FILM REVIEWS: The Cove and Bandslam

THE COVE
Directed by Louie Psihoyos

My favourite documentary from last year was Up The Yangtze, a poignant film detailing the lives of the many Chinese people affected by the rapid change of their homeland. It's a beautiful mix of modern and old China and it almost brought me to tears. Like Up The Yangtze, The Cove addressed one of the most significant issues facing the the world today. Not global warming, or terrorism but marine life, emphasising on the annual dolphin slaughter in the Japanese town of Taiji. A group of filmmakers and activists infiltrate the aforementioned town (who falsely claim themself as "dolphin-loving") to expose the shocking truth of the whaling industry, who kill thousands of dolphins and whales each year.

It sounds very bleak, and it is, but the real achievement of the filmmakers was how they weaved in a sprinkle of comic relief without detracting too much from the seriousness of the subject matter and as a result, gives us quite an entertaining film. It's also quite suspenseful at times and you forget that you're watching a documentary and not a thriller. It is still predominantly a sad film that deserves to be seen, with or without its entertainment value.

I became deply affected by the film, which is strange seeing as I'm not the biggest fan of dolphins out there (UPDATE: I am now). It pulls you in and takes you on a journey that you're glad you have seen, because now you can start the change.

I'm incredibly grateful to the filmmakers involved for shedding light into this significant issue and I hope that, like An Inconvenient Truth, this doco will find a larger audience and have a bigger impact on the whaling industry.

RATING: 10/10

BANDSLAM

Directed by Todd Graff

I was surprised by the amount of praise this movie received from critics. Now that I've seen it, I'm scratching my head, thinking that I viewed a completely different film from what the rest did. Honestly, I found it to be quite lame. Vanessa Hudgens was painfully annoying and I found myself rolling my eyes. So much so, that I began to get dizzy.

Although there were some funny moments, I just couldn't find myself relating to any of the characters or connecting to the film. It's like a middle-aged man's interpretation of what today's high schools are like and unfortunately get most of the elements wrong.

Overall it's still a pleasant film (I loved Lisa Kudrow), it would make an excellent rental.

RATING: 5/10