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"The Big Year" (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter NDhunter
- Start date
Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
"I like birds" !
Great movie !
Rashida Jones was super cute in this
Several viewing options available. Though I would give literally not one single cent that would go to see Jeff Bezos poncing about in space.
www.justwatch.com
Chosun 🙅♀️
Great movie !
Rashida Jones was super cute in this
Several viewing options available. Though I would give literally not one single cent that would go to see Jeff Bezos poncing about in space.
The Big Year - movie: where to watch stream online
Find out how and where to watch "The Big Year" online on Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ today – including 4K and free options.
Chosun 🙅♀️
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
I like the actors who are in that movie, and because it is about birding I would like to like that movie, and I do own it on DVD, but truth be told I despise that movie. I despise it for being what it is as compared to what it easily could and should have been. It has so many errors. Worse, they are LAZY CHEAPSKATE errors. Errors that would not have occurred if the director or whoever was in charge of such things had consulted even one actual birder, esp. a long-time ABA member acquainted with birding and competitive birding culture/history in the USA, on the editing of the final cut. I know that the errors are not important to the general viewing public, and I know that serious birders are a tiny percentage of the customer base, but I don't think it would have cost much of anything (or made the movie less enjoyable for nonbirders) to fix or not incorporate the errors. Why piss off your potential core constituency fan base? Even though birders are a small constituency, they are the audience who might have been its champions and who would not forget the movie in the future. As it is, every time I see it, the errors are like a slap in the face that remind me that the people who made the movie really didn't care about birders, and consequently, I think it will never become a cult classic in the birding community.
--AP
--AP
Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
I like the "I like birds" song the most ..... 🌞👍
Alexis - What are all the "errors" in the movie ??
Chosun 🙅♀️
BryanP
Little known member
Hi all!
I remember seeing Bruce Willis’s movie Diehard 2 in the theatre with friends one of whom was an air traffic controller. She harrumphed, clicked her tongue and muttered “that can’t happen” all the way through the movie. We teased her relentlessly over drinks later!
I’m sure some of the details of birds and the birding culture in The Big Year are incorrect, misleading or just plain silly but I try to ignore them. The 3 main actors did yeoman work in the movie but I did have difficulty with their “star” appeal and I could never get past who they were as big time personalities. Lesser known actors might have been a better fit for a “small” story like Big Year but then again I’m usually at odds with Hollywood’s casting methods. I prefer the British industry’s approach to casting roles.
In spite of all that I really like the movie and when I rewatch it now its all about how many binocular brands I can spot and the subtle cg work on the birds.
What I do find amusing and a not a little ironic is how the two Brits at 31:45 complain about how “only Americans can turn birding into a competition”. Every time I see that I giggle and think “pot meet kettle black” 😉
And yes I too love the song by the Eels along with Cleese’s usual fine narration.
Cheers!
Bryan
I remember seeing Bruce Willis’s movie Diehard 2 in the theatre with friends one of whom was an air traffic controller. She harrumphed, clicked her tongue and muttered “that can’t happen” all the way through the movie. We teased her relentlessly over drinks later!
I’m sure some of the details of birds and the birding culture in The Big Year are incorrect, misleading or just plain silly but I try to ignore them. The 3 main actors did yeoman work in the movie but I did have difficulty with their “star” appeal and I could never get past who they were as big time personalities. Lesser known actors might have been a better fit for a “small” story like Big Year but then again I’m usually at odds with Hollywood’s casting methods. I prefer the British industry’s approach to casting roles.
In spite of all that I really like the movie and when I rewatch it now its all about how many binocular brands I can spot and the subtle cg work on the birds.
What I do find amusing and a not a little ironic is how the two Brits at 31:45 complain about how “only Americans can turn birding into a competition”. Every time I see that I giggle and think “pot meet kettle black” 😉
And yes I too love the song by the Eels along with Cleese’s usual fine narration.
Cheers!
Bryan
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
Google it. I'm sure you will have no trouble finding long lists, discussions, blog entries online from back when the movie came out. My daughter's favorite is somewhere near the beginning when Jack Black's character is stuck in the office and counts 1 species out the window even though 2 or 3 (I can't remember) are in the view that he is shown seeing. Even though there are reams of bigger errors, I think the thing that literally, in the end, bothers me most is how the birds at the end of the movie (during the credits?) are shown in alphabetical order by common name rather than the usual "phylogenetic" order that is a hallmark of most bird lists, field guides etc (and which is different practice from, e.g. herpetologists and herp guides, which do often use alphabetical order of the scientific name).
--AP
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Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
Alexis, I honestly couldn't be bothered - I'm not that competitive ! 😄
I just enjoyed the movie for what it was - I can't say that I picked up on anything obvious at all, or if I did it wasn't worth remembering this far down the track ....
Couldn't you just spell out a list for the part time enthusiasts here .... ?
Chosun 🙅♀️
A2GG
Beth
CJ,
This may help:
The Big Year According to Birders
Our experts offer a very specialized critique of the major motion picture.
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
That's not ironic. It is poor writing or writing based on poor research. Sure, Americans may have invented the big year as we know it, and events like the world series of birding, but they certainly didn't invent competitive birding.
--AP
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
No. That is a very bland critique. Lots of folks, especially from organizations like Audubon, don't want to be seriously critical. You'll get better even from this miniscule list on IMBD, which is just the tip of the iceberg. The Big Year (2011) - IMDbCJ,
This may help:
The Big Year According to Birders
Our experts offer a very specialized critique of the major motion picture.www.audubon.org
--AP
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
Here is a review that captures some of my disappointment with the film beyond the scores of factual and other errors (which it does not really enumerate--I know I saw someone do that somewhere but it didn't pop up immediately in a Google search).
blog.aba.org
--AP
Yet Another Big Year Review
I finally saw it. The Big Year, I mean. I went to one of those “bistro theatres,” where waiters bring you beer as you watch the big screen. I was glad to have the ale to brace myself! You see, afte…
--AP
NDhunter
Experienced observer
It seems the discussion of probably the only birding movie ever produced is being criticized by a few.
It is just a movie for entertainment, and that is all. Most all movies are not really accurate to those experts in
the field.
So, I will say, just relax and enjoy the movie..........I will just sit back and enjoy the popcorn.
Jerry
It is just a movie for entertainment, and that is all. Most all movies are not really accurate to those experts in
the field.
So, I will say, just relax and enjoy the movie..........I will just sit back and enjoy the popcorn.
Jerry
Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
Thanks Beth !CJ,
This may help:
The Big Year According to Birders
Our experts offer a very specialized critique of the major motion picture.
Honestly, I was just happy that this 'weird' bird watching thing (not even the competitive side) was getting a run in a heart-warming mainstream film so that the general population could gain more of an appreciation for nature.
I do recall now some of the obviously CGI bits that stood out to me at the time, but as none of this was in my backyard I was more interested in just seeing the new birds and environments.
I thought the nuclear fallout bit was funny, the acknowledgement by Jack Black's character's father of him a really nice touching moment, and who doesn't like a love story ! (I think that's the first thing I can remember seeing Rashida Jones in - Parks and Recreation reruns were to come years later - followed in late night programming here by the inimitable Reno 911! ..... lol - I love the quirky humour of Luitenant Dangle and the crew ! 🤣 ..... now I'm wondering if that's a realistic portrayal of policing over there too ! 🤯)
I wonder if some of the "errors" might have even been deliberately included in the movie especially for the "in crowd" as private funnies for them .....
The last time I saw a gathering of wood ducks on dry land - I thought whoa ! what's going on here ?! I knew immediately it was a meeting of elders ......
Maybe full on 'birders' don't even know what they don't know ......
Chosun 🙅♀️
