too where he used to be real friendly with the girl who owned it. He is confident that they will find shelter there. Meanwhile, Tyler (the nice and attractive one) is listening intently for any signs of pursuit. I won't tell you the name of the unintelligent looking one cause he gets left behind and shot and killed later. We won't go into that.

 

Jimmy Sutton on the far left and Paul Tyler on the far right. Inconsequential guy who dies in the middle.

Sutton and Tyler make their way to Sutton's girlfriend Nedda's ranch. They sneak into the barn to change into some less conspicuous shirts that don't have a big letter 'P' on the back of them. Tyler sees a little foal, and immediately goes down to pet it. HE LOVES HORSES GUYS 😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰

He tells Sutton that sometimes he likes horses a good deal better than people. Who can blame him? Tyler seems to have had some bad experiences with people. Sutton is confident that Capt. Bolton will be halfway across the country by now and has no idea where they've gone, but Tyler isn't so sure. While they're talking, someone is heard coming. The two convicts hide and soon enough a girl (played by Gloria Talbott) comes in and lays a blanket over the colt.

 

She loves horses too!!!!!!!! And I also like her outfit. Very cute.

Jimmy sneaks up on her like a creep.

 

 

She is very much alarmed, understandably. He goes straight to kissing her while she's just asking where they came from and probably wondering how the heck she ever liked a guy who would come up behind a girl in the middle of the night while she's alone in a barn and just lay one on her. Honestly. Tyler awkwardly tries to ignore them.

 

 

 

Y'all probably know where this story is going, but I'll tell ya anyway.

Sutton tells Nedda some cock and bull story about how he and Tyler were prospecting for gold or something and then ended up at her house. She doesn't quite believe it, but she lets them inside and feeds them dinner anyway. Very nice of her.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cartwright is trying to get Capt. Bolton disbanded, or suspended, or something like that because he shot the not-so-smart-looking guy from the beginning (remember him?) while he was trying to 'escape'. He wasn't really, but Bolton is kill-crazy. Unfortunately, the superior office does nothing about it, although he does give Bolton a good talking to. I don't think it made much impression on him.

 

 

 

Back at Nedda's ranch, Tyler and Sutton are eating dinner when there comes a knock at the door. As Nedda goes to answer, Sutton asks her not to tell anyone they are there. She asks why. He lies to her, saying they made a silver strike and don't want anybody to know. Tyler again looks uncomfortable on the side.

 

 

 

Who should be at the door but good old Hoss Cartwright! He asks Nedda if she's seen anybody suspicious around, like maybe two army convicts??? She says no, and as she is acting strangely nervous, Hoss asks if she is okay, but she just says no again and quickly gets rid of him. Now Nedda starts to wonder if maybe her beloved and his prospecting partner are actually prospectors after all, and she feels terrible about lying to Hoss. You can't just lie to Hoss!

 

 

 

Nedda goes back in and after thinking about what Hoss said, and also observing the fact that Jimmy had a gun in his hand and looked ready to use it, she realizes that Sutton and Tyler are in fact the two missing convicts Hoss was telling her about. 

 

Just thought I'd share this photo...

When he sees the game is up, Sutton confesses to being a convict, but pleads with Nedda to understand how terrible it was at the stockade, how Bolton beat him and Tyler, and how they had no choice but to escape. Tyler was beaten and agrees with Sutton about how Bolton was a monster, but he hates the way Sutton is using Nedda and constantly lying to her.

 

 

 

And Sutton is generally just a really gross and annoying guy. But despite that, he convinces Nedda to still hide them, after using Tyler's tortures as leverage to persuade Nedda. Tyler does not appreciate that.

 

 

 

Back at the Cartwright ranch Hoss tells his brothers and Pa that he figures there is something worrying Nedda. Mr. Cartwright decides they better all go over there and check it out. All except Adam :(

 

 

 

And back at Nedda's ranch, Paul and Nedda bond over their shared love of horses...

 

 

 

... Before the Cartwrights rudely interrupt. And it was just as Nedda was telling Paul that she maybe, kinda liked him!

 

 

 

He doesn't drop the stick 'cause Sutton comes in behind Mr. Cartwright and hold a gun on him. Tyler knocks him on the head (Ben, that is) and then stops Sutton from killing Mr. Cartwright. He's all over the place.

 

Then the tables turn yet again when Little Joe and Hoss come busting in and make Tyler and Sutton the captives yet again.

 

 

 

They hold the two convicts at gunpoint until Ben regains consciousness. After realizing how Bolton treated them, and talking it through a bit, Mr. Cartwright offers to take Sutton's and Tyler's name tags to Bolton's commanding officer and thus they can turn themselves over to the army without getting beaten or killed by Bolton.

Mr. Cartwright takes off with Sutton's and Tyler's name tags but unfortunately gets caught by Bolton on the road. The Captain discovers the name tags and follows Mr. Cartwright's tracks bad to Nedda's ranch.

During these altercations, the convicts, the Cartwright boys, and Nedda are all waiting nervously back at the ranch. As they wait and feed the little colt, Hoss asks Tyler what he did to get put into the stockade in the first place. Tyler tells him the slightly shocking truth about his past and why he was charged with cowardice and arrested. They don't tell us why Jimmy ended up there. I think it's cause we all know he deserved to be there. He soon begins to plead with Little Joe and Hoss to let them escape, so's they don't have to go back to Capt. Bolton.

 

 

 

Little Joe and Hoss ain't having it. Sutton turns to Tyler and tries to convince him. That doesn't work. Then he tries to convince Nedda by attempting to scrape up the drags of a relationship long dead. When she isn't touched by his drawing up of romantic memories, he starts to get nasty. He notices that Paul Tyler is rather handsome, and that he is also kind and brave and noble and practically perfect in every way. He suggests that maybe a little something more than colt feeding has been going on in this barn recently.

 

 

 

Tyler promptly promptly punches him. Most satisfying moment in the whole episode.

 

Unfortunately, this leads to Sutton getting his hands on Little Joe's gun and fleeing detainment.

 

 

 

But the wicked shall have their just reward, and as Sutton is running out of the barn, Bolton and his men arrive, along with Mr. Cartwright. Sutton tries running one way, and then the other, but is caught. In one last desperate attempt to flee capture, he climbs a fence and gets shot by Capt. Bolton in the process. This time the prisoner actually was trying to escape. 

 

 

 

As the shots are heard inside the barn, Tyler decides to go out, unarmed, and give himself up. Nedda pleads with him not to do so. He ask her why. She says it's because she, well, um... She kinda, maybe loves him. He is shocked, the audience is not. It was pretty obvs, not gonna lie.

 

This is when he realizes he can't run. I wish I looked like this when I realized things.

Anyway, after Little Joe and Hoss assure Capt. Bolton that Tyler does not have a gun, the latterly mentioned man comes out prepared to give himself up.

 

 

 

But Capt. Bolton fails to acknowledge Tyler's armlessness. Whether this is because he purposely wants to kill Tyler no matter what, or because Tyler did indeed still have two arms attached to his body and Bolton made an honest mistake, I'm not sure. I think it's both. Anyway, he puts out his gun and is about to shoot...

 

When kaboom! Sutton, who was actually not dead yet, blasts him to kingdom come! 

 

Unfortunately for Sutton, the rest of the soldiers then blast him to kingdom come....

Anyway, everybody we care about is unharmed and although Tyler is still going back to jail, we know that it should be for a very short length of time, and he will most likely not be watched over by a sadistic Captain. Although that seems to happen an awful lot in western t.v. shows.... But we also know that the day he gets out, Nedda will be waiting for him.

She tells him so.

 

 

 

THE END 

And there you have it folks. I think Escape to Ponderosa is a very apt name for this episode, as it is quite a piece of escapism, and I don't say that in a negative sense. There aren't any big plot twists, it's predictable, and the main guy is maybe too perfect. But it's still super enjoyable. Grant Williams plays Paul Tyler quietly and calmly, and he definitely emits awesomeness. Not to mention he's pretty darn good-lookin'. All the other actors are good too, and their dialogue and interactions are snappy and entertaining to watch. It's really a very fun episode. I didn't give everything away, so you can still watch it and be surprised and delighted by certain happenings.

This has been Horseback to Byzantium's second blog post for The Legends of Western Cinema Week. I hope you enjoyed :D Now I'd better be going to bed. It's getting colder than a hairless dog in a snowstorm down here. Adios again!

- Irene

Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag 2020

Hi there! So, it's technically like the fourth day of Legends of Western Cinema Week, hosted by Hamlette's Soliloquy and Along the Brandywine, but Anna and I have been kinda busy, so we didn't get a chance to do this awesome tag made by Hamlette until now! I'm also gonna post something else western oriented, but Anna and I really wanted to do this tag first, so here we go!

1. What's the last western you watched? So, last western t.v. show we watched was an episode of Lawman called 'The Souvenir' and the last western movie we watched was most likely, probably, Rio Bravo (1959).

2. A western of any stripe (happy or tragic) where you were highly satisfied by the ending? THIS QUESTION IS TOO HARD!!!!! So, Anna's favorite ending is The Searchers (1956) and I love that one too, but right now I'll go with the combined endings of Big Jake (1971), True Grit (1969) and Rooster Cogburn (1975).
 

3. The funniest western you've seen? The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) for sure. 

4. What similar elements/themes show up in your favorite westerns? Anna says good hats. And let's admit we all love a bad gunslinger who ends up having to help people and turns out being awesome. That's always a good one.

 5. Favorite actress who made 1 or more westerns? Maureen O'Hara. She's cool. 

6. Favorite western hero/sidekick pairing? Do Marshal Dan Troop and Deputy Johnny McKay from Lawman count? 'Cause Johnny ain't nobody's sidekick. But they're great together.

7. Scariest villain/antagonist in a Western? For some reason we can only think of actually scary villains that appear in western t.v. shows. A good one in that department is the guy from the Bonanza episode 'Thunder Man'. He was a creeper for sure. And then there's the guy who dresses as a lady in the Lawman episode 'The Catalog Woman'. *Shivers* That was creepy. 

8. Favorite romance in a western? Okay, so Lonnie and Junie in Apache Territory (1958) were absolutely, undeniably adorable. They seem like they would really get along in life. A couple of lovebirds that are actually realistic and beautiful are Mr. Conagher and Mrs. Teal from both the book and movie Conagher (1991), by Louis L'Amour.

9. Three of your favorite westerns? The Magnificent Seven (1960), Silverado (1985) and a tie between Big Jake, Rio Bravo and El Dorado (1967). That is technically five, but just pretend the last three are all rolled together into one ball of awesomeness.

10. Share one (or several!) of your favorite quotes from a western. We shared a couple in one of our past tags, but there are lots more. Here are just a few we say a lot.

*While trying to catch anything at all and failing* "There was a time when I would've caught all three" - Lee, from The Magnificent Seven.

"Sooner or later you must pay for every good deed!" - Calvera, from The Magnificent Seven

"It ain't right. I've had enough of things that ain't right" - Mal, from Silverado 

"You're right Stumpy. You're a treasure" - Sheriff John T. Chance, Rio Bravo

AHHHHH!!!!!! There are so many fire and profound lines in westerns, but I can't remember them!!!!!!!! Well, at least not verbatim. John Wayne has so many good ones. Every line in the Lawman episode 'The Holdout' is epic. Honest to goodness.

Awwwww 😍

I guess that's all for now folks. What a fun tag! We truly do love westerns over here. Now go on and enjoy some western t.v. shows, movies, or literature! Adios!

Exit (2019)

Welcome to Anna and Irene's (really only Irene's) entry into the Disaster Blogathon, hosted by The Midnite Drive-In and Dubsism!!! Everyone loves a good disaster film (especially me) and I have one to review that I think might win for most unique disaster film. I'm not sure, but I suspect. Without further ado, here is Irene's (and maybe some tips thrown in by Anna) review of the 2019 Korean adventure/comedy/disaster movie 'Exit'!

Yong-nam is a deadbeat son. Unable to keep a job, and tragically friend-zoned by presumably the only girl he ever loved, our hero starts out as very much of an anti-hero. Not even an anti-hero. He doesn't have enough traits for that. Just a lame guy.

This is our hero at the beginning of the movie... Not exactly impressive.

Yong-nam used to be an expert rock climber (this will come in handy later in the movie), and although he still practices his exercises daily, his heart is not in it, as his lost love had also been an enthusiast of the hobby and now that she's gone he has no gumption to continue the sport. But on the night of his mother's 70th birthday, Yong-nam's listless life takes a serious turn. While at the birthday venue he rented (where his lost love just happens to work), just before the last of Yong-nam's family leave, a serious catastrophe takes place. A mad scientist, on the lookout for revenge, releases a poisonous gas into the thickly-inhabited city where Yong-nam's mother's birthday party is taking place. People come running down the streets, hoping to escape. Those who do not may be lucky enough to leave the gas with only severely burned skin and difficulty breathing. The unlucky die.

And so we have the set-up of one random as heck disaster movie. The birthday gathering on one of the top floors of the venue must work together to escape the quickly rising gas. Honestly though, the only ones who do anything are Yong-nam and his crush, Eui-joo.

Yong-nam's sister on the gurney. She was injured by the gas.

This movie never takes itself too seriously, but even so, the character growth in Yong-nam is quite impressive. He really was one lame guy at the start of this movie. He even lied to Eui-joo saying he had some big, enviable position at a fancy company, when he really was living off his parents' income. He did this to impress her, as he never has quite given up hope of winning her back... Even though he never had her in the first place.

As the situation at the venue quickly begins to elevate into a catastrophe, Yong-nam realizes that he is the only person capable of taking control of the situation. He does this quite ably, managing to keep his moderately idiotic relatives from panicking too much. As I said before, his and Eui-joo's past history of rock-climbing comes in quite handy, as they, hand in hand, must climb buildings and skyscrapers in a desperate attempt to escape from the poisonous cloud. It is quite exciting, and I was always guessing what tactic or strategy our heroes were going to think of next. That's one thing I like about disaster films. The ongoing rush to think of new and unique ideas quickly. 

If you are unfamiliar with Korean humor and culture, this movie may seem a little strange at first (not helped by the atrociously grammared subtitles), but it honestly is extremely entertaining and exciting. And although as an adventure and comedy movie, Exit won't win any awards for deepness of thought, it does have a surprisingly profound message. Inside everyone, including oneself, there is a hero just waiting to be let out by the occurrence of some catastrophe in which the very best of the individual is required. Maybe kinda cliche, but profound nonetheless. Yong-nam was a grown man sitting around at his parents' home, pining over his lost love, accomplishing nothing. By the end of the movie, he's saved the lives of himself, his unrequited (or IS she???) love, his family, and even complete strangers. A lovely character arc in every way. He's no superman, but at least he's striving to be. Ignoring the whole mad scientist unleashing poisonous gas into the city thing, and everything else that is crazy and unlikely, this movie is realistic enough to be believable. At least, I thought it was.

If you can find Exit, I recommend you watch it. It's really so fun, and a wonderful example of the disaster genre. A very lighthearted one. If you feel like watching death and disaster, but not too much, this movie is for you.

And, as an added bonus, there is no objectionable content, excluding a few swear words.

This has been Horseback to Byzantium's blog entry into the Disaster Blogathon. We hope you enjoyed. Annyeong for now :D