FINDING NEMO 3D

FINDING NEMO 3D

Written by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Voices by Albert Brookes, Ellen Degeneres and Alexander Gould

Dory: Well, you can’t never let anything happen to him because then nothing would ever happen to him.

There is something about being submerged in the ocean that is inherently magical. The scenery is brilliantly colorful and altogether breathtaking; the tone itself set by the constant rocking back and forth of the currents. Save for the occasional shark attack, every moment literally just goes with the flow, without any real idea where you’ll end up. It is an incredibly intricate yet subtly delicate balance that only a greater power could have created. Well, a greater power and the great creativity of Pixar anyway.

FINDING NEMO is both an underwater adventure and a contemplation at the same time. Marlin (Albert Brookes) is an overprotective father, not to mention also a clown fish, to little Nemo (Alexander Gould). It’s just been the two of them since Nemo was born and Marlin’s fear of life is starting to infringe on Nemo’s development. Fortunately for Nemo, his dad’s fear is eclipsed only by his love for his son, because when Nemo is taken by divers one day, his dad stops at nothing to get him back.

Andrew Stanton’s direction is so unexpected and alive. With every turn Marlin’s pursuit takes, Stanton takes us somewhere we never would have dreamed. Whether that’s fending off sharks who are trying to swear off eating other fish or surfing a current on the back of a 150-year-old sea turtle that speaks like a beach bum (incidentally voiced by Stanton himself), FINDING NEMO keeps the viewer in a constant state of awe and amazement. And when Marlin is joined by a blue tang with short term memory issues named Dory (Ellen Degeneres), the fun only gets funnier from there.

FINDING NEMO, now in the kind of sprawling 3D one wants to get lost in, is a perfect film for both parents and kids. This father and son tale gives kids the chance to see everything parents do for them while they are inspired to face their own fears. Meanwhile, parents learn that they don’t get to choose when their little ones are ready to leave the reef, that all you can do is make sure they know how to swim as best they can for when that day comes. Perhaps most importantly though, anyone who sees is learns that all any of us can ever do is just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

Best of Black Sheep: DRIVE

DRIVE
Written by Hossein Amini
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks and Albert Brooks


Irene: What do you do?
Driver: I drive.

Every now and again, a movie comes along and takes you for a ride you don’t soon forget. It straps you in with its fresh cinematic voice and doesn’t let you go until it has raced through your mind, taken some crazy turns and pulled back into the garage again.  When you step out, your legs might even feel a little weak from the constant barrage of thrills and brilliance. DRIVE is that movie. This year’s breakout director, and the winner of the Best Director prize at Cannes, Nicolas Winding Refn, delivers a smooth ride that will catch you off guard at almost every turn and announces the arrival of a new force to be reckoned with on the road.

While Refn may be the man behind the wheel off-screen, the man in the driver’s seat on screen is none other than Ryan Gosling. Known only throughout the film as the driver, Gosling exudes an eerie calm no matter how fast his life is moving. There are cars everywhere he turns. He works for a mechanic (Bryan Cranston) and drives stunt cars for the movies. He even moonlights as a getaway car driver for petty robberies and might soon start actually racing his own ride on an actual track. Gosling’s driver needs to be in that seat and subsequently in control of his own destiny. He lives a modest life and never gives anything away on his face, that is until he meets his neighbour, Irene (the always understated, Carey Mulligan). Once their hands touch, on the stick shift of his car no less, his engine starts making noises he’s never heard before.

DRIVE is an intense trip and once Refn kicks it into high gear, you can practically feel the rev of the engine emanating from the screen and reverberating through your entire core. It embodies a modern sense of extreme cool, from its pounding soundtrack to its excellent cast (including a deliciously funny, Albert Brooks and a just plain delicious, Christina Hendricks). DRIVE is a rebellious film, a night creature, a total badass of a movie. When it gets rough, it goes places I’ve never even imagined, let alone seen on film. And even though Refn pushes the movie into skids of reckless abandon, he is always clearly and confidently in control of the vehicle. By the time DRIVE screeches to a complete halt, you will instantly want to take it for another spin.

TIFF Review: DRIVE

Written by Hossein Amini

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks and Albert Brooks

Irene: What do you do?

Driver: I drive.

Every now and again, a movie comes along and takes you for a ride you don’t soon forget. It straps you in with its fresh cinematic voice and doesn’t let you go until it has raced through your mind, taken some crazy turns and pulled back into the garage again.  When you step out, your legs might even feel a little weak from the constant barrage of thrills and brilliance. DRIVE is that movie. This year’s breakout director, and the winner of the Best Director prize at Cannes, Nicolas Winding Refn, delivers a smooth ride that will catch you off guard at almost every turn and announces the arrival of a new force to be reckoned with on the road.

While Refn may be the man behind the wheel off-screen, the man in the driver’s seat on screen is none other than Ryan Gosling. Known only throughout the film as the driver, Gosling exudes an eerie calm no matter how fast his life is moving. There are cars everywhere he turns. He works for a mechanic (Bryan Cranston) and drives stunt cars for the movies. He even moonlights as a getaway car driver for petty robberies and might soon start actually racing his own ride on an actual track. Gosling’s driver needs to be in that seat and subsequently in control of his own destiny. He lives a modest life and never gives anything away on his face, that is until he meets his neighbour, Irene (the always understated, Carey Mulligan). Once their hands touch, on the stick shift of his car no less, his engine starts making noises he’s never heard before.

DRIVE is an intense trip and once Refn kicks it into high gear, you can practically feel the rev of the engine emanating from the screen and reverberating through your entire core. It embodies a modern sense of extreme cool, from its pounding soundtrack to its excellent cast (including a deliciously funny, Albert Brooks and a just plain delicious, Christina Hendricks). DRIVE is a rebellious film, a night creature, a total badass of a movie. When it gets rough, it goes places I’ve never even imagined, let alone seen on film. And even though Refn pushes the movie into skids of reckless abandon, he is always clearly and confidently in control of the vehicle. By the time DRIVE screeches to a complete halt, you will instantly want to take it for another spin.