Amy’s making me watch March of the Penguins. So far, it’s been about these totally bizarre looking birds that can’t fly and have chosen to live in the Antarctic. It’s cold, windy, dark, cold, cold, dark, cold, and windy. There’s lots of walking to the same place to get food – oh – it’s 70 miles away, they don’t have cars, and they don’t walk especially well. There’s been a short romantic section that’s cute, followed by more cold, eventually some eggs, which occasionally break when they are transferred from mom to dad (since mom has to go get food again – yes – 70 miles away). Eventually the eggs hatch and the babies are born, but the mom’s are away getting food (and some of them are getting eaten by seals.) Did I say that it’s cold? The moms get back minutes before the babies starve, feed them, but then send the starving dads away to go get food (yup – 70 miles away.) Oh – some of the babies freeze to death (it’s cold), the mom’s get devastated (especially since they have to tell the dad, assuming the dad survives the seals), and try to kidnap other babies (unsuccessfully.) Seagulls make a special guest appearance and eat some of the babies. Over the next few months, the moms and dads keep alternating going to the grocery store (70 miles away) to get food, although the grocery store (the ocean) gets closer as winter draws to a close and the ice melts. Once summer arrives (in November!) and the babies turn into teenagers, the parents get divorced and the cycle begins again.
Morgan Freeman is magnificent as the narrator. Lots of death. Some happiness. Beautiful photos. And – according to Amy, “the babies are really cute.”