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Thursday, June 23, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ARTS

TV REVIEW

‘Finding Dory’ a 
swimming hit

By ANA LUCENA

Daily Arts Writer

Watching “Finding Dory” was an 

early sign that I’m getting old at the 
oh-so mature age of 19. However, the 
fact that it cap-
tured my imagi-
nation 13 years 
after 
watching 

the original is 
a testament to 
how strong and 
enduring Pixar’s 
brand and sto-
rytelling is. The 
audience had a 
wide 
array 
of 

ages in attendance. There were both 
parents and people my age who 
surely watched the predecessor 
“Finding Nemo” back in 2003, and 
young children who were first expe-
riencing the franchise in theaters 
around the same age I did. To avoid 
beating around the bush, “Dory” 
does not go above and beyond the 
originality of “Finding Nemo.” But 
truth be told, it’s a very high bar 
to set, and a bar that “Dory” man-
ages to at least meet, if not exceed — 
something that can’t be said by most 
animated movies.

The film’s standard is largely due 

in part to Dory’s (Ellen DeGeneres, 
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show”) irre-
sistable charm. She stole the show in 
“Finding Nemo” as wonderful comic 
to Marlin’s (Albert Brooks, “Drive”) 
straight-man protagonist. With this 
film, it’s finally her story that’s being 
told. Dory has short-term memory 
loss (which she will not let you for-
get), and has become fed up with her 
condition. She begins to remember 
her two wonderful parents, Char-
lie (Eugene Levy, “American Pie”) 
and Jenny (Diane Keaton, “Annie 
Hall”). Although there is no thor-
ough explanation as to what trig-
gers these memories, DeGeneres’s 
voice acting is so sweet and sincere 
that one can’t help but feel for her 
frustration. Dory has flashbacks of 
her life at the Marine Life Institute 
in Morro Bay, a very specific loca-
tion in California where sea animals 
are rehabilitated and released back 
into the wild. The plot quickly takes 
the form of “Finding Nemo,” as our 
favorite animated fish (sorry, “Shark 
Tale”) must once again go on a jour-
ney of epic proportions to reunite 

lost family members. Her new “fam-
ily” of Marlin and Nemo himself 
(newcomer Hayden Rolence) are 
here for the adventure too, bring-
ing back what made the original 
movie compelling, while treading 
on familiar territory.

Rest assured, enough new ideas 

are injected into the plot to keep 
“Finding Dory” fun and origi-
nal. The sea creatures that Dory 
and gang meet along the way are 
delightful, played skillfully by some 
of the hottest comedic actors in 
show business. Among these char-
acters is Hank (Ed O’Neill, “Modern 
Family”), a chameleon-like octopus 
who craves the stable life of captiv-
ity and accompanies Dory on her 
quest. Though he ends up serving 
much of the same role that Marlin 
did in the first film, he’s entertain-
ing all the same.

The animation is beautiful, an 

area in which “Dory” manages to 
surpass its predecessor successful-
ly. I remembered several trips I’ve 
made to aquariums while watch-
ing the film, largely because of the 
lush and alive computer-generated 
sea in “Finding Dory.” After watch-
ing the film, I realized the immer-
sion I experienced, thanks to the 
gorgeous graphics, is a big part of 
why I enjoyed the original “Finding 
Nemo.” But while other animated 
movie companies may be satisfied 
at solely achieving Pixar’s surface-
level mastery, its writing is what 
manages to set Pixar apart from its 
competition.

Dory is truly a character to root 

for, though her supporting cast 
falls by the wayside at times. A lot 
of action is crammed into the film, 
making it a wild ride to follow. But 
there is a lovely message at its core 
that ties it all together: your fam-
ily will always be with you in your 
heart.

Don’t watch this movie if you 

haven’t seen “Finding Nemo.” The 
appeal Dory’s short-term memory 
loss had in the last film when it was 
used as comic relief might be lost on 
an uninitiated viewer, as “Finding 
Dory” respectfully treats it much 
more seriously as a mental impair-
ment. That being said, the endearing 
family connections portrayed with-
in the film make it a satisfying addi-
tion to Disney’s canon, and a worthy 
sequel to “Finding Nemo.”

‘Black’ is back in deep, 
well-crafted fourth run 

Drama’s latest season 

tackles complex 
themes and ideas

By SAM ROSENBERG

Daily Arts Writer

When “Orange is the New 

Black” debuted on Netflix in 
the summer of 2013, the main 
 

narrative 
focused 
on 

the journey of 
Piper Chapman 
(Taylor 
Schilling, “The 
Lucky 
One”), 

a 
privileged 

white woman 
who adapts and 
tries to survive 
a 
15-month 

sentence 
in 
Litchfield 
Penitentiary, 
a 

minimum-security 
women’s 

prison. However, since then, the 
series has gradually broadened 
from a raunchy prison dramedy 
into 
something 
much 
more 

humanistic. 
Throughout 
each 

season, 
we’ve 
learned 
about 

almost all the individual prisoners 
via flashback sequences, giving 
us their backstories that are as 
engrossing as they are tragic. 
By humanizing these women as 
victims of circumstance rather 
than simple criminals, “OITNB” 
brings a nuanced perspective to 
the criminal justice system, which 
continues to be showcased in its 
fantastic fourth season. 

While season four can feel 

overstuffed at times, it stands out 
against the previous seasons of 
“OITNB” by diving deeper into 
the lives of its characters and how 
they have developed over their 
time in Litchfield.

Reeling in from last season’s 

glorious finale, the season four 
premiere, 
“Work 
That 
Body 

For Me,” is a stunning return to 
form, as every facet of the show’s 
storytelling 
— 
the 
character 

work, the dialogue, the drama 
and the humor — comes into 
full throttle. After the Litchfield 
inmates bask in some fleeting 
moments of freedom in the nearby 
lake, they’re quickly rounded 

up back to the prison, where the 
aftermath of their euphoria is 
met with overwhelming terror. 
New arrivals are brought to 
Litchfield, causing a lack of 
resources, 
commotion 
and 

overcrowding. Included in the 
throng of new inmates are two 
of season four’s most interesting 
new personalities: Judy King 
(Blair Brown, “Fringe”), a TV 
personality 
cook, 
and 
Alison 

Abdullah 
(newcomer 
Amanda 

Stephen), a Muslim woman who 
becomes the roommate of recent 
Jewish 
convert 
Black 
Cindy 

(Adrienne C. Moore, “30 Rock”). 
Both Brown and Stephen play 
their 
characters 
marvelously, 

with the former evoking a sinister 
mix of Paula Deen and Martha 
Stewart and the latter generating 
an engaging, refreshing presence 
within Litchfield.

With these new introductions, 

the 
burgeoning 
racial 
and 

socioeconomic 
class 
divides 

among the Litchfield prisoners are 
also highlighted and subsequently 
provide 
a 
sharp 
social 

commentary. 
Racial 
dynamics 

have always played a large role 
in 
“OITNB,” 
considering 
its 

large cast of Latina, Black, and 
Asian characters. But a bitter 
semi-race war between Piper 
and the Latina prisoners, led by 
Maria Ruiz (Jessica Pimentel, 
“Person of Interest”), and a petty, 
mean-spirited quarrel between 
Alison and Black Cindy prompts 
a thought-provoking discussion 
about how the grittiness of 
prison life can reflect the world 
around us. Particularly gripping 
is the show’s handling of racist 
beliefs, which attribute to the 
relationships between the horrible 
security guards and the Litchfield 
inmates. 
The 
prisoners 
are 

already treated terribly with the 
conditions they’re living in, but 
with the addition of Litchfield’s 
racist and misogynistic head 
guard Piscatella (Brad William 
Henke, “Fury”), things get very 
ugly. 

Even with large improvements 

on plot and character development, 
the fourth season still struggles 
with some flaws, one being that 
the flashback sequences aren’t as 
emotionally potent as the ones 
from seasons before. The season 
somewhat glosses over some of 
its more compelling characters, 
Sophia Burset (Laverne Cox, 
“Grandma”) and Nicky Nichols 
(Natasha Lyonne, “Portlandia”), 
who are demoted to recurring 
roles, most likely due to other 
commitments 
— 
Alex 
(Laura 

Prepon, “That ‘70s Show”) had 
a similar situation in the show’s 
second season. Regardless, the 
fourth season keeps on pushing 
boundaries with its absorbing 
storytelling and provocative plots.

At this point, “OITNB” has 

cemented its place as one of the 
most complex, well-crafted and 
entertaining television shows of 
the 2010s — and season 4 is its 
highest point. With its diverse 
array of characters — women 
of color, women with mental 
illness and women who are on the 
LGBTQ spectrum — the series is a 
defining example of how modern 
television shows should represent 
people who aren’t normally seen 
on TV. Yes, there’s still plenty 
of 
sex, 
drugs, 
violence 
and 

cursing. But the newest season of 
“OITNB” has demonstrated the 
show is less about one woman 
struggling against the harshness 
of imprisonment and more of 
a microcosm of our imperfect, 
messy cesspool of a society. 

A-

Orange is the 
New Black

Season 4 
Premiere

Netflix

NETFLIX

Did you know that jet fuel can’t melt steel beams?

FILM REVIEW

A

Finding 
Dory

Walt Disney 
Pictures

Rave & Quality 16

