The Cove (2009)

Very Cool!!!

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It is a paradox to present facts in a subjective way, unless the standpoint of the film is not to show the facts. The essence of both salvation and killing is a continuation of human self-identification. Therefore, I do not believe that what is concealed in sorrow, how much is the human savior-like vanity. Of course, this film records the dangers and costs of the crew. However, almost all the madness begins with the obsession with attitude and giving.

The landscape of Taiji was beautiful. Video images were beautiful, too. The red sea imbrued with blood, however, gave me a very strong impression as contrasted with the beautiful scenes. That was probably the intention of the producer. The essence of the problem is emotions. Seeing the bloody cove, I still don't think killing dolphins for life should be banned. Dolphins don't die in vain but were eaten by human beings. People will certainly keep living without eating dolphins, but it may be good to have dolphins as our option for cooking ingredients. Is this a luxury and brutal wish? Mercury pollution is certainly a problem. It is probably easier to control mercury pollution for creatures in land than ones in sea under the current situation. In this sense, reducing amount of ingestion of aquatic food will be good for health in long term. This is, however, a problem of ocean pollution and totally a different subject from whether or not you eat dolphins. Against the question why you eat whales, from the beginning, I am trapped by an emotion and can't get away from it. "Why don't you feel mercy for cows but whales?" No one has answered this question. Neither this movie. I imagine very poor visual scenes when cows are slaughtered for meat. I didn't want to see the slaughtering scenes.

The Cove is a world-class documentary that is worthy of its Oscar and any praise that it receives. Taking a look at the slaughter of dolphins in a small town in Japan, this documentary is informative, suspenseful and thought-provoking.Directed by Louie Psihoyos and having an a large of array of specialists, this film doesn't bore you like a number of documentary's I've seen but engages the viewer while educating. It doesn't simply point the finger, it tells you why their pointing, who their pointing it at and what their going to do about it. Taking an undeniably one-sided view, it relentlessly pounds into the cause into the viewer and really hits him. Even if the films point-of-view rarely deters from the activist, Western side it is an emotional view to look from and one which personally filled me with a mixture of emotions.I particularly liked (if liked is this right word) the last 15 minutes. This is by far some of the most brutal and harrowing footage I have ever witnessed and found that it dug deep. My girlfriend was unable to contain her emotions and cried which only made the finale of this film that much harder to bare. While I don't think this film is for the close-minded, I believe everyone should see this film regardless of your view point on animal welfare. Personally, I stand as close to the activists and people who do this with great passion as I can without becoming actively involved. Besides looking at the cruelty that takes place in Taijin, Japan it also looks how it effects Japan as a whole and the Western world, touching slightly on the global impact which not only dolphin slaughter will cause but whales and other sea-life also. I thought this film was profoundly touching and emotionally driven by a group of individuals who really care for dolphins particularly Ric O'Barry who during the 1960s used to capture dolphins and train them and who has been trying to make amends since.A passionate film and worthy of all the praise it gets. Well done.Originally written: 7/24/10

Let's face it Americans are in no position to start preaching on animal welfare and the environment, after killing pretty much every living thing in their own region. You can already imagine this film without even watching it - the usual Michael Moore type of affair, starting with stacks of emotive footage about dolphins and their intelligence and so on and how these American activist world saviours are going to save them and how the Japanese are all supposedly poisoning themselves with mercury buy eating dolphin meat and so on and so on, whilst completely missing the cultural complexity surrounding the hunting of dolphins and its tradition.The film has few redeeming qualities. The bloodbath footage at the end is just shocking, emotive and leaves us with no answers. To tackle this problem is to understand clearly its cultural basis in places like Japan and the Faroe Islands and this film makes zero effort to do that.It's understanding of the situation is not unlike a bunch of Jewish people going to a pig farm in America to film pig slaughter.