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Low stakes undermine mediocre 'Dolphin Tale' sequel
Dolphin Tale
Nathan Gamble as Sawyer Nelson and Cozi Zuehlsdorff as Hazel Haskett with Winter as herself in Alcon Entertainment's family adventure "Dolphin Tale 2," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. - photo by Wilson Webb, Alcon Entertainment
Josh Terry
Deseret News National
Updated: Sep 17, 2014, 3:00 PM
Published: Sep 15, 2014, 3:56 PM

“Dolphin Tale 2” is a harmless, family-friendly film that offers a few nice moments but lacks the follow-through to make you remember it a week after you watch it. In other words, it’s a telling example of the state of September 2014 cinema.

“Dolphin Tale 2” takes us back to the lives of a teenage boy named Sawyer and a dolphin named Winter who uses a prosthetic tail to swim.

The first film in 2011 told the story of how Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) rescued Winter from a crab trap and bonded with her as they sought out a solution to her handicap. Three years later, Winter is a featured attraction at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which started out as a rescue hospital but has morphed into a distant cousin to Sea World. Sawyer is hard at work in his newfound home, tending to Winter and giving presentations to visitors.

Everything is wonderful, and then it isn’t. Winter’s partner dolphin Panama dies, and Winter gets depressed. Sawyer gets a scholarship offer to an exclusive semester at sea program that threatens to separate him from his flippered friend. Dr. Haskett, (Harry Connick Jr.), the head administrator at Clearwater, must find a replacement for Panama or risk losing Winter to a marine park in Texas.

Haskett’s teenage daughter Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) is also getting jealous of the attention Sawyer is getting from some of the female volunteers, but that’s just one example of a variety of subplots “Dolphin Tale 2” tries to cram into its narrative without fleshing any of them out.

Other familiar faces from the first film return to the sequel as well. Morgan Freeman is around for just enough scenes to justify his billing as prosthetic dolphin tail mastermind Dr. Cameron McCarthy, Ashley Judd is back as Sawyer’s mom, Lorraine, and a wispy, silver-haired Kris Kristofferson returns as Hazel’s grandfather Reed, providing a bizarre doppleganger for the wispy, silver-haired Richard Branson clone who owns the aquarium (Tom Nowicki).

There’s also some supporting comic relief from a pelican named Roofus, who often leaves you thinking a movie about his life might be a bit more engaging.

Again, “Dolphin Tale 2” isn’t a bad movie; it’s just a ho-hum one.

When your worst-case scenario is transferring from one marine facility to another, and when your heavy is Charles Martin Smith in a USDA ball cap with a clipboard, you know the stakes are pretty low. This is really just a movie about the challenges of growing up, or at least it should be. No one really expects a film like “Dolphin Tale 2” to bring a gripping plot to the table, but the failure to dig into any potential conflict keeps the final product firmly in the dregs of mediocrity.

Though the film tries to mine its cinematic medium with some underwater cinematography, there’s just not enough here to justify paying for the full-price theater experience. “Dolphin Tale 2” is a step above direct-to-video quality, but it’s probably best suited for a family night in when everyone’s burned out on the old standbys.

“Dolphin Tale 2” is rated PG for some mild thematic elements.

More of Joshua Terry's work is at woundedmosquito.com.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.