Excellent, a Must See

Did you people see the same film I saw?

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

RELEASED IN 2010 and directed by Michael D. Sellers, "Beneath the Blue" chronicles events in the Bahamas when dolphin researchers clash with the US Navy over the latter's sonar program, which is killing dolphins. Caitlin Wachs plays the main protagonist, Alyssa, daughter of the dolphin expert (David Keith) while Samantha Jade & Leah Eneas appear as her besties. Paul Wesley plays Alyssa's mysterious beau and Ivana Milicevic his sister. Michael Ironside is also on hand as a Naval captain. This is a stand-alone sequel to 2006' "Eye of the Dolphin" with Caitlin Wachs overtaking the role of Alyssa, which was previously played by Carly Schroeder. Caitlin is superior IMHO; she's just all-around beautiful, inside & out. The only two returning from "Eye" are the peripheral characters played by George Harris and Christine Adams. In any case, this is a solid marine/island drama/adventure. It's similar to "Into the Blue" (2005) and "Into the Blue 2" (2009), but less of a thriller and more family-oriented; not to mention the focus being on dolphins. Don't get me wrong, there are some thrills and even a crime element, but "Beneath the Blue" is decidedly mild by comparison, with a heartwarming cast of protagonists and a perceptible reverent ambiance. While this wasn't a major release it's not exactly a cheapo flick either with its $2.5 million price tag. Australian musician and co-star Samantha Jade performs the song that plays over the end credits, "Whatever I Can." THE MOVIE RUNS 92 minutes and was shot in the Bahamas (Grand Bahama Island) and Santa Catalina Island, CA. WRITER: Wendell Morris. GRADE: B

Hawk is a scientist studying dolphin communication in The Bahamas along with Duvey. His daughter Alyssa works with him and conducts tours of his underwater lab, but she wastes time diving as deep as she can when she is supposed to be working. And while working, she meets another potential distraction: a good-looking guy named Craig.Hawk receives a threat from the Wildlife Liberation Front. Something is killing dolphins. It turns out to be the U.S. Navy testing SONAR equipment, which is vital to U.S. defense, though courts have ruled against its use. Admiral Blaine sees no harm in killing a few dolphins when the fate of our country is more important, and fishing kills many more dolphins than the Navy does. Hawk and his family make an effort to stop the Navy. One potential complication: one of Hawk's dolphins was a secret weapon trained by the Navy, and they want it back.Meanwhile, will Alyssa and Craig have a romantic relationship? Maybe, but Craig has his own secret agenda. Alyssa saw him with the beautiful Gwen when she first met him, and he claimed she was his sister, but maybe she isn't.The movie starts kind of slow and offers quite a bit of comedy, as well as some education about dolphin communication. Whether it is scientifically accurate or not I can't say, but the tours offer some educational value as tourists meet Bogie and Bacall. And the communication experiments with Rasca are informative and fun. Rasca also gets to play the Lassie role once with Alyssa. ("What is it, Rasca? Did Alyssa fall down the well?") Later, especially toward the end, there is quite a lot of action. It is quite entertaining and even occasionally funny, though most of the comedy is at the start.I wasn't aware this was a sequel, so I can't compare, but Caitlin Wachs does a good job and looks great in a bikini. She spends most of the movie showing off her fit, tanned body. Her best friend Kits also spends some time showing off her body.David Keith and Michael Ironside also do a good job here.Christine Adams, the main villain from "Terra Nova", is nicer here as Alyssa's serious but apparently loving stepmother. And George Harris is especially good as Daniel, the native employee in Hawk's operation.This was a pretty good adventure.

This mild family animal drama centers around a dolphin behavioral study group, International Dolphin Research Center, which sounds more impressive than it actually is since they're just a small outfit of family and friends with a modest facility. The first indication of trouble we get is a report of dolphins turning up dead. As well, the IDRC is getting threats from what appears to be an animal rights activists organization called the Wildlife Liberation Front.As the story develops, it turns out that the threats from the WLF is really a smokescreen being used by "evil doers" --I'm calling them; don't want to spoil --whose real motive is to get at a dolphin called Rasca who is a friend and test subject of the research team. So there you have it. If I went into more detail (as I was tempted to do) I would be giving too much away.What did you think of the movie Boloxxxi? Let me see.... The operational word is "mild". No shots were fired; nobody beat anybody up; no cuss words were said; no lewdity or nudity; and worst of all the dolphins didn't do a lot of tricks. So if you get the DVD for your young ones to see they might not love you so much after (just fooling). This movie is not my usual fare folks. I'm an action, adventure, horror, sci-fi guy and this movie fits into none of those categories. I saw this movie on an invite (for free). So why didn't I refuse? The operational word here folks is "free" and is one of the few words that can separate me from my computer at a hundred miles per hour. If you like harmless movies about lovable animals and such, you will like this more than I did. I give it 4 stars for a nice plot twist regarding who was really the evil mastermind plus 1 for the girl who did the free depth dive as the movie started. No animal on land or in sea can compare in beauty and grace to the human female as far as I'm concerned. Love, Boloxxxi.

Okay, I admit I first wanted to see this movie because I like the way Caitlin Wachs looks in a bikini, but (forgive the pun) there's much more than meets the eye in this sequel to "Eye of the Dolphin."Originally titled "Way of the Dolphin" and filmed three years ago, taking almost two years to reach a DVD release, it had Carly Schroeder reprising her role as Alyssa. She could've easily played this part as well, but a delayed filming schedule and previous commitments kept her from doing so. I truly wish she had played the part since I consider her a better actor and would've led to better continuity, but that's just a preference, not a criticism.That being said, this version has a lot more action and a better storyline, since it's more about dolphins than a coming-of-age film like its predecessor. Without giving anything away, it has looks less like a Bahamian travel documentary and more like a your bad- guy-turns-good-and-gets-the-girl Saturday afternoon feature.The DVD also contains cast interviews and behind the scenes, and a featurette, "Working with Dolphins."My recommendation is that while it's a decent movie, it's not something that'll hold a kid's attention for very long (or many adults for that matter). As I said, when the main thing that grabs your attention is a girl in a bikini and the movie actually becomes a viable story with some tolerable acting, suffice to say it can't be all bad.