Reality Movies

The current mania for reality television has yet to make a successful leap to the big screen. I'm afraid that MTV's "The Real Cancun" just doesn't count.

In contrast, "Open Water" promises something much more interesting. "Open Water" is a fictional story about a scuba diving couple who accidentally get left behind by their tourist boat, and are stuck in the middle of a shark-infested stretch of open water.

While the movie sounds interesting, what's even more interesting is how it was produced. Rather than cheesy special effects sharks, the filmmakers simply plopped the lead actors in the middle of the ocean and let nature take its course. 120 hours of footage and several friendly sharks later, the result is available for your viewing pleasure.

In many ways, this scheme is a sane version of the crazy plan I read about by one production company to shoot a war movie in the middle of the Iraq invasion. If "Open Water" is a success, who knows what might be next?

The Ultimate Couch Potato

Here's a cautionary tale for folks who like to camp out on the couch and watch TV:
What if you sat so long that your skin fused to the couch and you couldn't get up?

That's what happened to Gayle Grinds, age 39, who died after rescue workers were unable to lift her from the couch where she had spent the past 6 years.

Grinds, who at 4' 10" weighed almost 500 pounds, officially died of "morbid obesity."

Here's the story for people with strong stomachs, courtesy of BoingBoing.