Finding Dory Director: Andrew Stanton
Screenwriter: Andrew Stanton and Victoria Strouse
Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Kaitlin Olsen, and Ed O’Neill
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Rated PG | 103 Minutes
Release Date: June 17th, 2016
Sequels are no longer a rarity over at Pixar. While most of their films do not necessarily warrant one, they have proven that they do not make sequels just to cash in. It’s through years (approximately four) of research and perfecting the script that they can give us something that is more than satisfying than we could ever expect. So imagine our surprise when it was announced that Pixar would be following up Finding Nemo, 13 years later no less, with Finding Dory, a heartwarming and touching film that has a truly powerful message.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Turturro, Patrick Dempsey, Peter Cullen, Hugo Weaving, Leonard Nimoy
Release Date: June 29, 2011
Say what you will about Michael Bay, the man is not a fan of subtlety. It’s pretty well established that, if he could make money doing it, he would release a movie that is just pyrotechnics followed by credits. The third movie in Bay’s Transformers film trilogy actually comes pretty close to that, but surprisingly, it’s still better than the movie that proceeded it. While that doesn’t make Transformers: Dark of the Moon a great movie, it certainly hits the mark it is aiming for.
Perhaps learning from the mistakes he made with Revenge of the Fallen, Bay severely cut down the exposition, leaving an overwhelming majority of the two and half hour film to be filled with mindless action sequences. When the first Transformers film came out, some people were disappointed that there wasn’t more fighting between the giant CGI robots. This time around, it’s unlikely anyone will say the same, as the entire last hour of the film is dedicated to one long battle.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Directed by Michael Apted
Starring Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley
Fox 2000 Pictures and Walden Media
Release Date: December 10, 2010
With the holidays quickly approaching, what better way to spend a night with the family than by going out and catching a movie. This weekend marks for right now, the final release in the Narnia series with The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Out of these three movies, the second one is the only one without a December release date. I have never read the books, but I have always been fascinated with the concept of these tales of faraway lands filled with both mythical and mystical creatures, and the variety of everything else as well. It makes me wonder the differences between the books and the movies. (Maybe one day I will get around to reading them, there is seven total).
This movie begins with us seeing Britain enlisting men for World War II, and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) wanting to enlist. His younger sister Lucy (Georgie Henley) finds him and gets him out of there so they can head home.
The Ghost Writer Directed by Roman Polanski
Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall
PG-13
Release date: February 19, 2010
“I’ve been having this nightmare. A real swinger of a nightmare, too.”
— Major Bennett Marco from The Manchurian Candidate
“Have you ever heard the expression “Let sleeping dogs lie”? Sometimes you’re better off not knowing.”
— Jake Gittes from Chinatown
“Sorry, I’ve just got one question: Whose map is Britain using when it completely ignores the United Nations and decides to invade Iraq? Or do you think it’s more diplomatic to bend the will of a superpower and politely take part in Vietnam the Sequel?”
— Tessa Quayle from The Constant Gardner
The Ghost Writer: Prisoner Of Convictions
The consequences of our transgressions are the stains that cannot be cleansed away. The past is the vessel that we cherish and regret with equal measure. Art can be the ultimate catharsis when dealing with the past or attempting to get through the present depending on what one’s situation is. Imagine what life would be like if we could write are our memoirs with the aid of a ghost writer who believes everything we say. Unfortunately, what would happen if the ghost writer goes to check all the information you provide? Your life would take on different meaning — more honesty might expose you to disgrace or more ridicule.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press