Zootopia (2016), Indepedence Day: Resurgence (2016), Begin Again (2013), I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)

Zootopia (2016)

I didn't have high expectations for this film going in, I thought a world full of anthropomorphic animals, how is that any different from half the other animated films out there? But Zootopia is easily one of the better Disney animated (non Pixar) movies of this century. It's a kind of buddy cop movie, refreshingly smarter then it needs to be for its target audience, and while I was expecting another eco parable the movie is really about race relations. Jason Bateman should think about doing voice work more often. I was really impressed, I thought this would be more of the same but I think Disney really went in some unexpected directions with this one. Thoroughly enjoyed. ****

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

Much belated sequel to Independence Day, the 1996 film that inaugurated Hollywood's 2nd disaster movie cycle (the first being the one Irwin Allen started in the 1970's) and which has arguably never stopped. This retread is simultaneously trying too hard and not hard enough in its efforts to one up the original film, but in the end a big screen rerelease of the first film would have been more satisfying. I remember watching the first movie in the theater 20 years ago, at that time this kind of large scale disaster film was something I hadn't seen on the big screen before, I remember being kind of moved by the size of it, today that's all old hat. Written by committee this film shoe horns too many plotlines, characters and other elements in ways that don't seem natural. I imagine this film really could have been something if more care had been put into it. As is its watchable, but at times just barely. **

Begin Again (2013)

This is the more "Hollywood" style film that Irish director John Carney got to make because of the success of Once (2007). It is the story of a struggling singer/songwriter (Keira Knightley) and a struggling music producer (Mark Ruffalo) who meet in New York and decide to make an album together. This is director John Carney's unique little nitch in filmmaking, non documentary films about the making of albums, and he really knows how to do them. Ruffalo is ruffled, Knightley proves to be an acceptably good singer, and musician Adam Levine has his first acting role and its tailor made for him. The good supporting cast even includes Catherine Keener, Mos Def and Hailee Steinfeld. But the stars of the film are the songs by Carney, Gregg Alexander, and Once star Glen Hansard. I may end up getting this soundtrack. Enjoyable and refreshingly different for a wide release film. ***1/2

I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)

Feature film debut for both director Robert Zemeckis and his writing partner Bob Gale. The film tells the story of six New Jersey teenagers (just out of high school) who travel to New York City in February of 1964 in the hopes of seeing The Beatles who were in town for their historic first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Lite comedy works better then it probably should given its even liter premise. The film is perhaps most interesting in its foreshadowing of the later and much better known Zemeckis/Gale film Back to the Future. There is the strong element of nostalgia (strange to think that the event this film is built around happened only 14 years before it was released), an remarkably similar early version of what would become the famous 'George punches out Biff' scene, and even two of the films stars Marc McClure and Wendie Jo Sperber were later cast as Marty McFly's siblings. Not a remarkable film, but if you watch it you can certainly see the promise. ***