Sometimes, you just want to sit back and watch a Universal or PG rated film, because you don't really have to pay attention to them for them to make sense.
There are several DVDs on my shelf that I was absolutely obsessed with when I was younger, when I was maybe 12 ish, that I haven't watched for years. So I decided to rewatch them, to see if I still love them as much, and to see if they bring back the obsessions I once had.
Let's get watching!
Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr and Ashley Judd star in this family drama based on the true story of a dolphin who is given a new lease of life after being badly injured in a trap off the Florida coast. When a young dolphin loses her tail after becoming caught in a crab trap, she is rescued and taken to the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where she is given the name of Winter. There a marine biologist joins forces with a brilliant prosthetics doctor to create a new tail for Winter, who is also befriended by a young boy, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble).
Dolphin Tale 2 continues the story of the brave dolphin Winter, who faces an uncertain future when her surrogate mother, the very elderly dolphin Panama, passes away.
I grouped these two movies together, because if I talk about one, I will also be talking about the other, so I might as well just do it all at once.
Let us first recap the premises, because I couldn't find descriptions that actually explain what the films are about!
Dolphin Tale:
Sawyer is supposed to be participating in summer school, due to failing grades, but when he finds a dolphin, tangled up with ropes, on the beach, he can't just leave her there. Clearwater Marine Hospital are called, and arrive to save her, but Sawyer cannot just let her go, without knowing if she's okay. So, he goes to visit.
The dolphin, named Winter, is in a bad way. Her tail was badly damaged, to the point of needing to be removed, and she seems to be giving up. That is, until she realises Sawyer has snuck in to see her. Even as ill as she is, Winter recognises Sawyer, and, for him, she starts to try. But with the hospital low on funds, and rapidly losing more money, it isn't just Winter's life at stake, but the future of the entire hospital.
Dolphin Tale 2:
When Winter's companion, Panama, passes away, she is left alone in her pool, grieving. Nothing anyone can do will get her to engage, and her spine is starting to get worse without consistent use of her prosthetic tail. With it being law to not keep dolphins alone, due to their need for socialisation, Winter not having a companion is causing more problems than just her own loneliness.
Sawyer has been invited to go on a marine course, with a fully funded scholarship, but he can't possibly agree to leave when he doesn't know if Winter will be okay, or if she will even be staying at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. With the deadline for getting Winter paired with another dolphin, and the deadline for Sawyer to accept the scholarship, looming, it seems that sometimes all you need is a little hope...
These movies were an absolute favourite of mine, especially since they're based on a true story. I actually watched the second movie (and knew it inside out) before I watched the first, but it doesn't really matter which order you watch them in. These are movies I used to watch on repeat, as soon as one ended, I would restart it, or put the other one on, and I became a little dolphin obsessed. It was always a dream of mine to go and visit Winter. Unfortunately, she passed away last year, but her whole story is still incredibly inspirational, and, even though I never got to meet her, she helped to give me a much deeper understanding of the importance of looking after marine life. After watching this the first few times, I tried to find a marine biology course to do online that would end in me having a marine biology qualification – keep in mind I was maybe 11 or 12 at this point!
Even now, I still love dolphins, and after rewatching these films, it has rekindled my desire to learn more about marine life. Maybe I will go searching again for a marine biology course! As with many films I haven't watched for ages, I was a little concerned I might find it slightly boring, since I already knew the whole movie inside and out, but I was pleasantly surprised, and found myself loving it just as much now as I used to. I think these films will forever hold a place in my heart.
Again, a film about animals, based on a true story. I think it must've been a phase I went through. But again, this film was one I used to absolutely love. Unlike some of the others on this post, which I think are very much catered towards a younger audience, this is a film that all ages can watch and equally enjoy.
I will point out something about this description I found. This bit: 'Urged on by his father, Duncan (Thomas Haden Church)'. This blurb was on Amazon, where this DVD is being sold... Duncan is not Benjamin's father, Duncan is his older brother. I can't help but think Duncan would take offence to people thinking he is old enough to be his brother's father!
Watching this film brings up more emotion now than it did whenever I last watched it. Knowing what's going to happen almost makes it worse. This film does cover topics of loss, and grieving, and watching Benjamin try to make difficult decisions, with the pain of losing his wife still fresh, is heartbreaking. He tries to hold onto everything, because he is scared to lose something else he loves. It might be because I now understand this that this film is more emotional for me to watch now. Either way, this is a wonderful family film, and it is one that I continue to love.
Comedy superstar Steve Martin (Bringing Down The House) and film favourite Bonnie Hunt (Jerry Maguire) team up in this hilarious tale of two hard-working parents trying to manage careers and a household – amid the chaos of raising twelve rambunctious kids. With a crowd-pleasing supporting cast, including rising young stars Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire) and Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly), this heart-warming hit comedy delivers super-sized fun and laughs by the dozen!
The way I view this film has definitely changed since I last watched it. I remember watching it, and feeling sorry for the kids, wanting the parents to pay more attention to them, to organise themselves a bit better, so they would have the time they needed. Now, though, I see eleven children living at home, and plenty of hands who are very capable of helping out, but who do not want to do so.
I have siblings, although nowhere near as many as there are in this film, and I think the best line that sums up the relationship of siblings is in this film. It goes something along the lines of "sometimes I want to kill you, but I would always kill for you". That isn't the exact quote, but I can't be bothered to find the word for word correct quote right now!
Of all the Baker children, the one I remember most is Charlie. As a thirteen-year-old, I most certainly had a crush on Charlie. Looking things up now, I find out the actor actually older than my parents, but still. In the film, he's playing a 17 year old. I mean, sure, the actor was 25 at the time, but he was cute! My opinion on that still hasn't really changed...!
Mega-budget, special-effects packed action adventure sci-fi epic directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Stargate), in which global warming and the greenhouse effect have given rise to abrupt climate change - with cataclysmic consequences for the entire planet. Dennis Quaid stars as Professor Adrian Hall, a paleoclimatologist who is fighting to save the world from a second ice age and all the natural disasters that herald it: floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes to name but a few. But first, Hall must complete a more personal mission: his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal) is stranded in New York City where he was taking part in a school competition when the catastrophe began. As well as facing a perpetual onslaught of natural catastrophes, Hall must fight his way through the mass of humanity fleeing south into warmer climes... but can he reach his son in time to save him?
This film is definitely the first disaster movie I ever watched, and it sparked a love for this genre. I haven't watched this film in years, and maybe it's because I have more of an understanding of it now, but I couldn't help but pick this movie apart as I watched it. I mean, there's obviously tons of scientific inaccuracies, but also tons of simple things that I just couldn't quite understand. Maybe it's just me, but if I were stuck in a library, trying to keep a fire going to stay warm and alive, I would burn the wooden chairs, not just the books? Maybe my logic isn't correct, I don't know, but still.
One definite memory about this film is that I had my first nosebleed while watching it. I have never got nosebleeds, so you can imagine my surprise when I get a bad one when just sitting down, watching a disaster film where everything's going wrong, and everyone's dying. I am not sure why I got a nosebleed then, and I haven't had one since. Weird.
Unfortunately, this film doesn't quite hold up now that I'm older, and can spot the inaccuracies. Now that I've seen it again, I think I'll put the film away, and keep my memories of it sparking a love for disaster films, rather than re-rewatch it, and cement the problems in my mind.
Yo-Ho-Ho! join the Muppets on the high seas in their follow up to the successful adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol' in this version of the famous pirate adventure 'Treasure Island'. Tim Curry stars as Long John Silver alongside Gonzo, Rizzo, Kermit as Captain Smollet and Miss Piggy as Benjamina Gunn.
I wasn't going to include this one, because all of the other films so far have been kind of serious films, and this post was starting to feel quite long, but this film was definitely a comfort film growing up, and it still is. Who can resist The Muppets?!
I remember something in particular about The Muppets, although I can't remember if it was this film, or Muppets From Space. When I was 13 or 14, I had an absolutely horrible ear infection, to the point where I physically could not hear anything. Of course, feeling ill, being in pain, and deaf, I put on The Muppets to make me feel better. I also proceeded to drop my DVD remote off my bed, and right into a glass of water that I had on my floor, breaking the remote. Before I had the chance to turn the subtitles on. So I spent several hours watching Muppet films in silence, with no subtitles. Strangely, they're still comforting, even if you can't hear what's going on.
The best thing about this film, though, which sets it above the rest (except maybe The Muppets Christmas Carol, which is still my favourite Christmas film) is the song Cabin Fever. Honestly, go and listen to it. Here's a LINK. This song was my anthem during the COVID lockdowns.
So yeah, The Muppets rule.
And done!
This is probably the longest post I've ever written for this blog, so I'm not going to ramble down here. I'm just going to shut up and say...
Anyway, that's all for now...
Bye!
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