Finding Dory Review

The Plot

The friendly but forgetful blue tang fish begins a search for her long-lost parents and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.

The Good

After famously campaigning for a sequel to the 2003 animated hit on her chat show for 10 years, Ellen DeGeneres has been rewarded with not only the sequel, but one centered entirely on her character! Finding Dory picks up one year after the events which united the forgetful fish with father and son clownfish Marlin and Nemo. This new chapter sees Dory on a quest to find her own parents and remember who she once was.

The long-awaited sequel manages to bring a host of entertaining new characters without having to rely too heavily on the ones which made the first such a hit (apart from of course the titular one…). Though a few do pop back up, they never seem too forced and are quickly discarded to make way for the newcomers. Of these newcomers is Hank, an octopus intent on escaping the Marine Life Institute where the majority of the film takes place. Desperate to take Dory’s place on a truck leaving in the morning, he teams up with her to help her find her parents with his often hilarious disguises and camouflages.

Meanwhile, outside the institute, Marlin and Nemo are trying to find a way in to find their friend and help her. With this comes one of the highlights of the film and a clear throwback to Finding Nemo’s seagulls in a pair of sealions named Fluke and Rudder voiced brilliantly by Idris Elba and Dominic West respectively.

The Bad

Unfortunately, the thirteen year wait between Finding Nemo and Finding Dory doesn’t seem to bring much new to the screen. Though the main bulk of the story takes place in a Marine Life Institute, it ultimately feels incredibly lacking in its exploration of the setting. In a post Blackfish world and with this being a Pixar film, it’s a real shame to see the potential for a heartbreaking plot not be taken advantage of fully. That’s not to say there aren’t any upsetting scenes in Finding Dory (it would be hard not to make the story of parents losing their child upsetting), it just never hits the Up style heart-breaking sequences and instead ends up a by the books film which just feels totally lacking everywhere.

The Ugly Truth

With some genuinely funny moments Finding Dory ultimately feels like it perhaps missed opportunities for more interesting or challenging story lines. Though naturally fans of the original and younger audiences will be particularly happy to simply see the lovely Blue Tang just keep swimming.

Review by Johnny Ellis

The Accountant Official Trailer

Check out the first full trailer for The Accountant, a new financial themed thriller starring Ben Affleck and  Anna Kendrick . Official synopsis below

Christian Wolff (Affleck) is a math savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Behind the cover of a small-town CPA office, he works as a freelance accountant for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. With the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, run by Ray King (J.K. Simmons), starting to close in, Christian takes on a legitimate client: a state-of- the- art robotics company where an accounting clerk (Anna Kendrick) has discovered a discrepancy involving millions of dollars. But as Christian uncooks the books and gets closer to the truth, it is the body count that starts to rise.

THE ACCOUNTANT is due out in cinemas 4th November. 

Stranger Things 70/80s Movie References Revealed

Netflix instant cult classic series Stranger Things was proudly inspired by the iconic science fiction and horror films of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Indeed the shows creators the Duffer Brothers originally pitched the show as basically being like a ‘very dark Amblin Entertainment movie’. For those unaware Amblin Entertainment is Steven Spielberg’s production company responsible for vintage genre favorites like Gremlins, The Goonies, Innerspace, Batteries Not Included and of course E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Film fans that have already binge watched Stranger Days first season may have easily spotted a few well placed references and subtle nods to familiar films/scenes. But just in case you missed any here’s a brilliant video of shot by shot comparisons to point them out for you…

References to 70-80′s movies in Stranger Things from Ulysse Thevenon on Vimeo.

Our Kind Of Traitor Comes Home

Critically acclaimed John le Carré espionage thriller Our Kind Of Traitor comes home on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD in September. Official synopsis, release details and red carpet interviews below

Whilst holidaying in Marrakech, ordinary English couple, Perry (Ewan McGregor – Trainspotting) and Gail (Naomie Harris – Spectre), befriend a flamboyant and charismatic Russian, Dima (Stellan Skarsgård –The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), who unbeknownst to them is a kingpin money launderer for the Russian mafia. Lured into a Russian mobsters plans to defect, the couple soon find themselves thrust between the Russian Mafia and British Secret Service agent Hector (Damian Lewis – Homeland), neither of whom they can trust.

From the writer of Drive (Hossein Amini) adapting the hit John le Carré novel – the mind behind Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and directed by acclaimed Susanna White – this taut thriller twists and turns its way around the world with dramatic consequences.

OUR KIND OF TRAITOR is available  from 5th September 2016 and on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD on 12th September 2016.

Till then check out exclusive interviews below from the London premiere:

The 9th Life of Louis Drax Trailer

Adapted from Liz Jensen’s acclaimed bestselling novel, THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX is an intriguing mystery thriller starring Jamie Dornan, Sarah Gadon and Aaron Paul.

When nine-year-old Louis Drax inexplicably reawakens from the dead after his latest life threatening accident, he becomes the patient of celebrated neurologist Dr. Allan Pascal (Dornan), who specialises in chid psychology. Determined to uncover the truth of Louis’ bizarre existence, Pascal is drawn into both the child’s life and that of his fragile mother Natalie (Gadon), whose affections begin to cloud his judgements.

While Louis recuperates in a comatose state, Pascal sets about putting the mysterious pieces of the Drax family together, the truths of which begin to test the boundaries of fantasy and reality.

Directed by Alexandre Aja (HORNS, MIRRORS), THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX also stars Oliver Platt, Aiden Longworth and Barbara Hershey. UK theatrical release by Soda Pictures on 2 September 2016.

Check out the official trailer below: