Water Week
by Cary Christopher
August 6, 2007

It's big. It's blue (or green if you're in the UK). It's wet. It's inspired wonder and curiosity in mankind ever since we've encountered it. It's got nothing to do with Paris, Britney or Lohan, even though admittedly all those clues do point to any one of the three.

It's the ocean people! Get with the program!

Ever since we first put our feet in it and felt the pull of the undertow, we've speculated on what's out there. We've marvelled at its power, its beauty and its menace. Nowhere has that wonder and speculation taken shape more prominently than in the movies. Be it classics like Moby Dick and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or more modern fare like Into The Blue and White Squall, audiences and movie lovers the world over have seen their wildest dreams and worst nightmares about the ocean played out on the big screen.

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Jaws - 30th Anniv. Edition
by Cary Christopher
August 6, 2007

You know, at this point anyone writing about Jaws has to ask themselves, "Does this need a review?"

The obvious answer to this is, "No". Everyone knows what Jaws is about. 

It's one of the most successful films of all time and it has been blamed for single-handedly kicking off the "summer blockbuster" phenomenon. It's been studied, critiqued and written about enough times that you could probably lay a paper trail down that would extend to the moon and back. There are tribes in the deepest darkest recesses of the Amazonian rainforest who still wear loincloths, hunt with spears and can eloquently debate whether Spielberg went too far with the horror element in the "Ben Gardner boat scene". 

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Esther Williams, Vol. 1
by Shawn McLoughlin
August 7, 2007

If the musical genre has become a footnote in cinema history (face it folks, Moulin Rouge! and Chicago did little to revive this) then the “aqua musical” isn’t likely to be in the vernacular of anyone except the most ardent film connoisseurs and those still with us from the Golden era of Hollywood.

But despite the fact that the sub-genre is truly extinct, it still stands remembered for the Hollywood icon that the genre was created for and who churned out consistent water-based hits for nearly two decades – Esther Williams.

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Titanic - Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition
by Bob Garrett
August 8, 2007

James Cameron’s Titanic (1997) has been an object of both adoration and scorn. The film could be termed a real crowd pleaser - a blockbuster historical epic appealing to men, women, young and old alike. Yet, I know of several people who absolutely detest it. How could a “crowd pleaser” generate disdain?

Detractors often mock the film‘s script, acting and cheesy dialogue. As I rewatched it, I did find a few lines to be a tad overripe (“A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets.” and “…he saved me, in every way that a person can be saved!” are two that spring to mind.). I also deemed a few supporting characters to be two dimensional and even cartoonish. That’s especially true of the villain, a stereotypical power-hungry snob played by Billy Zane. Zane makes the best of his role, but doesn’t have much with which to work. The same is true of David Warner, who plays the Zane character’s thuggish manservant. Kathy Bates does a great job as the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, but that, too, is mostly a one-note part.

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Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World
by Chris Hughes
August 9, 2007

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World. I’m not particularly keen on Russell Crow, an actor whose range often spans the entire gamut from A to B, and though I’ve read my fair share of sea stories, mostly Melville and Forester, I’ve never delved into the wildly popular Patrick O’Brien books upon which this film is based. It was with some surprise then that I found myself really enjoying this film on a number of levels.

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Gifts From 20,000 Fathoms
by Shawn McLoughlin
August 9, 2007

You know, the ocean is great. It’s fantastic. It’s wonderful! Without the ocean where would we be?

I’ll tell you, but only because I know a great deal about many things, and because you are asking nicely.

We would be dry. We wouldn’t have much of an ecosystem. Dry = dead. Sound depressing? It is. Without water, we would all die. You, your hot second-cousin Sara, and your great uncle with the glass eye and even I would be dead.

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Leviathan
by Shawn McLoughlin
August 10, 2007

I’ve often noticed that there seems to be some kind of theme that Hollywood goes though where two or more films are released close to each other about roughly the same thing. World Trade Center and United 93 is an example of two 9/11 films from last year. Armageddon and Deep Impact both were asteroid-collision end-of-the-world films of 1998. Antz and A Bug’s Life were both animated insect films from that same year. These are off the top of my head, but I’m sure you can find an example or two from just about every year. 1989 was the first time I ever noticed this happening (although I’m sure someone can cite prior examples) when, in the same year, Deep Star Six, Leviathan and The Abyss were released. It seems as if, for whatever reason, life under water and all the advancements and hazards that come with the concept were a big theme that year.

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