Streaming
Four-part documentary series “Murder of God’s Banker” is set for an international debut on streamer Paramount+.
In 1982, Roberto Calvi, a fugitive financier known as “God’s Banker,” was found hanging from London’s Blackfriars Bridge. What starts as an investigation surrounding one man’s death, quickly expands into a story of international intrigue, as it’s revealed that Calvi was in business with the Vatican, the Mafia, as well as neo-fascist groups in Italy. The documentary uses archival footage, stylized dramatizations and interviews with notable journalists and historians to uncover the truth behind Calvi’s murder while delving into the layers of corruption at the root of global money and power.
The series is produced by Paramount, in partnership with Creative Chaos vmg. It is written and directed by Tom Donahue. Executive producers include Ilan Arboleda, Donahue and Mike Holz, with Jessicya Materano and Jordan Bogdonavage as co-executive producers.
Four-part documentary series “Murder of God’s Banker” is set for an international debut on streamer Paramount+.
In 1982, Roberto Calvi, a fugitive financier known as “God’s Banker,” was found hanging from London’s Blackfriars Bridge. What starts as an investigation surrounding one man’s death, quickly expands into a story of international intrigue, as it’s revealed that Calvi was in business with the Vatican, the Mafia, as well as neo-fascist groups in Italy. The documentary uses archival footage, stylized dramatizations and interviews with notable journalists and historians to uncover the truth behind Calvi’s murder while delving into the layers of corruption at the root of global money and power.
The series is produced by Paramount, in partnership with Creative Chaos vmg. It is written and directed by Tom Donahue. Executive producers include Ilan Arboleda, Donahue and Mike Holz, with Jessicya Materano and Jordan Bogdonavage as co-executive producers.
- 2/2/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
To the surprise of no one, James Cameron’s dazzling Avatar: The Way of Water dominated the 21st annual Visual Effects Society Award nominations, which were announced on Tuesday. The juggernaut earned 14 Ves noms, a record number for a feature film or any single project in the society’s awards history.
That includes a nomination in the top category for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature. Alongside The Way of Water, the category nominees are Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick. Nominees in the category for supporting VFX are Death on the Nile, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, The Fabelmans, The Gray Man, The Pale Blue Eye and Thirteen Lives.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio leads the animated contenders, with six nominations including one for outstanding VFX in an animated feature. Meanwhile The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power...
That includes a nomination in the top category for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature. Alongside The Way of Water, the category nominees are Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick. Nominees in the category for supporting VFX are Death on the Nile, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, The Fabelmans, The Gray Man, The Pale Blue Eye and Thirteen Lives.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio leads the animated contenders, with six nominations including one for outstanding VFX in an animated feature. Meanwhile The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power...
- 1/17/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Avatar: The Way of Water” has made history once more.
As James Cameron’s long-gestating sequel continues its climb up the all-time box-office charts, “The Way of Water” set a new record for the most nominations for a single project from the Visual Effects Society Awards, announced this morning. The film’s 14 nods highlight achievements that range from VFX to character animation to emerging technology, where it accounts for three of the category’s five nominees. This tally surpasses the previous records set by the 11 nominations for the original “Avatar” in 2010 and the 13 nominations for “The Mandalorian” in 2021.
Joining “The Way of Water” on the Ves leaderboard are “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which respectively top the animation and TV fields with six and seven nominations. The 21st annual Visual Effects Society Awards will take place February 15 at the Beverly Hilton,...
As James Cameron’s long-gestating sequel continues its climb up the all-time box-office charts, “The Way of Water” set a new record for the most nominations for a single project from the Visual Effects Society Awards, announced this morning. The film’s 14 nods highlight achievements that range from VFX to character animation to emerging technology, where it accounts for three of the category’s five nominees. This tally surpasses the previous records set by the 11 nominations for the original “Avatar” in 2010 and the 13 nominations for “The Mandalorian” in 2021.
Joining “The Way of Water” on the Ves leaderboard are “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which respectively top the animation and TV fields with six and seven nominations. The 21st annual Visual Effects Society Awards will take place February 15 at the Beverly Hilton,...
- 1/17/2023
- by Erik Adams
- Indiewire
James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” leads the feature competition at the 21st Annual Ves Awards.
The film earned a total of 14 Ves Awards nominations, setting a new record for record nominations for a feature film. The original “Avatar” was the previous record holder when it received 11 nominations at the 8th Annual Ves Awards held in 2010.
“Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” received six nominations in the animation category making it the top animated contender.
Ves members selected nominees in 25 categories at 27 in-person and virtual nomination events conducted worldwide. The winners will be announced on Feb. 15 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
This year marks the presentation of the first Ves Emerging Technology Award, which celebrates the creators of the technology behind the visuals and honors the inventors of a novel and uniquely innovative tool, device, software or methodology of outstanding value to the art and science of visual effects,...
The film earned a total of 14 Ves Awards nominations, setting a new record for record nominations for a feature film. The original “Avatar” was the previous record holder when it received 11 nominations at the 8th Annual Ves Awards held in 2010.
“Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” received six nominations in the animation category making it the top animated contender.
Ves members selected nominees in 25 categories at 27 in-person and virtual nomination events conducted worldwide. The winners will be announced on Feb. 15 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
This year marks the presentation of the first Ves Emerging Technology Award, which celebrates the creators of the technology behind the visuals and honors the inventors of a novel and uniquely innovative tool, device, software or methodology of outstanding value to the art and science of visual effects,...
- 1/17/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Suffice it to say that Avatar: The Way of Water commanded the Visual Effects Society’s attention. James Cameron box office-smash sequel scored a record 14 nominations for the 2023 Ves Awards, which were announced today.
Helped by three noms in the Emerging Technology category, Disney’s The Way of Water topped the single-year noms haul by Disney+’s The Mandalorian in 2021. It also shattered the old high-water mark for films, set by — no big surprise here — the original Avatar, which amassed 11 noms in 2010.
Related Story 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Grammys, Guilds & More Related Story Moviegoing Happens Over MLK: 'Avatar 2' Soars With 40M 4-day, 'M3GAN' Moves 21M+, 'Puss In Boots 2' Hits 112M, 'Otto' Bright At 15M+ – Update Related Story C'mon Voters: The Oscars Could Use A Little Sequel-itis
The hardware will be doled out at the 21st annual Ves Awards on Wednesday,...
Helped by three noms in the Emerging Technology category, Disney’s The Way of Water topped the single-year noms haul by Disney+’s The Mandalorian in 2021. It also shattered the old high-water mark for films, set by — no big surprise here — the original Avatar, which amassed 11 noms in 2010.
Related Story 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Grammys, Guilds & More Related Story Moviegoing Happens Over MLK: 'Avatar 2' Soars With 40M 4-day, 'M3GAN' Moves 21M+, 'Puss In Boots 2' Hits 112M, 'Otto' Bright At 15M+ – Update Related Story C'mon Voters: The Oscars Could Use A Little Sequel-itis
The hardware will be doled out at the 21st annual Ves Awards on Wednesday,...
- 1/17/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Turns out that Pixar director Domee Shi’s Oscar-winning “Bao” short was truly the appetizer before the meal of “Turning Red,” her animated feature debut (premiering March 11 on Disney+). Both rely on bizarre transformations to express identity crises while growing up as a Chinese-Canadian in Toronto. However, “Turning Red” allowed her to fully explore her awkward tween experience through 13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), who turns into a giant red panda whenever she can’t control her emotions about boy bands, pop music, her besties, and breaking free from her overbearing mom, Ming (Sandra Oh).
“Where did this wacky story come from? Back in 2017, as I was promoting [‘Bao’], a lot of people kept asking me: Why is Bao a boy? Because I only had eight minutes to tell the story,” said Shi. “For a mother-daughter story, I needed an entire feature film to unpack that. And, luckily, I was soon...
“Where did this wacky story come from? Back in 2017, as I was promoting [‘Bao’], a lot of people kept asking me: Why is Bao a boy? Because I only had eight minutes to tell the story,” said Shi. “For a mother-daughter story, I needed an entire feature film to unpack that. And, luckily, I was soon...
- 2/7/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Over the past 25 years, visual effects have morphed from a sometimes-niche component of a sci-fi or adventure film to a fundamental part of nearly every movie or TV show. But this boom hasn’t generally created increased opportunity for women and women of color, though.
Despite the desperate need for qualified VFX artists, producers and supervisors to meet the increasing demand, a report by Women in Animation, an advocacy group, and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that just 2.9% of all VFX supervisors are women and only 0.5% are women of color. When they looked at the number of women credited for VFX work over time, the numbers also didn’t show that much improvement. When the groups analyzed the 400 top-earning films from 2016 through 2019, it was found that women were given 20.8%
of the VFX credits in 2016 and 22.6% in 2019.
The report also looked at how women were acknowledged for their work during awards season.
Despite the desperate need for qualified VFX artists, producers and supervisors to meet the increasing demand, a report by Women in Animation, an advocacy group, and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that just 2.9% of all VFX supervisors are women and only 0.5% are women of color. When they looked at the number of women credited for VFX work over time, the numbers also didn’t show that much improvement. When the groups analyzed the 400 top-earning films from 2016 through 2019, it was found that women were given 20.8%
of the VFX credits in 2016 and 22.6% in 2019.
The report also looked at how women were acknowledged for their work during awards season.
- 1/21/2022
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
With “Loop,” the animated short about the inner world of a non-verbal autistic 13-year-old girl (currently streaming on Disney+), Pixar achieved yet another inclusion and diversity breakthrough. It was written and directed by Erica Milsom, the studio’s in-house documentary filmmaker, who’s dedicated her life working with people with disabilities. And this week, “Loop” (made as part of the indie SparkShorts program), also streams at the Siggraph 2020 Computer Animation Festival, where it earned the Best in Show Award.
Milsom wanted to explore, through Renee (voiced by the autistic Madison Bandy), how we communicate and connect through sensory perception. She not only thoroughly researched autistic behavior but also invited a group of consultants from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network to dig deeper into the non-verbal characteristics that would help personify Renee. Something Milsom read online became her motto: “Nothing about us without us.”
But animation inspired her further with its unique ability to be non-verbal.
Milsom wanted to explore, through Renee (voiced by the autistic Madison Bandy), how we communicate and connect through sensory perception. She not only thoroughly researched autistic behavior but also invited a group of consultants from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network to dig deeper into the non-verbal characteristics that would help personify Renee. Something Milsom read online became her motto: “Nothing about us without us.”
But animation inspired her further with its unique ability to be non-verbal.
- 8/26/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
When wielded properly, light can be as transformative to an image as a chisel is to stone. It accentuates the properties of an image, and is ultimately the thing that allows a three-dimensional space to exist on screen in the first place. During my run through Capcom’s recent remake of “Resident Evil 2,” I found myself slack-jawed in awe of the game’s lighting artistry, composed by Yuka Chi, and how it adhered to a great number of techniques employed by computer animation titan Pixar. While Pixar’s films and Capcom’s “Resident Evil 2” are worlds apart thematically, both have outstanding respect for the power of lighting and its ability to progress story and establish moods.
It’s one thing to render a source of light within a fixed space, but another entirely to give a viewer control of that effect. When trudging through the dark bloodstained halls of “Resident Evil 2′” Raccoon City Police Department,...
It’s one thing to render a source of light within a fixed space, but another entirely to give a viewer control of that effect. When trudging through the dark bloodstained halls of “Resident Evil 2′” Raccoon City Police Department,...
- 2/6/2019
- by Gerard Howard III
- Variety Film + TV
When the Academy opened up voting for animated features to the membership at large and implementing preferential balloting, the balance of power shifted from indies to the big studios the first time in four years. This resulted in the final five nods for Pixar frontrunner “Coco,” GKids’ politically powerful “The Breadwinner,” the hand-painted “Loving Vincent,” and two surprising mainstream studio entries: “The Boss Baby” from DreamWorks and Blue Sky’s “Ferdinand.”
Indeed, one could argue that without the new rule changes and a Disney release last year, there likely would’ve been four indies joining “Coco.” Still, there were several positive takeaways: All five movies captured the zeitgeist in one way or another, and this marked the first time that two female directors were nominated in the same year: Nora Twomey for “The Breadwinner” and Dorota Kobiela for “Loving Vincent.” They joined previous nominees Marjane Satrap (“Persepolis”), Jennifer Yuh Nelson...
Indeed, one could argue that without the new rule changes and a Disney release last year, there likely would’ve been four indies joining “Coco.” Still, there were several positive takeaways: All five movies captured the zeitgeist in one way or another, and this marked the first time that two female directors were nominated in the same year: Nora Twomey for “The Breadwinner” and Dorota Kobiela for “Loving Vincent.” They joined previous nominees Marjane Satrap (“Persepolis”), Jennifer Yuh Nelson...
- 2/13/2018
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“Coco,” Pixar’s love letter to Mexico and the Day of the Dead festival, couldn’t come at a better time for the animation studio and the country. It’s Pixar’s first original movie in two years and offers a vital cultural remedy to Trump’s nationalistic fervor (with an all-Latino cast that includes “Mozart in the Jungle’s” Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor, and newcomer Anthony Gonzalez).
“In a time when the political climate seems very much divisive, it fills my heart with hope that a masterful filmmaker like Lee Unkrich is using his and Pixar’s considerable talents to showcase the people and culture of our beloved Mexico,” said Jorge Guitierrez, director of the first Day of the Dead animated feature, “The Book of Life,” produced by Guillermo del Toro in 2014. “I will be there on ‘Coco’s’ opening night with my whole family, living and remembered.
“In a time when the political climate seems very much divisive, it fills my heart with hope that a masterful filmmaker like Lee Unkrich is using his and Pixar’s considerable talents to showcase the people and culture of our beloved Mexico,” said Jorge Guitierrez, director of the first Day of the Dead animated feature, “The Book of Life,” produced by Guillermo del Toro in 2014. “I will be there on ‘Coco’s’ opening night with my whole family, living and remembered.
- 8/28/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed its 276-member-strong class of 2013.
The list, published by The Hollywood Reporter, includes actors, cinematographers, designers, directors, documentarians, executives, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, "members-at-large," musicians, producers, PR folks, short filmmakers and animators, sound technicians, visual effects artists, and writers.
Jason Bateman, Rosario Dawson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Milla Jovovich, Lucy Liu, Jennifer Lopez, Emily Mortimer, Sandra Oh, Jason Schwartzman, and Michael Peña are among the roster of actors, while "The Heat" and "Bridesmaids" helmer Paul Feig made the directors' cut.
"We did not change our criteria at all," says Academy president Hawk Koch of this year's larger-than-usual class. "Yes, this year there is a tremendous amount of women, a tremendous amount of people of color, people from all walks of life. This year, we asked the branches to look at everybody who wasn't in the Academy but who deserved to be.
The list, published by The Hollywood Reporter, includes actors, cinematographers, designers, directors, documentarians, executives, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, "members-at-large," musicians, producers, PR folks, short filmmakers and animators, sound technicians, visual effects artists, and writers.
Jason Bateman, Rosario Dawson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Milla Jovovich, Lucy Liu, Jennifer Lopez, Emily Mortimer, Sandra Oh, Jason Schwartzman, and Michael Peña are among the roster of actors, while "The Heat" and "Bridesmaids" helmer Paul Feig made the directors' cut.
"We did not change our criteria at all," says Academy president Hawk Koch of this year's larger-than-usual class. "Yes, this year there is a tremendous amount of women, a tremendous amount of people of color, people from all walks of life. This year, we asked the branches to look at everybody who wasn't in the Academy but who deserved to be.
- 7/4/2013
- by Laura Larson
- Moviefone
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today the 276 members of the entertainment industry invited to join organization. The list includes actors, directors, documentarians, executives, film editors, producers and more. Of those listed below, those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2013. "These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today," said Academy President Hawk Koch in a press release. "Their talent and creativity have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and I am proud to welcome each of them to the Academy." Koch also told Variety, "In the past eight or nine years, each branch could only bring in X amount of members. There were people each branch would have liked to get in but couldn't. We asked them to be more inclusive of the best of the best, and each branch was excited, because they got...
- 6/28/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Academy just added 276 Oscar voters.
That’s 100 more than last year, and part of an easing of a longstanding cap on the number of new members allowed to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences each year.
AMPAS usually adds between 130 and 180 new members, replacing those who have quit or passed away. The membership now stands around 6,000.
Jason Bateman, Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emmanuelle Riva, and Chris Tucker are among the actors who have been invited to join, the organization announced today.
Other interesting additions: the musician Prince, Girls and Tiny Furniture writer/director/actress Lena Dunham,...
That’s 100 more than last year, and part of an easing of a longstanding cap on the number of new members allowed to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences each year.
AMPAS usually adds between 130 and 180 new members, replacing those who have quit or passed away. The membership now stands around 6,000.
Jason Bateman, Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emmanuelle Riva, and Chris Tucker are among the actors who have been invited to join, the organization announced today.
Other interesting additions: the musician Prince, Girls and Tiny Furniture writer/director/actress Lena Dunham,...
- 6/28/2013
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 276 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2013.
“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Hawk Koch. “Their talent and creativity have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and I am proud to welcome each of them to the Academy.”
The 2013 invitees are:
Actors
Jason Bateman – “Up in the Air,” “Juno”
Miriam Colon – “City of Hope,” “Scarface”
Rosario Dawson – “Rent,” “Frank Miller’s Sin City”
Kimberly Elise – “For Colored Girls,” “Beloved”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “Lincoln,” “The Dark Knight Rises”
Charles Grodin – “Midnight Run,” “The Heartbreak Kid”
Rebecca Hall – “Iron Man 3,” “The Town”
Lance Henriksen – “Aliens,” “The Terminator”
Jack Huston – “Not Fade Away,” “Factory Girl”
Milla Jovovich – “Resident Evil,...
“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Hawk Koch. “Their talent and creativity have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and I am proud to welcome each of them to the Academy.”
The 2013 invitees are:
Actors
Jason Bateman – “Up in the Air,” “Juno”
Miriam Colon – “City of Hope,” “Scarface”
Rosario Dawson – “Rent,” “Frank Miller’s Sin City”
Kimberly Elise – “For Colored Girls,” “Beloved”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “Lincoln,” “The Dark Knight Rises”
Charles Grodin – “Midnight Run,” “The Heartbreak Kid”
Rebecca Hall – “Iron Man 3,” “The Town”
Lance Henriksen – “Aliens,” “The Terminator”
Jack Huston – “Not Fade Away,” “Factory Girl”
Milla Jovovich – “Resident Evil,...
- 6/28/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Pixar's first female-driven adventure leaves many satisfied, but doesn't quite meet the studio's storied standards, according to the critics.
By Josh Wigler
Merida in "Brave"
Photo:
Between "The Hunger Games" and "Marvel's The Avengers," 2012 is rapidly becoming the year of the archer . and another bow-wielder joins the fray this weekend in "Brave," Pixar's latest effort and first feature film led by a female protagonist."Boardwalk Empire" actress Kelly Macdonald supplies the voice of Merida, a princess who does everything possible to resist her fate in a male-driven medieval society. She does not want to be married off to some noble she doesn't care about; she wants to pursue her own path, living freely with her treasured bow and arrow at her side. But circumstances eventually change for Merida, leading her down a path that even she couldn't have envisioned for herself.
By many accounts, "Brave" continues Pixar's trend of highly...
By Josh Wigler
Merida in "Brave"
Photo:
Between "The Hunger Games" and "Marvel's The Avengers," 2012 is rapidly becoming the year of the archer . and another bow-wielder joins the fray this weekend in "Brave," Pixar's latest effort and first feature film led by a female protagonist."Boardwalk Empire" actress Kelly Macdonald supplies the voice of Merida, a princess who does everything possible to resist her fate in a male-driven medieval society. She does not want to be married off to some noble she doesn't care about; she wants to pursue her own path, living freely with her treasured bow and arrow at her side. But circumstances eventually change for Merida, leading her down a path that even she couldn't have envisioned for herself.
By many accounts, "Brave" continues Pixar's trend of highly...
- 6/22/2012
- MTV Music News
Pixar's first female-driven adventure leaves many satisfied, but doesn't quite meet the studio's storied standards, according to the critics.
By Josh Wigler
Merida in "Brave"
Photo: Disney/Pixar
Between "The Hunger Games" and "Marvel's The Avengers," 2012 is rapidly becoming the year of the archer . and another bow-wielder joins the fray this weekend in "Brave," Pixar's latest effort and first feature film led by a female protagonist.
"Boardwalk Empire" actress Kelly Macdonald supplies the voice of Merida, a princess who does everything possible to resist her fate in a male-driven medieval society. She does not want to be married off to some noble she doesn't care about; she wants to pursue her own path, living freely with her treasured bow and arrow at her side. But circumstances eventually change for Merida, leading her down a path that even she couldn't have envisioned for herself.
By many accounts, "Brave" continues Pixar's trend...
By Josh Wigler
Merida in "Brave"
Photo: Disney/Pixar
Between "The Hunger Games" and "Marvel's The Avengers," 2012 is rapidly becoming the year of the archer . and another bow-wielder joins the fray this weekend in "Brave," Pixar's latest effort and first feature film led by a female protagonist.
"Boardwalk Empire" actress Kelly Macdonald supplies the voice of Merida, a princess who does everything possible to resist her fate in a male-driven medieval society. She does not want to be married off to some noble she doesn't care about; she wants to pursue her own path, living freely with her treasured bow and arrow at her side. But circumstances eventually change for Merida, leading her down a path that even she couldn't have envisioned for herself.
By many accounts, "Brave" continues Pixar's trend...
- 6/22/2012
- MTV Movie News
Opens
Friday, May 30
Diving into their most realistic and ambitious setting yet, the talents at Pixar have produced an exhilarating fish story in the perfectly cast comic adventure "Finding Nemo". Not as flat-out inventive as "Monsters, Inc". or as sardonic as "A Bug's Life" and the "Toy Story" pics, "Nemo" finds its own sparkling depths, achieving a less mechanical feel than its predecessors through a stripped-down, fluid narrative and new levels of visual nuance.
Pixar vet Andrew Stanton demonstrates confidence and exuberance in his first stint at the helm, working from a script he co-wrote with Bob Peterson and David Reynolds. With the exception of toddlers who might find a few scary moments too intense, kids will get right into the flow of "Nemo", while those viewers old enough to drive will appreciate the plentiful humor designed to sail right over kids' heads -- not least of which is the inspired chemistry between leads Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres. Disney is primed to make a whale of a splash at the summer boxoffice.
The marine milieu calls for more visual delicacy and aural subtlety than in past Pixar features -- challenges the filmmakers have met through the work of myriad technicians and artists. Before taking poetic license with their CG creations (real fish don't have eyebrows), the animators and designers took lessons in ichthyology (among other things), to good effect. Their imagery captures not only the play of light through the ocean's depths but the texture of its roiling surface and the luminescence and character-defining locomotion of its inhabitants. Add to that Gary Rydstrom's meticulous sound design and the grown-up music score by Thomas Newman, and the result is the most complex and fully realized environment of any Pixar film.
"Nemo" dazzles from the get-go, beginning with a pre-credits sequence that might prove more frightening to parents than kids, dramatizing as it does the notion that bad things can happen even in suburbia. Clown-fish couple Marlin and Coral (Brooks, Elizabeth Perkins) have just moved to a nice, quiet neighborhood of the Great Barrier Reef -- a peaceful vista of jewel-toned sponges, anemones and sea grasses, and a good place to raise their 400 offspring, who will soon be hatching. Tragedy strikes, leaving Marlin widowed with one survivor in the fish nursery, whom he names Nemo and swears to protect always.
It's no wonder that Marlin turns out to be a nervous, overprotective father who follows little Nemo (Alexander Gould) on his first day of, um, fish school. Nemo's a spirited kid with an endearing flaw -- a smaller right fin that flutters constantly -- and a healthy sense of rebellion, which he takes to extremes in Dad's anxious presence, venturing off the reef into open waters. A diver promptly snares him as an exotic specimen.
Propelled by his frantic search for Nemo, Marlin ventures farther than he'd ever dreamed of going, joined by good-hearted blue tang Dory (DeGeneres). She's eager to help and unfazable, the perfect complement to Marlin's neurotic timidity, however exasperating her continual lapses in short-term memory become. They're two lost souls: He provides her with a purpose, and she lends the traumatized Marlin a newfound resilience, as well as being able to read the Sydney address on the mask the diver left behind. Their journey to the big city unfolds as a series of set pieces centering on encounters with would-be predators and helpful sea folk.
Nemo, meanwhile, is welcomed into a community of fish-tank eccentrics in a dentist's office not far from Sydney Harbor. A scarred, self-possessed Moorish idol named Gill (Willem Dafoe) is the only one of Nemo's tank mates who wasn't born in a pet shop, and the wide-eyed youngster inspires him to devise the latest in a long series of ludicrous escape plans. The goal is to get Nemo home before the dentist presents him as a birthday gift to his terror of a niece (LuLu Ebeling), a deliciously funny concoction of Brute Force and braces.
There's a built-in poignancy to the dynamic between son and single father that neither the script nor the actors overstate. That Nemo has no expectation his father will lift a fin to find him is the dark center of the story, setting in bright relief Marlin's every dance with danger as he pursues his stolen child. There's an especially perilous dash through a field of translucent pink jellyfish, culminating in a moment straight out of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", with Marlin struggling to keep Dory from falling into a deadly narcotic sleep. But it's not all rough waters: They also luck into the good vibes of surfer-dude turtles who take them through the East Australian Current. Director Stanton is a standout as sea turtle Crush, a mellow dad who teaches Marlin a lesson or two about the parental art of letting go.
The whole cast is aces, with turns from such vibrant talents as Barry Humphries, playing the repentant leader of a self-help group for sharks who are trying to beat the fish-eating habit, and John Ratzenberger as an annoyingly helpful bunch of moonfish showoffs. Geoffrey Rush voices a Sydney pelican who's well-versed in dental procedure, Allison Janney is a vigilant starfish, and Joe Ranft provides a French accent for a finicky shrimp.
But it's the give-and-take between DeGeneres and Brooks that gives the saga its big heart. DeGeneres' character was created with her in mind, so it makes sense that Dory is a fish with freckles, lips and a rueful smile. When, in an episode of lovely, freewheeling lunacy, she insists on communicating with a blue whale in its native language, the combination of vocal calisthenics and facial contortions is sublime.
Her goofy compassion would have only half the impact, however, without Brooks' contrasting nebbish-turned-hero. It's hard to imagine another actor who could deliver lines as angst-ridden and deliriously funny. This is, after all, the tale of a father who not only transcends fear to find his son against all odds but who learns how to tell a joke along the way.
FINDING NEMO
Buena Vista Pictures
A Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film
Credits:
Director: Andrew Stanton
Co-director: Lee Unkrich
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Original story by: Andrew Stanton
Producer: Graham Walters
Executive producer: John Lasseter
Directors of photography: Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky
Production designer: Ralph Eggleston
Music: Thomas Newman
Editor: David Ian Salter
Supervising technical director: Oren Jacob
Supervising animator: Dylan Brown
Art directors: Ricky Vega Nierva, Robin Cooper, Anthony Christov, Randy Berrett
CG supervisors: Brian Green, Lisa Forssell, Danielle Feinberg, David Eisenmann, Jesse Hollander, Steve May, Michael Fong, Anthony A Apodaca, Michael Lorenzen
Sound designer: Gary Rydstrom
Cast:
Marlin: Albert Brooks
Dory: Ellen DeGeneres
Nemo: Alexander Gould
Gill: Willem Dafoe
Bloat: Brad Garrett
Peach: Allison Janney
Gurgle: Austin Pendleton
Bubbles: Stephen Root
Deb (& Flo): Vicki Lewis
Jacques: Joe Ranft
Nigel: Geoffrey Rush
Crush: Andrew Stanton
Coral: Elizabeth Perkins
Squirt: Nicholas Bird
Mr. Ray: Bob Peterson
Bruce: Barry Humphries
Anchor: Eric Bana
Chum: Bruce Spence
Dentist: Bill Hunter
Darla: LuLu Ebeling
Tad: Jordy Ranft
Pearl: Erica Beck
Sheldon: Erik Per Sullivan
Fish School: John Ratzenberger
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
Friday, May 30
Diving into their most realistic and ambitious setting yet, the talents at Pixar have produced an exhilarating fish story in the perfectly cast comic adventure "Finding Nemo". Not as flat-out inventive as "Monsters, Inc". or as sardonic as "A Bug's Life" and the "Toy Story" pics, "Nemo" finds its own sparkling depths, achieving a less mechanical feel than its predecessors through a stripped-down, fluid narrative and new levels of visual nuance.
Pixar vet Andrew Stanton demonstrates confidence and exuberance in his first stint at the helm, working from a script he co-wrote with Bob Peterson and David Reynolds. With the exception of toddlers who might find a few scary moments too intense, kids will get right into the flow of "Nemo", while those viewers old enough to drive will appreciate the plentiful humor designed to sail right over kids' heads -- not least of which is the inspired chemistry between leads Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres. Disney is primed to make a whale of a splash at the summer boxoffice.
The marine milieu calls for more visual delicacy and aural subtlety than in past Pixar features -- challenges the filmmakers have met through the work of myriad technicians and artists. Before taking poetic license with their CG creations (real fish don't have eyebrows), the animators and designers took lessons in ichthyology (among other things), to good effect. Their imagery captures not only the play of light through the ocean's depths but the texture of its roiling surface and the luminescence and character-defining locomotion of its inhabitants. Add to that Gary Rydstrom's meticulous sound design and the grown-up music score by Thomas Newman, and the result is the most complex and fully realized environment of any Pixar film.
"Nemo" dazzles from the get-go, beginning with a pre-credits sequence that might prove more frightening to parents than kids, dramatizing as it does the notion that bad things can happen even in suburbia. Clown-fish couple Marlin and Coral (Brooks, Elizabeth Perkins) have just moved to a nice, quiet neighborhood of the Great Barrier Reef -- a peaceful vista of jewel-toned sponges, anemones and sea grasses, and a good place to raise their 400 offspring, who will soon be hatching. Tragedy strikes, leaving Marlin widowed with one survivor in the fish nursery, whom he names Nemo and swears to protect always.
It's no wonder that Marlin turns out to be a nervous, overprotective father who follows little Nemo (Alexander Gould) on his first day of, um, fish school. Nemo's a spirited kid with an endearing flaw -- a smaller right fin that flutters constantly -- and a healthy sense of rebellion, which he takes to extremes in Dad's anxious presence, venturing off the reef into open waters. A diver promptly snares him as an exotic specimen.
Propelled by his frantic search for Nemo, Marlin ventures farther than he'd ever dreamed of going, joined by good-hearted blue tang Dory (DeGeneres). She's eager to help and unfazable, the perfect complement to Marlin's neurotic timidity, however exasperating her continual lapses in short-term memory become. They're two lost souls: He provides her with a purpose, and she lends the traumatized Marlin a newfound resilience, as well as being able to read the Sydney address on the mask the diver left behind. Their journey to the big city unfolds as a series of set pieces centering on encounters with would-be predators and helpful sea folk.
Nemo, meanwhile, is welcomed into a community of fish-tank eccentrics in a dentist's office not far from Sydney Harbor. A scarred, self-possessed Moorish idol named Gill (Willem Dafoe) is the only one of Nemo's tank mates who wasn't born in a pet shop, and the wide-eyed youngster inspires him to devise the latest in a long series of ludicrous escape plans. The goal is to get Nemo home before the dentist presents him as a birthday gift to his terror of a niece (LuLu Ebeling), a deliciously funny concoction of Brute Force and braces.
There's a built-in poignancy to the dynamic between son and single father that neither the script nor the actors overstate. That Nemo has no expectation his father will lift a fin to find him is the dark center of the story, setting in bright relief Marlin's every dance with danger as he pursues his stolen child. There's an especially perilous dash through a field of translucent pink jellyfish, culminating in a moment straight out of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", with Marlin struggling to keep Dory from falling into a deadly narcotic sleep. But it's not all rough waters: They also luck into the good vibes of surfer-dude turtles who take them through the East Australian Current. Director Stanton is a standout as sea turtle Crush, a mellow dad who teaches Marlin a lesson or two about the parental art of letting go.
The whole cast is aces, with turns from such vibrant talents as Barry Humphries, playing the repentant leader of a self-help group for sharks who are trying to beat the fish-eating habit, and John Ratzenberger as an annoyingly helpful bunch of moonfish showoffs. Geoffrey Rush voices a Sydney pelican who's well-versed in dental procedure, Allison Janney is a vigilant starfish, and Joe Ranft provides a French accent for a finicky shrimp.
But it's the give-and-take between DeGeneres and Brooks that gives the saga its big heart. DeGeneres' character was created with her in mind, so it makes sense that Dory is a fish with freckles, lips and a rueful smile. When, in an episode of lovely, freewheeling lunacy, she insists on communicating with a blue whale in its native language, the combination of vocal calisthenics and facial contortions is sublime.
Her goofy compassion would have only half the impact, however, without Brooks' contrasting nebbish-turned-hero. It's hard to imagine another actor who could deliver lines as angst-ridden and deliriously funny. This is, after all, the tale of a father who not only transcends fear to find his son against all odds but who learns how to tell a joke along the way.
FINDING NEMO
Buena Vista Pictures
A Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film
Credits:
Director: Andrew Stanton
Co-director: Lee Unkrich
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Original story by: Andrew Stanton
Producer: Graham Walters
Executive producer: John Lasseter
Directors of photography: Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky
Production designer: Ralph Eggleston
Music: Thomas Newman
Editor: David Ian Salter
Supervising technical director: Oren Jacob
Supervising animator: Dylan Brown
Art directors: Ricky Vega Nierva, Robin Cooper, Anthony Christov, Randy Berrett
CG supervisors: Brian Green, Lisa Forssell, Danielle Feinberg, David Eisenmann, Jesse Hollander, Steve May, Michael Fong, Anthony A Apodaca, Michael Lorenzen
Sound designer: Gary Rydstrom
Cast:
Marlin: Albert Brooks
Dory: Ellen DeGeneres
Nemo: Alexander Gould
Gill: Willem Dafoe
Bloat: Brad Garrett
Peach: Allison Janney
Gurgle: Austin Pendleton
Bubbles: Stephen Root
Deb (& Flo): Vicki Lewis
Jacques: Joe Ranft
Nigel: Geoffrey Rush
Crush: Andrew Stanton
Coral: Elizabeth Perkins
Squirt: Nicholas Bird
Mr. Ray: Bob Peterson
Bruce: Barry Humphries
Anchor: Eric Bana
Chum: Bruce Spence
Dentist: Bill Hunter
Darla: LuLu Ebeling
Tad: Jordy Ranft
Pearl: Erica Beck
Sheldon: Erik Per Sullivan
Fish School: John Ratzenberger
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
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