Maelström (2000)

Part Norweigian myth, part generational commentary, and part romance, Québec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve recounts the downward spiral of a woman's life and what it takes to bring her back to life. The luminous resurrection of a woman who has lost all hope is inspiring. As a film, it is life affirming.

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Finding Farley (2009)

This is a National Film Board produced documentary about a family retracing famed novelist Farley Mowat's journey's through much of Canada. A couple and their toddler leave Canmore Alberta in a canoe and head east switching up their modes of transportation several times to end up at Farley Mowat's home in Nova Scotia. Along the way they visit several remote settings for Mowat's books.

Finding Farley is a lovely and intimate look at Canada.

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The Cove (2009)

The film was much less disturbing than I expected. It focuses on a dolphin slaughter in a remote part of Japan. Dolphin meat is highly toxic and yet it is peddled as other types of fish and so the act, while not illegal, is still practiced despite much public pressure.

As a documentary, it is more personal than most. The producer is in on the stunt of trying to get film and audio footage in this circumferenced cove and the stories and reasons of the other professionals was a nice touch.

Gotta feel for those porpoises.

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The Perfect Storm (2000)

So, I get that the filmmakers wanted to eulogize and honour the dead at sea from Gloucester, Massachusetts, but why did they have to do it in such a melodramatic way?

When a fishing captain decides to return to sea during storm season and brings a ragtag group of money hungry down-and-outers who love to fish, they encounter the storm of the century. They meet it head on and go down in a blaze of glory while their moms and significant others languish at a fisherman's bar back in Gloucester.

While the fellowship between the boatmen is well noted and so is the hard life of a swordfish catcher. The movie makes a grave error by transforming the real men into comic book heros at sea with balls to big for their rainsuits. James Horner's sweeping orchestral soundtrack was way over the top leaving little room for any kind of real analysis or empathy towards the ocean's victims.

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Darwin's Nightmare (2004)

This brilliantly edited and investigated documentary comes to us from a European filmmaker telling the hellish story of Tanzanians.

From the shores of Lake Victoria, on of the greatest fresh water lakes in the world, we receive the account of those languishing from the fishing trade as thousands of crates of frozen Nile perch are flown north to Europe every day. We get the angles on ecology, arms dealing, AIDS, street kids, prostitution, unemployment, famine, violence, etc. All of this from what should be one of the most prosperous areas in Africa.

The film is shot in digital video, but no matter. The content is powerful and the emotion desperate.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

The most difficult of the three Lord of the Rings films to write is this middle one. It is supposed to provide some exposition for first time viewers, introduce seven more major characters, and leave the viewers hanging in limbo as there is still almost 4 hours left in part three. I think the writers did a fine job.

They didn't think there was enough tension in the story however and so the film veers wildly off course from the novel in The Two Towers. Frodo and co. are taken to Osgiliath. Travelers to Helm's Deep are ambushed by wargs. Aragorn barely survives the attack and is thought dead for a portion of the film. Elves show up to help save the Rohirrim. As much as these deviations bother me, they were inspired additions to the story (with the exception of the warg attack and Aragorn "dying").

What really takes this movie to the next level are the new characters. The Gollum/Smeagol split is captivating and viewers are instantly sympathetic to the pathetic creature. Treebeard's humour and originality adds a quirky personality to the cast. King Theoden of Rohan is fantastic as a conflicted, grieving, confused, and noble leader. Each one steals the scenes they are in.

Whereas in the first film we had one main narrative following the fellowship on their journey south, we now have seven major narratives: Frodo and friends, Treebeard and the hobbits, Aragorn and Legolas and Gimli, royalty from Rohan, Faramir and Gondorian soldiers, Arwen and Elrond, Saruman at Orthanc. The filmmakers do a terrific job of referencing the different stories and bridging the scenes without losing pace.

Now for the crowning piece of cinema that won 13 Oscars.
(FOTR and TTT took 6 combined)

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Catch and Release (2006)

Worst movie I've reviewed so far. Strange Brew and Get Smart Again! beat this one hands down.

This is a boring movie with pretty people. The story tries too hard to be original and decidedly flops, like the fish that are caught and released in the film.

The central eye-candy is Jennifer Garner. Her fiancée dies and she end up falling in love with one of his friends. But which one? Will it be the friendly, low-self-esteem friend? Will it be the one who has secretly crushed on her for years? Or will it be the one she catches having sex at the funeral? She must choose you see because her heart isn't only broken by the death of her man, but also from having found out that he had been cheating on her for years. Yes friends, this drama stinks.

The writer director, Susannah Grant, made a name for herself by writing Erin Brokovich. She couldn't get too outlandish and shallow on that one I suppose because it was based on a true story.

The only decent acting came from Kevin Smith (of Silent Bob fame) and Juliette Lewis. The others were pretty one-dimensional and single-minded. This is funny because Smith and Lewis are protraying pretty shallow people.

If you get stuck watching this one, don't worry, it won't linger in your mind too long.

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