Tag: Adventure

THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52 – Review

A shot from the documentary THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52. Courtesy of Bleecker Street

A whale, apparently the only one of its kind, wandering the Pacific and persistently calling with no answer, is the subject of Joshua Zeman’s documentary THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52, or more precisely, a search for the whale no one had ever seen. That search of the seas aboard a ship named Truth is the framing devise, but director Zeman also examines at the human response to the whale’s plight, anthropomorphized reaction reflecting at a time when people were talking about social media and loneliness, as well as a brief exploration of humankind’s history with whales. Aboard a ship named Truth It adds up to a mix of sea-going adventure,

In 2004, the New Times posted an article about a whale that struck a chord with many people. “For many years, a whale had been cruising the Pacific from central California to the Aleutians, calling out with a voice unlike any other whale’s, and getting no response,” Andrew Revkin wrote in his New York Times article. The story was based on a scientific research article, “Twelve Years of Tracking 52-Hz Whale Calls From a Unique Source in the North Pacific,” in which Dr. William Watkins and other scientists detailed their 12-year study of the whale as it roamed the Pacific Ocean. The sound was first picked up in 1989 by a naval surveillance sound array, a unique repeating 52 Hertz sound like no other, just above a tuba’s lowest note but well above the range of other whale calls. Whales are highly social animals who communicate largely through sound, and this seemed to be a single whale, unable to communicate with other whales, perhaps the first of its species – or the last.

By the time filmmaker Josh Zeman heard about the 52 Hertz Whale from scientist Dr. Vint Virga, there were memes, poems, paintings, songs, sculptures, even a play about the loneliest whale. Clearly it had tapped into a deep well of feeling in the era of social media’s physical isolation and virtual connection. The heartbreaking story had quickly spread through social media, the sad story of the loneliest whale and his persistent unanswered calls resonating with so many.

Zeman was hooked, and began to wonder, naively, if he could find the 52 Hertz Whale, known to scientists as Watkin’s Whale or just 52. The documentary THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52 follows Zeman’s search. offering is a mix of mystery tale and high seas adventure, with a nice science slant, as the director enlists the help of a team of scientists to find 52. While the scientists hunt for the 52 Whale, the documentary serves up details on whale biology, whale songs and whale behavior, the history of underwater sound detection, a musicologist’s look at whale songs, a bit of meditation on the psycho-social meaning of the world wide response to this haunting tale of the lonely whale, and mankind’s long bloody history of whale hunting.

Tracking of the 52 Whale stopped in 2004 with the death of researcher Bill Watkins, and no one knew where the whale was now. Whales are long lived but more than a decade had passed, so no one even knew if the whale was still alive. Zeman approach several scientists about searching for 52, and got the same response: “a needle in a haystack.” Whales may be large but the ocean is vast, and finding a single whale was an impossible task.. Some scientists laughed when Zeman told them what he wanted to do, and when he said, “no, I’m serious,” laughed some more. Still, the idea intrigued some of the scientists, people who love a good puzzle and a challenge.

So Zeman turned the problem the other way. He asked several whale scientists to search their records for the sound of 52 – and gets a hit. The 52 Hertz sound had been recorded just a few years back and, conveniently, off the coast of California. The hunt was on, and it turned into a quest for Zeman, which he described as “Ahab-ian,” referencing obsessed captain of “Moby Dick” but without his bloody intent.

The documentary is packed with marvelous underwater photography, exciting footage of the search at rolling sea, and is filled with the infectious enthusiasm of the scientists Zeman recruited for the quest.

The search teamed Dr. John Hildebrand, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who specializes in whale sounds, with John Calambokidis, a research biologist and co-founder of Cascadia Research Collective in Olympia, Washington, who is an expert in the field work to identify whales. “In terms of a person who actually gets out in the field and does work with large whales, he’s the guy, ” Hildebrand said in the documentary. This scientific whale dream team and director Zeman embarked on a search for 52, starting with the last known location of the California coast, with Hildebrand’s team in tracking whales by sound and Calambokidis and his team chasing them by boat, taking skin samples and tagging them with tracking devices, so they would know when that particular whale would pass by that particular hydrophone singing.

Obviously, there is a lot of adventure in a seagoing quest, for a whale that many have heard but that no one has every seen. The hunt has the feel of adventure tale, and the scientists are all-in on the quest, heightening the documentary’s energy. There is plenty of excitement, gorgeous high seas photography, whale sightings and close encounters. Quest is full of tension and excitement but it does not follow the expected path. While there are startling discoveries but does not lead to a simple resolution.

Zeman mixes the sea-going search footage with wide-ranging background materials, including interviews and archival stills and footage. When not on the sea, the documentary presents a host of experts on whales ans whale song. When the Navy built its Sound Surveillance System ( SOSUS ) in the Cold War early 1950s, they were listening for Russian submarines. “No one knew there was whale sound underwater,” Dr David Rothenberg, musician, professor and author of “Thousand-Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound.” While sailors long were aware of some whale sounds above the surface, no one knew the sounds traveled so far underwater. When a record of the haunting calls of humpback whales was released in 1970, it sparked the “save the whales” movement to end whale hunting, and a fascination with whales and their songs.

THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52 quest for 52 does not end as neatly as one might wish but what it does uncover is intriguing and raises new questions, in a coda at the film’s end. This is an enjoyable and well-made documentary with a wonderful underwater photography and satisfying scientific ocean adventure, and makes a fine pairing with another science-based whale documentary FATHOM released earlier this summer. Fans of whales, the ocean, or science will enjoy the adventure, for this is a whale of an outing.

RATING: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars

THE DARK TOWER – Review

Roland (Idris Elba) in Columbia Pictures’ THE DARK TOWER. Courtesy of Sony Pictures (c)

THE DARK TOWER attempts to condense Stephen King’s wide-ranging epic book series of good versus evil into a two-hour film, with results that are unlikely to please many fans, despite a cast that includes Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey.

Idris Elba plays The Last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, whose task is to prevent The Man In Black, Walter O’Dim (Matthew McConaughey) from destroying the Dark Tower that protects the universe from the demons who would overrun it. In contemporary New York, a 14-year-old boy named Jacob (Tom Taylor) has visions of the Dark Tower, the Man In Black and the Gunslinger, while the city is shaken by periodic mysterious earthquakes. The visions worry Jacob’s mother, who thinks they area manifestation of his grief since the death of his father, but Jacob’s stepfather is less tolerant of the boy and his problems. A magic portal leads Jacob into Mid-World, where he meets and joins forces with the Gunslinger.

Fans of Stephen King’s series will already see departures from the books in that synopsis, but it is much worse than that. Despite creating a certain amount of mood and style in the visuals, the straight-forward plot runs through a series of conventional hero tropes, sucking any magic the fantasy landscapes may create right out of the film. Once in a while, viewers get a glimpse of the story’s potential, but that window closes quickly, and the film resumes its conventional slog.

Nikolaj Arcel directs this perfunctory action film, from a script he co-wrote with Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner and Anders Thomas Jensen. While the visuals and effects are good, better than the film overall, the soundtrack is one of the worst, and most irritating, in recent memory, undermining scenes that might have worked otherwise.

As the Gunslinger, Idris Elba gives it a good try, but there is not much he or the rest of the cast can do with these flat, two-dimensional characters. The Gunslinger acts as an escort for young Jacob, who has strong psychic powers, called the Shine (as in THE SHINING), but his inner struggle over his mission is never convincing. Elba is able to wring a little excitement out of the action scenes but the wooden dialog limits what he can do in other scenes. Likewise, McConaughey has little wiggle room, as Walter O’Dim’s total evilness is never in doubt, set in an early scene where he uses an apparatus to suck the psychic energy out of children in repeated attacks on the Dark Tower. McConaughey is reduced to slyly intoning taunts directed toward his long-time adversary Roland, or ordering people to stop breathing or his minions to kill (even each other). Jackie Earle Haley is pretty much wasted as one of Walter’s henchmen.

Most of the time, the film is stiff and humorless, with simple characters walking through a clockwork of predictable actions. Attempts to inject a little comic relief are limited to a few lines, like the Gunslinger asking if he will have trouble finding bullets in Jacob’s New York, to which the boy replies he’ll love it, or Roland sampling a hot dog, expressing disgust that people on what he calls Keystone Earth each dogs, but then asking what breed.

THE DARK TOWER was eagerly anticipated by fans of Stephen King’s books, so this leaden film has to be a major disappointment. While this flat morality tale might entertain some younger audiences, it does not offer much for the rest of us.

RATING: 2 out of 5 stars

 

JACK AND THE CUCKOO CLOCK HEART – The Review

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Romance is perhaps the most coveted of the storyteller’s tools, one that can connect with anyone, yet open to an infinite number of perspectives, styles and genres. French filmmakers Stephane Berla and Mathias Malzieu have brought Malzieu’s own novel to life in the new computer animated feature film adaptation of JACK AND THE CUCKOO CLOCK HEART. Having co-directed the film and adapted his novel into the screenplay, Malzieu is something of a renaissance man, as he’s also the lead singer for the French rock band Dionysos. This plays a crucial role in the development of the film’s fantastical, poetic nature and musical fluidity.

JACK AND THE CUCKOO CLOCK HEART, also known as The Boy With the Cuckoo Clock Heart, tells the story of Jack, a boy born on the coldest day in the history of the world. So cold, in fact, that his heart is so cold and stone hard, that it must be replaced with a small cuckoo clock, the inner working of which allow Jack to maintain life. Madeleine, the ingeniously handy foster parent of broker children, is responsible for Jack’s clockwork heart but warns Jack of three rules he must obey, or else suffer the weaknesses of his man made engine of life.

First, Jack must never touch the hands of his heart. Second, he must never lose his temper. Third, and most importantly, he must never, ever, fall in love. With this last rule seemingly fated to be broken, Jack meets Miss Acacia, a petite girl with a powerful singing voice that instantly engulfs his heart. Having just found his true love, Jack ultimately finds himself thrown into an adventure after fleeing an accident mistaken as an act of violent aggression toward Joe, an older bully driven by his fear — and later on, his jealousy — of Jack, who truly would not hurt a fly.

The story begins in Edinburgh, where Jack was raised by Madeleine, but quickly evolves into a much larger tale taking him the Paris, France. Beyond the geographical range, the film envelops an even broader European sentimentality as Miss Acacia represents a strong Spanish influence through her flamenco-inspired dress and musicality, enhanced with a modern touch of pop. Her dress and even her unique characteristic evoke the very romantic nature of the red rose by which she resembles.

Years later, Jack’s journey opens into a boundless sense of imagination with a world of surreal landscapes and design that might illustrate a collaboration between Salvador Dali and Tim Burton. This becomes clearly evident when Jack reaches a small carnival like town filled with freak show inspired characters of oddity and the wonderfully strange roller coaster ride called Ghost Train, with which Jack acquires employment in an effort to reconnect with his long lost love to be, Miss Acacia.

Joe, antagonist of the film, originally voiced by Grand Corps Malade, is perhaps the strangest character in the film. The musical numbers for Joe are more of a spoken word or rap styling — and not always as smooth as intended in the English version — whereas the character’s visual presence evokes Keanu Reeves as imagined in a period piece by Tim Burton. Sadly, the character’s portrayal is as off-putting as it is dull and one-dimensional, but does the job of providing Jack an obstacle to overcome.

JACK AND THE CUCKOO CLOCK HEART is driven primarily by the artistic visuals, but equally by its music, which drives the pace and flow of the film. The soundtrack is as eclectic as it is memorable, not for its familiarity, but for its theatrical presentation. The film portrays elements that may prove to make it a cult favorite over time, not unlike established favorites like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Nightmare Before Christmas or REPO! The Genetic Opera. The band, Dionysos, recorded a concept album based on the story, which became the source for the film’s music, having also provided the sound scape for the animated film A Town Called Panic (2009).

The animation used for JACK AND THE CUCKOO CLOCK HEART is reminiscent of Laika’s trademark style, but not quite as polished. Regardless, the film still flows well, especially given its frequent foray into dreamscapes and mildly euphoric trippy sequences, usually set to another musical piece from Dionysos. As previously mentioned, this film is French, however the film is apparently being released in the Unites States with an English audio track, which sadly loses something in translation. This becomes apparent not only in the voice acting, that often feels either void of appropriate emotion, or rushes and poorly times for the mood, possibly in an attempt to fit a certain translation into the characters’ visual speaking queues. Whatever the reasoning, I would have preferred to see the original French version with English subtitles, however this is still a film worth experiencing and should inspire viewers to seek out the film in its purest form.

JACK AND THE CUCKOO CLOCK HEART arrives on Video On Demand and in select theaters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Scottsdale, Denver, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, Houston, Orlando and Tampa beginning September 24, 2014.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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JOHN CARTER – The Review

“George Lucas is going to be sooo pissed!” This was the first thought that popped into my head after seeing JOHN CARTER. That is, until I realized he has no reason to get upset. Whether or not you’re familiar with the source material, it will become abundantly clear that Lucas drew a great deal of inspiration for his STAR WARS saga from A PRINCESS OF MARS, a science-fiction novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. In fact, once JOHN CARTER hits DVD and blu-ray, picking out the familiar STAR WARS bits would make one hell of a drinking game.

Long story short, director Andrew Stanton only steals back from Lucas what he stole from Burroughs in the first place. I say stolen in a purely playful manner, as is this incredibly fun, if not entirely perfect science-fiction action/adventure film that is one part Indiana Jones, one part STARGATE, and many parts STAR WARS in it’s visual appeal, story structure and even with it’s character development, in many cases. JOHN CARTER may have been officially derived from the original Edgar Rice Burroughs story, but the concept has had plenty of attention through the years, from the original novel and other books that followed, a magazine serial, television series and comic books.

Andrew Stanton, best known for directing the Pixar hits WALL-E and FINDING NEMO, makes his live-action debut with Disney’s CGI blockbuster JOHN CARTER, which they have allegedly spent upwards of $250 million or more to bring to life. If this is true, I fear Disney may have a box office financial flop, even if the film proves to be a popular pre-summer release. In all honesty, it will take a small miracle for the film to break even, but do your part and give it a chance for having the balls to beckon your hard earned bucks before the summer season officially begins.

Taylor Kitsch plays the legendary John Carter, a ruggedly handsome man in his twenties who stumbles upon a gateway between Earth and Mars, leading him into the adventure of a lifetime that will change the course of not one, but two worlds. Kitsch, perhaps best known as Tim Riggins to FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS fans, isn’t terribly recognizable beyond that somewhat cult following. Stanton is taking somewhat of a chance with a relative unknown in the leading role, but I’m sure it did shave a few million dollars off the total production cost. Kitsch presents himself on screen as the young Indiana Jones type, but with a bit more old west in his swagger. I am fairly certain there is a moment when explaining his name to the locals that he whips out a John Wayne impersonation, but it happens quickly, so don’t nod off.

JOHN CARTER is no lavishly written masterpiece of flashy dialogue or deep philosophical prose. This shows in the film, but what the film lacks in textual tact it gains in a pleasantly pulpy atmosphere and tone that makes the entire experience that much more fun. Sure, go ahead and see the film in 3D. As much as I oppose the current trend, this is the kind of film 3D is really meant for and it actually works fairly well. No gimmicks, the 3D is fully integrated and never really bares itself so blatantly as to pull the viewer from the story. As was certainly the style of pulp literature of its era, JOHN CARTER has moments of embellished heroism and sappy romance, but I encourage you to play along and enjoy the ride. One of the most fantastically absurd but equally rewarding moments is when John Carter takes it upon himself to prove his valor and worth to Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), single-handedly facing a massive horde of grumpy, savage four-armed Tharks with his name on their blades. This scene is over the top, absurd, and entirely satisfying.

Without going into any great detail, JOHN CARTER follows an otherwise insignificant former Confederate Captain as he is whisked away to Mars and becomes a legend, courtesy of a certain variance in the laws of physics. The CGI in the film is vast and ever present, from the light ships and towering architecture to the arid landscape and especially the character design. While the majority of the alien characters are merely humans with a touch more red pigment and blue blood, the Tharks could be compared to the Na’vi from James Cameron’s AVATAR, but conceptualized with far more success. These four-armed, tusked natives are a major factor in the story and provide a great deal of the excitement.

Much of the star power for JOHN CARTER comes in the way of voice talent. Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church lend their voices to the two primary Thark males, Samantha Morton offers her voice to the primary Thark female, and Dominic West and Bryan Cranston round out the cast. Mark Strong puts on the villain’s shoes once again as a mysterious Thern, stirring the proverbial pooh while standing on the sidelines. This character reminds me of a far more nefarious “Observer” for those who follow the FRINGE television series. He’s one mean dude and he doesn’t play fair.

While the action sequences may be short in duration, there are enough of them in total to give it a pass. JOHN CARTER crosses two worlds, 50 million miles and vastly different cultures to produce a movie many times more enjoyable than THE PHANTOM MENACE, minus Darth Maul, even with its slightly elongated 132-minute running time that could definitely benefit from a snip here and a cut there. The lead performances are notably Kitsch-y (see what I did there) and it works. For someone who has not read the original source material, Andrew Stanton’s JOHN CARTER has inspired me to seek it out.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Review: THE SECRET OF KELLS

With the popularity of CG-animated films from Pixar and DreamWorks and the namesake monopoly on traditional animation that is Disney, it’s rare that smaller indie or even foreign animated films of a traditional nature get much attention. Each year a number of these gems arrive at smaller theaters scattered throughout the country, but rarely do they enjoy the benefit of mass audiences due to a lack in exposure and publicity.

THE SECRET OF KELLS, which originally debuted elsewhere in 2009, is one example of a brilliant, under exposed jewels of traditional animation. Co-directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, this little Irish film earned more recognition than most with an Academy Award nomination in 2009 for Best Animated Feature, a nomination that many feel should have led to an actual Oscar win.

Brendan (Evan McGuire) is a young orphaned boy, living in a secluded medieval village under the care of his uncle, Abbot Cellach, voiced by Brendan Gleeson. The remote northern village is hard at work constructing a massive wall that will encircle their homes and protect them from the violent onslaught of invading barbaric Northmen. Abbot Cellach is obsessed with the building of the wall, confident it will protect the people from the invaders.

Meanwhile, little Brendan finds himself intensely bored being confined within the walls and increasingly curious about the world outside. Forbidden to venture beyond the walls, everything begins to change when a legendary illuminator arrives as a refugee of a recent Northmen attack. Brendan is awestruck by the man and his unfinished book, drawn to the stories and lore of its past, present and future. Naturally, this leads Brendan to develop a bond with the illuminator, one which opens new possibilities and challenges in Brendan’s young life.

Brendan Gleeson does a wonderful job voicing the stern and determined Abbot Cellach, however this not the “Brendan” that the audience will connect most with. That honor goes to the young and adventurous “Brendan” in the story, a boy who encounters a fairy named Aisling (Christen Monney) while in the woods and stumbles upon the dangers of the Dark one’s lair, courageously staying true to his mission despite the perils set before him.

THE SECRET OF KELLS uses the traditional animation techniques, but has an organically-geometric style, influenced by the traditional Irish folk art and decorative lettering. The film is based on the legendary Book of Kells, and the boy behind its creation. This is a story of accomplishment and talent put to astonishing good, realized through a mentor despite the many obstacles that stood in his way. The film is filled with wonderful colors, earthy and vibrant, with a kinetic pace that is as organic its visual style.

Perhaps the best part of the film –and THE SECRET OF KELLS is a very difficult film to dissect in terms of “best parts” as its all amazing—is the original music by Bruno Coulais, whose extensive body of work has recently included CORALINE and Disney’s OCEANS, enriches this story so greatly that defines much of the film. Often ethereal, the score is heavily inspired by traditional Irish folk music of various forms. I would venture to guess, after seeing this film the first time, one could sit back and close their eyes and merely listen to the score and follow the story with a fascinating accuracy.

Overall, THE SECRET OF KELLS is a tremendously engaging, moving and uncommonly significant animated film that deserves an audience and a place in film history. While the real linear running time of 75 minutes is relatively short, the experience feels much more epic and exhilarating. THE SECRET OF KELLS has an appeal and a message that can, and should, resonate with anyone, young or old, regardless of their backgrounds.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars