Quick Movie Review: Zootopia (2016)

Who says family films only have children to preach to? Well, actually I'm not entirely sure if anyone's ever said that, but it sure sounds like they would though, huh? That debate aside, Disney gets it with its newest installment. Without sounding cliche and trite, Zootopia is literally fun for the whole family.

It takes place in a world where animals, both predator and prey, live together in harmony--except not really. Although things have seemed to change, all the animals still have their reservations and fears about one another. Obviously mirroring a place where our own society is right now, as far as race and religion.

The whole movie features various species facing intolerance, while digging into and showcasing possible responses to the prejudices against them--perhaps containing the true depth within this film. The themes are obvious to the adults, but subliminal to the kids. Which is a good thing. It deals with a dark subject matter, and the filmmakers aren't afraid to give us that respective tone either.

The main character is Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a bunny rabbit who is finally living her dream of being a police officer in the big city. But she faces adversity since the job is usually held by rhinos or elephants. She's given a case where she has to find an otter who's gone missing--a mystery that adds another fun feature to an already interesting concept. However, it doesn't come until about 35 minutes in--right when you're starting to wonder to yourself what the setup is for.

In a refreshing fashion, the writers aren't talking down to their younger audience. It's funny without being over-the-top and irreverent. When the jokes don't work as well, it's never in an embarrassing way. In fact, there may even be more jokes for the adults in this one. However, there are plenty of aesthetic visuals to keep the children entertained for the full runtime

Animation alone, Zootopia is beautifully detailed. There's so much of it that it's not even possible to see it all in one sitting. And while you're watching it, you wish there were a place just like it where you could visit as soon as the movie finishes.
 

Twizard Rating: 99

Quick Movie Review: The Gift (2015)

You may look at the premise for The Gift and think that you've seen this before. Creepy guy who stalks married couple. But it's not exactly about what happens--more so, why.

Joel Edgerton has outdone himself with his directorial debut.The film has a lot to say and gets its points across well.

The Gift begins with a couple, Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall), who has just moved back to California. Simon runs into an old high school acquaintance, Gordo (Edgerton), who seems a bit odd. He keeps giving them unwarranted gifts and needs to be needed a little bit too much. The couple's new life becomes dominated and overrun by Gordo's existence.

The film starts out as a complete thriller. It's filled with all the cliches--not necessarily in a bad way. Paranoia runs rampant in the mind of Robyn, who works from home, as well as the audience's. Simon seems collected and just chocks it up to Gordo being a weirdo, since he's always been weird.

But thriller turns into mystery when Robyn starts investigating exactly why Gordo is torturing them and what lies in his past.

The acting is truly amazing. Each of the three leads has conviction in their roles and, along with Edgerton's direction, bring amazing depth to each of them.

With most psycho-thrillers, it doesn't come without its share of head scratchers, but they're not terribly debilitating to the film and you enjoy the rush so much that they don't really matter.

Without giving too much away, The Gift is definitely worth the watch. It's one of the best psycho-thrillers to come along in awhile.

Twizard Rating: 97

Quick Movie Review: Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)

As funny as 2011's Horrible Bosses is, Horrible Bosses 2 is even funnier. The jokes are more consistent and the comedy shows no restraint. It continues its skit based comedic style, and instead of having a story that they squeeze jokes into, the jokes and story go hand in hand. In a comedy, this is what you want.

As for the rest of the film, the story is not as easily paced as its predecessor. In the first movie the events all fit together to feel like one big event--similar to Reservoir Dogs. In the sequel, there are a few more plot points, so the story becomes a little more intricate, thus the narrative more unorganized. But because the tone is so consistent, its slightly uneven pacing is forgiven.

If you're a fan of the first, you won't have to worry about typical sequel problems with this one. The plot is very creative and doesn't feel forced. And it's the same exact type of comedy here, but more of it. 

Twizard Rating: 83

Quick Movie Review: Horrible Bosses (2011)

While having the benefit of never being predictable, its lack of depth hurts itself. It's one of those movies that will make you laugh a lot, but you never ever feel for the characters past the fact that they have terrible bosses. But fortunately for the film it's at its best when its chaotic. The first 20 minutes are the slowest part, but picks up a very steady pace after that. At that point, you don't really care about depth, you just want to laugh. 

The talent is great and the farce is fun. If you don't overanalyze this movie, you'll have a good time watching it. And it just gets better with continuous viewings. 

Twizard Rating: 84

Quick Movie Review: This Is Where I Leave You

While this isn't an amazing film, it's not a terrible one either--far from it. The cast is great and the depth is there--albeit deceivingly--but I just simply couldn't relate. And it's not like I can't enjoy a film that I don't relate to, but it was a little more difficult since there wasn't anything else to sink my teeth into other than the personal lives of the characters. I suppose that I would have gotten a lot more out of this film if I came from a dysfunctional family and if my life was a mess.

And although there was a fairly original sense of humor that evoked genuine laughs, the drama isn't anything I haven't seen before--and at times, a little bit over-the-top. 

However, it's not completely pointless. It presents some great takeaway lessons about dealing with a sucky time in your life. And if nothing else, it makes you feel better about the good things you have going for you in your own life by comparing it to those of the characters in the movie. 

Overall, this is a movie that really does suck you in and you appreciate it for its genuineness. You never feel like the characters reactions are unrealistic, and the 3rd act doesn't try and force cliche conclusions for each character. And that is why you can applaud it in the end.

Twizard Rating: 76

Quick Movie Review: Bad Words

What an amazing directorial debut for Bateman, who has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with in this industry. Although it leaves you wanting a little more redeeming value from the third act, the story as a whole definitely takes quite a few unexpected, and at times hilarious turns. The acting is tremendous, especially from youngster Rohan Chand. Yeah, I guess I can see the similarities to Bad Santa, except for there being actual motives for Guy Trilby in this film as opposed to the unexplained poor judgement of Willie Stokes in Santa. And although not AS perfect of a film, it is just different enough to still be enjoyed for its own reasons. It will offend many, but those who find intrigue in character analysis or pure vulgarity will enjoy this thoroughly.

Twizard Rating: 94

Quick Movie Review: The Change-Up

The story is unoriginal and the setup is very much rushed, but where it lacks in the screenplay it makes up for in its amazing talent. Reynolds is at as close to the top of his game as I've pretty much ever seen him and Bateman taking a break from the straight-man and does an excellent job being the second banana for once. I mean, a lot of the character depth was told to us via other characters rather than actually shown to us, but when it was shown to us it was really funny. 

Although most people have drawn the recycled body-switching story to the likes of Freaky Friday, I feel that although similar, the two films serve a very different purpose. Instead of stepping in someone else's shoes to better understand who they are as a person and where they are coming from, this film allows the characters to step into each other's shoes so that they can come to a better understanding of themselves and what they need to do different in their own lives. It makes the characters more self-aware and challenges them to see what those closest to them feel that they need to do differently. Sure, it's not as world changing, but just as important to the individuals and in making others in their lives really appreciate them more.

I will say, however, that this film does tend to ignore much of the morality that has come into question when switching bodies and seems to leave the audience still concerned about how they were resolved. And this film suffers some minor plot holes very early on, such as the fact that when Dave's wife is asking him questions that only he would know, she asks him what her favorite color is and when their anniversary is. Not sure why she would think that his best friend wouldn't also know these things, but it seems as though the whole scenario with them trying to convince her that their bodies switched was forgotten about too quickly by her character and that she should have started reconsidering it at some point throughout her husband's crazy and out-of-character antics. Also, towards the end, why was she so willing to let "Mitchell" kiss her when she still didn't know what was going on. 

This film may not be perfect, but I was laughing pretty consistently throughout and never found myself bored or uninterested.

Twizard Rating: 77