MOVIE REVIEW: Zootopia

Zootopia could not have come in a perfect time when the world is still grappling with the age old issues of intolerance and prejudice. In this wonderful new Disney animated film, predators and its  prey have come to learn to live together and co-exist in Zootopia, one big city which is divided into subcities that best fits the animals in their natural habitat.

Inspite of this, there are some issues that needs to be sorted out. When the lead character a bunny named Judy Hoops, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin (Walk the Line, Something Borrowed) dreams of becoming a police officer, she was dissuaded by her parents and the community that their family lived in, for she was a rabbit and no one that small has ever joined the police force. Judy pursued her dreams and after graduating at the top of her class at the academy, was assigned at first to issue parking citation tickets because of her size and she was a female. 

Fortunately Judy found an unexpected ally in a fox (the most despised animals in Zootopia) named Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman. He's a sly con artist who after having a run in with Judy at the beginning of the film, become her true and trusted friend. Other actors who voiced in the film includes Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Bonnie Hunt and recent Oscar winners Octavia Spencer and J.K. Simmons

Smartly written and directed by the team that also created Wreck-It-Ralph, Tangled and Big Hero 6. Zootopia is notches higher that those films mentioned. It has the feel of a classic Pixar animated film. This bound to be a Disney classic delivers both the laughs and it's strong message in a fun and entertaining way. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Triple 9

Triple 9 is one tense, exciting urban crime drama that's way above the usual films in this genre which usually gets released in the US during the dead of winter. A big difference primarily of it's outstanding cast with an Oscar and 11 nominations among them. 

Big credit is given to writer Matt Cook and Australian director John Hillcoat (Lawless and the Road) by rounding up the finest actors of the past years and connecting the Russian mob and Atlanta, Georgia and making it believable.

After a group of bank robbers who are also police officers and former soldiers (among them Anthony Mackie of Captain America and The Hurt Locker) with orders by the head of the mob (Kate Winslet playing against type with a flawless accent to match) to do an impossible task after a sloppy yet successful bank heist, they decided to do a Triple 9 which is code for officer down, so that the entire Atlanta Police Department would be easily distracted once they do it. It won't be that easy.

Triple 9 isn't an easy film to watch due to its convoluted plot and some scenes that were better left in the cutting room floor. Fortunately, aside from the cast which also includes Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Eijofor, Woody Harrelson, The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus and the new Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, Triple 9 has some great action scenes and an unpredictable ending which will keep you guessing.