Movies out Today: 04 March 2016

Animation rules this week, with the perfect Disney movie, the Oscar nominated stop-motion film, and the wooden puppets Aaron Eckhart and Gerard Butler.

• Zootropolis

The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. When rookie officer Judy Hopps arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde, to solve the mystery.

Usually I get very worried when movies get renamed for international release, but thankfully that fear is unfounded this time because Zootropolis (a.k.a Zootopia) is straight up awesome. It’s happy and funny and full of heart, with a razor sharp wit and a great buddy-cop story, even as it tackles some serious (and very relevant) issues about prejudice and stereotypes. It’s amazingly insightful and well developed, with more than enough to appeal to adults and kids. With an absolutely perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Zootropolis is just the best and I am so excited to see it.

• Anomalisa

Michael Stone, an author that specializes in customer service, is a man who is unable to interact deeply with other people. His low sensitivity to excitement, and his lack of interest made him a man with a repetitive life on his own perspective. But, when he went on a business trip, he met a stranger – an extraordinary stranger, which slowly became a cure for his negative view on life that possibly will change his mundane life.

Anomalisa is an incredible movie. It’s deeply profound and unsettling, but full of bittersweet beauty and grace, balanced in a way that could only be pulled off by Charlie Kaufman in his stop-motion debut. So even though it lost out on the Best Animated Feature Film Academy Award to Inside Out (and let’s face it, when you go head to head with a Pixar movie, you’re going to have a bad time), Anomalisa is still highly recommended, with 92% on Rotten Tomatoes it is a must-see for the serious lovers of animation.

• London Has Fallen

After the British Prime Minister passes away, his funeral becomes a target of a terrorist organization intent on destroying some of the world’s most powerful leaders, devastating the British capital, and unleashing their terrifying vision of the future. The only hope of stopping the terrorists rests on the shoulders of the President of the United States, his formidable head of the Secret Service, and an MI-6 agent who trusts no one.

The sequel that nobody thought anyone would bother with, never mind actively want or pursue, London Has Fallen is basically… absurd. The utterly mindless script is over-stuffed with shameless, ludicrous violence and woodenly performed without charm or enthusiasm. Really, the only thing that makes it even slightly remarkable is just how much worse it is than the original, which is quite an achievement considering the source material. Basically, it’s just really, really dumb.

Last Updated: March 4, 2016