DVD Collectors Online

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)

Ed Wood, a review by addicted2dvd

Ed Wood: Special Edition (1994/United States) Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Touchstone Home Entertainment Director: Tim Burton Writing: Scott Alexander (Writer), Larry Karaszewski (Writer), Rudolph Grey (Original Material By) Length: 126 min. Rating: Rated R : Some Strong Language Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Stars:
Johnny Depp as Ed Wood
Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi
Sarah Jessica Parker as Dolores Fuller
Patricia Arquette as Kathy O'Hara
Jeffrey Jones as Criswell
G. D. Spradlin as Reverend Lemon

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Music Videos
• Closed Captioned

I am basically familiar with Ed Wood by reputation only. I only have one of his movies in my collection. That being Plan 9 from Outer Space. Despite the little I know of him... or maybe because of the little I know of him... I was looking forward to checking out this movie. A nice coincidence here... I been watching episodes of Medium and this movie also has Patricia Arquette in it. I really didn't know what to expect going into this movie. Whether it would be something I like or not. I ended up finding it oddly captivating. I found that I enjoyed it quite a bit. I normally shy away from anything that is about 2hrs or more in length. As I really need to be in the mood to be able to sit still that long. But in the case of Ed Wood the 2+ hours seemed to fly by! I was actually surprised when it was over already.

The DVD itself is nicely done as well. Lots of fun extras here. And I must admit... I got a kick out of the animated menus they used for this one. All in all a very nice release of a fun movie I wasn't sure if I would like or not. Definitely a pleasant surprise.




(From What Movies I Been Watching on February 10th, 2012)

"Due South" marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

The Man Who Knew Too Little
This one is basically just an average episode. I have seen several better but then again I have seen a few that were worse. The guy they were transporting back to Canada looked familiar to me... but after looking him up he wasn't anyone I am familiar with. Just had one of those faces I guess.

My Rating:


(From "Due South" marathon on July 15th, 2009)