Up in the air

Oct 18, 2004

In 1987, I was crowned the Corn Fest King during DeKalb’s annual festival that celebrates the area’s abundantly delicious sweet corn. I had written an essay about the future of agriculture in a space-age world, and one of the prizes awarded to me and Queen Emily Truckenbrod was a ride in a hot air balloon. But we had to choose just one of us to go up, and I deferred to Emily; then, rainy weather cancelled her ascent.

I’ve been fascinated with hot air balloons for most of my life. I remember seeing balloons flying over Idaho, and I recall sitting in the dark Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum auditorium as that great film To Fly! lifted me off the earth.

Just now I happened upon the trailer for a soon-to-be-released film called Enduring Love. It stars Rhys Ifans, he of the moronic but lovable Welshman in Notting Hill (a film I watch quite regularly, even though I’m disgusted that Julia Roberts so quickly went on to act in that horrible flic Runaway Bride – I’ll not dignify it with a link). The trailer is an iTunes exclusive, and it’s the first four minutes of the film. Watch it, and hold onto your seat. It begins with one of the most beautiful panoramas I’ve ever seen in a film, and shows a couple just about to celebrate their love with a “posh” bottle of Champagne. And then …

My pulse is still racing.

Anton Zuiker ☄