MOVIE REVIEW: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) 

Mystery, Sci-FI, Thriller

Directed By: Dan Trachtenberg

Considering the current landscape for the film industry it is rather remarkable that up until two months ago none of us even knew this film existed, let alone that it was being released in the beginning of March. In a world so filled with spoilers JJ Abrams Bad Robot did the impossible by hiding this movie from public eye, and for good reason too. Despite the name, this is not a direct sequel to Matt reeves 2008 film but rather an extension of that universe, so don't go in with expectations of shaky cam and giant monsters. Instead, prepare yourself for a slow-burn, highly intense, science-fiction thriller that will have you mentally exhausted by the time the credits roll.

10 Cloverfield Lane operates as a small scale thriller, with the majority of the film focusing on just three people. The film opens with our main character Michelle (Mary Elizabeth-Winstead) packing up her things in an attempt to outrun her problems. On the road out of town she is struck by another traveler, leaving her unconscious in a car wreck. She awakens to find herself trapped inside a mysterious bunker with another man named Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) and the man who claims to have saved their lives, Howard (John Goodman). That's all you need to know prior to seeing the film, why they are down there and why Howard thinks he has saved their lives are questions only to be answered on screen. 

First time director Dan Trachtenberg has come out of the gate with as strong of a performance as you can have, crafting a film that is both a throwback to our favorite classics while at the same time feeling entirely fresh and original. The film is fantastically paced, building the tension at all the right moments and delivering plenty of twists and turns when you least expect it. Every time you think you have the movie or its characters figured out it throws something at you that you never saw coming. 

What really elevates this movie higher than your typical science-fiction movie is the performances Trachtenberg was able to pull from his core actors. With the film focusing almost entirely on just three people what those actors put on screen is what makes the movie what it is. John Gallagher Jr. is fantastic as the optimistic Emmett but it is John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth-Winstead that shape this movie into a stellar thriller. 

Winstead has shown time and time again that she has got what it takes to be the new "Sigourney Weaver" and if her performance here doesn't solidify her status as this generation's genre film bad-ass then I don't know what will. Then there is John Goodman who we all know he is a masterful character actor but what he brings to life in this film is something far more than we have seen from him in a while. What he does as Howard is chillingly real and easily the best performance we have seen so far this year.

To add to the "old-school" feel of this movie Bear McCreary brings a stellar score that only makes this feel more like your favorite classic science-fiction movie. It helps to build tension in some of the most intense scenes while also alleviating a lot of the stress in the calmer moments of the film. Added together with superb performances and a solid directorial debut from Trachtenberg, 10 Cloverfield Lane sets the bar high for all other sci-fi movies to come this year. 

Much like Ex-Machina last spring, this film is sure to surprise most people and be talked about plenty in the future. Go into this movie with as little knowledge of what is going to happen as possible and you are sure to be rewarded. For the fans of the original this has plenty to keep you speculating on how they connect, if at all. If you haven't seen the first movie, don't worry, you can easily enjoy this film without it (though I recommend checking it out, I adore it). After seeing this I am quite intrigued to see what Bad Robot does with the "Cloverfield" name next, I think it has an exciting future ahead of it. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: Zootopia (2016)

Zootopia (2016)

Animation, Action, Adventure

Directed By: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, & Jared Bush

After revamping the studio in the past half decade, Disney Animation has made itself quite clear; they are no longer to be considered second tier to Pixar. After allowing the digital animation studio to dominate the game for over a decade Disney has finally found itself back in the forefront of the business that made them famous in the first place. Starting with Wreck-it-Ralph back in 2012 and then following up with Frozen and Big Hero 6 the following years they quickly regained their notoriety in the animation world. They are keeping that train rolling this year with the release of their newest film Zootopia, a quirky buddy-cop comedy that takes place in a fictional world inhabited by intelligent animals.  It seems they are taking a few pages from Pixar's book too, as this movie takes a turn into some more mature themes than we are used to with Disney.

Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a small bunny with big aspirations, despite the fact that there has never been a "bunny cop" she has made it her life goal to be the very first one. She succeeds, but not without her share of naysayers and when she gets assigned to Zootopia, the biggest city in their world, she has no choice but to prove she belongs there. She is thrown on traffic duty immediately upon arrival but determination soons leads her into the biggest case plaguing the city. She is given 48 hours to solve the case or turn in her badge, lucky for her she has a solid lead. The only problem is he is a fox (Jason Bateman) and her family, as well as society, have trained her to believe a fox can never be trusted. She must try to outwit the sly fox into helping her solve the case, or lose everything she has worked her entire life for. 

On the surface the film works brilliantly as a buddy-cop movie, Hopps and Nick start the movie as seemingly polar-opposites and slowly realize they are actually a solid team. What helps make this into something a little more substantial than your average Disney flick is the clear racial undertones. Creating a fictional world inhabited by all different kinds of animals is clearly going to raise racial issues and the film, to its credit, doesn't shy away from addressing them. They reflect the current state of our society and how many people get treated because of generalizations and stereotypes. It doesn't get much deeper than that but when you consider it a kids film this seems like an appropriate lesson to teach.

Much like any great film, Zootopia creates a highly interesting world populated with characters you only want to know more about. The city is divided into different types of ecosystems allowing the animals to live comfortably in their natural state while also creating some fun locations for the movie to go to. The movie tries to realize a whole slew of different ideas, some landing and some not but what really matters is that this world feels real, you believe that if this place existed this is exactly how it would be. 

I typically am against celebrity voice casting, as it is usually for audience draw rather than being best for the part, but Disney seems to have a handle on their voice actors as this film features a lineup of great talent. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are fantastic as the two leads and familiar names like Idris Elba, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Jenny Slate, and Alan Tudyk populate the background and all do wonderful jobs voice acting. They each lend a hand in making this world feel authentic, creating the personalities that makeup the population of Zootopia.

While they could have gone a little deeper into the racial undertones the film is still another solid outing for Disney Animation. The film is sure to be loved by kids all over the world and there are more than enough "adult themed" jokes to keep anyone else entertained throughout. It's a cute movie with a good message that any sensible parent would be happy to teach their child. If you are looking for something fun to see before the onslaught of summer blockbusters comes than check this one out before it leaves theaters. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!