December Movies Part 3: Zootopia 2, Wake Up Dead Man, The Housemaid

Looking for something to watch over Christmas break? Well, I've got an animated romp, a twisty whodunit, and a sexy thriller to please all demographics!

Zootopia 2: What's not to love about this movie? The original was a great ride and this one, written by Jared Bush, who also co-directed with Byron Howard, continues the fun, with a pro-immigration, pro-diversity stance that the current US administration is sure to hate. What could be better! Our dynamic duo of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, a bunny and a fox voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, are now officially rookie cops in the Zootopia Police Department and they are desperately trying to prove they aren't more than one-hit wonders. But of course, they are overeager and keep messing up big cases. The plot revolves around a snake who sabotages a gala event, except...is the snake actually the bad guy? Turns out maybe there has been some misinformation circulating in Zootopia.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, I loved all the fun little sight gags and puns (like the state of Gnu Jersey making an appearance), and the animation continues to be beautiful, with every shot of Judy Hopps making me want to reach out and pet that soft l'il bunny. It's high-quality entertainment for all ages, and this adult did not feel remotely bored during this purported kids movie, so give it a shot! It's Christmas, be merry!

Wake Up Dead Man: Fine, you don't want to be merry? Well then prepare to feel like you've fallen into the pages of a new Agatha Christie novel because writer-director Rian Johnson's latest installment in his Knives Out series is a devious little locked room mystery that is perfectly plotted and executed. Josh O'Connor plays Jud Duplenticy, the new priest at a rural church in upstate New York. When the old priest, Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), dies in the middle of a service, Jud seems like the only possible suspect. But of course, our friend Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) aka Foghorn Leghorn, is helping the police and he thinks Jud is far too earnest to have committed this crime. 

This is a movie that involves many heated discussions of religion, with the young priest going toe-to-toe with the deeply atheist Blanc, and it also involves many examples of what it means to be morally good while having no faith and then morally bankrupt while professing to be the most faithful person of all. The supporting cast is a murderer's row (pun intended) including Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Thomas Haden Church, and Daryl McCormack, and they all put in excellent work, with red herrings and misdirects galore to throw you off the scent or lead you tantalizingly close to the solution. My husband and I had a grand ol' time pausing this movie at intervals while we theorized over motives and opportunity, and we almost got it right, but not quite. Which is the genius of this film - there are more than enough clues to help you solve the puzzle, but at the end of the day, you just can't be as smart as Benoit Blanc. Bah humbug.

The Housemaid: I loved the 2022 novel by Freida McFadden, so when I saw director Paul Feig was adapting this movie from a screenplay by Rebecca Sonnenshine, I was all for it. Starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried (excellent casting since they look very similar, which becomes increasingly important as the movie goes on), I was expecting A Simple Favor vibes and it certainly did not disappoint. There's no point in giving away any of the plot because it is very twisty and fun and Seyfried in particular seems to be having a fantastic time as a psychotic rich woman who seems determined to make her maid's life very, very difficult, while her patient husband (played by Brandon Sklenar) attends to her every whim and tries to keep the peace at home.

I imagine this movie would go down well with anyone who has no idea of the plot - reading the novel was a very satisfying experience, and watching the movie will be too. Since I already knew everything that was going to happen, I found myself focusing more on the filmmaking, and while I enjoyed Seyfried's performance, I found Sweeney to be a little lackluster. You will get to see a lot of her in this movie though, if that's something that floats your boat. I also appreciated all the shots of Sklenar's hands. Feig captures his physicality excellently in this movie which makes for good thrills as we get to the finale. This movie does get unexpectedly gory at times in a way I didn't totally appreciate, so be warned if you can't stand any body horror. But otherwise, this is a solid, fun thriller that is a good adaptation of a solid, fun book.