I really only have one for you this week. Disneynature’s Oceans which is a cool little documentary featuring some beau-tastic footage from the Earth mini-series that was on Discovery Channel a couple of years ago. It played great on the big screen when I saw it few months back and should be worth your time on the little one.
I’d like to take a moment though and tell you about a movie that is out this week on DVD/Blu-ray that I WON’T be covering. Got it quick-fast on my Netflix because no one else is interested. It is called Night of the Demons and it’s a remake of horror film no one saw called Night of the Demons released way back in 1988. I guess that ideas for flicks are so scarce these days that they have to retread the ideas that were bad in the first place. Really nothing here. Bad acting provided by a sadly miscast Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie) as a bad girl cheaply clad in gothic attire and Eddie Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)that, if his chubby body is any indication, appears to be off the drugs that he reportedly had such a problem with in the past. Terrible writing peppered with glimpses of poor Tarantino impersonations (the drug dealer getting a “hummy” while declaring his dissatisfaction with Furlong’s slinging prowess was just dripping with wanna-be machismo). Cheese effects and cheese plot points. Stupid, dumb and boring. I was trying to get in the mood for All Hallows Eve. I would have been better off watching In The Cut with Meg Ryan (too much work done!) while on some form of legal hallucinogen. Now that’s scary!!
Now the real review….
The Oceans are filled with Wonder
The recent spike in the popularity of 3-D movies has been driven by the audience’s desire to be completely immerged into its entertainment. We want to plug in. Oceans, the new underwater documentary from Disneynature, is a marvelous 2-dimensional reminder of how effectively a film can transport you completely to a foreign world without the use of special effects. The only special effect on display here is Mother Nature in all her splendor.
The film begins with a question. “What exactly is the ocean, what is the sea?” French directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud spend the entire film spanning the Earth’s waters showing us the answer. It is a world populated by a huge variety of creatures, of which “Oceans” presents the most bizarre and beautiful. We meet the blanket octopus that moves through the water like a sheet swaying in the wind. There are spider crabs that scuttle in herds that resemble legions of warriors clashing on the battlefield. My favorite is the footage of the mantis shrimp as he protects his home. No spoiler alert here, I will merely say the mantis shrimp knows kung fu.
Oceans is a companion piece to last year’s Earth Day release of the appropriately named, Earth. Disneynature is making an annual occurrence of these Earth Day releases having already announced next year’s installment, African Cats. These films are a bit of a throwback to Disney’s old documentary series True Life Adventures that ran from 1948 to 1960. These were short, two-reel films that Walt Disney produced to be presented with his films and television shows. Disneynature is carrying on this tradition by presenting these first-rate films.
The narration by Pierce Brosnan is serviceable but a tad weak. These types of films are better serviced by a crisp, standard British accent to guide us through our odyssey. Morgan Freeman is pretty good at it too. Mr. Brosnan continually comes off as pedestrian. The film also has a terrible tendency of presenting mankind as a menace to the planet and its inhabitants. The main idea presented here is that the human race has thrown nature out of whack. It is a grim point of view and makes the film a little too preachy.
This film contains some amazing cinematography. There is footage of a pod of dolphins racing through the water at incredible speeds. The filmmakers were somehow able to place their cameras right there among these creatures while keeping pace with them. There are sections of Ocean that are exhilarating and astonishing coupled with moments that lull you into an almost hypnotic state. There is also a nice balance of the cute and cuddly mixed with the ferocious.
Oceans was meant to be seen on the big screen by there is enough magic here to translate fine at home. Learn the secrets of the deep and meet the wondrous beasts that call it home. And don’t forget: The mantis shrimp knows kung fu.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNQNBI2UyMg