Zootopia: Movie Review

The first thing I wanted to write about Zootopia is that Judy Hopps' eyes are purple. My favorite color!

Ok, now on to the real review. Without spoilers.

I watched Zootopia with my family in the theaters. I eat a cheesy, saucy pizza slice so I was full and happy before the movie started.I was in a great seat, right in the off center, as if I was watching the movie at home, just with a bigger (no, gigantic) screen. The seat even reclined. I was basically laying down the whole movie, giggling.

The Real Review

Disney really made a slam dunk with the movie. The background scenery was so detailed and resembled almost every architectural design from their respective climates. I actually felt a little sad because after a while, I wanted to live there in Zootopia, The animation style, even though I normally don't like it for other movies featuring humans, made the characters come alive. Every movement, every gesture, every facial expression was so real. I was impressed by the studio's work.

As a person who strives to achieve dreams people think are unrealistic, I could learn a lot from Judy. Despite backhanded comments and being put down, Judy saw the better of her situation and always did her best. She saw her opportunities and spoke up to take them. That way, she gained the trust of her team and friends along the way.

Personally, I laughed a lot, thanks to the great puns and interactions between the characters (animals?). Some of my favorite scenes are Naturalist Club and the Sloth DMV. If you think about it, that is some serious and well-deserved disrespect to the DMV. It was great. The blossoming friendship between Judy and Nick was cute and platonic(!). Nick's story about what made him the way he is caused wells of tears in my eyes. His ending was so fulfilling as someone who would love to help a friend do well in life. The plot itself really took me on a journey. You thought something was going to end one way but then it totally went left in a better way.

A happy beginning to a great dram-com with no loose ends to the completed story. You know with Disney we will be seeing more of Judy and Nick in the future. Can't wait.

*If you guys ever watch the movie after this, came back and look at Image #2 and see how many characters to can find from the movie. Some character really tiny.

Ok, enjoy this wonderful film and your day.

So many puns. See how many others you can find. 

image credits: 1, 2, 3

I cried when I watched "Annie".

Quvenzhané Wallis was so beautiful. Seriously. She was funny and quick. Taking me back to the various 90's child actors I liked so much. Wallis will become a great actress when she grows up and I can't wait to see her develop.

The story is similar to the original, with a few modern twists. It was a great script and the awesome visuals challenged the audience's exceptions and prejudices about getting into the movie. It was mesmerizing. The secondary characters, like the characters played by Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, showed off Wallis's subtle command of her surroundings.

The songs were beautiful. They were Mary Poppins-esque, some fun and some sad and realistic. It was when she sang about herself being a orphan that I couldn't control my waterworks. The emotions were palpable.

The sentiment that I felt with this film was that it was a movie for black people who've wanted to see themselves on the big screen. Any negative comments were outweighed by the performances of Wallis and Foxx, who surprised me as well. 

Beyond the Lights

Watching “Beyond the Lights”, starring Nate Parker and Gugu Mbatha-Raw directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, I got exactly what I wanted and exactly what I excepted: a beautiful love story between two people of color who are complex and going through their own shit before/while they fell head over heels.

Noni is a character that reflects the current sexual exploitation of female pop stars and the decline of personal integrity and free will. Noni’s mother (Minnie Driver) is her manager and lives for her duties. She accepts the exploitation of her daughter as a mode of business. She does not see Noni as a daughter, but as a client.

Kaz is the moral opposite of Noni. A police officer and aspiring politician for the city of Los Angeles, Kaz sees the world through a filtered lens of right and wrong. His father (Danny Glover) lives vicariously through his son, believing that Kaz can achieve the status that he did not have the opportunity to achieve.