Colin Parton's Blog

The Cove - Louie Psihoyos

This film is more about its making than the event it is documenting. This in itself is very interesting.

The narrative that they construct about the making of the film isn’t great.

There is no huge crisis moment. They try to make this the moment that the request to film on location is denied. We know it is going to be denied, so this is not a big moment at all.

The film crew, led by Louie, is attempting to document the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan. We are introduced to the state of play by Richard Barry (Absence of Malice and Flipper).

Where to begin. Every year in Taiji, dolphins are herded into a series of coves to be sold as performing dolphins. 

The majority are not chosen. They are herded into a well-protected cove, out of sight of everyone. It is here that they are killed.

The film looks at the background of all of this. Barry was responsible for capturing the dolphins that were used in Flipper. We are presented with information, at length, about how bad captivity is for these social animals.

Barry is so remorseful about helping kick off the industry. He tells us some very harrowing stories. 

For example, one of the Flipper dolphins swam into his arms and chose to stop breathing. This was a key moment in Barry’s activism, and he immediately tried to free other dolphins from marine parks.

The sale of dolphins for parks is where the real money is. The rest of the dolphins are killed, and their meat is sold. But dolphin meat is really bad because it has high mercury levels.

Japan knows all of this. It has been through all of this before with another town that used to participate in the trade as well.

There were widespread birth defects. So why would they allow this to happen again?

The movie posits that Japan may actually be very worried about food security.

This is where another part of the film comes in. The International Whaling Commission (IWC).

We get to see some truly farcical scenes as Japan makes its argument for scientific research by killing whales. This doesn’t really hold water for me, as the dolphins are poisonous, and they know.

The IWC does show some crazy stuff that Japan is prepared to do to be able to keep on whaling. Like bribing other governments to vote for it to continue.

The tail end of the film is the most interesting. They have a ‘putting the crew together’ section.

We have maps of the hidden cove and where they plan to station the hidden cameras.

We get to see a dry run to test the underwater equipment. The night vision stuff is excellent and exciting. They don’t let us know if they are successful or not until we see the full footage.

The film is good overall. We get some great background into a hidden industry that we should know is pretty bad now.

The bits that I find hard to understand are why? What does Japan get out of the hunt apart from the performing dolphins being sold?

They did get some interesting vox-pops from Japanese people in other cities about the topic in general, which was interesting but hardly representative. Just sad really.

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The Girl With The White Flag - Tomiko Higa

This book tells the story of the invasion of Okinawa by the U.S. from the perspective of a young girl. This is the first non-fiction book I’ve read in a while.

The book itself was written long after the events took place by the girl in the photograph. She is drawn to tell the tale when the picture becomes famous.

One thing that I found truly amazing about this was that it really did feel like a child’s account of the war. 

This is impressive given that it was written by an adult and so long after the events occurred.

There is very little time spent on the overall picture of the war itself. Just broad strokes so we have some idea where she is in relation to the fighting.

This decision to leave the big picture out is perfect. We get to see only what is directly affecting our protagonist. 

It also gives the story a very surreal feeling as she wanders around the battlefield.

There is a huge emphasis on animals throughout her ordeal. All of the animals are important to the narrative and also help to explain how she just didn’t go crazy.

At the end of the book, shortly before she surrenders to the Americans, there is a very strange section.

She finds an old couple in a cave. The man has had his arms and legs amputated, and the woman is blind. She spends significant time in the cave with them.

Even now, I don’t know if they were real. They must have been.

Overall, the story was really well told, and you will find it hard to come across another war story from this perspective.

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The Enchanted Island - Ian Serraillier

This is a collection of Shakespeare’s plays, retold. In general, I hate the idea of abridged or simplified stories for younger audiences.

If the reader is too young to read it, then they should read something else. There are plenty of great stories for any age group.

This retelling is particularly heinous because so much of what makes Shakespeare great is the language used to tell the tales. Don’t get me wrong, the stories are powerful, but the language is key to their telling.

Puck from A Midsummer-Night’s Dream is one of my favourite characters. You can hear the mischief he gets up to, and it is so much more mischievous because of the language used.

“I am that merry wanderer of the night./ I jest to Oberon, and make him smile/ When I a fat bean-fed horse beguile,/ Neighing in likeness of a filly foal;” (A Midsummer-Night’s Dream 2.1. 43-47).

The lines themselves tell a story that’s humorous. But the choice of language takes it much further than that. “Merry wanderer of the night” and “Filly foal” are so evocative that they go beyond the literal meaning of the words. 

At best, we are giving readers an average watered-down version of the original. At worst, we are taking from them what makes the stories brilliant in the first place.

If you’re not up to Shakespeare or he is just not your thing, that’s fine. Read something else.

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Frost/Nixon - Ron Howard

When drafting this piece, I found it very hard to get started. There is nothing that really jumps out about this film.

It’s not great. It’s not bad. I thought the most interesting feature of this film was some of the period-specific things.

The first of these is the aeroplane that Frost takes to the US. There is a walk-up bar up a spiral staircase.

There is a canapé bar in the middle of the rows. Clearly first class, but this is next level.

The other is all of the sets. The décor and buildings are all so fantastic that I was left looking at all of this rather than what was going on in the film.

Overall, the narrative is good, but it is just a bit same-same.

The opening sets up Nixon’s resignation after Watergate, so we have some idea about where this interview takes place chronologically.

The setup of all the actors as talking heads, like a documentary, is a neat touch.

The whole backstory of how Frost got the interview is really what the film is about. He is a bit of a nobody. His last show in the UK was cancelled, and he moved to Australia.

Nixon’s staff think that Frost is their best option as he is a nobody and is offering more money. We also get to see that Nixon is keen to tell his story, set the record straight.

The money to pay for the whole thing is where the story of the film comes from. The crisis is when none of the US networks will carry it, mainly due to do with the fact that Frost is paying for the interview.

This leaves Frost running around trying to fund the film through advertising rather than focusing on preparation.

The rest of his research team doesn’t realise that Frost funds the entire project, and so these actions make them concerned about how badly this is going to go, as their careers are on the line.

Then the filming begins, and it is a disaster. Nixon runs roughshod over Frost. The research team are furious with how it is handled.

Then the phone call happens. Nixon drunkenly dials Frost one night before the final day of shooting. He comes across as very vulnerable and bitter.

Frost realises that he has to nail him on Watergate, so he spends the rest of the time preparing step-by-step to take him apart.

He does it. He gets Nixon to admit and apologise for his actions. More than that, he uses TV perfectly to capture the emotion as it happens.

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Swingers - Doug Liman

This average film follows Mike, Jon Favreau (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Solo: A Star Wars Story), as he tries to get over a breakup. The entire problem with the film is that we do not see the start of the story. We need to see the breakup. 

Without seeing the breakup, this is an ordinary world for Mike. We are just watching his day-to-day. For this to be the meat of the story, we need to see what life was like before and why he is striving to find another Michelle.

The only other option is that deciding to go for a new girlfriend rather than pining over the old one has to be a huge moment and distinct from everything that came before.

This moment never happens. All his friends are trying to get him to move on when he is not ready to.

This leads to the most awkward of moments over and over again. These are supposed to be funny, but the joke is at the expense of Mike.

So if we laugh at the jokes, then we are against him. If we don’t, the comedy isn’t funny. 

So the film just doesn’t work on the comedic level either. From the awkward scotch order when they arrive in Vegas with $300 and only $100 to bet. 

Betting the $100 immediately because they sit at a table that has a $100 minimum. This isn’t a mistake by the characters.

They are just idiots because they don’t want to look bad.

Mike keeps judging all the women that they meet. They all show him up by being smarter than he thought or whatever it was he was judging them on. He just ends up looking like a jerk.

The jokes are cringeworthy. Not my cup of tea, but if you are into that, this may be the film for you.

There is a recurring joke where five of the friends are going out to parties, and they are all driving bumper to bumper to get there. I don’t get it.

The first girl Mike likes, he leaves heaps of messages one after the other, and then at the seventh message, he breaks up with her. She picks up and says, “Never call again”.

The only upside was the film’s climax, where Mike has Michelle on the phone and receives a call from Lorraine, his new love interest.

This scene is really well done and forces Mike to choose. All in all, there a a lot of not-so-funny scenes as we follow Mike mopping around and just being a bit of a dick until he is forced to choose between the old girlfriend and the new. Skip would be my recommendation.

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Anna Karenin - Leo Tolstoy

This is the first Tolstoy that I have read. Anna Karenin, or Karenina, both translations are correct, is a truly unique novel.

First, it is very long. The edition that I read came in at 853 pages. The amazing thing that I found is that it didn’t feel long.

It was the first Tolstoy I had read, but not the first Russian translation that I had read. The previous was Dostoevsky’s Crime & Punishment.

Crime & Punishment is great, but it is very dense. I found it a bit of a slog at times. Anna Karenin is nothing of the sort. 

I think that there are a few reasons for this. First, apart from a few exceptions, all the chapters are very short. So you get the story in nice little tidbits.

It is very easy to follow what is going on as we stay with a particular character for a period at a time. When we do move to one of the other characters that we haven’t been with for a while, Tolstoy catches us up.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy a read it was.

The language was so easy to follow, apart from the French. I found it such an engaging snapshot of a few years in a few key characters as they woo each other.

The story has some of the best passages that I have ever read on fatherhood and finding faith. Tolstoy is great throughout, but in these passages, he demonstrates that he is a master of his craft.

The descent into madness for Anna is unnerving. It isn’t comforting, but you can understand her actions, even if you do not agree with them.

Having said that, it was such an easy read and enjoyable; it did take me around five months to finish, so perhaps take the advice above with a grain of salt.

I would recommend this to anyone happy to take the time to read it, as it is a beautifully written piece.

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Alive - Frank Marshall

This is the story of a Uruguayan Rugby team whose plane crashes in the Andes and their ordeal to survive. They spend months in the mountains before 16 of them are rescued.

The film is ok but it would be better if it wasn’t framed on ‘Based on a True Story’. That in itself is generally enough to turn me off but the film opens with John Malkovich, playing one of the people who survived, talking directly to the camera about the ordeal.

The reason this framing is such a bad idea is it means we know that at least some of them survive. 

While I cannot remember whether they told us who John was playing, that doesn’t matter. The tension is greatly reduced.

If they had said: ‘Based on a True Story’ the tension would still have been there. So we know they survive.

The central question of the film now is either: ‘How do they survive?’, or ‘Who survives’. The how question is a much easier story to tell because it doesn’t require the audience to become invested in one of the characters over another. 

They dabble in both but the story ultimately focuses on how they survive. To start off with there is the normal rationing of food and making sure they get seen by any rescuers.

It becomes clear that this is going to be very hard but they work together to achieve group goals.

I am really glad that they didn’t go with a person or group that was unreasonable. There was one crazy guy but very reasonable given the situation they were in.

A lot of this appears to come from the camaraderie as a team. But when the news comes that the search has been called off new leaders step forward.

They now have to get out themselves. They need to survive long enough for them to be able to do that.

An argument for cannibalism is put forward and accepted by many. They need energy to climb out of the mountains.

It is this step that has made this story famous. But it makes complete sense logically. And it works. Two of them walk out of the mountains and return with help from the others.

The film is good, not great. Surprisingly I found the special effects, especially the plane crash, held up well today.

The story of how far would you go to survive is a little perverse in this light but totally understandable. The things that these people go through are extraordinary.

It is interesting to see the negotiation with themselves and others about the terrible things that they are doing to survive but not much to see beyond that.

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The Dragon Prince - Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond Season Six

This fantastic show continues with the good guys deciding to destroy the Avaros’ prison. Rayla and Callum head to the Sky Spear.

This decision is really interesting because we know that there are two very important things there. The three gems to release Rayla’s family who are currently trapped in the coins she carries.

The second, and perhaps more important, is the blade that can kill Avaros. 

However, it is questionable at this point whether or not this will kill him or just kill him until he can return when his stars align again.

Their journey is long a treaturous and has some great moments. When they finally kissed again I was cheering.

We have been waiting for that kiss for way too long.

We also get a great reveal of Viren’s back story and how he turned down this dark path to save Soren’s life. He never reveals this to his children and he dies having kept this vital knowledge to himself.

While he dies in Ignomy in both Soren and Claudia’s eyes – albeit for different reasons – he does sacrifice himself to save the people of Katolis.

The decision not to be open about his reason for turning to dark magic leaves Soren wondering why he changed in the end – but he still doesn’t forgive his father.

More importantly, it is his decision to say very little to Claudia that could be argued, pushes her to release Aravos – as a new father figure.

The horrible civil war of the Sun Kingdom is finally resolved with the defeat of the religious zealot, the younger brother of the Queen. The death of Sol Regem was too long coming as well.

Now that Avaros has returned, we are set up for the end of the story. The Queen of the Sky Dragons is sick but healing, so it will be up to our heroes and the friends they have made along the way to defeat Avaros in the final battle of the last season.

I cannot speak highly enough of this series. It is for kids but treats them as adults – with concepts appropriate for their age. It deals with very complex subject matter.

This season, we are delving deeper into the scars that secrets can cause families. We look at the cost of dark decisions made for the noblest of choices. All of this is handled with the subtlety it deserves.

The relationships of love are fantastic. Callum finally admits he has been a fool and is honest and upfront about it to Rayla. Excellent role modelling in communication. Love it!

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Neo Yokio - Ezra Koenig Season One

Set in a futuristic world as if New York was a city-state, but with demons.

It has a strong focus on ‘society’ and everything that entails from the balls to the gowns. But it’s all a piss-take of the ridiculousness of this lifestyle.

The main character, Kaz Kaan is voiced by Jayden Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness, The Day The Earth Stood Still). Kaz is vapid and has completely bought into these ideals.

He is a self-centred wanker. I found this very problematic given the show itself is making fun of these ideals.

As the season progresses, he does begin to question them, but it doesn’t really ring true, as the rest of his life and friends remain unchanged.

The entire show is also completely ridiculously over the top. All with a straight face. There is a Grand Prix race that goes through the Guggenheim?!?

If you like dry situational humour, you will love this show. It just isn’t my cup of tea.

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Battleship Potemkin - Sergei Eisenstein

This is a propaganda film that starts with the crew of the battleship standing up for better food. This leads to a city standing with them and ultimately leads to the victory of the common man against their oppressors.

The terrible food is rotten meat that is made into borsch that the sailors refuse to eat. The officers of the ship decide to execute the crew in response.

There is a massive fight on board and the sailors win with the death of Vakulinchuk one of the key leaders of the uprising. 

They lay him to rest on the port in Odessa with a message of how he died on his body. The body becomes a shrine and the people unite against the tyranny and take supplies out the the ship.

The military turns on the town and massacres the civilians. Potemkin comes to their aid and lays waste on the political and upper-class buildings.

A fleet is sent against the Potemkin and the crew appeals to the crews of the other vessels to join them. They do and the film ends.

As a propaganda film, it stands the test of time pretty well. The narrative structure is fine and makes sense. 

It is very of its time and you can see that the film-makers are still learning their craft. It is very different from Western propaganda films in that the message isn’t over the top.

The message is clear and on the surface but it is what the story is about. This is what makes this so different from Western propaganda films. The massacre of Odessa is full-on.

Like many of the films of this period, there is a general issue of pacing. They often spend too long on a single scene.

The rotten meat at the start is a great example of this. We know the meat is rancid as soon as we see the maggots. We do not need to see it any further.

The best scenes are where the message of the film comes to the fore as a key part of the story. 

When the firing squad is about to shoot those who didn’t like the borsch Vakulinchuk speaks up and asks the soldiers who are they shooting at. There are also some very weird moments as well.

When Odessa is debating what to do about the poor treatment of the sailors a random bloke yells out “Smash the Jews”. He promptly gets smashed. It just felt very out of place—a great piece of history and interesting filmmaking but not a great film.

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