March Of The Penguins (or, Hey, where did the laugh track go?)
Last night I have uncovered the Oscar travesty that Annie Proulx should really be up in arms about. "March Of The Penguins", the documentary feature that took home this year's Academy Award is actually just a throwback to Suzanna Carr's "World Around Us".Sure it is interesting, beautiful and at times moving. But it is still just a nature documentary. The crew endured the coldest, driest place on Earth to film it... So!?! It is still just a nature documentary.
Add to that, the original movie had crappy French comedy voices and a notoriously poor soundtrack. The Oscar went to a patch up job. Ship in Morgan Freeman, take out the laugh track, give it some reputable (if not equally dull) music and voila... Winner!
I can't really see anything to distinguish this film from the other nature documentaries that feature on our television screens. The film is heavy-handedly edited to manufacture tense moment; the predatory attacks of leopard seals scream "hack job". David Attenborough's Planet Earth, which is playing on the BBC at the moment, has far more artistic integrity.
I bet the other nominated documentary film makers have penned their arguments much better than I. It is a pity they will never get the exposure they rightfully deserve. Bah!
Tags: movie review, documentary
posted by walypala @ 8:14 pm
3 Comments:
I actually heard Annie Proux saying that the emotions portrayed by the sheep in Brokeback Mountain were a lot more believable than the penguins in this movie.
I also reiterate my thought that Nine Songs needed penguins. Or, perhaps, March of the Penguins needed some cut scenes at the Brixton Academy.
I'm all confused now.
The fact that the incredible "Murderball" was beaten by this film was the second-biggest disappointment of "Black Sunday", or the "night of the handing out of those shiny little men about which I will no longer speak"...until same time next year.
Penguins shmenguins, wheelchair rugby players can kick their frozen little asses into a warmer climate.
I heard that "Murderball" was all CGI anyway!
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