Deep Blue is a [kinda] documentary originally produced for the British TV series The Blue Planet. Beautiful, beautiful shots of the oceans and it's inhabitants. Amazing to see a movie-screen sized albatros head or polar bear profile. Great shots of fish and corals and sharks and whales and worms and crabs and seals and dolphins and penguins and.. great close ups, great macro shots, fabulous undersea panoramas, amazing waves, water water beautiful water. But the music was all a bit much - a bit too grand and old fashioned. I knew before going in the narration was going to be light on facts and concentrating more of the "emotion of the ocean" but after a short period of time it was facts I wanted. Where is David Attenborough when you need him?

From this guy via Lost Pilgrim a movie meme for Saturday morning. [(bold = seen) <== just in case you didn't know]

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
4. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
5. Seven Samurai (1954)
6. Casablanca (1942)
7. Schindler's List (1993)
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
9. Citizen Kane (1941)
10. Star Wars (1977)
11. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
12. Pulp Fiction (1994)
13. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
14. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
15. Rear Window (1954)
16. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
17. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
18. The Usual Suspects (1995)
19. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
20. City of God (2002)
21. 12 Angry Men (1957)
22. Memento (2000)
23. Psycho (1960)
24. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
25. North by Northwest (1959)
26. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
27. Am�lie (2001)
28. Goodfellas (1990)
29. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
30. Sunset Boulevard. (1950)
31. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
32. American Beauty (1999)
33. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
34. Apocalypse Now (1979)
35. The Matrix (1999)
36. Paths of Glory (1957)
37. Fight Club (1999)
38. Vertigo (1958)
39. The Third Man (1949)
40. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
41. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
42. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
43. Double Indemnity (1944)
44. Das Boot (1981)
45. Taxi Driver (1976)
46. M (1931)
47. The Pianist (2002)
48. Rash�mon (1950)
49. Se7en (1995)
50. All About Eve (1950)
51. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
52. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
53. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
54. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
55. Chinatown (1974)
56. Some Like It Hot (1959)
57. L.A. Confidential (1997)
58. L�on (1994)
59. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
60. Alien (1979)
61. American History X (1998)
62. Modern Times (1936)
63. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
64. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
65. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
<== 6734 times argggg
66. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
67. The Sting (1973)
68. On the Waterfront (1954)
69. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
70. Raging Bull (1980)
71. Ran (1985)
72. Amadeus (1984)
73. Life is Beautiful (1997)
74. Touch of Evil (1958)
75. The Great Escape (1963)
76. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
77. City Lights (1931)
78. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
79. The Apartment (1960)
80. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
81. Metropolis (1927)
82. The Shining (1980)
83. High Noon (1952)
84. Jaws (1975)
85. Aliens (1986)
86. Finding Nemo (2003)
87. Annie Hall (1977)
88. Braveheart (1995)
89. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
90. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
91. Fargo (1996)
92. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
93. Oldboy (2003)
94. Yojimbo (1961)
95. The Incredibles (2004)
96. Blade Runner (1982)
97. Strangers on a Train (1951)
98. Donnie Darko (2001)
99. The Sixth Sense (1999)
100. The Princess Bride (1987)
<== 6734 times yay!
101. The Seventh Seal (1957)
102. The Great Dictator (1940)
103. It Happened One Night (1934)
104. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
105. Forrest Gump (1994)
<== unfortunately
106. Before Sunset (2004)
107. Cinema Paradiso (1989)
108. The General (1927)
109. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
110. Mononoke-hime (1997)
111. Rebecca (1940)
112. Duck Soup (1933)
113. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
114. The Bicycle Thief (1948)
115. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
116. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
117. The Big Sleep (1946)
118. Notorious (1946)
119. Smultronst�llet (1957)
120. The Graduate (1967)
121. Hero (2002)
122. Unforgiven (1992)
123. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
124. The Deer Hunter (1978)
125. Patton (1970)
126. Run Lola Run (1998)
<== lovvved that
127. Toy Story 2 (1999)
128. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
129. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
130. The Gold Rush (1925)
131. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
132. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
133. The Elephant Man (1980)
134. Back to the Future (1985)
135. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
136. Glory (1989)
137. The Green Mile (1999)
<== god i hate tom hanks
138. Ben-Hur (1959)
139. Quatre cents coups, Les (1959)
140. Grande illusion, La (1937)
141. Manhattan (1979)
142. Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)
143. Platoon (1986)
144. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
145. Gone with the Wind (1939)
<== horrible
146. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
147. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
148. Shrek (2001)
149. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
150. The African Queen (1951)
<== love Bogart
151. His Girl Friday (1940)
152. Ikiru (1952)
153. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
154. The Searchers (1956)
155. Mystic River (2003)
156. Die Hard (1988)
<== yippeekyah motherfuckers (best christmas movie)
157. Amores perros (2000)
158. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
159. Hotaru no haka (1988)
160. A Christmas Story (1983)
161. The Wild Bunch (1969)
162. Life of Brian (1979)
163. Stalag 17 (1953)
164. Big Fish (2003)
165. The Hustler (1961)
166. Charade (1963)
167. Gladiator (2000)
168. Young Frankenstein (1974)
169. Sideways (2004)
170. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
171. The Straight Story (1999)
172. Talk to Her (2002)
173. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
174. The Killing (1956)
175. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
176. A Night at the Opera (1935)
177. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
178. Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, La (1928)
179. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
180. Spartacus (1960)
181. Lost in Translation (2003)
<== lovvved it
182. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
183. Magnolia (1999)
184. Harvey (1950)
185. Strada, La (1954)
186. Ed Wood (1994)
187. Sling Blade (1996)
188. The Terminator (1984)
189. Toy Story (1995)
190. Groundhog Day (1993)
<== one of my favourites
191. Untergang, Der (2004)
192. All the President's Men (1976)
193. The Lion in Winter (1968)
194. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
195. Roman Holiday (1953)
196. Festen (1998)
197. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
198. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
199. Trainspotting (1996)
200. 8� (1963)
201. Finding Neverland (2004)
202. Laura (1944)
203. Brazil (1985)
204. The Conversation (1974)
205. Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)
206. The Insider (1999)
207. Almost Famous (2000)
208. Dogville (2003)
209. The Station Agent (2003)
210. Gandhi (1982)
211. Stand by Me (1986)
212. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
213. Persona (1966)
214. King Kong (1933)
215. Fanny och Alexander (1982)
216. The Exorcist (1973)
217. The 39 Steps (1935)
218. Rain Man (1988)
219. Mulholland Drive (2001)
220. Stagecoach (1939)
221. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
222. Being John Malkovich (1999)
223. The Big Lebowski (1998)
224. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
225. Rio Bravo (1959)
226. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
227. Network (1976)
228. Snatch. (2000)
229. 21 Grams (2003)
230. The Thin Man (1934)
231. For a Few Dollars More (1965)
232. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
233. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
234. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
235. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
236. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
237. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
238. The Right Stuff (1983)
239. Barry Lyndon (1975)
240. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
241. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
242. Miller's Crossing (1990)
243. Garden State (2004)
244. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
245. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
246. The Untouchables (1987)
247. Heat (1995)
248. The Last Picture Show (1971)
249. Fa yeung nin wa (2000)
250. Kumonosu j� (1957)

It was a sudden decision to go to the movies. Amy phoned looking for a ride to a friend's house near Botany prompting me to check the Village movie website. I guess there're lots of movies on - The Aviator, Ray, Sideways - but nothing that really floats my boat. But Life Aquatic was starting at 8:50pm - in ten minutes - right yes lets go tell David I'm on my way if he wants to come. By the time I got to Amy's house, I had a car full of people waiting for me. Amy and Kirsty to be dropped off at Shelley's house so they could go "clubbing" (I try not to think of these things), David and Greg who'd decided movies with us was better than rugby on television (a rather startling revelation but there you go). So, we were late into the cinema after dropping the girls off at Repco to navigate the dark walkway (meh, they'll be okay) to their friend's house and missed any previews, but not the start of the movie. Phew. (I really have no idea why I need to tell you the "how we got to the cinema" bit) It's still shocking to me that 2 Adults and a Child have to part with $38 to see a movie. I don't know what to say about Life Aquatic. I'm a Bill Murray fan. I don't always expect him to be funny but he looked amusing in the trailer for this film. But the trailer also gave the impression that the movie might be lame and I'd had it in my "The Aviator/Ray/Sideways" catagory for a while (you know, should see/can't be arsed) but the TV3 girl (the one who described Somersault as a "poem of a movie" (liked that)) said it was very good, laugh-out-loud funny in some parts, and left her with a smile on her face long after leaving the theatre. Yeh, I know.. good review huh? I don't normally have any contact with reviews for things but she's on TV3 10pm News so I often hear her take on movies. Well, we're gonna listen to her with a grain of salt from now on, okay? because in the end, I was left with the feeling that I just didn't "get it" and that's less a smile on my face than a bewildered expression. That's an entirely usual expression for me. I didn't "get" Starship Troopers either. Maybe this was the same deal. Maybe I missed something, maybe I'm not wired for this kind of humour. I don't know. But about half way through the movie I leaned over to David and whispered "This is a really dumb movie" and he screwed his nose up and nodded agreement. So why was it dumb? Up to that point I'd laughed a few times - there was humour there. I'd recognised the Port of Naples, I was pretty chuffed about that. Owen Wilson (and his deformed nose) wasn't annoying me as much as he usually does. The music was really good. There were even pirates - and we all know pirates are usually a sure-fired way to have an enjoyable time in a movie theatre. But it just didn't work for me. It straddled the line between bizarre and serious and it just didn't work. None of the characters seemed to connect - with me, or with each other. I think the most likeable character was the curly-headed intern who ended up being hurt when the pirates attacked. The creatures sprinkled through the movie might be the key to why this movie didn't work. Many of the scenes had wonderous, computer animated stop motion animated creatures - they were bizarre and dreamlike, and very unlike the style "above" the water. Though these creatures weren't always in the sea - the rainbow coloured seahorse, for example; or the little flipping frogs on Hennessey's doorstep. They were surprising, and delightful, and foreign. The movie felt as if each character, each creature, each scene even, existed independant of the rest of the movie. Like the compartments on the cut-away Belafonte (Zissou's boat) this movie was segmented and nothing tied it together to enough of a degree for it to flow. It might just be me, so I'm a little reluctant to say don't see this movie. I might've just missed the point. At least if you go, the music is good. The price of the movie ticket is worth listening to Brazilian singer Seu Jorge delivering acoustic David Bowie covers sung in Portuguese. [added 14 March 2005] the ever fabulous Dave wrote a "how to" about the stop motion graphics used in this film. (I got it wrong - not computer generated but stop motion.. got it?) He's (Dave) smart and funny, talented and liked the movie so there you go - it was probably that I just didn't "get it". When you see it, tell me what you thought.