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Ocean of an Old Man, a review by Danae Cassandra

Ocean of an Old Man
Year of Release: 2008
Directed By: Rajesh Shera
Starring: Tom Alter
Genre: Drama

Overview:
In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and amid the stunning natural beauty of India's Andaman and Nicobar islands, an elderly British teacher struggles to run a small primary school despite the loss of many of the islands' children to the recent tragedy. Ignoring the overwhelming grief that washes over the islands, he continues to teach his few remaining students until a government official delivers a relocation order to all residents, causing him to embark on a heartbreaking search for his missing students, convinced they must still be alive.

Blending exquisite vistas with the ubiquitous sound of the ocean to convey the precarious balance between human life and the inexorable forces of nature, Rajesh Shera's debut feature quietly unfolds as a delicate meditation on grief and loss.

My Thoughts:
This is a nearly wordless meditation on grief and loss. How does one cope in the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy? How do you go on, seeing the empty spaces once inhabited?

This is the first movie filmed in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, and it's a good thing that the setting is beautiful, because this is a slow, slow film. It held my attention, but I enjoy a story that plays out slowly. Not that there's much of a story here. It's really more of a study of this teacher trying to deal with the loss of his family, his young pupils, his home, as well as the future and an entire way of life.

This is a very low budget film, but it really doesn't need more money. Tom Alter does an excellent job conveying the depth of the teacher's grief and his increasing desperation to find any of his missing pupils. In many ways what The Old Man and the Sea should have been, in that here you see everything instead of it being told by a narrator. Recommended only if you have a background in slow film however.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

(From March Around the World 2016 on March 11th, 2016)

Fifteen & Pregnant, a review by Rich

Fifteen & Pregnant



Tina Spangler is just another happy kid at fourteen. At fifteen she's pregnant and faces the choices of abortion, adoption or the lonely life of a single parent. Abandoned by her boyfriend she has only one person to turn to - her mother, a single parent herself. What starts out as a hopeless tale could re-unite this shattered family. Based on a true story.

Moralistic tale fairly well told, in the vein of a made for tv movie. Despite a low budget and average acting, it is worth giving this film a chance as it improves through a fairly emotive story and the viewing of how a teenage pregnancy not only affects the young mother, but also her family.
It has dated already, and I would recommend Juno ahead of it for more entertainment value.
 

(From Riches Random Reviews on March 19th, 2009)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Title: Corner Gas: Season Six
Year: 2009
Director:
Rating: NR
Length: 420 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:

Plot:
How do we Canadians say farewell to a dear friend? We tap a keg and wake up the next morning on a stranger's futon. The morning haze will be flooded with memories of Brent switching to self serve; Oscar, Emma and Lacey canoodling in the new hot tub; how Davis landed himself in sensitivity training by Karen's hand; and when Wanda and Hank found themselves 'celebrities' during the Turn Off Your TV Week competition against Wullerton (spit). And did you dream it, or did a mighty wind blow the sign right off the roof of The Ruby? Yes, maybe you should have stopped at nine, but for now, don't hold back. Chug! Chug! Chug! Cheers to six hilarious seasons of great Canuck-O-Vision. You'll never look at Sasketchewan the same way again - or that new friend's futon.

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Featurettes
Interviews
Scene Access

A good final season. Some really fun episodes in it. And a very fitting series finale. Like the series, life goes on as usual for the characters. I liked the fact, that they hinted here to come full circle, but didn't: Corner Gas is based on the stand-up by Brett Butt. In this episode, Brent Butt character found success as a stand-up (talking about daily life of our characters). But in the end he decided this isn't for him. If he had continued so, it probably would have led to a Corner Gas series inside the Corner Gas universe.

#	Episode	Rating
01	Full Load
02	Bend It Like Brent
03	Self Serving
04	Meat Wave
05	All That and a Bag of Chips
06	Good Tubbin'
07	American Resolution
08	Reader Pride
09	Rock Stars
10	Shirt Disturber
11	Cat River Daze
12	Super Sensitive
13	TV Free Dog River
14	Queasy Rider
15	R2 Bee Too
16	Crab Apple Cooler
17	Happy Career Day to You
18	Get the F Off My Lawn
19	You've Been Great, Goodnight

(From Tom's Random Reviews on July 11th, 2009)