By Désirée I. Guzzetta

FINDING NEMO (2003)
A Pixar Animation Studios production/released by Walt Disney Pictures

Finding Nemo is another triumph for Pixar. It's a wonderfully animated, entertaining film for both kids and adults. In fact, it's so entertaining that this Lazy Critic unlazied herself to go see it a second time (and she'd have seen it again and again if only her friends had had more children). The look of the film is marvelous; the shots of Sydney appear positively photographic, for example. Also, the story of a father's search for his missing son is told in a humorous and heart-warming way without being cloying -- requisite Disney parental trauma notwithstanding, of course! Ellen DeGeneres turns in a flawless characterization as the forgetful and crazy fish Dory, who helps the father fish, Marlin (Albert Brooks, turning in an understated performance that works perfectly), in his quest for his son, Nemo. Stand-outs among the great secondary characters are the surfer dude turtles and Nemo's aquarium mates -- I'll let you find out how he winds up in an aquarium yourself -- as well as Bruce, the vegetarian-aspiring shark. By the way, Bruce is the name given to the mechanical great whites in the film, Jaws. Coincidence or intentional reference? You tell this Lazy Critic! Seriously, as this LC is too lazy to try and find it online. Or in the library. Or wherever one goes for information such as that. And, the end credits of the film prove yet again that being too lazy to leave your seat at the same time everyone else does pays off, as they're hilarious! Two fins up for Nemo!

Director: Andrew Stanton; Co-director: Lee Unkrich
Starring the voices of: Albert Brooks (Marlin), Ellen DeGeneres (Dory), Alexander Gould (Nemo), Barry Humphries (Bruce), Geoffrey Rush (Nigel), Willem Dafoe (Gill), and Andrew Stanton (Crush)
Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes
Rated: G
For lots of Nemo fun, check out: disney.go.com/disneypictures/findingnemo/

TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (2003)
Mario F. Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna present an Intermedia/IMP production, in association with C2 Pictures and Mostow/Lieberman Productions

The machines will rise, and boy, are we in trouble! T3 is a solid installment in the Terminator movie series about the future coming back to haunt the past. Being a bit of an Ah-nuld aficionado, this LC was quite pleased to see the old guy fit and ready to kick butt with his deadpan humor intact. The story this time is essentially the same as the first two: one extended chase scene involving a sophisticated robot from the future coming to wipe out its human nemesis before said nemesis matures and brings about the downfall of the murderous machines what created said robot. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the T-101, and as in the second film of the series, he's back to protect John Connor (Nick Stahl, taking over for the apparently -- and sadly -- unemployable Edward Furlong) from an even more sophisticated killerbot, the icy T-X (Kristanna Loken, looking menacing enough, but without as much personality as Robert Patrick's T-1000 in the previous film). Unfortunately, Linda Hamilton chose not to reprise her role as Sarah Connor, but this LC got over it once the actiony stuff kicked in hard.

Although T3 isn't as substantial thematically as its predecessor, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, it brings the action, the funny, and the grim in the right doses at the right times thanks to the efficient pacing of director Jonathon Mostow, who keeps the level of excitement high throughout. Plus, it's always appreciated when a director has the guts to refuse the typical Hollywood ending. Even so, the ending leaves the door blown wide open for another sequel. If they're serious about making a fourth Terminator, though, they'd better hurry up because Arnold's not getting any younger. Dealing with a James Cameron-less Terminator flick turned out fine, but one without Arnold? This LC's butt won't budge an inch toward a theater for that.

Director: Jonathon Mostow
Screenplay: John Brancato and Michael Ferris, based on a story by John Brancato, Michael Ferris and Tedi Sarafian
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator), Claire Danes (Kate Brewster), Nick Stahl (John Conner), Kristanna Loken (T-X)
Running time: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Rated: R
Want to give your computer a chance to play with some other smart machines? Then head over to: www.terminator3.com

28 DAYS LATER (2003)
Fox Searchlight Pictures with DNA Films and the Film Council

28 Days Later is that rare commodity in horror films these days, a thought-provoking piece about violence, fear, and human nature. Oh, and the revved-up zombies are pretty cool, too. It all starts when some animal activists free a lab full of chimps from a cold, impersonal research facility in England. Except these particular chimps carry a virus called "Rage" which rapidly spreads, leaving few survivors but dozens of "Infected." When our protagonist, Jim (Cillian Murphy), comes out of his coma in the title time, he awakens to an eerily deserted London, the shots of which are simply amazing. In short order, he discovers a church full of Infected and is saved by a couple of survivors, including the hardened Selena (Naomie Harris, who kicks ass for most of the film). They eventually hook up with Frank (Brendan Gleeson, the heart of the movie) and his young daughter, Hannah (Megan Burns), and this new nuclear family travels across the countryside avoiding Infected while searching for the source of a radio broadcast promising a cure and safety. Naturally, as the promisers are military, things quickly devolve into excessive violence (director Danny Boyle actually had a different ending filmed, which this LC has not yet seen but has heard is superior to the one originally released). Not that this LC is complaining, mind you, as occasionally, we all need to root for souped-up zombies who vomit geysers of blood to take out the real bad guys, i.e., those who think women exist solely as sex objects. Also, these are not your daddy's lumbering dead: these zombies zoom about, high on anger, giving them an extra scare factor. Boyle's editing style makes for quick cuts that suggest more violence than they show, which is especially good when you're not really feeling like watching Infected get hacked to bits in loving detail. By that same token, though, the fast editing sometimes makes it hard to tell what's going on, as does the decision to shoot on a digital camera, which occasionally makes for a less clear picture. Still, 28 Days Later is worth seeing in a theater -- and again on DVD or cable.

Director: Danny Doyle
Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Starring: Cillian Murphy (Jim), Naomie Harris (Selena), Christopher Eccleston (Maj. Henry West), Brendan Gleeson (Frank), Megan Burns (Hannah)
Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
Rated: R
Learn more about the film here: 28dayslater.com

THE MATRIX: RELOADED (2003)
Warner Bros.

For about the first hour of The Matrix: Reloaded, this Lazy Critic was wishing she'd listened to her friends who told her to wait for the DVD release. However, the remaining portion of the film was so exhilirating that it made the first part forgivable. Heavy CGI effects such as the ones used in The Matrix series do need to be seen on the big screen at least once, too. Reloaded continues the saga of Neo (Keanu Reeves), the is-he-or-isn't-he-Chosen protagonist of the first feature. The super-cool Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) and super-leader Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) are also back, as is the super-evil Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and the super-seer Oracle (the late Gloria Foster). The plot advances, the special effects...don't quite go beyond the first film, but the stunts remain ultra-eye-popping and the 14-minute highway chase is breathtaking. The theory behind the plot isn't as much fun to decode as in the first, but the information overload courtesy of The Architect character was pleasingly baffling. Also unlike the first film, which this LC managed to see five times in its first two weeks and would have seen more if not for that pesky day job, this installment didn't movitate the unlazy gene to get the rest of the body in gear and out the door for repeat viewings. The Matrix: Reloaded did, however, make this LC glad to have seen it at the cinema and look forward to its DVD release, what with the DVD format's amazing ability to skip certain chapters and go straight to the good stuff.

Writers/Directors: Larry and Andy Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves (Neo), Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity), Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus), Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith)
Running time: 2 hours, 18 minutes
Rated: R
All things Matrix-y here: whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com

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