I Really Like Finding Nemo

The other day I was flipping channels and I found Finding Nemo. And I stopped and watched it even though it was about half-way through and I could watch it without commercials and in 4K UHD on Disney+.

And I realized that I really like that movie. In my list of 100 favorite movies, I put it at 30. It's since been demoted to 31 due to Oppenheimer being added to the list at #26. 

Why do I put what is essentially a kids' animated movie from 2003 so high on my list of favorites? Because the computer animation is beautiful and makes you think you're underwater. It's simultaneously funny and touching. The turtles are hilarious (especially Squirt) as are the seagulls but for different reasons. And some jokes are for adults only, including a reference to The Shining. 

Like most of Pixar's early films, the writing and story telling are amazing. Marlin is the nervous and over-protective father who finds his courage. Nemo is the son who learns his father really loves him. And Dori finds friendship and accomplishment.

Sometimes when I'm bored, I'll turn on Finding Nemo on Disney+ just to enjoy it again.

If you haven't seen it (avoiding it as a "kids' movie"?), I strongly recommend you do. It's available for streaming on Disney+. Or it's on cable occasionally. Check it out and find Finding Nemo. You won't be disappointed.

The above photo is being used under Section 107 of the Copyright Act: fair usage.

Manual Transmissions are Going Away

There are times I miss having a manual transmission in one of my cars. I'm at the age where I don't want a stick shift in my daily driver, but it would be fun to have a sporty car with a manual transmission for weekends. I haven't had that since I sold my Corvette years ago. 

When you're rowing your own gears, you're more involved in the vehicle. And it's more challenging to pick the right gear for coming out of a corner, for example. It's fun.

A while back I wrote about the disappearance of manual transmissions. But it's worse than I thought.

On a recent weekend I browsed the internet for used cars. My criteria were they be sporty and have a manual transmission. And I learned something: manual transmissions are rare. Almost every car I looked at has an automatic transmission. I was looking at used Mustangs, Camaros, and C7 Corvettes mostly. I did find one Bullitt Mustang with a manual but they wanted a lot for it (not that I was going to buy it). And some old BMWs (they didn't even have cup holders). I did happen across a 2016 Camaro SS with a manual transmission. I seriously thought about buying it. It being 70 miles away helped me not purchase it. But that was a unique car, it seems.

So I did a little research. According to this article, only 2.4% of new cars are sold with a manual transmission as of 2020. Even high-end sports cars such as Lamborghini and Ferrari don't have manuals even as an option. And the latest iteration of the Corvette, the C8, isn't available with a manual.

According to this article, only 18% of Americans can drive a stick shift. That amazes me.

Of course, with electric cars, there's no transmission at all. Toyota has made an EV with a fake manual. But that's more of a novelty than a real manual transmission.

Maybe I'd better buy a car with a manual transmission while I still can.

Anora

Last weekend I watched three movies: The Hunt for Red October, The Untouchables, and Anora, which was quite a contrast to the other two movies. The Hunt for Red October is #30 on my top 100 movies and The Untouchables is #56. So obviously, I like them. Then I decided to watch Anora.

SPOILER ALERT: I'm going to give away some of the plot of Anora.

Anora won the Best Picture Oscar so I was curious to see it. Having watched it, I'm not sure why it won although there were some fine performances by the actors.

The story is about a Russian oligarch's son marrying a stripper/prostitute (Anora) and his parents' reaction to that. 

There is a lot of yelling and screaming and F-bombs. According to the Internet Movie Database, there are 479 F-words. In a 139 minutes movie, that's 3.44 F-words per minute. There is also a lot of graphic nudity and a little violence but nothing gory. 

I didn't get it. Why did this movie win Best Picture? The acting was good but the story was just shallow: boy meets stripper, boy marries stripper, parents freak out. The one interesting thing was the cocky way the son acted before his parents arrived from Russia and then how he became timid and meek with his mother (who was obviously in charge of the marriage).

Have you seen Anora? What did you think? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments below.

The above photo is being used under Section 107 of the Copyright Act: fair usage.