March of the Penguins

Being about the only person on the planet to have not yet seen this 2005 documentary, there's probably not much reason for me to explain it catalogs a year in the life of Antarctica's Emperor penguin.

It's among the better "animal" documentaries I've ever seen, perhaps even preferable to Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. This touching film focuses primarily on the mating habits of these flightless birds, as well as the resultant familial behaviors.

And it is just as the filmmakers profess it to be: a love story, first and foremost. And a well-told one, at that.

Definitely something I'd like to add to my permanent collection.

FINAL GRADE: A-