Ardendo no Frio

Out Cold is one of my favorite movies. It's not intelligent, the acting isn't anything special and the plot is sub-par. But it's hilarious, and as a snowboarder wildly entertaining. I watch it in the summer when I miss the season, in the fall when I'm waiting for the season, in the winter when I'm NOT snowboarding, and in the spring when the season is ending. There is so much truth to the movie in some aspects that it just feels right. The movie is so funny in so many little ways, and if you open your mind and are willing to accept it for what it is, I think you'll love it as well. It has a great soundtrack featuring a LOT of Jack Johnson, some Weezer, Sum 41, other stuff, all of which is good. Jason London is great as Rick Rambis, Zach Galifinakis is hilarious as Luke and whoever plays Pigpen does a great job of acting dumber then you would think anyone could actually be. You'll either love it or hate it, but if you snowboard or like to have a good time, I think it will be the former.

Out Cold isn't going to win any Academy Awards but that's ok. What it does, it does well. Juvenile comedy, the love triangle featuring AJ Cook in one of the first roles I've seen her in, all come together for a good way to spend an hour and a half. The cast seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves both on camera and off. Grab the popcorn, kick back and enjoy.

When I first saw the trailers for this film I thought it looked like just another run-of- the-mill comedy, and I guess in a lot aspects it pretty much is, but still, I thought it was much funnier and much better than I originally anticipated.

Sure, the story is nothing profound, nor terribly original, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't good and fun to watch. The story is basically: guy finds girl, girl dumps guy, guy can't get over girl, guy and girl run into each other again, girl explains why it will never work, guy must decide what he should do... Like I said, nothing profound, or original, but there's still fun stuff to be seen.

The comedy in the film is what made the movie for me. Zack Galifianakis (Luke) is absolutely hilarious and plays a fantastic character. Jason London, David Denman and Derek Hamilton also have their share of comedic moments.

I also feel very much obligated to mention the women in this film. This is reason enough to watch this film. Victoria Silvstedt (Inga) looks nothing less than perfect throughout the film. AJ Cook (Jenny) is also quite the looker and not a bad actress. The last woman I have to mention is Caroline Dhavernas (Anna), very nice!

Normally I'm not one to pay too much attention to the music in a film (unless it's just atrocious), but anyhow, I thought the music choices are great in this film. The movie is packed full of great music (my favorites being Eve 6 - "Anytime" and Weezer - "Island In The Sun").

All in all, I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who likes snowboarding or just likes comedies. Just don't go in expecting the best movie you've ever seen, it's not the best, but it certainly was worth my money. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for reading,

-Chris

OK, I'm a sucker for this type of film. I know it's something we have all seen a million times, but, darn it - we NEED this type of movie.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…the story line's predictable: idyllic local winter ski haven (Bull Mountain) is under threat by a big-business tycoon's (Lee Majors) plans for turning it into a high rollers' resort town. And, yeah, yeah, yeah…the subplot is equally original: boy loses girl, boy wants girl back, girl has fiancé, boy must go through trials and tribulations to win girl back, etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseum. Add a few crass scenarios, a big-breasted beauty (Victoria Silvstedt), beer and you've got yourself another boring teen-sex comedy. Right? Not so fast, partner.

Out Cold joins the ranks of other great teen comedies (Animal House, Better Off Dead, Caddyshack, and the hundreds of others) in its magical ability to stop time – if just for a moment. Like its predecessors, Out Cold captures that youthful time when friends surround us, we are having the time of our lives and the party never seems like it is going to end. Those are our `rites of passage' years - generally, between the ages of 16-25 - nine very short years.

Out Cold takes place in the fictional tiny-town of Bull Mountain, Colorado - elevation 10,000 feet – a winter wonderland of snow, skiing and snowboarding. A place where there's always fluffy powder to plow through and a hilarious friend is at every corner you turn. There's always the local pub to chill in after a hard day of playing – the characters in these movies all have jobs but no one seems to work. Loneliness is not an option. That's what makes this movie (these movies) great.

Out Cold isn't just about gross-out gags with guys running around trying to get laid, it's about the escapism that these films offer. Even if you've never experienced the perfect winter or summer vacation – even if you've never gone to that ivy-league school where no student has homework – even if you've only dreamt about spending time at exotic locales with fun in the sun/snow – this is the reason why we NEED this type of movie. If only for ninety minutes, these movies offer a fantasy or nice remembrances of times gone by (or, to come.)

For all of you naysayers out there who pooh-pooh this film on the account of its wonderfully juvenile content, I say, `Go see Harry Potter, you bombastic moralist and leave me alone!'

OK, this film is not going to win any awards for best acting, or best cinematography, or best picture for that matter. However, this film will make you laugh. It will spend about a buck ninety of your time in a very guilty pleasure sort of way. It revolves around a town in Alaska, a ski town, that is about to encounter a shift from a peaceful, secluded atmosphere to a bustling, main stream atmosphere. Our heroes are the snowboard instructors who have to save the day from a irritating, stereotypical land developer. Putting aside the obvious overtones of similar movies of this genre, and dispelling some predictability you really can have a good time. The jokes are funny, the characters have some witty dialog and the story moves briskly. The only drawback for me was the inept love story, but that was balanced out with some good jokes derived from it. It's no Schindler's List, but is a worthy addition to a home library or just a rental on a Friday night.