Keep Swimming: Review of Finding Dory

Finding Dory

Director: Andrew Stanton

By Alex Watson

You always forget what emotional experiences Pixar movies can be and how often they seem to always triumph with sequels. Finding Dory is no exception and wonderfully conjures up what was so magic about the first experience and also adds a new poignant emotion that new animated studios offer. Once more dazzling our eyes, this whole adventure feels like a fresh and new swim through the ocean. All the while director Andrew Stanton also makes us think hard about the notion of family and longing to be reunited.

Blue tang fish Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) has begun to recover memories of her old life with her mother Jenny (Diane Keaton) and her father Charlie (Eugene Levy). She was separated from her family as a child and has been searching ever since. When suddenly it hits her that her family lives in California she along with her long-suffering friend Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his son Nemo (Hayden Rolance) set out on another across ocean adventure. Along the way, they will become acquainted with slippery Squid Hank (Ed O'Neill).

Breathe easy (without gills) Pixar fans, Finding Dory lays fresh new ground and doesn't make any of your fond Finding Nemo memories feel trodden on. Starting with a poignant and gut wrench introduction to Dory's early life and her separation from her parents, the hardest heart will melt into a pool of water. Happily settled into her over and over again routine with Marlin where she literally tries his patience, one day her mind reawakens an old memory that makes her world change. Remember she has a family makes her set out to find them but more than that she needs to discover the hows and whys that left her lost and stranded. This is more of a movie of self-discovery than about recovering the past.

Across the ocean (aided by old Nemo favourite Crush the turtle) Dory's adventures takes to the Marine Institute of California (complete with Sigourney Weaver voiceover). While quarantined, she crosses paths with Squid Hank, who is desperate to be sent to a Cleveland aquarium rather than be released into the ocean. The trip through the park is like a mini odyssey in itself as the duo cross paths with a struggling beluga whale Bailey (Ty Burrell) and a near-sighted whale shark (Kaitlin Olson). Best of all are a pair of boisterous sea lions (Idris Elba and Dominic West) who aide Marlin in his quest to find his lost friend. Although the road is bumpy and wet, Dory and Hank strike up and unusually close friendship and it appears the trickster may have more heart than we think (three hearts in fact).

What really scores Finding Dory big points is Stanton's expert handling of the emotional content. Our hearts go through the grinder as each little bit of hope both whithers and dies. Dory is desperate to find her way home but there is a firm lack of closure throughout and a part of us wonders will a happy ending be in store? While it may not elevate itself above Up or Inside Out in terms of storytelling, this picture is a realistic depiction of the horrors children and adults experience someone goes missing. The main element to this tale is about Dory's finding herself again, part of her feels guilty for losing herself in the first place due to her short term memory loss and she is determined to retrace her steps. Her constant in and out memory is smartly not made the butt the films jokes and instead it is a firm message about a child feeling stranded and alone in this world.

Ellen DeGeneres has proven the perfect choice and her chatterbox persona has suited this blue tang like a glove. Impressively she is at ease with the heavier side of this character and effortlessly convinces during the movies sadder content. Albert Brooks reminds us just what a fine voice actor he is (Just watch his Simpsons appearances) and Marlin is the type of overly cautious yet big-hearted character he was born to play. As Hank, Ed O'Neill threatens to steal the picture out from under the two leads with a confident yet neurotic turn. Hank desires to live in a tank for the rest of his life, but Dory might just help him overcome his fear of the ocean.

Finding Dory might just prove to be the big summer competition for Captain America: Civil War and offers the first glorious family offering the year. No one does magic like Pixar and unless animation stops entirely they are unbeatable!

Mo Money Mo Problems: Review of Money Monster

Money Monster

Director: Jodie Foster

By Alex Watson

While it may lack a certain bite, Jodie Foster's Money Monster is still a fine satire that raises some serious questions about Wall Street Ethics. It doesn't break any new ground it does have an element of fun silliness to it which is capped by a wacky yet composed George Clooney performance. While The Big Short went for the flashy approach, its talk about markets and algorithms because overwhelming. Foster here asks the simple question of how does these millionaires who break the law stay out of prison?

Lee Gates (George Clooney) is a smug host of a network show called Money Monster which gives Wall Street stock tips to viewers. His producer Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) is weary of his shock-jock persona and wishes he would button it down. One show, a desperate and furious blue collar worker Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) takes Gates hostage live on air and forces him to strap on a bomb. Previously Kyle along with many others lost his life savings on a bad tip by Gates on a company called IBIS owned by Walt Camby (Dominic West) and now he wants Wall Street to pay.

While Money Monster doesn't completely work as a thriller, it still has its merits. Gates is a man who lives for the spotlight and begins every show doing cringeworthy dancing with two backup dancers. When Kyle bursts in and forces him to strap on the vest, Foster manages to inject a needed panic into this scenario. Forget the implausibility that Kyle could sneak in undetected along with this question of whether a truck driver could really build a bomb and go with the flow. Patty is boxed into a difficult corner and the police intervention by Captain Marcus Powell (Giancarlo Esposito) isn't helping a whole lot either.

Previously Gates coerced his viewers into investing with IBIS claiming it was safe. Now the firm has mysteriously lost $800 million in one swoop and Camby is nowhere to be found. Venn and some other producers embark on some investigating to discover to why this sudden dip occurred. This element is entertaining as they continually bug put upon PR lady Diane Lester (Caitriona Balfe). Although this film has its merits it doesn't feel nearly challenging enough, we are aware through Kyle constant explosions about how unaware it is that rich men frequently break the law but go unpunished. Foster, however, seems to want to play it too safely and it leaves us with a flat aftertaste.

While the against time feel does serve Money Monster well, its finale has an air of unbelievability about it. The lies are always being exposed as Camby real destination for the last few days is picked at. There is a more honest approach to this picture than your typical Wall Street picture because it does show the dark underbelly of the trade world. Stripping it back to basics and show a simple story of good guys and villains do make this an easier pill to swallow. Just a shame that Foster decided to go with a slightly overblown ending which sees Gates and Budwell attempt to take on and confront Camby publically. Realistically this whole show would have been long done by this point if the police were allowed to do their thing.

George Clooney has fun with the role of Lee Gates and keeps his head among the increasingly unlikely odds. Embracing his character's arrogance combined with his inner self-loathing, Clooney makes the perfect choice to bring this tale of greed forward (even if his dance moves do need a little work). The real star turn of this piece goes to Julia Roberts who keeps her performance in check as the tension mounts. Not once does she succumb to the urge to phone things in and instead Roberts give a composed turn as a newsroom producer whose in far too deep. Jack O'Connell is a talented performer but he is stranded in this picture with a role that requires him to do little more than shout loudly. With such a raw performer on her hands, Foster could have coaxed out far more than this.

Money Monster might not be the gritty thriller we so hoped for but it does succeed as a witty and zany look at the effects Wall Street can bring. The Big Short may have gotten accolades for its trickery but this piece is more down to earth effort.