Category: Movies

Christmas gift guide 2012

In the interest of planning ahead, here’s our annual Christmas gift guide. This is specially for the people whose idea of a good gift is “whatever’s available in a shop close to the mall entrance on 23 December!”

Books

For the reader, you could check out our book reviews, arranged by topic:

There are also a couple of children’s books to consider.

Dive gear

Check out What’s in My Dive Bag for some ideas… You can contact Andre for most of these:

Make sure you know the returns/exchanges policy of wherever you make your purchases. Some places can be difficult, and if the mask doesn’t fit it’s no good at all!

For lady divers

For the diving lady in your life (or your man friend with too much hair), what about some rich hair conditioner to apply before going in the water – suggestions here, otherwise try what I’m currently using: Aussie Moist Three Minute Miracle, which is available at Clicks. A pack of cheap, soft fabric elasticated hairbands is a good stocking filler.

Some high SPF, waterproof sunscreen, or a nice hooded towel for grown ups (available in one or two of the surf shops in Muizenberg) would also not go amiss.

Experiences

Don’t forget to add a memory card for the lucky recipient’s camera if you plan to gift any of these! Contact Tony for prices.

For those who need (or like) to relax

Magazine subscriptions

Memberships

Wall art

Clip Clop designs and prints beautiful tide charts for Cape Town and Durban and moon phase charts for the year. You can order online or find them at Exclusive Books.

My underwater alphabet is available for R200 in A1 size, fully laminated. Shout if you want a copy.

If you take your own photos, you could print and frame a couple, or experiment with stretched canvas prints if that’s your thing. A digital photo frame pre-loaded with underwater images is also a lovely gift for a diving friend.

Donations

For the person who has everything, or because you’re feeling grateful:

Movie: March of the Penguins

March of the Penguins
March of the Penguins

French cinematographers spent a full year in Antarctica filming the life cycle of the emperor penguin for La Marche de l’Empereur, or March of the Penguins. Emperor penguins lead remarkable, complex lives marked by apparent touches of compassion, fidelity and stoicism in the face of hardship (it may seem thus because of their fixed facial expressions) that gives their story particular popular appeal. Happy Feet depicted a little of the habits of these birds, but while watching it I was constantly wishing for the unvarnished realism of this documentary feature.

Emperor penguins breed at the same place each year, a location that is over 100 kilometres from the sea by the beginning of winter (in summer the ice recedes). The eggs are incubated by the males, who rest the eggs on top of their feet, while the females return to the ocean to feed. There is little that is easy about being an emperor penguin: extended periods without food for both sexes, the males huddle together for warmth during the long, dark, cold Antarctic winter, and the females’ make long journeys to the ocean in search of sustenance.

When the female penguins return, they recognise their mate by their call, and for the remainder of the summer the parents shuttle back and forth to the sea in order to fish. The chicks are threatened by starvation and predators, and if one of their parents die their odds of survival are slim, but the persistence of these birds in the face of incredible hardships is remarkable.

I watched the film in its original French, with subtitles. While the sound of the language is beautiful, the dialogue may seem a little strange – it’s narrated in the first person by a male and female voice actor, with a child for the chick’s voice. The music is atmospheric and quite beautiful. The American release uses a more conventional third person narrative by Morgan Freeman. I’d suggest that whichever version you choose, you watch the extra material on the DVD about the filming of the documentary. The penguins endured months of darkness and howling wind as they incubated their eggs, and the film makers did likewise (minus the eggs)!

You can buy the DVD here (if you’re in South Africa) otherwise here or here.

Movie: Happy Feet

Happy Feet
Happy Feet

We watched Happy Feet during a time of stress (preparing to move house!), and found it (mostly) calming and funny. There were some quite serious, emotionally wracking moments, but – as one expects from animated movies aimed primarily at children – everything works out in the end. I must admit I dragged my feet over seeing it, because the idea of singing penguins just didn’t grab me. I adore adore adore the laconic penguins in the Madagascar movies – they (and Sacha Baron Cohen) are the primary reason I sat through any of them – but singing and dancing as well as speaking just seemed too much.

They are quite charming, though, and the music is a very enjoyable component of this film. Robin Williams is a treat and I wished his characters had more screen time. The penguins also dance (not at first), and my heart did melt a little at the sight of a tap dancing little fluffball.

As with most (all) films of this genre, there is a strong message. In Happy Feet the message is about being yourself, not conforming because others say you should, and that if you are patient you will find friends who appreciate you for your uniqueness. For grown ups (and perhaps some perceptive youngsters) there’s quite a weird, sinister plotline involving the ancient religion of the penguins, with creepy elder penguins pronouncing judgments on nonconformists and invoking all sorts of religious terminology that I thought muddied the waters somewhat. I thought the “be true to yourself” message was enough, and that children don’t necessarily need to think about the fact that it could lead to ostracism by your spiritual community, or that their spiritual community could perhaps be deluded by powerful leaders and tradition. I suppose a religious studies class could develop this analysis to whatever level their hearts desired!

I digress. The scientific/marine plotline addresses overfishing, which has depleted the food of the emperor penguins. Mumble, the (different) main character, and a motley cast of helpers, manage to alert the humans to the problem, and the film ends (sorry) with a rapprochement between the humans and penguins and the establishment of a Marine Protected Area in Antarctic waters. Along the way Mumble spends time in captivity in an aquarium, and those scenes were heartbreaking.

The life cycle of the emperor penguin is illustrated beautifully, with the males incubating the eggs during the gruelling winter months while the females head to the ocean to forage for food. Footage of leopard seals and orcas is beautifully done, but (as with all films of this type) they are anthropomorphised as bloodthirsty villains. Also exposing children to positive portrayals of these creatures would be wise. March of the Penguins is a good accompaniment to this movie.

You can purchase the DVD here if you’re in South Africa, otherwise here or here.

Movie: The Big Blue

The Big Blue
The Big Blue

The Big Blue (first released in 1988) is a fictionalised account of a rivalry between two free divers, Enzo Maiorca (renamed in the film to Enzo Molinari) and Jacques Mayol. As children, they compete diving for coins in the harbour of the small fishing village where they live, and a strong rivalry (at least in Enzo’s mind) is born. Years later, he persuades Jacques to come and compete against him at the world free diving championships.

While free diving and being the world championship seems to be all that occupies Enzo’s mind, Jacques is quieter and more philosophical, and tries to understand his connection to the ocean (he has an affinity for dolphins) and to the life he has when he’s not diving. He begins a relationship with an annoying American woman, but his immaturity and other-worldliness gives rise to frustrations when he cannot reciprocate her desire for a white picket fence with two and a half children and a dog.

The film was shot mostly in the Mediterranean, and has a beautiful soundtrack of electronic music by Eric Serra. Despite the competition between the men, it’s quite slow paced. We watched the director’s cut, which is almost three hours long. The scenery and the clarity of the water in which the men dive (and the idyllic little coastal villages where they grow up and compete) is quite bewitching.

The discipline in which the two men compete is No Limit, the same as that practiced by Audrey Mestre, Pipin Ferreras and Carlos Serra, protagonists of The Last Attempt and The Dive. The diver descends on a weighted sled (in The Big Blue, to 130-odd metres, which is far shallower than current records) and ascends with the assistance of a balloon or inflatable jacket. It is considered to be one of the most dangerous free diving disciplines (Herbert Nitsch,  one of the greatest living free divers, has recently had a bit of a speed wobble trying to extend the record to 244 metres).

It’s interesting to compare Nitsch’s highly experimental arrangement with the somewhat primitive-looking sled shown in the film. The concerns of the doctors, that the men are reaching depths beyond which it is physiologically impossible to descend, are still echoed each time a new record is set. The frequency of DCS and other neurological disturbances in divers who push the limits, however, makes me wonder whether we are in fact approaching some kind of threshold. Since many of these divers are genetic abberations (in a good way), it’s hard to generalise, but I watch developments in the sport with interest.

This is a beautifully filmed, engrossing piece of cinematography, and a classic ocean film that deals with some universal questions (not least, why do some women insist on falling pregnant without first discussing it with their partner?).

The DVD is available here if you’re in South Africa, otherwise here. The soundtrack, which is sublime, is available here for South Africans, and here otherwise.

Movie: Shark Tale

Shark Tale
Shark Tale

I only watched this movie for the first time recently. It was released hot on the heels of Finding Nemo, and seemed to be the poor cousin of that film in all respects. It has a spectacular cast – featuring the voices of Hollywood’s finest – but flops in comparison to the Pixar film.

There are many superficial similarities between Finding Nemo and Shark Tale, but in the similarties we also find fundamental differences. The bustling reef city presented in Shark Tale looks cheap, lurid, and replete with the empty values of the 21st century, whereas the idyllic reef community presented in Finding Nemo appears aspirational and wholesome. There’s also a vegetarian shark (Lenny, voiced by Jack Black) in this movie, but he’s nowhere near as endearing as Finding Nemo‘s Bruce.

My favourite part of the film is the whale wash where Oscar works, just as his father did (as a tongue scraper). I could have done with more footage of the whales coming through, having their barnacles scraped and their teeth cleaned. Unfortunately the writers of the film failed to seize the opportunity to teach as well as entertain, and don’t really get into much detail on the concept of a cleaning station. Finding Nemo is filled with hidden facts about reef and ocean life that children will absorb while bonding with Nemo and his friends. Shark Tale fails both on this front and the pop-culture references (for entertainment of adult viewers) front.

The plot follows an ambitious cleaner wrasse called Oscar, voiced by Will Smith, who is present at the accidental killing of a shark (the son of a mafia boss). Oscar claims credit, becomes instantly famous, and sees his fortunes change from working in a dead end job at the whale wash to king of the reef. He gets a manager, a new girlfriend, and forgets his former friends. Lots of things happen (the Wikipedia entry on the movie has an excruciatingly detailed plot breakdown), Oscar learns some lessons, recognises who his true friends are, and in the end goes back to living a life of integrity.

If you’re in doubt as to which of Shark Tale and Finding Nemo to choose for your kids, go with Nemo.

If you’d rather read a tale about an actual shark, click here.

The DVD is available here if you’re in South Africa, and here if you’re not.

Christmas gift guide 2011

It’s that time of year again. I trust you are all feeling suitably festive. Here’s our annual (well, second so far) Christmas gift guide. Use it/don’t use it…

Books

For the reader, you could check out our book reviews, arranged by topic:

There are also a couple of children’s books to consider.

Dive gear

Check out What’s in My Dive Bag for some ideas… You can contact Andre for most of these:

Probably not a good idea to get a mask unless the place you buy it will let the person exchange it if it doesn’t fit!

Donations

For the person who has everything, or just because you’re feeling grateful:

Experiences

Don’t forget to add a memory card for the lucky recipient’s camera if you plan to gift any of these!

For those who need (or like) to relax

Magazine subscriptions

Wall art

Clip Clop designs and prints beautiful tide charts for Cape Town and Durban and moon phase charts for the year. You can order online or find them at Exclusive Books.

Movie: Sanctum

Sanctum
Sanctum

A while back Tony and I were invited to participate in promoting the James Cameron production, Sanctum, via our blog. Unfortunately the fact that we are South Africa-based seemed to have been overlooked by the marketing team, so nothing came of that (except curiosity, on our part, to see the movie when it was eventually released). You should note that in this review – as per my usual style – I will almost certainly reveal details of the plot that you might want to discover for yourself. If that’s the case, skip to the last two paragraphs.

This is not a movie for new or nervous divers, or those who love and care about divers but don’t know enough to know what to worry about (for example, my mother worries about rip currents off the beach when I’m diving…). It’s quite a graphic film and unremittingly tense, and almost every single one of the main characters dies, rapidly and shockingly.

The manner of death for each character is different, and to some extent it illustrated some of the ways in which caving and (to a lesser extent) diving can go wrong. Characters run out of air, accidentally cut ropes and fall to their death (using knives around ropes and hoses is a stupid idea), panic and drown, are crushed by rocks, get fatally bent… And so on. “Mercy killings”, interestingly enough, occur more than once. And the cast isn’t that big.

Particularly upsetting to me was the death that starts it all off. One of the female characters drowns after one of the hoses on her rebreather ruptures (she’d removed the unit and pushed it ahead of her through a narrow tunnel moments earlier). Buddy breathing with rebreathers is possible, if a bit tricky, but both she and her buddy were wearing full face masks. Buddy breathing with a full face mask is VERY tricky, because you have to pass the entire mask back and forth between the divers, each one clearing the whole mask (much lengthier than clearing a regular diving mask) before taking a breath. The person waiting for air has nothing on their face until their buddy passes the mask back, can’t see anything, and their nose is exposed to the water, which can easily result in panic. I didn’t realise that drowning can happen so quickly, and having to fend off your panicking buddy because (s)he’s going to kill both of you must be the most awful experience in the world. Watching someone drown, even though it was in a piece of fiction, was very disturbing.

Most of the movie is actually not about diving; the protagonists are exploring a cave system, some of which is submerged. Their aim is to find where the cave meets the ocean, and they do a lot of caving and a bit of diving (all with closed circuit rebreathers, which enable lengthy bottom time and have the added advantage of not generating any annoying bubbles during filming). However, the diving sequences were quite beautiful – the caves are magnificent, and I can see how intoxicating it must be to explore new, incredibly scenic territory. The cave diving was filmed in Australia, around Mount Gambier. (As an aside, one of the stunt doubles in the movie died in February 2011 after running out of air while exploring the same cave system). Almost the entire movie is filmed inside the cave system, and the relief when daylight is finally reached at the end of the film is incredible.

This is a thriller and should not be seen as representative of the average caving/diving expedition (if it was it wouldn’t sell half as many tickets…). The script is frequently beyond lame, but that’s not why you go and see this film. The underwater footage is mostly spectacular, the special effects are decent, and the production is very slick.

We watched it one evening in the cinema, in 3D nogal, dorky glasses and all, but you can get the DVD here if you’re in South Africa, and here if you’re not. If you want to know about the poem quoted in the movie, visit this earlier post about it.

Movie: Jaws

Jaws
Jaws

Tony and I watched the Jaws DVD recently – neither of us could remember much about the movie, but the Mythbusters Jaws Special had reminded us of some of the more sensational moments and we wanted to refresh our minds as to what all the hype is about.

This isn’t high art, but I cannot fault Steven Spielberg, Peter Benchley (who wrote the novel upon which the movie is based and co-wrote the screenplay) and his team for their use of suspensful music and editing – the film is almost faultless in the way it builds suspense and both of us almost fell off the couch more than once. The animatronic eight metre shark (nearly two metres longer than the largest great white ever actually recorded) was also quite impressive for 1970s technology. Aside from that, however, this is a highly dangerous film.

Tony and I love sharks. We read about them, we dive with them, we talk about them, and we closely follow shark conservation issues. We’re a fairly educated audience when it comes to the habits, motivations and behaviour of these creatures, and for this reason I spent much of the movie chuckling at the preposterously over the top way in which the “rogue great white” of Amity Island is portrayed.

Tony was less amused, not because he was under the impression that human flesh is so darn tasty that a shark – or any animal – that gets a bite of homo sapiens is instantly transformed into a MANEATER, but because he knows that there are many, many people who ARE under that impression and he couldn’t shake that from his mind. There are people, even some in our circle of friends, to whom Jaws is more a documentary than a B-grade horror movie. And that is profoundly disturbing.

Correcting the kind of ignorance that dismisses sharks as mindless predators takes a lot of time, slow persuasion, and, preferably, a transformative experience with a shark – whether it’s a chance encounter with a great white, a dive with a sevengill cowshark, or an afternoon at the aquarium watching the raggies slowly circle the I&J Predator Exhibit – that convinces one that these are magnificent creatures worthy of our respect and protection.

I’m in two minds as to whether to publish anything about Jaws on our blog – initially Tony said that we would never give this kind of film any publicity or recognition at all. But I think that understanding the way in which this production plays on the deep, primal fear that human beings have of sharks – in an ancient part of our brains – can help to rationalise and moderate those fears into something more akin to respect. It’s old news that sharks are not the top predator on planet earth; we are.

You can get the DVD here if you’re in South Africa, and here if you’re not.

On a lighter note, my favourite take on Jaws is one that went round recently on facebook: if you watch Jaws backwards, it’s about a shark who throws up so many people that they have to open a beach.

Movie: Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo

I adore this movie. It’s hilarious and meticulously researched. We refer to it often at the Two Oceans Aquarium – it’s a great point of reference for the children when we tell them that the sea anemone they are looking at is like Nemo’s home on the reef.

We meet a phenomenal array of creatures, from Nemo and his dad Marlin the clownfish, Bruce the vegetarian shark, to Crush the turtle, who shouts “Righteous, dude!” as he rides the East Australian Current (EAC). Little facts are included at every turn… Nemo has to brush in the morning before he goes to school: not his teeth, but his body against the tentacles of his anemone residence. This, as his father points out, prevents him from being stung. Crush the turtle is 150 years old.

We see reef, harbour and shipwreck environments as well as blue sea as Marlin and Dory ride the EAC. The artwork is gorgeous and the fish and birds are rendered with accuracy and charm.

There’s a strong message of respect for the ocean alongside the usual Disney message (it’s ok to be different… we all have something special to do… be a true friend and help others). We see that Gil, another fish in the fish tank that Nemo finds himself in, misses the ocean and has the symptoms of depression. Even a child could understand that the diver’s action in taking Nemo off the reef at the beginning of the movie was wrong – he was not “clinging to life”, as the dentist puts it, but thriving.

My favourite character is Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), who reminds me strongly of my friend Tami (she protests). Her efforts to “speak whale” are hilarious.

The DVD can be obtained here if you’re in South Africa, otherwise from here.

Movie: Blue Crush

Blue Crush
Blue Crush

Blue Crush isn’t a diving movie, but it’s a light, enjoyable surfing film with some lovely surfing sequences. If you love the ocean, there’s definitely something to enjoy here.

Set in Hawaii, it follows three girls who seem to be living every teenager’s (mine at least) dream. There are no parents in sight, and school is a brief distraction on the way to the beach.

There’s a plot of sorts, with a surfing competition and a love interest, but (possibly because I’m a girl and wasn’t that fascinated by the bikini parade!) the waves are the main event here. There’s some super underwater photography and the surfing shots are exhilarating. The beauty of the Hawaiian coastline – this film, Magnum PI and (surprisingly) Into the Blue 2 have made me want to visit it – adds variety to the seascapes.

The healthiness of the surfing lifestyle that comes across is similar to that of diving – you can’t drink too much, or take drugs, or party too late at night, if you expect to perform at your peak the next day.

You can buy the DVD here if you’re in South Africa, otherwise click here.