Film Review: “Blue”
No, I am not reduced to promoting blue movies.
This was an offer I got in my email. I have been allowed a preview of a new movie that will be in theatres on June 8, World Oceans Day. It will be shown at 40 cinemas throughout Canada on that day at 7pm (except in Calgary, 8pm) and to see it you have to book on line in advance. The link is at the end of this post.
We saw it on the screen of my MacBook Pro, which isn’t bad, but the first thing I thought was that this will look so much more impressive on a big cinema screen rather than a 15″ retina.
In recent years I have been able to travel and visit a number of ocean sites where we have swum with turtles and stingrays. We have seen the abundance of life on the reefs off the coast of Mexico both in the Caribbean and the Baha California. I have eaten freshly caught tuna in American Samoa. And when I lived in Victoria, my landlord would drop a huge oyster on my grill while I was cooking supper. I am a great fan of sushi and of fish and chips.
And all the while I have been conscious of decline. I have heard about coral bleaching and great plastic gyre. Of the collapse of fish stocks – first cod in the Atlantic off Newfoundland and the decline of the salmon here. Everywhere we have been there have been people warning of the dire situation. And it just seems to be getting worse.
This still comes from a sequence about the scourge of shark’s fin soup. Not something I have ever tried, and now never will.
It is true that the whales seem to be recovering, but that only seems to encourage the Japanese to expand their utterly bogus “scientific” whaling.
I hope that this film is successful. We certainly need to change direction and there are – at the end of the film – some suggestions.
The following section is copied from the information about the movie I was sent.
|
Half of all marine life has been lost in the last 40 years. The way the ocean operates is different to how we thought of it 100 years ago. We can no longer think of it as a place of limitless resources, a dumping ground, immune to change or decline. BLUE takes us on a provocative journey into the ocean realm, witnessing a critical moment in time when the marine world is on a precipice. Featuring passionate advocates for ocean preservation, BLUE takes us into their world where the story of our changing ocean is unfolding. We meet those who are defending habitats, campaigning for smarter fishing, combating marine pollution and fighting for the protection of keystone species. This feature documentary comes at a time when we are making critical decisions that will decide the legacy we leave for generations to come. BLUE shows us there is a way forward and the time to act is now CREDITS FILMING LOCATIONS – USA, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia MAIN DIALOGUE LANGUAGE – English AWARDS Festival International Du Film Documentaire Océanien 2018| Winner – Le Prix Okeanos New York Wild Film Festival 2018 | Winner – Best Impact Film Vancouver International Film Festival 2017 | Winner – Best Impact Film Byron Bay Film Festival 2017 | Winner – Best Environmental Film Australian Screen Sound Guild 2017 | Winner – Best Sound in a Documentary 2017 AACTA Awards 2017 | Winner – Best Cinematography in a Documentary “The Ozzies” Ozflix Independent Film Awards 2018 | Winner – Best Cinematography |
So now how to get tickets
BLUE is a World Oceans Day event that takes place throughout Canada ONE SHOWING ONLY — on Thursday, June 7 at 7:00 pm (exception – Calgary at 8:00 pm).
This is a cinema-on-demand screening from Demand Film, and
ALL SEATS MUST BE RESERVED IN ADVANCE, ONLINE AT
Demand Film Ticketing.
You can see the trailer and find the map of events in Canada at that link.
Stephen Rees's blog 
The answer is 76 minutes. The Blue movie people share all kinds of info, including a guide for people who host the Blue movie, but they never answered my basic question: Running time?
kewljim
May 8, 2018 at 4:09 pm