‘Nemo’ most moving film of the year

If anyone ever wants to know what makes a great film, they should

look no further than Pixar Animation for an answer. With the two “Toy

Story” films, “A Bug’s Life” and last year’s “Monster, Inc.,” it has

set the standard in sophisticated storytelling that appeals two very

different audiences: It’s imagination and heart appeal to the kids,

it’s emotional sophistication and wry humor appeals to adults.

Although he seems to have forgotten himself, George Lucas once

said “special effects without story is really a very boring thing.”

Pixar is living proof of this adage. It may push the envelope with

the digital computer technology, but it’s always in service of the

story and ensuring it attains maximum emotional impact. The company

has been known to scrap stories that don’t work, start over from

scratch and work it over tirelessly until its been beaten it into

submission and surfaced as another winner.

I’m happy to report Pixar’s batting average remains at .1000 with

the release of “Finding Nemo,” the story of an overprotective father

who must conquer his fear of the dangerous unknown when he must

rescue his missing son, Nemo, after the child is captured and

imprisoned in a dental office. Sound traumatic? Then maybe I should

mention that all the characters are exotic fish living on the

Australian Barrier Reef by Sydney. You see, the dentist captured Nemo

while scuba diving and is keeping him in his exotic fish tank at the

office so he can surprise his obnoxious niece Darla at the end of the

week. This means Marlin has only a few short days to rescue Nemo with

the help of his new, free-spirited friend Doddi, who inconveniently

suffers from short term memory loss and can’t seem to remember where

she was five minutes ago.

The visual flair of this movie is impressive. Color is splattered

all over the screen. Each character is defined by an appearance that

perfectly matches their eccentric personalities. The voice-work is

outstanding, and includes a cast of pros in all the central roles,

including Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres as Marlin and Doddi.

Part of the fun of viewing a Pixar film is trying to catch all the

inside jokes: some of the more hysterical scenes involve a trio of

sharks that are in a 12-step recovery program for repentant fish

eaters, and are working hard to learn that “fish are friends, not

food” so they can improve their image as “mindless carnivores.”

Scenes like this are perfect examples of how “Finding Nemo” appeals

to both adults and children, who take away very different reactions

to the same scene, but are entertained nonetheless. Plus, if you

really know your film history, you’ll notice the name of the lead

shark is Bruce, which was the name of the mechanical shark in Steven

Spielberg’s “Jaws” that broke down so many times he was forced to

shoot around it, a fortuitous turn of events that brought the film’s

suspense level to unforgettable heights.

Writer/Director Andrew Stanton has fashioned an inspiring

achievement with “Finding Nemo,” something you could take for granted

if you neglected to consider the half-baked nature of many of the

movies we slap down $10 a pop for these days. The Pixar talent pool

seems to genuinely care about their work, and I think it’s telling

that the most moving film I’ve seen this year was about digitally

animated fish. When you say it like that, it sounds almost silly, but

when you add heart, you can’t help but be dazzled and awed.

* ALLEN MacDONALD, 29, is working toward his master’s in

screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

‘In-Laws’ a fast-paced laugh

What do James Bond and a podiatrist with generalized anxiety

disorders have in common? Their kids are getting married to each

other. That sums up the story of “The In-Laws,” a remake of a 1979

screwball comedy that contrasts how families merge when a couple gets

married against the cloak and dagger world of fighting global

terrorism. Are these two situations really that different?

Michael Douglas stars as a deep cover CIA agent who lives the life

of an action hero. Albert Brooks co-stars as a foot doctor whose fear

of flying is so intense that he occasionally has panic episodes

watching airline commercials on television. Douglas’s slick exterior

provides the perfect contrast to Brooks’ angst vulnerability. Riding

an elevator to the top floor of Chicago’s Hancock Building overwhelms

Brooks. Stealing Barbara Streisand’s private jet is no big deal for

Douglas.

Part of the problem with knowing an international spy on a social

level is that it’s difficult for people chasing the spy to know

you’re just a regular guy. Brooks is hilarious as he innocently

bumbles through situation after situation wondering why people are

pointing guns at him. The only thing that keeps him from being

completely disabled by panic attacks is his overwhelming anger with

Douglas. Brooks keeps hoping that his world will return to normal if

he can just get Douglas out of his life. Unfortunately Brook’s

daughter is in love with Douglas’s son, so there’s no escaping

Douglas or the people chasing him.

Ryan Reynolds and Lindsay Sloane play the bride and groom.

Reynolds didn’t impress me as the title character in the movie “Van

Wilder,” and doesn’t do a whole lot for me in this movie either. He’s

basically hitching a ride on the performances of the actors around

him and should thank his agent for finally getting him in a movie

with a strong cast.

Sloane must have been coached to impersonate Sarah Jessica Parker.

She does it so well I was waiting for Kim Catrall and the rest of the

“Sex In The City,” crew to show up as her bridesmaids. Despite the

fact that the producers blatantly try to clone Sloane into Parker,

she’s entertaining as a woman who feels like she’s the prisoner of

her parent’s wedding fantasy.

The cast is rounded out with Candice Bergan as Douglas’s ex-wife.

The wedding reception’s seating chart specifies that the two of them

must be on opposite sides of the room, out of shouting distance from

one another, and facing opposite directions so they can’t see each

other. Bergan seems to be playing a lot of these kinds of characters

lately, but she does them so well that producers know she’ll deliver

exactly what they want.

“The In-Laws” is the kind of movie that’s fun to see in a theater

because it’s fun to be in a room full of so much laughter. It’s

fast-paced with twists and turns that kept me laughing out loud.

There are musical jokes in the soundtrack, like Ella Fitzgerald’s

version of “Sunshine of Your Love,” and Paul McCartney’s famous Bond

theme, “Live and Let Die,” that make it virtually impossible for this

movie to have a serious moment.

I would have never guessed that pairing Douglas and Brooks would

work so well. They have great chemistry and the way they feed off of

each other makes them funnier together than they are separately. With

any luck, we’ll get to see Douglas and Brooks paired up again in

movies to come.

* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.

‘Beckham’ scores with storyline

Jessica dreams of playing professional soccer. She’s either

playing soccer in the park, practicing her kicking in the backyard at

home or talking about the game to a cutout poster of England’s No. 1

soccer player, Beckham. Jessica’s desire to play, however, is blocked

by her parents desire to see her get a college education before

getting married. It’s what all good Indian girls do, even when they

are born and raised in England, like Jess.

When Jessica gets accepted to play on a female soccer team to play

in the local league, she keeps it a secret from her family. If

Jessica wants to really live her dream and play professional soccer,

however, she has to decide whether to continue deceiving her parents

or work out the situation with them peacefully.

“Bend It Like Beckham” has been playing in a handful of theaters

in Orange County for weeks for a reason. Although centered around

soccer, “Bend It Like Beckham” is really a coming of age story that

everyone watching the film has or will experience. There comes that

point in everyone’s life when you either stand up for want you want

or back down and live the rest of your life with regret over what

might have been. “Bend It Like Beckham” scores big with it’s

storyline, interesting characters and it’s ability to entertain both

teenagers and parents at the same time.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 39, produces commercial videos and

documentaries.