Big Miracle (100th post!)

Directed by Ken Kwapis

2012

Viewed February 2012

Adam Carlson is a reporter from Anchorage, Alaska who is covering some stories in a small Alaskan town for a few weeks. On one of his last nights there, Adam discovers three California grey whales trapped in the ice. Adam quickly tapes a short segment on the whales and then news reaches his Greenpeace volunteer ex girlfriend who immediately starts to rally for the whales. The news ends up going national and eventually international as everyone gets involved to help free these whales before the hole in the ice freezes over and they drown. When I first saw the preview for this movie, I was not sold, it just looked cheesy and boring. I was pleasantly surprised though and it turned out to be a really good, uplifting movie. It's based on a true story so I asked my mom if she remembers it happening. She didn't though (probably since she had three kids under 8 when it happened and doesn't remember a lot from the 80s...)... Anyways, it has a great mix of humor and excitement and there were also a few tears. I highly recommend this movie! A

The Grey

“Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.”

Directed by Jon Carnahan

2012

Viewed February 2012

This movie follows a group of Alaskan oil drillers who’s plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness. There are seven survivors and they have to try and find a town or some sort of shelter before freezing to death or being attacked by wolves. It sounds really dumb, and I definitely was not expecting much, but I really did end up enjoying it. The biggest complaint that I have is that they are in the Alaskan wilderness in the middle of a blizzard, they all have a hoodie and a parka on, but none of them are wearing their hoods. They all have hats, but I know that when I’m super cold I put on my hat AND my hood for optimum warmth, plus the hood keeps blowing snow off of your neck… There also were plenty of parts that made me jump (even some that you could see coming, but it still made me jump… lame.) and it was just an entertaining movie. B-