Pirates? In Utah?

Friday night we went to a great movie called Pirates of the Great Salt Lake. It was part of the opening weekend of the San Francisco Independent Film Festival. Independent movies without distributors are always a risky call, but this one was (intentionally) really funny. It'’s about two guys who live in Salt Lake City and want to be pirates. They dress and talk like pirates, and even have a dilapidated boat that they paddle around the Great Salt Lake in search of plunder and treasure. The movie centers around a treasure map and a conflict with an unscrupulous pawn shop owner who wants the treasure for himself. The main characters aren'’t particularly adept pirates -- at one point they steal their lunch from a lemonade stand. (It's the pirate code to only eat what they can steal). The pirate captain has run away from home because his mom can'’t accept his pirate lifestyle. (There'’s a hilarious scene where she walks in on him in his room while he'’s dressed in pirate garb and watching a pirate movie). Did I mention that the treasure is cursed?

Anyway, it far exceeded our expectations (which have to be kept in check at a festival like this) and I hope that it can get a distributor and play somewhere else. If you'’re reading this in the Bay Area, it'’s playing again at 4:30 this afternoon at the Women'’s Building in the Mission (at the same time as a certain football game). And if it comes to your town, I highly recommend it.

On another note, yesterday may have marked the point where I finally became a true Californian because I wore flip-flops in the winter. I love California. But since we Californians (I can say that now) don'’t have a horse in today's race, go Seahawks!