20s Movie Review - Zootopia 2

Director: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Genre: Animation/ Family/ Adventure
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Shakira, Patrick Warburton, Danny Trejo, Bonnie Hunt

Description: Brave rabbit cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her friend, the fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), team up again to crack a new case, the most perilous and intricate of their careers.

Review: “Zootopia 2” is a fantastic, fast-paced, and socially relevant sequel that lives up to the high expectations set by the first film.

The detective duo Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are back. This time, they dive into a mystery that takes them to a whole new part of their city where the reptiles used to live.

Like its predecessor, the film dares to tackle bold social themes. Topics such as gentrification, abuse of power, and historical segregation are cleverly woven into the plot. Despite the heavy themes, the story remains manageable and understandable for the whole family thanks to its humor.

Adults will revel in the countless pop culture reference and clever puns and there are some new characters like Gary De’Snake and Nibbles Maplestick, bringing a fresh, dynamic energy to the film.

The film is an absolute must-see for Disney fans and people who loved the first “Zootopia” film. Rock-solid humor, stunning animations and a layered message.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Mona Lisa Smile

Director: Mike Newell
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Stiles, Dominic West, Ginnifer Goodwin, Marcia Gay Harden, John Slattery, Topher Grace

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 46: A MOVIE ABOUT A CLUB
 
Description: A free-thinking art professor (Julia Roberts) teaches conservative 1950s Wellesly girls to question their traditional social roles.

Review: A progressive teacher encourages female students to get more out of life than just getting married. Set in the 1950s, where at the very conservative Wellesley college for women, art teacher Katherine Ann Watson starts her job. Katherine deviates from all the strict rules.

“Mona Lisa Smile” has a lot to it. Besides the attempts you see Katherine making to make her students think, you see their lives of these students, as well as Katherine’s.

The central issue of choosing a career is not presented in a one-sided wat. Although Katherine’s opinion prevails positively throughout the film, “Mona Lisa Smile” also gives space to other ideas on relationships, work and ambitions as a woman.

The cast is great. Julia Roberts, as Katherine, is really good. Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ginnifer Goodwin are among the students and all these women have a different idea about life, love and ambition. This movie is carried by women.

“Mona Lisa Smile” is a beautiful film about that was a women’s life goal and what was expected of women in the 1950s. A film about thinking differently, about life choices and about love.

Rating: 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - He's Just Not That Into You

Director: Ken Kwapis
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Bradley Cooper, Kevin Connolly, Ben Affleck

Description: The Baltimore-set movie of interconnecting story arcs deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior.

Review: “He’s Just Not That Into You” proofs again that a bunch of big movie stars are not a guarantee for a great film. The film is based on a book written by Liz Tuccillo and Greg Behrendt. “He’s Just Not That Into You” is cliché, sexist and bland. It sounds dramatic when I put it like this, because it’s still an enjoyable watch. But it’s definitely not a must-see.
The film opens with a little girl that is bullied by a boy her age. Her mother tells her that boys do that, because they like the girl. Twenty something years later, her relationship with men hasn’t become any clearer. Gigi, as we meet her, is a naïve girl that still has no clue what all the codes of dating are. She asks her friends for advice, but they don’t always know either.
Based on some existential questions (if he’s not calling you, if she’s not sleeping with you, if he’s not marrying you) we meet several characters in their twenties and thirties that deal and struggle with relationships. Their paths cross, there is laughter, there are tears, there is adultery, there is marriage. It’s all pretty predictable and not very original. Some of the characters are worth your attention though. But most of them are cliché. And none of the actors really seem to enjoy their role or give them any depth. 
Towards the end it gets more interesting. The stories are a bit stronger and get a bit more depth. “He’s Just Not That Into You” is okay, but it’s simply not funny, dramatic or grabbing enough to stand out.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - A Single Man

Director: Tom Ford
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Ginnifer Goodwin, Lee Pace

Description: An English professor (Colin Firth), one year after the sudden death of his boyfriend (Matthew Goode), us unable to cope with his typical days in 1960s Los Angeles.

Review: When an established fashion designer like Tom Ford makes his feature film debut, you expect heavily stylized images, opulent costumes and a somewhat kitschy visual style. You get all of those too, but the big surprise is that the visuals rarely get in the way of the content and only enhance the film’s theme. As a result, “A Single Man” is not only a visually stunning film, but also one of the best debuts in ages in terms of content.
Based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, “A Single Man” begins with a 1962 car accident that kills Jim, for sixteen years the partner of British professor George Falconer. Falconer is inconsolable and decides that a life without Jim is of little value to him. Nice is then how Falconer, after hearing the terrible news, tries to keep up a façade to the outside world. Impeccably dressed, he simple goes about his daily routines, without seeming to have anything wrong with him at first glance. Inside, however, he is consumed by grief and one day decides to end his life. The film follows him in his preparations and thus largely takes place on that one day.   
The visual bravura of “A Single Man” cannot be denied by anyone. The costumes are obviously very beautiful, as you would expect from a fashion designer, but it is the production design and the use of color where director Ford can really shine. Every detail has been meticulously attended to, allowing one to regularly marvel at the film’s stunning visual inventions and colorful depiction of the 1960s.
The film relies entirely on Colin Firth’s acting for emotional depth and it is largely thanks to him that the film becomes more than a visual masterpiece. First, a highly respected actor who has alternated between major and minor productions for years, had to wait a long time for that one big breakthrough role that would earn him an Oscar nomination. He did get nominated for the role, but didn’t win. Only a year later he took home the statue for his role in “The King’s Speech”.
Firth’s class is best showcased in a key scene early in the film, when Falconer is told that his partner died. The camera then stays focused on his face for minutes, with the actor beautifully managing to portray  how this man’s world collapses from one moment to the next. Although Ford unfortunately does not consistently maintain the subtlety of this scene and sometimes relies too much on the sound of swelling violins, it is thanks to Firth that you still start to sympathize with the tragic story of George Falconer. A bachelor, but above all a lonely man.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 42: Zootopia

Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
Genre: Animation/ Family/ Adventure/ Comedy/ Action
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Alan Tudyk, J.K. Simmons, Jenny Slate, Bonnie Hunt, Shakira, Octavia Spencer

Description: In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny (Ginnifer Goodwin) cop and a cynical con artist fox (Jason Bateman) must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

Review: In the animation “Zootopia” all animals act like humans. Hamsters wear suits, giraffes play volleyball, elephants run ice salons. It’s a sure thing that many fun things are going to happen in “Zootopia”. The city is divided in different climate areas and it looks like an utopia for animals.
The central character is Judy Hopps, a sweet and naïve small town rabbit that is excited to explore the world. Her dream is to become the first bunny cop of Zootopia. But everyone around her isn’t that happy with that dream. They rather want her to help on the carrot farm of her parents. But Judy is determined. In the intro, we see how she finishes police academy and becomes a cop.
While all her cop colleagues get exciting cases, Judy is stuck with parking duty. But Judy doesn’t let that hold her back. When Judy meets the sly fox Nick, who is a con artist, she accidentaly gets involved in a major conspiracy. Judy is forced to work with Nick to unravel this mystery.
“Zootopia” is an easy to watch animation, it’s a modern fable where typical animal charactaristics are enhanced (the brave lion, the sly fox, the scared rabbit, the gentle sheep). But these clichés are broken when nothing is at it seems. You think you know what to expect, but then you don’t. This is where “Zootopia” seperates itself from other Disney animations. There are pretty complex themes in this film, like racism and the interaction between the media and politics. It’s actually a huge enhancement of human society.
This doesn’t mean the film gets heavy, because it’s still a Disney animation. And it is mostly a happy film that is well balanced. The animations are gorgeous, detailed, creative and there is so much to discover and explore.
Off course there is a moral. You should chase your dreams and anyone can do whatever they want. But this film is made for younger viewers, so it’s forgivable. The film is filled with amazing characters. I just love Judy Hopps and I’m so happy to finally see a rabbit character shine again in an animation. Nick is also a great character and the interaction between Judy and Nick is fantastic. The funniest scene is the one with the sloths, because sloths are awesome!
“Zootopia” is definintely a film that can be enjoyed by everyone. And everyone will love it!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 151: Something Borrowed

Director: Luke Greenfield

Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama

Runtime: 113 minutes

Year: 2011

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, John Krasinski, Colin Egglesfield, Steve Howey

Description: Friendships are tested and secrets come to the surface when terminally single Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) falls for Dex (Colin Egglesfield), her best friend Darcy's (Kate Hudson) fiancé.

Review: Poor Dex, he earns heaps of money as a lawyer in Manhattan, can smile like Tom Cruise, can get every woman he wants and gets a mansion from his father. But Dex wants to teach, he doesn’t do it, but he wants to. And his love life also shakes up his stabile life. The ideal son in law is torn between the serious and single lawyer Rachel and the partying and outgoing Darcy.

A romantic comedy like “Something Borrowed” is about love and the problems that come with it. Viewers love it. The movie looks like a perfectly styled soda commercial, with picture perfect fashionably dressed people, sunny weather, hip clubs, New York apartments and a house in the Hamptons. Rachel is the one to mess it all up, by having a ‘fun night’ with Dex, the man who is about to marry her best friend Darcy. How the two are friends is a big mystery, they have nothing in common. There has always been something between Dex and Rachel, but right before the wedding is the perfect time to actually speak about those feelings.

A romcom is a genre where, as a viewer, you have certain expectations and you always know the outcome somehow. It’s like unwrapping a present when you can already see by its shape what’s inside it.

Kate Hudson is good in her role, but she didn’t manage to make me feel any form of sympathy. Ginnifer Goodwin is likeable as Rachel, but it’s a character she has played before and she brings nothing new to the screen. Colin Egglesfield as Dex is okay. I think he’s just another pretty face and very forgettable. John Krasinski, who was only given a supporting role, is the only character I could relate to, he was the only sensible one and I actually sympathized with him. It also has to do with Krasinski’s high likeability level. He’s the only actor that gets away with the comedy part of the movie.

“Something Borrowed” is not a very original movie, filled with romcom clichés. Thanks to John Krasinski it was a bearable film to watch and the movie did have its moments. But overall it’s a meaningless romcom that will easily be forgotten.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Tip #35 - He's Just Not That Into You

Director: Ken Kwapis

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Connolly, Scarlett Johansson

Description: In Baltimore, five women and four men try to sort out the signals that the sexes exchange. Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) imagines every man she meets is Mr. Right; she gets reality checks from Alex (Justin Long), a sweet but cynical saloon keeper. Janine (Jennifer Connelly) and Ben (Bradley Cooper) seem solidly married until he chats with Anna (Scarlett Johansson) in a market checkout line; meanwhile Anna is indifferent to the pursing Connor (Kevin Connolly). Neil (Ben Affleck) and Beth (Jennifer Aniston) have been together seven years; she dumps him when she realizes he really and truly isn't going to marry her. Does he love her? And Mary (Drew Barrymore) sells advertising while searching on line for a man. Will those in love stay in love? Will those searching figure out who is and who isn't into them? Are men all that different from women?

Review: I really wanted to see this movie ever since I saw its trailer. And I loved it. I've always been a big fan of multiple storyline movies. My favourite was the one with Gigi and Alex. I also loved Beth, she's so sweet and I really felt sorry for her. Just like I felt sorry for Janine. I didn't really like Scarlett Johansson in this film, because she didn't really convince me here. Normally I love her, but now I didn't. And her character is very annoying as well. But the complete picture of this film measures up to my expectations. I really enjoyed watching it. For fans of the genre they should really check it out.

He's Just Not That Into You

I frequently check the newest movie trailers. I found the trailer of "He's Just Not That Into You". It's based on a book and it has a great cast. I watched this trailer and it looks like a funny, feel-good movie. Normaly I don't like those films (some exceptions off course), but I think I'm gonna like this one. It has a couple of different storylines (like "Love Actually") and some of those stories overlap. It's about modern day relationships and how men and women often misconstrue the intentions of the opposite sex. I'm looking forward to this movie. If you wanna check out the trailer, go to the official site of the film:
www.hesjustnotthatintoyoumovie.com
The movie will hit theaters in early February, so we don't have to wait that long. This is a movie that I can look forward to.

X Joyce