Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Alamar
Collapse
-
- Published: 02-07-2011, 12:06 AM
- 0 comments
X
Collapse
-
Alamar
Released by: Film Movement
Released on: 1/11/11
Director: Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio
Cast: Jorge Machado, Natan Machado Palombini, Nestí³r Marín, Roberta Palombini
Year: 2009
Purchase from Amazon
The Movie:
Jorge and Roberta are from two different worlds, he from Mexico and she from Italy. Together they have a son, Natan, but the relationship doesn't work out and Jorge makes the decision to leave Rome and return to his home, a fishing village on the Chinchorro reef. Five-year old Natan goes with his father for a number of weeks to learn the ways of his father's heritage, and the two of them spend time fishing, diving, and bonding, with Jorge teaching young Natan how to love and respect nature.
Really, that's the story. Alamar is a documentary with narrative elements, which makes for an interesting blend. The father and son relationship is endearing and the world Jorge lives in is simple yet fascinating. Learning how to fish with his father, Jorge quickly re-finds his place in the village and teaches his own son everything he can. A bird, a cattle egret, keeps coming back to their hut on the water for food and seemingly companionship, and the boy really takes to his new friend. Once time is up, Natan returns to his mother in Rome and life goes on.
The photography in Alamar is beautiful. The coral reef is amazing, the scenery lush, the sunsets are spectacular, and the underwater photography is relaxing. The movie is slow, but the life style of the fishing folk seems slow so perhaps this is an intentional technique to help set the mood of the piece. The visuals put the viewer into a relaxed state as everything seems so tranquil. It's a nice experience actually. The film focuses more on the visuals than the dialogue, which is kept quite minimal, and this could be watched without subtitles and be easily understood.
Where this is story taking place in a real life setting there is lots of fish death. If that is bothersome to you as a viewer, it may overshadow the rest of the film.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Presented here by Film Movement with an aspect of 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, Alamar looks wonderful. Filmed with visually pleasing skill, the footage shot on the island is well represented with this transfer. Gorgeous colors and, fine detail result in a great viewing experience. The audio is a simple Dolby Digital track that sounds fine, has a good balance, and no defects to note.
The extras are slim, but decent enough. There's text bio on the director (as well as liner notes on from him on the inside of the cover), roughly seven minutes of extra scenes (with an awesome hermit crab), a trailer for the feature, and trailers for other Film Movement pictures. And then there is a short film, just under five minutes, that consists of amazing animation using sand, set to a song.
The Final Word:
Not for everyone for certain, but may appeal to those who enjoy nature, sociology, or slice o' life items. It's a relaxing film with peaceful scenery. Oh and lots of fish death, if that floats your boat. If Discovery Channel type stuff is your bag, then you can't go wrong watching this interesting meld of documentary story telling. A nice release from Film Movement.
Posting comments is disabled.
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (270)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4138)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (385)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (295)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (496)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Lee Frost
Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
Year: 1969
Purchase From Amazon
Hot Spur – Movie Review:
Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but...-
Channel: Movies
03-22-2024, 11:53 AM -
-
Released by: Mondo Macabro
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Max Pecas
Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
Year: 1985
Purchase From Amazon
Death Squad – Movie Review:
Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual...-
Channel: Movies
03-22-2024, 11:46 AM -
-
Released by: Quality X
Released on: February 28th, 2024.
Director: Chuck Vincent
Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
Roommates – Movie Review:
Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:10 PM -
-
Released by: Blue Underground
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Jess Franco
Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
Year: 1970
Purchase From Amazon
Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:
Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:07 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Saul Bass
Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Phase IV – Movie Review:
Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:02 PM -
-
Released by: Radiance Films
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
Year: 1969-1972
Purchase From Amazon
The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:
Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this...-
Channel: Movies
03-13-2024, 11:30 AM -