Finding Dory (3D)
Cert: U / 103 mins / Dir. Angus MacLane & Andrew Stanton / Trailer
Okay, it's Sunday night and like a kid putting off their homework, I've been sitting on this one since Friday afternoon. I have, however, been giving it some thought and the fact is, I just don't have that much to say*1 about Finding Dory.
That's not to say this isn't a very competently written, produced and performed piece, nor that I didn't enjoy the film thoroughly. I smiled and laughed my way through it, as did the sizeable audience. But at the end of it all, I got up and left the cinema accompanied only by the satisfied feeling that it hadn't been time wasted at all (which, in itself, is actually an understated compliment).
Sauntering into town a mere thirteen years after its progenitor, Finding Dory uses many of the characters from the first film and many of the same gags as a result. The fact that they're always well-intentioned and sincere works in its favour, as does the film's relentless sweetness. The central plot strand itself also isn't a million miles away from what's come before, so if you're a cynical parent who's been force-fed Finding Nemo to the point where the Stockholm Syndrome's worn back off again, you may want to bundle your youngsters off with their friends (and associated cinema-going guardians) for this one.
At just under an hour and three quarters, it's slighly too long for the story it's telling, made more prominent by a third-act which keeps extending itself into More And Bigger Crescendos Before The Credits Can Roll. A couple of the younger patrons got a bit fidgety by this point in the movie; something to bear in mind if you're paying for them all to sit in the flicks. And to make matters worse, I'm also going to tell you to stay until the end of the credits for a great reference to Finding Nemo. The scene's over a minute long, so it's worth hanging around for if you're a fan of the first film. As for the saccharine-level? Well, it's a U-rated Pixar movie, so you should know what to expect by now ;)
But in all seriousness, there's very little to dislike here. Finding Dory is consistently funny and thoughtful, and manages to raise disability issues in a way that's relaxed and ideal for youngsters and parents alike.
It's just a film that I was able to appreciate completely, then file as watched…
…Finding Nemo?
Only if you're passing that way and you want something emotionally pleasing and in 3D.
Other than that, this will be just fine to watch at home.
The film's been a long time coming and it hasn't really brought any new ideas with it.
So in that respect, actually yes.
Ellen DeGeneres is reliably fantastic once again, everyone else just about keeps up.
Nah.
Not that I heard.
Level 1: Bill 'BB-8 Voice Consultant' Hader does vocal-work here, as does John 'Derlin' Ratzenberger.
^^ And it's actually better than 'quite' good, but it's not as good as the 'pretty awesome' it'd get if I awarded it a 6.
But I don't do half-marks, and I don't like marking out of ten, so there we go.
*1 No, really. Not like other times when I'll say I don't have much to say and then go on to write 1,500 words about someone repeatedly using the wrong accent, etc, all the while skirting around the central issue of me picking up on entirely the wrong thing(s) whilst watching the film.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
It seems like we've waited for ages since the first teaser trailer for The Secret Life of Pets landed. I was pretty much sold on that one alone, even though it only set the tone of the comedy, leaving the plot open to speculation. So the day is finally here, and I'm even happier to report that a) all of those visual gags made the final cut and b) they're all in the first five minutes, so we get them in the context of the movie, but we're not sitting waiting for them to land (a bugbear with most comedy flicks, to be fair).
Illumination Entertainment's summer tent-pole opens with a five-minute Minions short, which is essentially a solidified slapstick episode, and exactly what the little yellow critters do best. It sets the mood well for the main event, which is consistently funny and charming in equal measure. Following the adventure of Max and Duke, an odd-couple of canines living with their owner in a Manhattan apartment-block. When they become separated from their regular life, friends and acquaintances of various species from the neighbouring apartments come together and lead a rescue mission which will take them to the mean streets of Brooklyn and back. There's action, danger, bonding and just maybe a tear or two, but above all... laughs.
The film's U-rating means that audiences of all ages should have no problem enjoying it, and the script stays well away from double-entendres that play to the older and younger crowds simultaneously. And while that's a comedic technique I certainly enjoy, I also admire the commitment to write a script which is laugh-out-loud funny for everyone, and on the same level. Between the scripted and the visual jokes, there's not a lot of downtime (and there's also the finest non-copyright-infringing Super Mario reference you'll see in any film this year).
Louis CK and Eric Stonestreet lead the pack as the squabbling dogs, backed up ably by a voice-cast as enthusiastic as the animation team. Jenny Slate, Lake Bell and Ellie Kemper coolly threaten to steal the show at any moment, as does Mr Kevin Hart*1.
If there's one weak-spot, it would be that the storyline itself feels a little linear (all the more notable since three writers are attached). The gaps are more than patched over by the constant stream of gags and character-work, but it's debatable if the film will withstand more than a couple of viewings (which could be a problem if you have small padawans who won't be as narratively critical once it hits DVD and streaming).
But, most importantly, The Secret Life of Pets is an enormous amount of fun. That's the only bar the film sets for itself, and one which it clears easily…
For the communal experience of hearing a room full of people laughing together? Sure.
It does.
Always difficult to tell with animation and voice-work, but it's a high-point for the CV, yes.
I just might.
If you don't laugh at this movie you're clearly a monster.
There certainly is.
Level 2: The Secret Life of Pets features the voice-work of Lake Bell, who starred in Man Up with Simon 'Dengar/Unkar' Pegg.
*1 Yeah, don't tell anyone that I've really enjoyed a Kevin Hart movie, okay? Don't worry, Central Intelligence comes out soon; I'm sure that will reset the scales of critical judgement…
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
A far more nuanced film than the title would suggest, A Most Violent Year is a certainly performance-based piece, rather than narratively. That's not to say that the story's lacking at all, but it's certainly pretty linear, with the escalation of events riding a steady, upward curve throughout.
Oscar Isaac channels his best Frankie Valli as Abel Morales, a legitimate businessman trying to expand a domestic heating oil company in New York in 1981, and whose competitors are somewhat less scrupulous when it comes to what they see as professional rivals. A little like the second-act of Scarface but with less blow and more admin, the film is beautifully shot, even if it feels like the Instagram Earlybird filter is turned up full-belt for the whole two hours. Isaac isn't alone of course, and the dramatic weight is shared by Jessica Chastain giving a performance full of barely restrained fury.
Despite setting the mood perfectly, it can feel like the narrative's holding something back, even during its infrequent moments of promised violence. The escalation of the events in the story is a little linear, but I give it a pass for Chastain and Isaac alone, notwithstanding a strong supporting cast headed by David Oyelowo. Isaac seems to flourish more in vintage or period roles than he does in modern ones, and I'll be interested to see what he brings to Poe Dameron in December's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where the setting will be undeniably otherworldly, but with director JJ Abrams' retro-aesthetic applied to the saga.
Quietly enjoyable if a little underwhelming on the dramatic front, is A Most Violent Year a story which needed telling?
Not particularly, but it's a gorgeous looking and fluidly told one nonetheless.
Perhaps not. Orange Wednesday or Cheap Tuesday for this one.
It's probably a buy-er, but once it comes down to about a fiver.
I'd say it's up there, certainly, but I also think there's better to come from the central cast.
It probably does.
Not really.
There ain't.
Oscar Isaac will appear in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, while David Oyelowo is the voice of Agent Kallus in Star Wars Rebels.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
