OCEANS

Written and Directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud
Narrated by Pierce Brosnan

Narrator: Down here, it’s like nature has given everything a try.

I’ve never been particularly fascinated with the vast bodies of water known as the planet’s oceans. Sit me in a movie theatre though and immerse me in one of those bodies on the big screen and I may as well be a fish, because I won’t want to get out of the water. Disney Nature’s second environmentally friendly documentary in their Earth Day series, entitled OCEANS, sets out to do just that – to take the viewer by the hand and guide them through these foreign, fantastical waters so that all who take the plunge, emerge knowing that much more about how it feels to be a fish these days.

OCEANS, like any Disney film, is interested in making sure that everyone who sees it is enjoying themselves. When that approach applies to a documentary, it means ensuring that every child that sits in those theatre seats is taken in enough by what they see, so that they sit still in those seats until the credits roll. To do this, directors, Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud – no strangers to nature films themselves, after collaborating on 2001’s WINGED MIGRATION, a documentary about migratory patterns – place the viewer in the mind of a child, focusing more on who lives in the ocean instead of the ocean itself. Why go on incessantly about oceanic statistics when you can simply just sit in wonder and awe of every unbelievable image you see unfold? Even narrator, Pierce Brosnan, speaks in a slow, soothing tone throughout, careful to balance the drifting attention of a child without insulting the intelligence of the adults who brought them.

Striking that balance can be tricky but Perrin and Cluzaud accomplish their goal nicely for most of the underwater journey. Disney broke away from the structure that worked for them in their first nature release, EARTH, where they repurposed footage from the BBC series, “Planet Earth”. With OCEANS though, they captured some of the same situations that “Planet Earth” did for their segment on oceans, but it is an all-new film this time out, allowing OCEANS to feel much fresher than EARTH ever did. It is also a great second topic to explore as the oceans themselves, especially the depths, provide so many fascinating creatures that most people have never seen and some people won’t even believe are real. Some of the focus is lost when the green agenda is raised about an hour into the film but fortunately more time is spent admiring overall instead of preaching.

These two kids behind me did not stop asking their very patient mother questions throughout the film. If my mom had been there, I too would have been tugging at her blouse, asking, “What’s that, Mommy? What’s that!?” Well, I would have if I were still 10. Anyway, at first I wondered if maybe all of this was lost on them, but then I realized that questions mean interest and these two definitely had questions. More importantly though, they also had some very good laughs at just how crazy nature really can be. And while they may be laughing now, they will likely one day be tugging at their mother once again as they inevitably find themselves staring out into an ocean.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Unreasonable Obsession

OK, I get it. You like Beyonce. Her songs are catchy; her body is rockin’. She is an all around tour de force. But really, does she really need to be a bankable movie star too? I don’t begrudge her every possible success but couldn’t you throw you support behind her for something a little less ridiculous than OBSESSED?


Even though it was panned by critics universally, or perhaps in spite of that, OBSESSED pulled in over $28 million to become April’s biggest opening for a thriller, beating out DISTURBIA, which pulled in over $22 million back in its day. This will mean many more film offers for Beyonce, who clearly has a strong following that are willing to cross over from downloading her music to dropping their money to gaze upon her on the big screen. As a result, another pretty face, Zac Efron, in 17 AGAIN, was forced down to second place with a 50% drop.



Many another film made its debut this week in the Top 10 but none did so very strongly. The most successful of the bunch was the fight movie, appropriately titled, FIGHTING. The film brought in the second highest average in the Top 10 but was originally expected to fight it out with OBSESSED for the top spot. Its third place finish is respectable but a disappointment. Coming in right behind in fourth was the delayed, THE SOLOIST. Joe Wright (ATONEMENT) directed this pedigree project, which stars Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. Good word of mouth could save it but adult fare is not faring too well these days (just ask STATE OF PLAY). And after its solid Earth Day debut, Disney’s EARTH came in fifth place for the weekend. Given that this is a repurposed documentary that many have already seen in its other incarnation, the BBC series, “Planet Earth”, I’d say its $14 million five-day take is definitely the strongest showing of these selections.


Below the Top 10, the much buzzed about documentary about boxer, Mike Tyson, again appropriately titled, TYSON, debuted on 11 screens to the tune of an average just under $8K. The film is being well received by critics and could play better to wider audiences in the weeks to come given the popularity of the subject. Meanwhile, the ensemble piece, THE INFORMERS, starring Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Billy Bob Thornton and Winona Ryder (now, there are a bunch of misfits!) bombed its opening, pulling in a pathetic average of just $622 on nearly 500 screens. And the week’s best per screen average went to the documentary, NURSERY UNIVERSITY. The doc, which depicts the competitive world of nursery school admissions, opened on just one screen in all of North America and pulled in an average of $13K. I guess it was easier for parents interested in the topic to find a baby sitter for the night than a good school.

NEXT WEEK: Let the unofficial launch of summer officially begin with the release of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE. Opening of over 4000 screens, it will be very interesting to see if that feature length leak from a month ago really has an effect or not on the theatrical gross. And if bladed mutants are not your thing, perhaps laughable romantic comedies starring Matthew McConaughey are. GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST, co-starring Jennifer Garner, opens on 3000+ screens.

Source: Box Office Mojo

EARTH

Written and Directed by Alastair Fothergrill and Mark Linfield
Narrated by James Earl Jones


I’m not sure how to do this. How does one heap praise on a film that is essentially comprised of previously used footage and reappropriated in the interest of making it more accessible for American family audiences? Furthermore, how does one criticize said film when its ultimate purpose, outside of cashing in on growing environmental concern as a viable marketing strategy, is to draw awareness to the fragility and magnificent beauty of our planet? The new distribution leg of the multinational conglomerate, Walt Disney, known as Disney Nature has all too conveniently chosen today, Earth Day, to unveil the first in what it hopes will be a new kind of franchise for a world gone green. Each year, Earth Day will now have to fulfill new duties as a tent pole release date for Disney Nature’s series of nature documentaries and their inaugural offering keeps it both simple and broad, beginning pretty much where you would have to, with EARTH.


Years ago, the BBC embarked on a project so immense in size, one could describe it as planetary. Highly skilled camera crews spanned the globe, from pole to pole, capturing penguins, polar bears and scenic shots of desserts, mountains and jungles in between. The project’s purpose was to unobtrusively document the wonders of the planet on a scale that had never been accomplished before. In 2006, the series, “Planet Earth”, debuted to wild success and was repurposed for American audiences shortly thereafter. Disney has now acquired the rights to this breathtaking footage and all the intense drama and hilarious quirkiness that goes along with it. The premiere episode of the series was a general breakdown of what the subsequent episodes would focus on more specifically and EARTH is recut to follow that same structure, implementing some new footage to highlight three specific stories amidst the global tour. It doesn’t do this as well as the series did, losing its direction somewhere in the lofty dessert but thankfully it never loses its gripping beauty. By the way, James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader and CNN, is your official tour guide. The results cannot help but be as breathtaking as they were to begin with.


They say the world is a stage but being the narcissistic egomaniacs that we are as humans, we assume this applies solely to are own pointless dramas and experiences that consume us on a daily basis. EARTH is here to remind us that we are not alone. Contrary to what we may believe, even as I sit on this bus and toil over this review, the cycle of life is happening on such a massive level that it essentially renders our supposedly important days somewhat meaningless. I know that it is hard for some people to accept this but I meant “meaningless” in the more freeing sense. How can agonizing over who was voted off last night’s talent show du jour hold any resonance whatsoever when you remember that right now, ecosystems are breaking down and rebuilding themselves across the globe, all the while playing home to necessary hunts, painstaking migrations and miraculous stories of survival and spirit? In that regard, EARTH is a spiritual experience that will touch audiences of all ages alike. The real question though is whether it will inspire.


EARTH also serves as another more timely reminder, that the planet is unique and not to be taken for granted. Aside from tailoring the film to appeal to families by focusing much of its attention on animal parents and the rearing of their kin, EARTH also points out how some of these animals have it harder than they did in the past thanks to “the warming of the planet”, clearly mindful of the controversy mentioning global warming conjures. That said, while I still struggle with handing over praise for the acquisition of previously acclaimed footage and while I may still harbour some likely unnecessary resistance towards Disney’s true intentions for going green at a time when it is fashionable to do so, I must look sooner to the greater effect this might have on tomorrow. Brining families to EARTH means more chance for a future generation to lead the way back to the level of respect this planet rightfully deserves. Don’t believe me? Then you haven’t seen EARTH.



Editor’s note: To dispel their eco-capitalist image, Disney has pledged to plant a tree for every ticket sold to EARTH through its opening weekend so get out there and see it already. 500,000 advance tickets have been sold already.