Ellen has narrated another documentary about one of the most beautiful creatures on our planet - the dolphin. It slipped under the radar because neither she nor her agency ID Public Relations said a word about it and the project isn't listed on IMDb yet.
 »Na Nai'a Legend of the Dolphins« is an epic feature film documentary about the dolphins of the world, who for fifty million years have been roaming the oceans of the Earth. In this film they demonstrate their power, message to humanity, and their survival.
The project has a consciousness-raising message about the importance of the survival of these animals as well as the conservation of the oceans and rivers of the Earth. Touched with humor and alive with thrills, breathtaking cinematography captures the beauty and you-are-there dramatic journey of the dolphins, through the oceans of 8 countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. The voiceovers for the story are told by an awesome cast including Kate Winslet, Gerard Butler, Megan Fox, James Franco, Julian Lennon (son of music legend John Lennon), Diego Luna, Cheech Marin, Whoopi Goldberg, Isabella Rossellini, Daryl Hannah and Ellen Page, who narrates the episode »Dusky and Hectors - Dolphins Of New Zealand«. Award-winning Composer Randy Edelman created an exceptional original music score, embellished by the natural music and sounds of the dolphins. The soundtrack features songs by The Rolling Stones, K D Lang, Marvin Gaye, The Everly Brothers and By John Lennon’s iconic song Imagine.
After five years in the making, director and producer Jonathon Kay is bringing this enchanting film about nature's most wonderful miracles to the screen. It premiered for the very first time at the Festival de Cannes a few weeks ago. Since there are no other release dates yet, I hope he and Magic Factory Productions Inc. will find a distributor to bring »Na Nai'a Legend of the Dolphins« to a wider audience!
If you're interested in dolphins in general, I highly recommend you watch the documentary »The Cove«. But be warned - your view of the world will never be the same. Trust me, you will be close to tears more than once. To learn more about Kay's project, you can check out the movie page on EPO which I added yesterday, watch the official trailer below or visit the official website.
» Na Nai'a Legend of the Dolphins - US Trailer «
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(Format: AVI | Codec: XviD | Duration: 2:47 min | Resolution: 640x360 | Size: 22,9 MB)
© Magic Factory Productions Inc. All rights reserved.
 We should also pay attention to another species which must be saved from extinction. As you probably all know, Ellen serves as narrator for the US-version of »Vanishing of the Bees« because this project is important to her. In fact, the topic is more relevant than ever. In many places all over the world, the air has become just that little bit quieter. The reason: our bees have stopped buzzing. Over the past couple of years, honeybees have suddenly and inexplicably disappeared from colonies that once thrived across the northern parts of the American and European continents. A mysterious disease has struck down the fittest and most able bees, laying waste to billions and leaving empty hives starved of once industrious workers. According to scientific reviews, there are multiple causes, each interacting and creating a more complex problem than previously thought. Possible reasons for the decrease in the population of honey bees are mobile phone signals, agricultural pesticides, climate change and genetically modified crops.
 There is also a type of mite called Varroa destructor, which was a natural parasite of the Eastern honeybee, but jumped across twice to infect commercial honeybees. The mite can directly impact them, reducing the development of pupae and potentially lowering the immunity of adult bees. The worst of it is that it is almost impossible to find a honeybee colony free from this pest today. Other causes of the disappearing bees are several known viruses like the deformed wing virus (DWV) that deforms or atrophies bee's wings as well as the acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and the Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) which paralyzes and finally kills bees. However, since honeybees have a long association with their parasitic mite and none of the aforementioned viruses tend to be harmful when passed naturally between bees, they cannont be the sole causes of the recent population crashes. The viruses only kill when they are ingested by the mite, and injected back into a bee. So the mite appears to be dramatically boosting the virulence of the viruses. I could easily go on with bacterial pathogens, foulbroods and other things, but I think it's enough for now.
 The fact is there are many reasons and the whole situation is worse than is commonly believed. If the bees die off we will all starve to death. It’s common knowledge that the yellow-black striped insects pollinate about 80% of human plant-based food sources and therefore play a vital role in the workings of Nature. Even Albert Einstein is supposed to have said: »If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.« Who knows if he is right or not, but do you really want to find out?
I definitely see the importance of saving the bees and bringing back the beauty of the Earth. At the same time, I believe that the message of George Langworthy's and Maryam Henein's »Vanishing of the Bees« may help to save them. I would like to support their planned nationwide »Bee the Change« campaign with a donation collection here on EPO. The website receives about 700 visitors each day at the moment and if only 10 percent of them are willing to send some money, it would be a big deal! It doesn't matter if you donate 1, 5 or 10 dollars, euros or whatever - every bit counts! Plus, it will only cost you a few minutes of your time! You can use PayPal, AlertPay or MoneyBrookers for your donation; fans living in Europe are also welcome to send money via bank transfer (please contact me for additional information, address see below).
Attention! The first three donators, who send $20 US dollars (and more) will get a »Girls Gone Green« book written by Lynn Hirshfield and for the first three that donate $30 US dollars (and more) I will add an original »Whip It« mini poster for free! Additionally, the person who donates the most money gets an authentic autograph of Ellen (X-men photo signed by her)! The fund-raising campaign starts today and runs through June 30, 2010. Every single donation will be forwarded to Hive Mentality Films and listed on EPO! Please let me know if you don't want your name to appear on the website.
In 2008, we raised $850 US dollar for the needy people in Burma. Do you think we can top this? Please donate, tell your friends about it and spread the word! Many, many thanks for your support in advance!
» EPO donation collection for Vanishing of the Bees «
Please send your donation to:  |  |  |  | General contact for this campaign:  |
Thanks to author Lynn Hirshfield, who gave me some copies of her book!
A couple of days ago, I added some new caps, video clips and specials of »Peacock« taken from the US retail DVD. I also watched the movie the other day and came to the following conclusion. It is difficult to like the film wholeheartedly. No doubt, Cillian Murphy gives one of his best performances and is perfect in his double role as John and Emma Skillpa. Ellen did a good job, although her part was rather small (she is only on screen for about 15 minutes) and she couldn't quite sell being a young single mother with a child that is nearly half as tall as his mom. The rest of the cast including big names like Susan Sarandon, Bill Pullman, Josh Lucas and Keith Carrdine isn't worth mentioning. Granted, they all doing their damnedest to keep the story going, but they don't contribute anything to the major plot at all. The biggest problem is that the movie tends to leave a lot of questions in the minds of the audience. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind if there are unanswered questions, but the audience should at least be able to get the basic points, which isn't easy.
We have already started a discussion on the message board, but as you can see most of the gathered information is based on pure speculation. Why is this so? Perhaps the story was not well edited, the director/producers were never clear about the type of movie they were making or faith in this project left at some point during the filming or post production. At the same time, the lack of any cast interviews is very suspicious. Is anyone aware of any interviews with Ellen, Cilian, Susan or Bill after filming wrapped?! Anyway, I'm sure there are several reasons why it never found a distributor for a theatrical release or even played at film festivals and was eventually released direct to DVD.
» Peacock - John meets Maggie and Jake «
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(Format: AVI | Codec: XviD | Duration: 2:52 min | Resolution: 640x360 | Size: 25,0 MB)
© Cornfield Productions / Mandate Pictures / Lionsgate. All rights reserved.
» Peacock - John is the father «
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(Format: AVI | Codec: XviD | Duration: 3:35 min | Resolution: 640x360 | Size: 30,7 MB)
© Cornfield Productions / Mandate Pictures / Lionsgate. All rights reserved.
Among the extras on the DVD are the original screenplay/script, an alternate ending, a couple delete scenes, some rehearsal footage featuring Cilian Murphy and a longer featurette which runs for around 20 minutes, functioning as the making of for the film. It is subdivided into chapters covering the creation of John and Emma, details on the filming locations and costumes as well as a brief introduction of the characters and initial plot by the cast and crew. According to producer Barry Mendel, one of the most important moments was when they talked to Ellen. She said Maggie was a character that really interested her. The role felt very honest, very fluid and very organic (one of her favourite words). I can quite understand why she wanted to be a part of this project based on the impression she had after reading the script. Despite what happened to her, Maggie is a strong-minded person who never gives up, tries to find a way out of her situation and cares for her child unconditionally. Plus, Ellen had never played a character like this before. On the other hand, you have to consider she had a special view on the role and was able to interact with the director, writer and producers in order to get more background information and a proper understanding. However, I'm certain the script was really better than what was produced and ended up on screen though this doesn't change anything. »Peacock« is an average thriller with an intermingled storyline, a good leading cast, many unanswered questions and a weird, disappointing ending. Not a »must see« in my book, but definitely worth a look if you like to be emotionally drained as well as entertained — and don't question everything. ;-)
» Peacock - DVD Feature - Movie Introduction «
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(Format: AVI | Codec: XviD | Duration: 1:12 min | Resolution: 640x360 | Size: 10,1 MB)
© Cornfield Productions / Mandate Pictures / Lionsgate. All rights reserved.
» Peacock - DVD Feature - Meet John & Emma «
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(Format: AVI | Codec: XviD | Duration: 3:17 min | Resolution: 640x360 | Size: 27,7 MB)
© Cornfield Productions / Mandate Pictures / Lionsgate. All rights reserved.
» Peacock - DVD Feature - The People of Peacock «
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(Format: AVI | Codec: XviD | Duration: 3:11 min | Resolution: 640x360 | Size: 26,9 MB)
© Cornfield Productions / Mandate Pictures / Lionsgate. All rights reserved.
» Peacock - DVD Caps «
  
  
  
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Freeheld
Tilda
Na Nai'a
Super
Vanishing of the Bees
Inception
Glenn Martin, DDS
2012: Time for Change
Peacock
Whip It
