D
As the name suggests, this is essentially a documentary about the
ocean, one of my favorite topics. The
movie was unfortunately not as great as I had hoped it would be.
There was some really beautiful footage, but I've seen as good if not
better. The filmmakers also had a very annoying habit on dwelling
overly much on the violent side of the ocean: showing shot after shot of
orca whales catching seals - flinging them about violently like
playthings (so much over the top that at one shot the audience actually
started to laugh, it was so ludicrous and lame), sharks hunting fish on
the coral reefs, and orcas killing a baby whale. I don't have a
problem with showing the more violent side of the sea, but it felt like
over-kill to me, over-long and not terribly interesting. Too
much; too heavy handed. The only "predator" moment that I found really
interesting was how coral reefs eat their neighbors with stinging
tendrils. I'd never known that about them before and it was really
fascinating.
The music for the film was part of its weakness, sounding
more like some kind of Disney soundtrack (heh, it is a Miramax
film!),
being melodramatic left and right and up and down. Pierce Brosnan, as
fond as I am of him, was not a particularly good narrator either. And
his material wasn't so very interesting or well-written either. Morgan
Freeman (narrator for March of the Penquins)totally kicked
Pierce's
narrating ass. It is by no means a bad movie, but I didn't think it was
really much better, if any better, than a lot of ocean documentaries
that I've seen on TV. Ah well.
Return to the Index
Called the most expensive Bollywood musical ever made, Devdas has
all the elements of the genre: star-crossed lovers, lavish costumes,
grand sets, sweeping music, dramatic dance scenes, tortured souls,
betrayal, salvation, loss, all done in a tearfully melodramatic style of
operatic proportions. It's so over the top and emotionally overwrought
as to put all American soap-opera's to shame. However I find it
difficult to get emotionally attached to the characters or their woes
due to the high drama and the fact that some of them, well actually
most of them, got what they deserved. I felt the most drawn to and
compassionate toward the lovely courtesan, played with great
playfulness, charm, and sincere emotion by Madhuri Dixit. She also
dominated the arena of resplendent costumes and breathtaking dance
scenes. Devdas definitely should be seen on as large a screen as
possible in order to enjoy the fantastic visual splendor this film
provides. Alas, the plot left me wanting to take nearly all of the
characters out back and give them a good spanking, and not the
good kind of spanking.
Return to the Index
This quiet and unassuming little film is a total charmer. Based on the
true story behind the second satellite dish used as the Southern
hemisphere contact for the first Apollo moon landing, it is an
exploration of the differences between Australian and American
cultures. Australia was given this honor primarily because they were the
only ones who had a dish that was large enough and in the right
location. However, NASA was concerned about the rural sheep-farming
area surrounding the satellite dish and feared that something might go
wrong out there in the outback. And they were right. The characters
blessedly don't feel like caricatures, but like quirky and honest
representations of the Australian people of that time. Playful,
entertaining, witty, and even at times gripping, this film is worth
watching because it actually bothers to emphasize story and characters
over action and sex. What a concept!
Return to the Index
|
