Movie Review- Zootopia

 Disney + Animals =  things I love =  I was very excited to see Zootopia. Dan and I went to a matinee showing for Zootopia at the AMC Prime in Century City.

A non- Zootopia related note: the Century City AMC is one of our favorite theaters, but the mall is undergoing a major reconstruction. I mean MAJOR- about 2/3rds of the mall is completely gone. Parking is nearly impossible. If you live in LA and haven't been to Westfield Century City recently, you might want to avoid it until late 2016, when the first phases of the construction are projected to be finished. I think it's going to be amazing when it's done, but for the moment, the whole area is a disaster. We ate lunch at Rocksugar (excellent food) and as we sat on the patio, we were serenaded by construction noise. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

PLOT - Zootopia imagines a world where animals, both prey and predators, live in harmony. Although this is the ideal vision; prejudice, fear, and misunderstanding are still a problem. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) has a dream to be the first bunny on the police force. Despite her small size and the perception that rabbits are dumb, Judy doesn't lose sight of her dream and succeeds. She is given an assignment in Zootopia, a metropolis very different from the countryside where she was raised. Judy heads to Zootopia, with an idealistic dream of promoting justice and harmony, but she soon learns that life is very complicated. 

LIKE- I was fairly certain that I would like Zootopia, but I was unprepared for how much I would love this film. For me, it always boils down to storytelling. Zootopia has all of the elements that make a great story- unforgettable characters, a plot that is both exciting and unpredictable, and great dialogue. Zootopia is often hilarious, but it also handles difficult subjects with sensitivity. Having trouble taking to your kids about discrimination, bullying, and prejudice? See Zootopia and it will open up a dialogue. Zootopia is a mirror for our own society and it's very timely. Dan and I walked out of Zootopia gushing about all of the parts that we loved. Even though they show the DMV sloth scene in the trailer, it was still just as funny to see it again. I don't think that DMV Sloth's will ever grow old. 

DISLIKE- Nothing at all.

RECOMMEND- Yes!!!! Zootopia has shot to the top of my list of favorite Disney movies, it's that good. It's creative, funny, and has a strong message. Plus, it has the voice of Jason Bateman. You can't go wrong with Bateman!

Movie Review- The Gift

Early reviews of The Gift, have generally been very favorable, promising unexpected plot twists. I'm always a bit cautious with the promise of plot twists, but I love it, when they are pulled off, so with this, we spent Sunday evening at the Century City AMC.

PLOT - Married couple, Simon and Robyn have recently moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. In Chicago, they found their dreams of starting a family put on hold when Robyn suffered a miscarriage, leading to her depression and pill abuse. Simon has a new job and they are hoping that the change in locale will give them a fresh start. They didn't bank on Simon running into an old high school acquaintance, Gordo. Gordo begins showing up at Robyn and Simon's house uninvited and leaving them presents. Gordo's behavior is unsettling and Simon tells him to back off, but the result makes Robyn suspicious of her husband's past. What transpired between Gordo and Simon? Is Simon hiding a dark secret?

LIKE- Indeed, The Gift did have some very unexpected twists. It's actually a fairly subtle film that steadily builds the suspense, which works well for the ultimate theme, which I won't spoil here. Without spoiling, I do want to say that I really appreciated that this wasn't simply a suspense movie, with a crazy antagonist. It's a richly layered morality tale of actions and consequences. 

 Joel Edgerton, who plays Gordo, also wrote and directed The Gift. Kudos to Edgerton. He was perfect for the role, but he also crafted a clever and smart story. Rebecca Hall ( Robyn) was well-cast as a suffering wife who struggles with following her gut. It crushed me to see Jason Bateman (Simon), so good at playing a really rotten person. I need to watch some Arrested Development to get my positive vibe towards Bateman back.

DISLIKE- This is probably a positive as far as the film is concerned, but I didn't like that the movie "got me" several times with moments that made me jump in my seat. I usually can anticipate the jump moments, but The Gift, got me. 

RECOMMEND- Yes. The Gift is a strong story with fantastic acting. However, this is not a typical suspense movie and it's certainly not horror, which seems to be the way that it has been pitched. It's a thriller with a heavy dose of social commentary. I left the theatre feeling like I was carrying around a big stone and it has stuck with me. It's heavy.

Movie Review- Divergent

As much as I love reading, Veronica Roth's series didn't appeal to me. I skipped the books, but the film adaptation of Divergent has just about everything that I would expect from a teen- centric, dystopian-future drama.

1. Plucky Heroine.

2. Corny Love Story.

3. Kids saving the day.  

Dan and I went to see it last night in Century City, after much debate over which movie to see. It wasn't necessarily our first choice, but the timing was good.

Dan hated it.

I thought that it was okay and fairly entertaining. As it met my expectations, I'm not too critical.  Although the story tries to impart lofty messages regarding fighting for what's right and believing in who you are, this movie isn't too deep. Dystopian futures is a genre that I tend to like, so I was willing to go along for the ride.

Divergent is set in a futuristic Chicago, years after a catastrophic war. The city has been sealed to protect its citizens and the inhabitants are broken up into five groups based on their sensibilities. As soon as they reach adulthood, teenagers are tested to see which group they belong to and despite the pressure to stay within their test results and currently family units, they are free to choose any group, if they feel it is where they truly belong. It's this illusion of free-will and the pressure to pick the right group, that keeps people buying in to the system. 

Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) lives with her family in Abnegation, the group dedicated to selflessness and serving others. When it comes time to be tested, she does not fall into a category and is declared Divergent. The administer of her test tells her to hide her results, as it will get her killed. Divergents do not like to follow the system and are deemed dangerous for making their own, unpredictable choices. At the choosing ceremony, Beatrice decides to go with the Dauntless, a group that are the protectors/warriors of the city. 

There had to be a lot of information that was in the book, but cut from the film, as certain things were glossed over. The various groups are only explained in the most simplistic, stereotyped ways. Kate Winslet's character as an evil leader in the Erudite group is never fully developed. You know that she is the bad guy from the start, but her motives are only explained in the most basic way and there is no build to explain the root of her drive. She just seems extreme and hell-bent. No clue regarding what happened with the war or how long ago it occurred. A little more information and shorter fight sequences, would have made a tighter adaptation.

 Shailene Woodley is what makes this film watchable. Just as Jennifer Lawrence made a perfect Katniss, Woodley is a good fit for Beatrice. She brings emotion and heart to the role. She's incredibly likable and I was rooting for her to make it. Although the romance storyline is extremely corny, Woodley and Theo James, who plays Beatrice's love interest, Four, have a ton of onscreen chemistry. 

Visually, the movie is stunning, with a creative imagining of a futuristic Chicago and creepy dream sequences. There is plenty of action and some very brutal fight sequences. 

Seeing this movie doesn't motivate me to read the books, although I'm sure that they're better than the film adaptation. I'm not sure if I would bother seeing the subsequent movies. Maybe if they came on television. There were clearly many fans of the books in the theatre with us and they seemed really pleased with the film.