MOVIE REVIEW: Amanda Knox (2016)

In my mind, a good documentary should do a few simple things. First, it should seek to tell the story in the most objective way possible and establish a rough timeline to fit actual events. Secondly, and perhaps more crucially, it should attempt to identify what made the story unique and explore these concepts as deeply as possible, giving the watcher a deeper or fresh insight into a real life event, story, or person. Finally, it should be engaging to watch, with good editing, visuals and sound design. In the case of Amanda Knox, the first and last of those criteria are definitely achieved. My only major issue with it was that it didn't quite find the right angle in which to frame its central subject.

The story of Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito and the murder of Meredith Kercher on November 1st 2007 became the case of the century in more ways than one in the months and years after it happened. Shocking revelations, confessions, betrayals and conspiracy swirled furiously around the murder for a full 7 years before Knox and Sollecito were finally exonerated by Italy's supreme court last year. I never really knew what to think about the case, I didn't know enough about it. As the documentary tries to comment on, the whole thing was surrounded by massive media hear say, slander and brutal demonisation of Knox and Sollecito. I was hoping this documentary would shed some truth onto all this white noise, and to some degree I think it managed to. The difficulty with a story like this however is that essentially it is still a mystery. The consensus is that it was probably Rudy Guede, but the jury is still out, especially amongst Italians, many of whom were completely outraged by Knox and Sollecito's acquittal. Therefore, all this film could really do was accurately present the very long timeline of the investigation and expose some of the problems with it.

As far as I could tell, this case had two distinguishable factors that made it unique. The first was some blatently negligent and shoddy detective work by the Perugian police force. Even before the documentary began to talk about this I was starting to feel like something was wrong. Windows were being broken, things were being moved around at the crime scene and quick assumptions were being made like "the body was covered, something a man wouldn't do". It was perplexing to see what appeared to be quite a desperate team of investigators, quick to force confessions out of Knox and Sollecito using interrogation methods that were clearly unethical and even perhaps unlawful. After watching 'Making a Murderer' earlier this year, I couldn't help but be reminded of how a confession was forced out of the young and vulnerable Brendan Dassey, even though all the evidence pointed towards him not being involved. The phenomenon of apparent mind control when people are in this dangerously stressed state is a fascinating one and I wish the film had talked more about the relevance of these false confessions in the context of the overall case. The failings of the authorities were most definitely a theme, but were not explored properly until the last half an hour or so, which I thought was a bit of a shame.

The second major complication of the case was the media spin. It doesn't come as much of a surprise given the world we live in, but even by 21st century standards this story was blown up and twisted into making Amanda out to be the devil incarnate. It was almost the perfect media narrative; a young sex-obsessed American girl falls in love with a handsome Italian loner in one of Italy's most historic cities, a love triangle ensues with the girl's roommate resulting in a vengeful murder. Images beamed around the world of the couple kissing the day after the murder became the resounding symbol of this suspected crime of passion. The film does a reasonable job, albeit quite sporadically, in covering this media feeding frenzy, but doesn't linger on it long enough for us to really get an accurate sense of how it truly affected the public discourse surrounding the investigation.

What we are given is an interview with Daily Mail journalist Nick Pisa, who has received significant criticism for his exploitation of Knox throughout the trial. His words are telling, yet divulge no meaningful regret or reflection on the impact of his journalistic scoops. Through Knox's interview I sometimes felt like the film wanted us to side with her, and to see Pisa as the real enemy. Perhaps we should. If this girl is innocent then we are looking at someone who was having to endure being called a slut every day for 7 years, having every minute of her past and present scrutinised and thrown carelessly onto the front page. At one point, Pisa describes having his 'Foxy Knoxy' stories in the paper everyday as being a feeling as good as sex, revealing the sadistic and unashamedly exploitative tendencies of our news media, and the public who seem to just lap it up. The only thing about this part of the film that bothered me was how Pisa was used as the fall guy, when in actuality we all know that he is just a tiny fish in a vast ocean. The problem isn't just with individuals like Pisa, but the relentless corporate system driving what can and can't published.

The visual style and editing was done pretty competently. It mixed old footage from the time of the murder with present day shots and interviews with a multitude of people who were involved. With such a long spanning story to cover and so many people who wanted to talk about it, the filmmakers had a pretty huge pool of material to dig into. Overall they do a pretty good job at intertwining significant quotes from the interviews with the archival footage that is used to tell much of the story. Only a few times did I feel they were dwelling on one thing for too long, for the most part the experience was engaging to watch. I wouldn't say it was super entertaining, but in the case of a film like this it is more important for it to inform us, and it did that pretty well I thought.

Both the sub standard investigation and the world wide hysteria surrounding the murder made the Kercher case one of the most memorable crimes of the century so far. I respect that the documentary looked at both of them, but I think it could have been more effective if these themes had been used to frame the story as something unique. To do this they might have had to make it a bit longer, because I can't think of too many parts I would have taken out. Overall though, this is an intriguing documentary and worth a watch for anyone who wants an informed synopsis of a fascinating case.

Overall: 60/100

MOVIE REVIEW: Wall Street (1987)

I have to say it, this is what The Wolf of Wall Street could and should have been. A compelling look at the temptations and pitfalls of corporate capitalism in the big city. Charlie Sheen plays Bud Fox, our main protagonist who has just one goal, to get to the top of the totem pole. He meets Gordan Gekko, portrayed brilliantly by Micheal Douglas, a big fish on Wall Street who Bud quickly works out can help him get unfathomably rich. We also have Martin Sheen playing Bud's Dad Carl, a sweet touch to have him play both on screen and real life father to Sheen I thought. The story is one of greed, lust, betrayal and eventually, justice set in the cacophonous backdrop of New York City in the 1980's. What results is a very good film, full of entertainment value as well as deeper questions about this kind of big business.

It is one of the most fascinating questions of our age - can greed ever be a good thing? Within the context of the rise of capitalism in the second half of the 20th century, this is definitely a question that is worth asking. I think most people would say that greed is bad, yet much of our society revolves around it. We are taught to strive to reach our career goals without realising how quickly that can simply turn into entering a consumer driven rat race meticulously designed to make a lot of money and often, to make other people more money. The central themes of this film revolve around this idea of chains of greed. How your own greed can be used as a weapon by other, even greedier people, who want to use you to make themselves more powerful. Wall Street strives to tell a story about how futile such a philosophy is and just how quickly it can all come crashing down. 

The film works primarily thanks to the strength of its lead actors, Sheen and Douglas. I gained a whole new level of respect for Sheen after watching him play this slick, quick witted business man. If only he would have continued in this direction. It is not a mind blowing performance, and perhaps not as dynamic as DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, but nonetheless his character is more believable and relatable. Micheal Douglas steals the show though. Gordon Gekko is someone you would not want to cross in real life, with his palpable ferocity and persistence driving him to infinite lengths in the name of money. As he pursues his business deals throughout the film with razor sharpness, we start to understand why this man has amassed a such cult following on Wall Street. Gekko maybe leading Bud down a road toward betraying his father and friends, but he is visibly transfixed by Gekko. He has bought wholly into the delusion. The two have great screen chemistry, one of my favourite scenes being when Bud initially pitches his idea to Gekko, establishing a clear distinction of who holds all the power. He seduces Bud with the promise of unimaginable wealth, but more crucially, power. By the end of the film though, Bud has worked out what Gekko plans to do to his fathers business and sets out on a merciless path of revenge. This kind of character development is exactly what The Wolf of Wall Street lacked, and part of why this is a much better movie.

The story is engaging from the get go. I particularly liked how Oliver Stone took time to explore Bud's relationships with those around him, both in work and his personal life. It is clear that his Dad means a lot to him, and his main motivator is to make him proud. This gives Bud a certain level of basic humanity that Gekko appears to lack, and when that relationship is threatened by Gecko, Bud can't let bring himself to undermine his father's trust. There is a grave conflict in Sheen's eyes throughout the whole film, as he realises that to get to Gordan's level he must give up the most sacred of things, love and loyalty. This in essence is what the film is about. The psychotic and deeply narcissistic traits that are required to succeed in the upper echelons of business, themes explored more graphically in films like American Psycho and more glamorously in The Wolf of Wall Street. But unlike the latter, this movie knows when to reign it in and put it in perspective for the audience, showing both extremes of the human condition in similar measure. A highlight for many will be Gordan Gekko's infamous 'greed is good' speech. In it he discusses the relative merits of greed and how it captures the essence of everything that has made us who we are today. The film lets you make your own mind up about what Gekko is saying, and personally I think there is some degree of merit in his remarks, but fundamentally it is the mentality that breaks both of our main characters.

The rest of the cast of Wall Street also did a good job. I've already mentioned Martin Sheen as Carl Fox, who acts as the only real voice of reason in the entire thing as he helps to ground the movie in something deeper than money and greed. I really liked John C. McGinley as Bud's friend and colleague Marvin, who provided a fair share of comic value to the film. The love interest Darien, played by Daryl Hannah, fit nicely into the cast, and this whole section of the movie was interesting in what it had to say about money in relation to love as well as money in relation to sex. The only thing I would say is that they could have given her character a bit more depth, instead painting her as a pretty shallow person. But this in itself was probably intentional. Visually, Wall Street is classic 80's New York, with cramped offices with CRT computes and glamorous open plan apartments hosting colourful parties for the exceedingly wealthy. It is a nice looking film, but there is nothing amazing about the cinematography. It just does the job.

There is much more I could say about Wall Street but this review would end up 10 pages long. In summation, I really admire what Stone managed to achieve with this film in terms of tone and subject matter. It is not a terribly creative movie, or particularly flashy with its imagery, but what shines through is the real humanity in it. By that I mean the range of human emotions and motives that it is willing to explore. It does not lead you in just one direction, but instead leaves you to make your own mind up about the characters. There is no happy ending, just a sobering recognition that Bud must face the consequences of his unlawful actions. As the camera pans up to reveal the vastness of the city and Bud walking up the courthouse steps, we are reminded that he is just a mortal man after all.

Characters: 80
Narrative: 85
Visuals; 70
Music: N/A

Overall: 78/100

MOVIEW REVIEW: The Intern (2015)

I didn't expect to like this film very much, but I'd heard good things about it so I decided to give it a shot. I think we all know by now that Robert De Niro is reaching the tail end of his career. In a weird way this film actually explores that, constantly reminding us that his character is struggling to find his place in the modern world, much like De Niro is having a hard time capturing his old magic. I have to say though, it was De Niro that carried the majority of The Intern, with the help of Anne Hathaway, who also gives a surprisingly good performance. This isn't a great film, but it could have been a whole lot worse than it was.

The movie starts off kind of slowly as it glides around trying to set up this world and its characters. The introduction to De Niro's character, Ben, was handled ok but a lot of it just seemed like pretty useless information about him and his past. By the end of it, we get the picture, he's old and out of touch. It all took a bit of a nose dive for me after he gets the intern job at a tech company and comes in to the office for the first time. It's your typical new age office; all the men are wearing loose fitting shirts and have hipster glasses, all the women look they just stepped off of a vogue photoshoot and they are all provided with brand new MacBooks. The CEO, Jules, rides around the office on a bike. Yeah, they went there. This is where it felt like The Intern was turning into The Internship, that god awful film from a few years ago. I get that they were trying to contrast this ultra sleek modernist aesthetic with what Ben would have been used to, but it's just not an visual style that I'm very fond of having shoved in my face every 5 seconds.

Jules is a feminist's wet dream. She has built her company from the ground up, growing its number of employees ten fold in a year, is married to stay at home Dad, Matt, who looks after their beautiful young daughter Paige. She is just an all round winner and she knows it. I may be against third wave feminism and movies that perpetuate its self fulfilling agenda, but I don't think this film did that all that much. I am all for strong female leads as long as they are given some depth beyond their gender. I think The Intern did a good job with this. Whilst it vaguely explores some feminist ideas, it never feels overdone or forced. Above that, it is not what the film is about. Jules begins the film clearly very stressed out. She has no time for herself and as a result, her family is suffering under the strain. It takes getting to know Ben to finally realise this and begin to change it.

Ben's character is interesting because he is at the exact opposite stage of his life to Jules, but somehow wants to recapture the ambition he had in his youth. This makes the relationship between them feel meaningful as they both have something to learn and something to admire about the other. As the film progresses we see Ben sympathising with Jules and doing everything he can to help her. For this to work the director had to have De Niro play Ben very straight. He's depicted as a very honourable gentleman who is also extremely likeable. Deepening Ben's character in any way and including darker, more sinister motives would have ruined this warm-hearted feeling the film managed to concur up. This is one of the real successes of The Intern, the fact it realised its limits in terms of its characters and chose to focus on very simple themes of human relationships, love and friendship. The reason the film worked pretty well for me was because of these two characters. I ended up almost seeing Jules' life through the sentimental eyes of old Ben, and that made it far more pleasant and revealing. By the end, I felt some kind of kinship with both of these characters. A character who began the film a little bit bland and stale is turned into someone we can all relate to through Ben's unmotivated friendship and guidance.

Obviously another main theme is the reality of getting older in an ever changing world full of MacBooks and liberal values in the workplace. The underlying message of The Intern is 'don't let your age hold you back', a bit of a cliché but still a positive notion. Ben's desire to get back out in the world is a noble one, and something we could all learn from. Again, the overall likability of his character helped tremendously in driving home this message. I suspect many people will see this as the main theme of the film, and perhaps it is, but one must look at the other extreme too, what the older generation can teach the younger generation, and how we are more similar than we are different. The scene with Jules and Ben in the hotel room symbolises this in a touching way.

Both the lead actors, De Niro and Hathaway give pretty good performances. Lets be clear, this was hardly a stretching role for either of them. In fact, in De Niro's case, it's hard to pick out many examples of an actor looking more comfortable in a leading role. But I think considering the context, he did a good job. He gives off a sustained warmth throughout the movie and remains interesting with his wistful quips and nostalgic sighs. This is exactly the kind of role an ageing De Niro should be taking on. In regard to Anne Hathaway, I can't say I've ever been a great fan of hers in the past. Nonetheless she does a good job in this, carrying off the arc of her character with genuine nuance. Perhaps she overacts a little in some of the business related scenes, but nothing that has me cringing or rolling my eyes too much. The other characters in The Intern were mostly background noise though, to be honest. There were a few that had me chuckling, like young intern Jason, played by Adam DeVine. Unfortunately though, most of the surrounding cast of characters are not much more than light relief or narrative props. This is a shame, and it could have been a richer experience if some of the characters, especially those close to the main characters, were fleshed out a little more.

Overall, The Intern is very easy to watch and an enjoyable experience for the most part, but only succeeds within its rather timid limits. If you want a film with a warm heart and a few laughs however, this could well be for you. There is very little to hate about it, and it does no harm to watch movies now and then that make us feel good. Just don't expect Goodfella's level De Niro Ok? Those days are well and truly over. At least its not Dirty Grandpa..

Characters: 60
Narrative: 70
Visuals: 50
Music: N/A

Overall: 60/100

MOVIE REVIEW: The Best of Me (2014)

This was one of those movies where I might as well have been blind folded before picking it on Netflix. I couldn't be doing with anything deep and hey, rom coms can be good sometimes, right? Perhaps, but not in this case. The Best of Me suffers from the usual problems of overly contrived characters, mundane and cliched cinematography, and a story that thinks it has something to do with love but ultimately falls desperately short.

Before we get 10 minutes in, it was already pretty easy to guess where the film was going. The central characters, Dawson and Amanda, are both looking up at the stars, reminiscing about days gone by. We get a couple of corny lines about destiny being written in the stars and I am already rolling my eyes. The story from that point on follows two different timelines, one involving their younger selves and the other the present day. Another recycled idea. We learn about Dawson's troubled childhood and his monster of a father, a man that you can't believe he's been living in the same house as for 18 years. He meets Amanda and a romantic relationship ensues. I have to say that my favourite actor in the whole film was Luke Bracey as the young Dawson, who gives a tolerable performance. But my GOD, the scenes with him and Amanda were the definition of dull. It's like the director just wanted to get as much kissing in this film as physically possible. We get the kissing under the moon scene, the kissing in the rain scene, the kissing in an exotic lake scene, the kissing on a rooftop scene, the kissing whilst dancing scene, the kiss that one of them regrets scene, and so on. Clichéd does not do justice to just how predictable this movie was.

Several unfortunate things happen to Dawson as a young man, straining his relationship with Amanda. This all comes to a head when he is sent to jail for accidentally shooting his friend whilst fighting his father, creating the eventual bridge that kept them apart for so many years. The scenes where the young Dawson gets angry are by far the best in the film, although nothing special really. At least we get to see some genuine emotion though. More time should have been spent developing the relationship between Dawson and the man that takes him in after he runs away, Tuck. It would have grounded the film in something that resembles what it is trying to be about, love. Instead it gets lost in this back and forth between present and past, with the soppy romancing of characters you don't care about. The present day stuff was particularly mundane and void of feeling. A lot of it comes down to the acting, which for the most part was just lazy. In the end we get a bit of a twist ending that I won't spoil, but it doesn't land any emotional punch simply because the film doesn't earn it.

Visually, The Best of Me also woefully underwhelms. Every scene has this super glossy look to it that only adds to the feeling of fakeness. What I like in a romantic drama is for it to feel like I am watching real people in real places. This film felt like I was watching one long dream sequence. I do understand that this type of movie isn't trying to appeal to people like me, but I struggle to see how even very casual film fans will enjoys such mediocrity. Maybe I'm wrong though.

What annoys me the most about films like this is that the script doesn't resemble real human interaction. Sure, it is how people might talk in an ideal world (although I hope not), but everything just ends up feeling too clean cut. The character flaws don't seem like flaws because they are not explored enough, so you end up just thinking that these people are too perfect to be real. You never really get to a point where you want to get invested in the stories of the characters. When you watch a great romantic drama like Before Sunrise, you automatically relate to the people in it because that is how human beings actually speak to one another. With such vapid characters, the story has to be something truly special for me to get on board, and unfortunately The Best of Me does not have that. I can't say that it is embarrassingly bad. I mean, it is just about watchable and sugary enough for perhaps a date night with your significant other. Please though people, go for something with a bit more to say.

Characters: 35
Narrative: 40
Visuals: 30
Music: 40

Overall: 36/100

Milo Comes Home to Launch Young British Heritage Society

Milo Yiannopoulos is a devisive figure. That’s exactly how he likes it. I have been a fan of his for about a year now, ever since I saw him on British television and debate shows like The Big Questions and Sky News. Since then, Milo has taken it to the next level, touring America’s campus scene on his infamous ‘Dangerous Faggot Tour’, a name I am particularly fond of. What is so invincible about Yiannopoulos is how he displays the exact opposite traits to your typical right wing commentator. It makes him into a kind of juggernaught. We have been led to believe, somewhat justifiably so, that right wingers are these dull, faceless traditionalists with a chip on their shoulder about everything. Milo though, is colourful, gay, religious and brilliantly funny. He is the embodiment of odd, making it very hard to stereotype him.

I had the privilege of seeing Milo give a speech in London a couple of nights ago. He was there to launch the Young British Heritage Society at Conway Hall. A conservative libertarian society set on promoting the merits of British values and principals, with a particular emphasis on bringing back free speech and open discussion of ideas on university campus’s around the country. It is a mission statement I can get behind, having been at university myself and experiencing a increasing level of censorship within my institution and especially within the mainstream media. Despite my interest in the society, I was primarily there to see Milo. Without going into too much depth on the society as a whole, I came away a little perplexed by it. Much of what was said I agreed with, but the manner in which many of these people speak is the exact thing I am opposing on the left. This sort of self-aggrandising, disturbingly ignorant type of rhetoric that serves very little purpose aside from getting a reaction from the audience. 

Milo was his typical unabashed self however. He gave a good speech, if not a little recycled. He touched on his infamous ban from Twitter, the dangers of the left’s influence on campus, Brexit and the US presidential race, candidly speaking about his support for Donald Trump, but also his fear and distain for another potential Clinton administration. The best thing about Milo is that he treats his audience with respect, never stopping to explain his points in too much depth but instead assuming that the audience is intelligent enough to keep up. His quick wit is what keeps his act feeling fresh and dynamic, stopping seemingly every other sentence to make a quip about either himself or the radical left. It kept me engaged and listening to everything he was saying. Staying within the theme of the society, he concluded by talking about Britain, and how we are a country based on strong values and a tendency for subversion and mischief, which makes our press 'the best in the world'. It was a very patriotic moment for most of the audience. The event had a different tone to it than the other speeches he's given on his campus tour so far, most of which have taken place in the US, where students have turned up with the sole purpose of sabotaging him with random and irrelevant protests that ironically only go to further his message. At one point he even vocalised exactly what I was thinking, ‘part of you comes to see me for the spectacle, the protests and the controversy’. He’s right, a part of me was hoping for exactly that. I’m afraid to say though, that is one of the main fears I have for the movement Milo is trying initiate, that it will just turn into an ‘us vs. them’ type of ordeal. In truth, it already has become a bit like that. 

Having said all that, what makes Milo more than simply an entertainer with an funky hair cut is that he brings it back to his libertarian values. He understands that a key element of why people behave and think in the way they do is because they have strayed from what made us as a nation, and America, the leading proponents of libertarianism. He is not here to start a war with the left, just to make fun of them and point out just how irrational and brainwashed many have become. Under all the layers of fake tan and hairspray is somebody who is concerned about the younger generation and is willing to do something about it. This was the crux of his speech, returning to the importance of action. He boldly stated that ‘By coming here tonight you haven’t really done anything’, and he’s right. He followed it up by urging people to go out and do things, to fight for what they believe in. ‘This is why the left always win’ he quips, ‘because they band together and get things done’. I am glad that he did this as it felt like he way putting most of the audience, and some of the speakers in fact, in there place, telling them not to get too wrapped up in the petty politics that a large proportion of our generation engages in. I know I have been guilty of this in the past, but I am reaching point now where I am beyond arguing with people who refuse to see sense. I will only engage in political debate if it feels right and I am not just trying to convert the person I am speaking to. It is still hard at times, and much of the politically correct stuff I am seeing in the media needs to be addressed, but addressed in a logical and sometimes comical way, like Milo does.

Milo Yiannopoulos will continue to gather steam as more and more people cotton on to the ridiculousness and genuine danger of movements like extreme feminism and phony organisations like Black Lives Matter. He will be a leading figure simply because of how likeable and vocal he is, but I hope that as we move forwards, he uses his influence to encourage real action and doesn’t just act as the pied piper for the angry, disenfranchised youth who simply want to spout hatred and vitriol at those they oppose. This speech gave me a fair amount of faith that he understands the people he is seeking to address. I don’t agree with Milo on everything, but that is part of the process of rebuilding an open dialogue within universities and other sections of society. We should be able to listen to speakers that we respect and be able to disagree with them. Yes, he might have been preaching to the choir with this one, but at least it didn’t end up like a Trump rally. Well… not quite. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Finding Dory (2016)

I can't quite believe it has been 13 years since Finding Nemo was released. Already a huge Pixar fan by that point, Nemo was another fun and interesting world to immerse myself in. It was never my favourite of the early films, but I still became obsessed with it for a certain period of time, like I had with the 4 that preceded it. I've always thought that Pixar succeeds or fails on the strength of its characters, and Finding Nemo had fantastic characters.

One of those loveable characters was Dory, a regal blue tang fish who suffers with short term memory loss. She featured heavily in Finding Nemo, but was always the comic relief character, designed to draw in the younger audience with light hearted jokes and her innocent naivety. Some may question whether a sequel centred around Dory was justified considering her relatively surface level role in the first film, but personally I see no issue with it as she was never given a proper backstory. Finding Dory then, is less of a literal title than Finding Nemo. Instead, this film wants the audience to find Dory in a different way entirely. We are invited to share in flashbacks of her rather troubling past and her initial separation from her parents that led to her eventually bumping into Marlin at the start of the first film. Although I had a level of scepticism for this film, overall I thought the guys at Pixar came through with another stellar experience. This is a movie that will thrill younger and older audiences with beautiful visuals, hilarious characters and a satisfying story, perhaps even providing a more rewarding experience than its giant of a predecessor.

Visually, Finding Dory is quite similar to the first film. The aesthetics and colour palette is almost identical, which can only be a good thing - Finding Nemo was one of Pixar's best looking early films. That being said, this film is certainly a bit more ambitious with its action set pieces and character movement. The septopus character, Hank, glides and rolls around the environments in such a fluid and almost poetic fashion. He is by far one of the best characters Pixar have ever attempted to bring to life and my god did they succeed. Robbie Collin at the BBC also mentioned how he saw a concerted effort to make the characters appear like puppets in some scenes, which I definitely see having reflected on the film. I guess the guys at Pixar have been making these animated films for over 20 years now, they must be looking for ways to move the genre forward within the limited scope that they have. I'm glad that they managed to pull a few off with this film whilst still maintaining that loveable and timeless formula of the early movies. I wasn't drawn in by the film's soundtrack however, that felt a little bit tagged on and not as memorable as previous Pixar soundtrack's. That being said, the use of Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World' in the final climactic scene was a hell of a choice.

The characters in Finding Dory are certainly the making of it. We have the same central trio in Dory, Nemo and Marlin, who we get to see go on a nostalgic adventure together once again. Dory is just as likeable, if a little bit grating at times. The surrounding characters though really hold everything together and above all, progress the story forwards. They are not simply there as comic relief or for side plots. Aside from Hank, who was by far my favourite character outside the central three, the whaleshark Destiny and beluga whale, Bailey were some of the funniest and most likeable characters Pixar have created. The scenes in which all three of these characters were on screen together were some of the best in the entire movie and rarely failed to get me laughing out loud. Dory's parents, for the brief time they appear in the film, were really endearing, and I really believed in the love that they had for their daughter. When we learn what they have been doing since they lost Dory it serves as a reminder of the importance of family, and how we should never give up on those we love and care for. The voiceovers were all immaculately done. Ellen Degeneres comes through again with a performance that has both greater range and depth than she did in the first film, which was required considering the fact that she had to transform Dory from a comic relief character to central protagonist. However, as with all of the great Pixar films, they manage to tell the stories of all the characters at the same time, with almost all of them learning something about themselves along the way.

The story is as engaging if not more engaging than Nemo's. It is set up with flashbacks to Dory's childhood with her parents, yet we don't learn how she was separated from them until much later on. These early flashbacks had a certain resonance for me, as I felt myself empathising with Dory and how profound it must have felt to be remembering sacred moments for the first time in years. The first act sees Dory, Marlin and Nemo head off into the unknown to try and find her parents after she miraculously remembers where they used to live. It is really fun as the three are faced with all of the dangerous deep sea perils that we loved in the first film. The feeling of insignificance in this vast ocean is as potent as ever, and as an audience we relate to this desperation of trying to find some kind of home in a cold, dark world. Even in the early scenes, the main message of the film starts to become clear, that sometimes it is best to be spontaneous like Dory. This is contrasted with Marlin's cautiousness, who eventually learns something from Dory's outlook and attitude to life. 

The adventure continues in the second act as Dory finds Hank, who is willing to help her find her parents in the aquarium if she gives him her tag in return, which will allow him to live in isolation in Cleveland. More great action sequences happen involving both Dory and Hank, as well as Nemo and Marlin. Having these two storylines running parallel kept the everything feeling fresh and spontaneous, and once again it was gratifying to have them find each other in the end. The final act reveals how Dory was separated from her parents all that time ago, and the way it was handled gives it maximum emotional impact. After finding them it feels like the end of the journey, but instead we get one more mini adventure involving all of the main characters. This final scene is easily one of my favourites. It's hilarious, visually stunning and a perfect crescendo for Dory and the surrounding cast. 

The movie takes us on a parallel yet ultimately very different journey than that in the first film, which was a kind of giant search and rescue effort to find Marlin's son Nemo. Finding Dory definitely shares several themes. For instance parenthood, and what parents will do for their children. Another one is disability. Obviously Dory struggles with short term memory loss, which she learns to use to her advantage. Similarly in the first film Nemo had to overcome his damaged fin. What I liked more about Finding Dory though was that Dory's condition, and consequentially how it shaped her character and decision making made for a fascinating character study of a certain type of person (or in this case fish). Mental handicaps and indeed, mental illness, is a growing problem for our generation, and many of them aren't given enough attention. The central message of Finding Dory is therefore a very important and relevant one. That our quirks and defects can be turned around and used as advantages. That they are not always going to opress us and one day might actually do the opposite and liberate us. I am not normally one to look too deeply into movies of this kind, but I think it needs to be mentioned. Hence, the tag line, 'What would Dory do?', feels like a fitting one.

Finding Dory should go along way to silence the critics who have accused Pixar of resorting to sequels instead of coming up with new ideas for films. In the same way as Toy Story 2, they have made movie that is at least as good, if not better than the first, at least in my opinion. It works as a fun and slapstick kids film and a reflective look at parenthood, disability and overcoming the odds in the name of love. I have very few criticisms of it, only that by the end I felt quite exhausted by it all, which isn't really a criticism at all. It is a very fast paced movie that will probably annoy some people out there. But overall I felt like it managed all of this franticness very well with great pacing and a fair share of slower, ponderous moments that break up the action. I think that families, Pixar fans and hardcore movie buffs will find a lot to love in this summer dive back into Pixar's deep blue sea.

Characters: 85

Narrative: 80

Visuals: 90

Music: 75

Overall: 83/100

In Rotation: July 2016

I haven't done one of these in a long while, but recently I've really picked up my music listening game, mostly thanks to some great albums coming out. So here are the 3 albums that I'm playing the heck out of right now.

1. The Avalanches - Wildflower

Of course the long awaited second album from The Avalanches was going to be in here. After 16 long years, the Australian plunderphonics trio have finally come through and given us a follow up to 2000's Since I left You. I was actually only introduced to this band a few weeks ago by a friend and it sounded to me a lot like what I had heard on projects from J Dilla. I dug it a lot, but to hook me for an entire album of sound snippets and samples, it has to be really good. Luckily, Wildflower is exactly that, really fucking good. This album sounds like The Beatles, The Jackson 5 and J Dilla got together and made an album. It really has it all, but the main reason I'm loving it so much is simply because it makes me feel so damn good. The music is a lot more dreamy than their first, which might not be to everyones liking. But fortunately it never feels like the album falls back on one type of sound and treads water, instead throwing subtle curveballs at you all over the place. There are songs like Frankie Sinatra, the album's lead single, that feel peculiar and particularly ambitious. But my favourite moments on the project were the groovier tracks like Subway, If I Was A Folkstar and Sunshine. These tracks are idyllic and perfect for a late afternoon walk through in the countryside. I also loved the smattering of hip hop across this project with MC's like Danny Brown, MF Doom and Biz Markie coming through with verses that really give the album a change of pace exactly when it needs it. It is hard to make an album with such a diverse set of influences sound so seamless and organic, but The Avalanches pulled it off superbly with this album. What's more, you can listen to it at any time in any place and I guarantee it will lift your mood noticeably.

2. Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP

TDE are back and they just keep getting better and better. Schoolboy Q is definitely an aquired taste, even amongst hip hop fans, but if you like him then chances are you'll REALLY dig this most recent project. I always saw Schoolboy as the gangster rapper of TDE, and in many ways he is. His previous songs and albums are vivid depictions of his past and even his current lavish lifestyle, his drug habits and his struggles with gang culture. This new album has seen Schoolboy up his production game, employing some of the music industry's most forward thinking names who are really looking to push the genre forward. Like on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, the production on Blank Face is spacious, jazzy and groovy. I always thought Schoolboy would suit tighter production better. Some of my favourite tracks on Oxymoron were the straight up bangers with catchy hooks. I see it a bit differently now. On Blank Face, Schoolboy proves that he can rap over pretty much any beat and can write lyrics that can convey deeper meaning whilst still being just as hard hitting and in your face as he has been before. The mix of soft sensual cuts on the album like Kno Ya Wrong and Overtime blend perfectly with the harder cuts on the record like Groovy Tony, Dope Dealer and Lord Mercy. Tookie Knows II is probably my favourite cut on the record though, with a super catchy beat and some incredible rapping from Schoolboy and his homies, Traffic and T&F. It's an album that's aesthetic is very well formed, but never end up sounding rigid or like its meandering. Schoolboy raps with just as much authority as I've heard from him before, and I'm really glad that he hasn't sacrificed his sound in any way, just brought in producers and features that helped to give the album a more thematic quality. It is clear that Kendrick has raised the stakes in the TDE camp with his last two projects and forced the current stable of rappers to up their games, which can only be a good thing. Quite simply, the production on this album alone is enough to warrant giving it a listen, but if you also like Schoolboy's brash brand of rapping, then you're in for a treat with this one.

3. Nolan The Ninja - He(Art)

I know, I know, it's another rap album. But what can I say, it's my favourite genre at the moment. From one abrasive rapper to another, next we have Nolan The Ninja's album He(Art). This project caught me completely by surprise a few weeks ago after a recommendation from a friend. This shit is hard! If you're looking for a rapper whose just going blow your ear drums out with straight up bars for 16 tracks then this is the album for you. The beats are pretty minimal and mostly boom bap based, which is the perfect foundation for Nolan to showcase his rapping, which is aggressive, fast and angry. He's also a really good lyrical rapper, who won't give you too many stories so to speak, but will spit bars that might cause you throw an imaginary fist pump or two. Sometimes I am not in the mood for hip hop that is trying to preach to me, I just want to hear a dope rapper with a distinct delivery rap his ass off, and that's okay. That is exactly what you'll get with He(Art), but there is probably more to the album if you want to dig a little deeper. To me this is the way rap should be in its purest form, hard hitting and competitive. We have drifted too far from what made the 90's the golden age for hip hop, where for the most part it was all about toppling your rivals and showing off your ability on the mic. There was no sugar coating, the rapping had to speak for itself. In 2016, with the likes of Future and Drake dominating the genre's mainstream, it is always nice to be reminded by an underground artist just why you love this type of music so much. This album will be perfect for those of you who are about to go wild in the gym or want to get yourselves fired up for something. You won't be dissapointed.