Don’t look for ‘Italian Job’; find ‘Nemo’ instead

‘Italian Job’ lacking style and plot

“The Italian Job” begins with the heist of a multimillion-dollar,

gold-bar laden safe from a heavily guarded palazzo in Venice.

After the subsequent and requisite high-speed chase scene -- in

this case, in boats through the canals of Venice -- and after a

double-cross in the Italian Alps by a trusted member of the gang of

thieves, it changes venues and becomes a revenge film in Los Angeles.

Here it will climax in another chase scene, this time in supercharged

and modified Mini Coopers.

The film tries to recreate the feel of the late 1960s and early

‘70s crime caper genre. Like “Ocean’s Eleven,” another caper movie

remake, “Job” is a remake of an earlier film, the ’69 version

starring Michael Caine as Charlie Croaker, the brains behind the

outfit and leader of the crime crew. This time the movie finds

“Markie” Mark Wahlberg in the title role.

As in “Eleven,” there is an able cast of stars in “Job” --

Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green and Jason

Statham. This crew of thieves is an eclectic mix of characters, and

like any crime movie has several with interesting nicknames (e.g.,

Left Ear, Handsome Rob, Wrench, Skinny Pete, etc.).

While the remake of “Eleven” works -- you find substance in the

characters and the style of the original film is clearly evident --

the remake “Job” has neither the style nor surprising or clever plot

twists necessary to receive high praise from me.

Though I have to say I can think of worse ways to spend a couple

hours than looking at Theron, on a scale of “Pay Full Price,”

“Bargain Matinee,” “Wait for Cable” or “TV Movie of the Week,” I give

“The Italian Job”, rated PG-13 for violence and language, a personal

rating of “Wait for Cable.”

* RICHARD BRUNETTE is a Costa Mesa resident.

‘Finding Nemo’ is a rewarding expedition

Sitting in a darkened theater, surrounded by the voices of small,

squirmy children and their rather hassled parents, I wondered if

“Finding Nemo” would have anything in it for me -- an almost-30

single woman with no kids. I mean, we are speaking about Disney here

-- the people who gave us cutesy talking gargoyles in “The Hunchback

of Notre Dame” and annoying talking llamas in “The Emperor’s New

Groove.” Would talking fish be much better?

Then the movie began and made me cry in the first 10 minutes

(think “Bambi”) and I remembered that this was not just a Disney

film. This was Disney and Pixar, a company that brought us “Toy

Story,” “A Bug’s Life” and 2001’s very cute “Monsters Inc.” By the

end of the film, I knew. This movie is absolutely worth the $9

full-price ticket.

Set in the ocean near Australia, “Finding Nemo” is a story of

fathers and sons, of the power of friendship to keep us going and of

the fears parents have for their children.

Marlin (Albert Brooks), an orange and white clownfish, is

overprotective of his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould), who has a “lucky”

fin smaller than the other one. Having lost his wife and other

children, Marlin is afraid to let Nemo out of his sight. It’s a fear

with disastrous consequences, as Nemo, in an effort to prove he is

not his father, swims too close to a boat and is captured by a scuba

diving dentist.

For the rest of the movie, Marlin searches for his only son,

enlisting the help of Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a blue fish with

short-term memory loss who can read. Before the film ends, this duo

tangles with vegetarian sharks, the dangers of the deep, a passel of

sea turtles and even a whale.

Brooks is wonderful as the timid Marlin, who faces his fears as he

swims the sea. He injects just the right balance of dry humor and

despair, carrying the audience along in his frustration and hope.

As Gil, the veteran who tries to help Nemo escape from the

dentist’s fish tank, Willem Dafoe deserves notice. Maybe it’s because

he’s played so many bad guys, or maybe it was just the way Pixar

animated the character, but you never quite knew which side Dafoe’s

Gil was on -- Nemo’s or his own.

The real star of the sea is DeGeneres as Dory. She steals many a

scene with sweet humor and insight. She’s the character and the voice

that stays with you after you’ve left the theater.

The animation is superb, with an amazing attention to detail right

down the difference in water quality between the sea and the fish

tank. Stay until the end of the credits.

For those with small children, you should know that this film has

some really scary moments. Like “Bambi,” it opens with the loss of a

parent. And there are times when bad things happen in ways that tykes

might find frightful.

But overall, “Finding Nemo” is a great family film and a film

about family. Take your dad, their dad and the kids for Father’s Day.

It’s worth not waiting until video or DVD.

“Finding Nemo” is rated G for general admission.

* JENNIFER K MAHAL is the former features editor of the Daily

Pilot.