In the Heart of the Sea (2015) - Howard and stars mostly lost at sea

♥♥

The dimensions of a man swimming behind a massive whale are astonishing on this poster for Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea

Herman Melville comes to Nantucket, New England in 1850 and pressures a local to relate to him the story of how the whaling ship the Essex suffered a cruel fate on a mission thirty years prior.

In the Heart of the Sea is written by Charles Leavitt (The Mighty (1998)), with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), both) contributing story elements, adapting the same-titled 1999 non-fiction book by Nathaniel Philbrick (Abram's Eyes (1998)), and co-produced and directed by great Oklahoman filmmaker Ron Howard (Grand Theft Auto (1977)).

Not an adaptation of Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick (1851), rather this is about the true-story genesis of his novel. In the Heart of the Sea attracts with its colorful seafaring adventure. Whaling, to most people, is about as exotic as it can get. The film succeeds rather well in portraying this fascinating activity, no doubt with enormous practical difficulties, not least because the activity is so hard to imagine doing.

But good maritime scenes cannot cover the many egregious choices made by the filmmakers: The film is about Melville, - but then not really. It is about first mate Owen Chase's (Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok (2017))) marriage, - but then not really. And there's a fair argument to be made that Hemsworth is not enough of a dramatic actor to carry the part. It is about Chase's rivalry with the ship's stubborn captain, - but then not really. Finally the film is about the young Thomas, who sees everything through a big kid's eyes: SPOILER Tom Holland (Avengers: Endgame (2019)) is too cute for this part, and when as a grown man he has become Brendan Gleeson (The Village (2004)) it is impossible to see how and when the two could have possible morphed.

Maybe Howard was too unfocused during the making of the film, (he was tweeting and instagraming during shooting), or perhaps not personally invested enough. In any case, In the Heart of the Sea rumbles along hither and dither without much luck.

 

Related posts:

 

Ron Howard: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) - Disney, Howard and Co. drive expensive stick through beloved franchise 

Inferno (2016) - Howard's third Langdon adventure is among the year's worst films 

Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess
Frost/Nixon (2008) - Howard's political drama is gripping, superiorly acted 
The Da Vinci Code (2006) - Howard's first Brown adaptation is a popcorn thriller hoot  

2001 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
A Beautiful Mind (2001) - John Nash given the Epic Treatment  
EDtv (1999) - Phenomenal cast shine in Howard's witty mega-flop

Far and Away (1992) - Howard, Hollywood's sweethearts visit the old West with dull result (co-writer/director) 
Backdraft (1991) - Howard's giant, stupid Chicago-set firefighter movie 

Grand Theft Auto (1977) or, Crash Bam Boom! 
American Graffiti (1973) or, Cruisin' Modesto '62 (actor)   

 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 100 mil. $

Box office: 94.3 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.94 times its cost)

[In the Heart of the Sea premiered 2 December (London) and runs 122 minutes. 10 companies cooperated in the financing and production of the film. Shooting took place from September 2013 in Spain and England, including in London. The film opened #2, behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, to an 11 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 25 mil. $ (26.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Mexico with 6.3 mil. $ (6.7 %) and South Korea with 5.7 mil. $ (6 %). The film made an estimated 8.6 mil. $ additionally on the domestic home video market. Howard returned with The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016, documentary) and theatrically with Inferno (2016). Hemsworth returned in The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016). In the Heart of the Sea is rotten at 42 % with a 5.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of In the Heart of the Sea?

Earth (2007, documentary) - Fothergill/Linfield's incredible nature spectacle is one to watch

♥♥♥♥♥

 

+ Best Nature Movie of the Year

 

Highlighting our planet and the three central animal families that Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield's Earth follows, this poster goes for the heart and takes it

 

From the polar bear's incredibly tedious walk for survival near the North Pole to the African Kalahari Desert, our planet's highest mountain peaks, greatest waterfalls and into the wonders of its rainforests, Earth takes us there.

This nature documentary, based on the popular BBC/Discovery documentary TV-series Planet Earth (2006), is technically impressive, made with state-of-the-art digital equipment. It uses only few overt editorial manipulations of its footage (like the changing of the seasons), which makes these stand out as somewhat ostentatious, and they could have been left out in my opinion.

The scene of the leopard's hunt on the savanna reaches mythical heights, whereas the later slow motion elongation of the whale footage only serves a wow-effect.

Still, there are only these minor quibbles to attach to this overall staggeringly beautiful, hypnotizing, simple and utterly human-less film, which leaves it up to its audiences to acquit or accuse humanity for the dire climate changes, it also portrays, (except for a few notes it gives towards the end.) In this subdued way, Earth chooses to stress the mysteries and beauties of nature over indignation at our sins against it.

The film's narration is written by Leslie Megahey (The Advocate (1993)), and the film is directed by Alastair Fothergill (Bears (2014)) and Mark Linfield (Monkey Kingdom (2015)).

 

Related post:

 

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 47 mil. $

Box office: 108.9 mil. $

= Minor flop

[Earth premiered 14 July (Liechtenstein's Vaduz Film Festival) and runs 99 minutes (UK version) and 90 minutes (US version). The budget made Earth the most expensive documentary production ever, until Oceans (2009). Filming lasted from 2004-06. The two versions have different narrators: Patrick Stewart did the 9 minute longer UK version, while James Earl Jones narrated the shorter US version, which also uses a more dramatic score. The film has been called a 'companion' to the TV-series, which it relies heavily on for its footage. Reportedly around 30 % of Earth's footage is previously unseen. The film opened #5, behind fellow new release Obsessed, holdover hit 17 Again and new releases Fighting and The Soloist, to an 8.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its second week and grossed 32 mil. $ (29.4 % of the total gross). While the film had no Russian or Chinese release and flopped incredibly in its native UK and in Australia, it made hefty business in other markets: The 2nd and 3rd biggest were Germany with 29.2 mil. $ (26.8 %) and Japan (where it was the most successful documentary in 10 years) with 23.2 mil. $ (21.3 %). It became the 2nd highest-grossing nature documentary of all time, behind March of the Penguins (2005) with 127.4 mil. $. It was nominated for a BAFTA. A celebrated Planet Earth II TV-series was made and released in 2016. A sequel, Earth: One Amazing Day (2017) has been released to a much smaller reception. Fothergill returned with African Cats (2011) and Linfield with Chimpanzee (2012). Earth is certified fresh at 86 % with a 7.2/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Earth?

Big Miracle (2012) or, Those Three Whales Must Live!

♥♥♥

Whales are at the center of this film, and so also appropriately on its poster here, for Ken Kwapis' Big Miracle

QUICK REVIEW:

3 whales are trapped around an air-hole in Alaska, when a reporter brings the story, and his Greenpeace-ex-girlfriend jumps on it. Soon the whole nation is involved: They must be saved!
Ted Danson (Saving Private Ryan (1998)) is good as a not so unbearable oil-tycoon, and Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)) is equally good as an ambitious news-bimbo. John Krasinski (The Office (2005-13)) slant-smiles his way through the film to quite annoying effect, but Drew Barrymore's (Donnie Darko (2001)) hysterical, combative character is, however, worse. Those are the two leads, which isn't exactly lucky for Big Miracle.
Everything pretty much looks like cartoonish caricatures in the first act, and no miracle seems in sight. Later the good story, - the film is based on actual events, - wins back a lot.
It is all tied together in a SPOILER feel-good-ending with romantic ornaments. Big Miracle is a sometimes sweet trifle. The whales are great, and I could have wished for a better movie for them.
For all of us who like ourselves a hope-filled, inspiring true-story family movie, it is a shame that Big Miracle flopped badly at the box office.
Director Ken Kwapis (He's Just Not That Into You (2009)) is busy today with his next film, A Walk in the Woods (2015) a dramedy with Robert Redford, Nick Offerman and many other good names.

Drew Barrymore touches a whale that has touched her, in Ken Kwapis' Big Miracle

Watch the trailer for the film here 

Budget: 30-40 mil. $
Box office: 24.7 mil. $
= Huge flop

What do you think of Big Miracle?
What's the world come to, if people won't take their kids to see a happy movie about saving whales?