Finding Nemo

 Released Year: 2003

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Voiced by:

Albert Brooks as Marlin

Ellen DeGeneres as Dory

Alexander Gould as Nemo

Willem Dafoe as Gill

Geoffrey Rush as Nigel

Barry Humphries as Bruce

Eric Bana as Anchor

Bruce Spence as Chum

 Story: 

Two clownfish, Marlin and Coral, admire their new home in the Great Barrier Reef and their clutch of eggs when a barracuda attacks, knocking Marlin unconscious. He wakes up to find that Coral and all but one of the eggs have been eaten by the barracuda. Marlin names this last egg Nemo.

Following his birth, Nemo develops a smaller right fin due to damage to his egg, which limits his swimming ability. Worried about Nemo's safety, Marlin embarrasses Nemo during a school field trip. Nemo sneaks away from the reef and is captured by scuba divers. As the boat departs, a diver accidentally knocks his diving mask overboard. While attempting to save Nemo, Marlin meets Dory, a good-hearted and optimistic regal blue tang with short-term memory loss. Marlin and Dory meet three Australian sharks – Bruce, Anchor and Chum – who claim to be vegetarians. Marlin discovers the diver's mask and notices an address written on it. When he argues with Dory and accidentally gives her a nosebleed, the blood causes Bruce to enter a violent feeding frenzy. The pair escape from Bruce, but the mask falls into a trench in the deep sea.

During a hazardous struggle with an Anglerfish in the trench, Dory sees the diving mask and reads the address located at 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. As Dory finishes reading the address on the mask, Marlin is able to trap the Anglerfish using the eyepiece of the mask. To her own disbelief, Dory is able to remember the address on her own despite her short-term memory loss. The pair swims on, receiving directions to Sydney from a school of moonfish. Marlin and Dory encounter a bloom of jellyfish that nearly kills them. Marlin loses consciousness and wakes up on a sea turtle named Crush, who takes Marlin and Dory on the East Australian Current. Marlin tells the details of his long journey with a group of sea turtles, and his story is spread across the ocean. He also sees how Crush gets along well with his son Squirt.

Meanwhile, Nemo is placed in a fish tank in the office of Phillip Sherman, a dentist. He meets aquarium fish called the Tank Gang, led by Gill, a moorish idol. The fish learn that Nemo is to be given to Sherman's niece, Darla, who previously killed a fish by constantly shaking its bag. Gill then reveals his plan to escape, jamming the tank's filter. The fish would be placed in plastic bags so that Sherman can clean the tank, and then they would roll out the window and into the harbor. Nemo attempts to jam the filter, but fails, almost getting himself killed in the process. Near the harbor, a pelican, Nigel, flies to Sherman's office and brings news of Marlin's adventure. Inspired by his father's determination, Nemo makes a second attempt to jam the filter. Unlike the first attempt, he is able to successfully render the filter useless, but to the tank gang's dismay, Sherman installs a new high-tech filter before they can escape.

After leaving the Current, Marlin and Dory are engulfed by a blue whale. Inside the whale's mouth, Dory communicates with the whale, which carries them to Port Jackson and expels them through his blowhole. They meet Nigel, and after helping the pair escape from a massive flock of Seagulls, he takes them to Sherman's office. Darla has just arrived and the dentist is handing Nemo to her. Nemo plays dead to save himself as Nigel arrives, causing Darla to scream. Upon seeing Nemo, Marlin mistakenly believes he is dead, before Nigel is violently thrown out. In despair, Marlin leaves Dory and begins to swim home. Gill helps Nemo escape into a drain that leads to the ocean. Dory loses her memory and becomes confused, and meets Nemo, who reaches the ocean. Eventually, Dory's memory returns after she reads the word "Sydney" on a drainpipe. She reunites Nemo with Marlin, but she is caught in a fishing net with a school of grouper. Nemo enters the net and orders the group to swim downward to break the net, enabling them to escape. After returning home, Nemo leaves for school, with Crush's son Squirt, and Marlin and Dory proudly watch Mr. Ray carry Nemo and his friends to school.

In a mid-credits sequence, the high-tech filter in Sherman's tank breaks down, and the Tank Gang escape into the harbour. Bloat realizes that they now have to find a way to get out of their plastic bags.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

Wow, I never realize it has been more than 10 years of this cartoon and this is only the second time i rewatch this multiple awards winner movie.This year Finding Dory is out but i didnt have the time to watch it in the cinema :( So before i watch it from any website before end of this year, i need to rewatch this first movie to refresh my memory of the crazy Dory hehe.

The whole storyline is just perfect, the character is damn cute. My favorite one is Peach "the starfish" in the aquarium haha...

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Zack Snyder

Casted by:
Jim Sturgess as Soren
Ryan Kwanten as Kludd
Emily Barclay as Gylfie
Helen Mirren as Nyra
Joel Edgerton as Metal Beak
Hugo Weaving as Noctus and Grimble
Miriam Margolyes as Mrs P
Geoffrey Rush as Ezylryb
Sam Neill as Allomere
Story:

Soren, a fledgling barn owl, lives peacefully in the forest of Tyto with his family; his father, Noctus; his mother, Marella; his older brother, Kludd, his younger sister, Eglantine and Ms. P the family's nest maid. Noctus enjoys telling Soren and Eglantine stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythical group of warrior owls, who once saved all owlkind from the evil "Pure Ones" in a great battle in which the Guardians' leader, Lyze of Kiel, defeated the Pure Ones' leader Metal Beak. Kludd, however, thinks Soren soft-headed for believing in such stories. One night, while branching, a jealous Kludd pushes Soren and loses his balance in the process, and they both fall to the ground below. They are attacked by a Tasmanian devil but are saved and also kidnapped by a pair of Long-Eared Owls named Jatt and Jutt.

They are taken to St. Aegolious, home to the Pure Ones, where Soren meets an elf owl named Gylfie and her captor, a (boreal owl) named Grimble. The two are roughly thrown into a crowd of other kidnapped owlets. Nyra, second-in-command of the Pure Ones and the mate of Metal Beak, claims that the owlets now work for the Pure Ones as slaves. Soren and Gylfie protest, and are sent to be pickers, along with most of the captive owls. Kludd denies his brother, and goes away to be a soldier with other selected owls. They are tutored by Nyra in the ways of the Pure Ones, who believe that Tyto owls (barn owls and their relatives) are the strongest owls and that, because of this, they have the right to rule the owl kingdoms.

The other captured owls are forced to sleep under the full moon. Gylfie informs Soren that this will cause "moon-blinking", a trancelike state in which owls lose all sense of will and individuality. Soren and Gylfie stay awake, which means that they are not moon-blinked. They are brought to a large cavern to pick through owl pellets for small metal flecks. Soren discovers that the flecks en masse cause weakening pain in owls, when he is ordered to deliver a fleck to the bag they are kept in. The full bag is then carried away by a large bat to a gigantic metal container. Metal Beak (Joel Edgerton) and an unknown owl watch from above, making a bargain in which the unknown owl will receive a portion of the owl kingdoms and the Tree in return for laying a trap for the Pure Ones' enemies, the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Grimble secretly takes Soren and Gylfie to his library, where he reveals that he is not truly a Pure One. He also tells the two owlets that his family was captured by the Pure Ones and forced into their service. He teaches Soren and Gylfie to fly, so they can warn the Guardians of the Pure Ones' plans.

Kludd has become a strong soldier, and his promise prompts Nyra to ask him about Soren's similar potential. Hoping to recruit him, the Pure Ones interrupt Grimble's flying lessons. Nyra attacks Grimble, Soren and Gylfie. Kludd joins the fray on Nyra's side, ignoring Soren's pleas. Grimble sacrifices himself to hold them back, and Soren and Gylfie just barely escape to begin their quest. On their journeys, they meet a (burrowing owl) named Digger; a (great gray owl) named Twilight; and Soren's old nestmaid, a (snake) named Mrs. P. They join Soren with the promise of leading him to the Sea of Hoolemere, the location of the Great Tree and the home of the Guardians. Soren and his allies are mobbed by (crows) on the way to the Sea and they nearly lose Twilight's lute, in which Mrs. P is riding. The battle brings them to the shore of the Sea of Hoolemere and the home of an (echidna) mystic. The crows deliberately led them to the meeting so that the Echidna could give them their bearings to the Great Tree. Far out over the ocean the group encounters a fierce hurricane, and Digger falls towards the sea. Soren dives to save him, only to find Digger being rescued by an enormous (snowy owl) with an armored mask - a Guardian of Ga'hoole. The Guardian leads Soren and his friends through the storm to the Great Tree.

Digger's saviors are Boron and Barran, the king and the queen of the Tree. The king and queen, as well as the ranking officers of Ga'hoole, hear Soren's tale. The search-and-rescue squadron leader, a (great gray owl) named Allomere, expresses doubts about Soren's story. But battle-scarred (whiskered screech owl) Ezylryb (Geoffrey Rush) defends Soren. Boron decides to send a scouting party, led by Allomere, to St. Aegolious. Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger begin their training in the different trades of the Tree. During one lesson, Ezylryb takes them out to learn how to "really fly," using a powerful storm to teach the young owls how to use the wind currents instead of fighting them. Soren briefly masters the technique of flying by instinct, only to lose control and to be saved by Ezylryb. After the lesson, Soren converses with Ezylryb in his hollow tree and learns that Ezylryb is, in fact, Lyze of Kiel. Soren is disillusioned with the seemingly heroic stories when he sees his hero's disfigurements and hears that the battle in the stories wasn't as heroic as he thought.

Allomere returns without his scouts. He tells King Boron that they were ambushed; that the scouts were killed; and that he barely managed to return with two moon-blinked owlets. One of the moon-blinked owlets is Eglantine, who was kidnapped by Kludd. Outraged, the Guardians go to war. At the urging of Ezlyryb, Soren reluctantly stays to tend to Eglantine. She soon awakes, but with shocking news: she wasn't rescued, but given to Allomere by Kludd. Allomere is revealed to be a traitor, and Soren and his friends rush to the Guardians' aid. When the Guardians arrive at St. Aegolious, they are drawn into a trap. Allomere peels off at the last moment and the Pure Ones unleash the power of the flecks against the Guardians, leaving the owls helpless on the ground. Soren and his friends arrive minutes too late, just as Metal Beak and Nyra send the bats to finish off the defenseless Guardians. Soren sends Twilight, Digger and Gylfie to hold back the bats. He plunges into the burning forest fire, carrying an oil lamp that becomes engulfed in flames after flying through the fire. The band's arrival causes Metal Beak to distrust Allomere. Believing that he has been betrayed, Metal Beak orders a group of bats to viciously kill Allomere.

Soren plunges into the flecks' magnetic field to drop the flaming oil lamp on the mechanism which holds open the lids over the flecks. The fire spreads across the machine and burns through the ropes. The lids slam down, freeing the Guardians. With his plan disrupted, Metal Beak orders the Pure Ones to fight the Guardians. Ezylryb and Metal Beak square off, as do Soren and Kludd. Their fight leads to them ending up in the burning forest. Soren tries to talk some sense into Kludd, who tells his younger brother that the Pure Ones believed in him when no one else did. He attacks Soren with renewed vigor, sending them both tumbling over a fallen tree and causing Kludd to break a wing. He convinces Soren to save him, only to attempt to pull his younger brother into the flames. Soren dodges the attack, and Kludd falls into the flames instead.

Soren sees that Ezylryb, Metal Beak, and Nyra are engaged in fierce combat. Filled with rage, he snaps off a burning branch and flies off to help Ezylryb. He takes Metal Beak by surprise, arriving in time to save Ezylryb. Metal Beak easily overpowers Soren and throws his branch away. Soren regains his weapon, just as Metal Beak moves in for the kill. Metal Beak impales himself on the branch, and Nyra retreats with the remaining Pure Ones. Soren and his friends return to the Great Tree with the owlets, and Soren is greeted by Eglantine and his parents. Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger are made Guardians of Ga'Hoole. In the epilogue, Soren reveals that Kludd's body was never found and Nyra is still out there with a contingent of Pure Ones. Kludd is then shown to be alive, now with the glowing red eyes of the other Pure Ones. He walks around and stares down at Metal Beak's body and mask, hinting at a sequel with Kludd as the new Metal Beak. After being interrupted by an owlet ,Soren says he doesn't want to give him daymares. Ezylyryb insists on taking flight, so they all fly across the sea.

L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

This is a best animation which i have missed last year in cinema. The movie is great - storyline, graphic, music and the casting.... The owls are so cute... make me feel like i wanna get one for my hse too~ lol.

I believe there will be a sequence of this movie since they are grossing quite well last year. Hope to see it soon :)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Released Year: 2011
Directed by Rob Marshall

Casted by:
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
Penélope Cruz as Angelica
Ian McShane as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach
Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa
Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs
Sam Claflin as Philip Swift
Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as Syrena
Story:

Captain Jack Sparrow travels to London to locate a person who has been impersonating him. The imposter has been recruiting a crew to search for the legendary Fountain of Youth. First Sparrow rescues his former first mate, Joshamee Gibbs, who is about to be hanged, though the two are captured. Jack is brought before King George II, who wants him to guide an expedition to the Fountain of Youth before the Spanish find it. Heading the expedition is Jack's old nemesis, Captain Hector Barbossa, now a privateer in service to the British Navy after having lost Jack's ship, the Black Pearl, as well as his leg.

Jack escapes, and is found by his father, Captain Teague, who warns Jack about the Fountain's tests. Jack's imposter is Angelica, his former lover and daughter of the ruthless pirate Blackbeard, who possesses supernatural powers and practices voodoo magic. Jack is forced to join Blackbeard's crew and to lead them to the Fountain. Meanwhile, Gibbs, who memorized, then destroyed Sparrow's map, barters with Barbossa to lead him and his crew to the Fountain.

Aboard Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack learns that the Fountain's water must be drunk from silver chalices once belonging to Juan Ponce de León, and that one chalice must contain a mermaid's tear. The person drinking from the chalice with the tear will have their life extended, while the one drinking from the other cup will die. Blackbeard intends to use the Fountain's power to circumvent his fated fatal encounter with a one-legged man, and sets a course for Whitecap Bay. There he traps a mermaid that a captive missionary, Philip Swift , later names Syrena. Blackbeard then sends Sparrow to retrieve the chalices from de León's grounded ship. Sparrow arrives finding only Barbossa: the Spanish have already taken the chalices.

Barbossa admits to Jack that his only motive is revenge against Blackbeard for having captured the Black Pearl, forcing Barbossa to amputate his own leg to escape. He and Jack devise a plan to defeat Blackbeard, then steal the chalices from the nearby Spanish camp. Meanwhile, Syrena, who returns Philip's love, is tricked into shedding a tear, which Blackbeard collects, then leaves her to die while forcing Philip to go with him. Sparrow returns with the chalices and Gibbs, who he had reunited with while helping Barbossa. Jack negotiates with Blackbeard to return his confiscated magical compass and to free Gibbs in exchange for the chalices and his leading them to the Fountain. Blackbeard agrees, and Gibbs is freed, departing with Jack's compass.

At the Fountain, Blackbeard and his crew are attacked by Barbossa and also the Spanish, sent by their king to destroy the Fountain, believing its power is an abomination against God. After a lengthy fight, Barbossa stabs Blackbeard with a poison-laced sword, but Angelica is also wounded by it. Barbossa claims Blackbeard's magical sword and leaves with Blackbeard's former crew. Philip, mortally wounded, escapes and returns to free Syrena. After finding the chalices that the Spaniards tossed into deep water, Syrena gives them to Sparrow, then retrieves the dying Phillip, taking him underwater to heal him.

Angelica intends to sacrifice herself for her father, but Sparrow fools them, and Angelica unknowingly drinks from the chalice containing Syrena's tear, thus killing Blackbeard and saving her. Although they declare their love, Jack, knowing she may avenge her father's death, strands her on an island, intending for a passing ship to pick her up. Jack then finds Gibbs, who used Sparrow's compass to locate the Revenge and retrieve all the captured ships that Blackbeard had magically shrunk and bottled, including the Black Pearl. The two head off, hoping to find a way to return the Pearl to its original size.

In a post-credits scene, Angelica, still on the island, finds Blackbeard's voodoo doll of Sparrow, which has washed ashore.

L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

Well, i've always been a fans of this Pirates series but this one is really not as great as the 1st three one. Its a bit too normal as nothing special happen; if the producer thinking of using the mermaids killing scene to win the applause, that will be so wrong.

But the only best thing will be getting Sam Claflin in the show~ he's so damn hot :)

Shine

Released Year: 1996
Directed by Scott Hicks

Casted by:
Geoffrey Rush as David Helfgott
Noah Taylor as Young Teenager David
Armin Mueller-Stahl as Peter
Lynn Redgrave as Gillian
Story:

A man wanders through a heavy rainstorm finding his way into a restaurant. The restaurant's owner tries to determine if he needs help. Despite his manic mode of speech being difficult to understand, she learns that his name is David Helfgott and that he is staying at a local hotel. She returns him to the hotel and despite his attempts to engage her with his musical knowledge and ownership of various musical scores, she leaves.

In a flashback to David's childhood, he is competing in a local music competition. Helfgott has been taught to play by his father, Peter, a man obsessed with winning who has no tolerance for failure or disobedience. David is noticed by Mr. Rosen, a local pianist who, after an initial conflict with Peter, takes over David's musical instruction.

As a teenager, David wins the state musical championship and is invited to study in America. Although plans are made to raise money to send David and his family is initially supportive, Peter eventually forbids David to leave, thinking this will destroy the family. Crushed, David continues to study and befriends local novelist and co-founder of the Communist Party of Australia, Katharine Susannah Prichard. David's talent grows until he is offered a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London, England. David's father again forbids him to go but with the encouragement of Katharine, David leaves and is disowned by his father.

In London, David enters a Concerto competition, choosing to play Rachmaninoff's difficult 3rd Concerto, a piece he had attempted to learn as a young child to make his father proud. As David practises, he increasingly becomes manic in his behaviour. David wins the competition, but suffers a mental breakdown and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where he receives electric shock therapy.

David recovers to the point where he is able to return to Australia, but is still rejected by his father. David relapses and is readmitted to a mental institution as a young man. Years later, a volunteer at the institution recognizes David and knows of his musical talent. She takes him home but discovers that he is difficult to control, unintentionally destructive, and needs more care than she can offer. She leaves him at the hotel from earlier in the film. David has difficulty adjusting to life outside the institution, and often wanders away from the hotel. At this point, the film resumes chronologically with David wandering to the nearby restaurant.

The next day David returns to the restaurant, and the patrons are astounded by his ability to play the piano. One of the owners befriends David and looks after him. In return David plays at the restaurant. Through the owner David is introduced to Gillian. David and Gillian fall in love and marry. With Gillian's help and support, David is able to come to terms with his father's death and to stage a well-received comeback concert presaging his return to professional music.

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

A nice Aussie movie based on the real life of a pianist, David Helfgott. Geoffrey Rush has also won the best actor in the academy awards. This film also have multiple nomination but sadly did not win. Love all the music that they play.

And the scene when Rush cry after he got the applause from the audience, phew~ so damn touching... i can feel the feeling of the real David at that time. it must be so damn touching. Well, it is a nice film, u guys should watch :)