Last day in Utah which is just as well because we finished the last of our yogurt this morning. Only one movie in the evening, Black Snake Moan (see review) so 'twas another day of impulse purchases and last-minute shopping for the family and we proved once again that it is impossible to leave a Virgin megastore empty handed. There was some minor confusion when I had to call home to verify a size. I got Syd on the phone and she was entertaining a friend and had no time to deal with daddy: "Mommy's at the neighbour's but she'll be back soon so leave a message after the beep....BEEEEP!" and she was gone.

During the afternoon, we considered going to a normal, wide release movie but we decided against it. Were looking for a mindless actioner to help wean ourselves back into the real world of moviegoing but there were none to be found. Where's Michael Bay when you really need him?

Instead, we headed back to the hotel to chill out and have an afternoon hot tub whereby the conversation went like this:
Me: Do you think they have one of those urine chemicals in this pool?
Ian: What?
Me: You know, the chemical that turns purple if you pee in it?
Ian: I don't like where this is going
Me: This is important because the answer will directly influence my next course of action.

Dinner consisted of Ian's inauguration into the world of sushi which he thoroughly enjoyed even if we kept it relatively safe. Was kind of a mean thing to do considering there are no sushi places in Brandon.

The pre-game show for tonight's movie had an odd little bonus. Normally, we get a perky Sundance person welcoming us and occasionally introducing the director to say a few things about the movie. He or she banters for a couple of minutes to get the crowd into a good mood then bounces off the stage to await our reaction. Tonight, instead, we were introduced to the movie's distributors. The two of them were dressed impeccably in suits which immediately stood out from the usual independent movie-maker attire of drawstring pants, plaid shirt, some form of trendy headwear, and Starbucks coffee cup.

But it was odder still when they shuffled to the podium and the light got a little dimmer and it seemed all the happy in the room got sucked into an unseen vortex. One of them approached the podium and he said the following in a low gutteral voice and I swear I didn't see his lips move: This movie is copyrighted and it is a federal crime to use recording devices during this screening. If you attempt to record any part of this movie, repeat words and phrases spoken by the characters, or even remember any more than fifteen seconds of it, we will throw a hissy fit and take our movie and go straight home.

After the movie, there was time for a final dip in the hot tub and to check the quality of the copy I made with the video camera I smuggled in. Then it was farewell to the noble Santos at the Shilo Inn who has been a tremendous guide this last week and a half. Plane leaves tomorrow at the un-Hillbilly hour of 6:30AM so I'll need my beauty sleep.