Split (2017) Review

“We trust in him. He’ll protect us. Look at what he can do. Let him show the world how powerful we can be.”

   M. Night Shyamalan was the man who once was called the next Steven Spielberg. He had some success early on with ‘The Sixth Sense’, ‘Unbreakable’, and ‘Signs’. Then for the rest of his career some terrible films like: ‘The Lady in the Water’, ‘The Village’, ‘The Last Airbender’, ‘After Earth’, and the killer trees film ‘The Happening’. His previous film ‘The Visit’ received a few positive reviews, which was a first for the director in a very long time. When I first saw the trailer for ‘Split’ I was intrigued and wondered if this was the film that would finally be his first good film since 2002. Then I was happy when I read from multiple reviews that it was Shyamalan’s comeback.  Well to be honest, I was somewhat rather disappointed when viewing the film.
   ‘Split’ is about Kevin who has a dissociative psychological disorder that was caused from a childhood trauma, which resulted in multiple personalities. So far he has 23 different personalities and some of them have committed a crime. Kevin abducted three teenage girls: Claire, Marcia, and the loner Casey. He locks them in a room together telling them that he selected them for the Beast’s arrival. The Beast being Kevin’s soon to be 24th personality. 
  Almost every film, especially horror, exploit something, It’s something one would expect from Hollywood. The main problem I have with this film is how Shyamalan deals with dissociative identity disorder (DID) and childhood abuse. Having a psychology degree and studied DID I was quite troubled with how it was portrayed. It’s hard enough to convince people that DID is a real disorder and now after this film people will assume that those who suffer from DID are violent. Although studies have shown that they are seldom violent and would far more do self-harm than hurt others. ‘Split’ exposes only the most extreme aspects of DID. Feels like Shyamalan is saying, “Oh he has DID that means he’s insane, which is why he does bad stuff”. Stereotyping those who are mentally ill as being dangerous just get’s me fired up. About 80% of films portray mental illness in a negative light. Then there is the way the film portrays childhood abuse. Throughout the film Kevin makes the girls undress and Casey wears the most layers out of the three. As the film progresses, the viewer learns that Casey was molested by her uncle at a very young age. When her father died of a heart attack and is then forced to live with her uncle. While it doesn’t show anything graphic it still makes the viewer quite uncomfortable. A good horror film makes its audience tense and uncomfortable, but ‘Split’ went overboard with making one feel uncomfortable. Then making the childhood abuse a plot point towards the end is just disgusting.
   The only things good about the film are the performances by James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy. McAvoy blew me away when his characterizations of Barry, Patricia, and Hedwig. Barry being a gay dress designer, Patricia a mean nasty woman, and Hedwig a nine year old with a lisp. With his different facial expressions and tone of voice it’ll make you believe that he’s actually all of these characters. The drop dead gorgeous Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance is all in her eyes. She’ll have a good career ahead of her. 
     This may be Shyamalan’s best film in almost fifteen years, but then again that’s not really saying much. I think people will remember this film for it’s final thirty seconds more than anything else. 

2.5 out of 5

Fist Fight (2017) Review

“Teachers can’t fight!”

   When the trailer for Fist Fight came on in the cinema, I recall looking at my friend and shaking my head no. On one hand it looked extremely stupid and on the other it made me laugh thinking of my mother picking a fight with another teacher. The film looked a lot like a poorly done Comedy Central tv movie. I tried going into the movie with an open mind, but right off the bat I couldn’t help but to cringe. A comedy that didn’t once give me a laugh and even some of the worst comedies have managed to make me laugh or smile. Not this film.

  I have never been so bored by a film and I’ve sat through the Transformers films.  It’s a shame Charlie Day, Ice Cube, Christina Hendricks, and Tracy Morgan were involved in such a terrible film. Charlie Day is a comedic genius especially in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Ice Cube is a good musician and has shown acting promise with Boyz N the Hood and Friday. Christina Hendricks was one of the best things about Mad Men. Then there is Tracy Morgan who was so good in 30 Rock and Scare Tactics. It’s just such a shame that they were all in this movie and I was questioning why I was even in the theater myself. The writing felt like a child who is still in kindergarten wrote it. Instead of watching this trash you should watch Three O’ Clock High, which the film is loosely based on.  Just save your money and don’t see the film.

0 out of 5

LOGAN (2017) Review

THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS

“This is what life looks like: people who love each other… a home. You should take a moment, feel it. You still have time.”

   I’ve only given two Marvel films perfect scores: ‘X-Men 2’ and ‘Spiderman 2’. After the multiple X-men films hardly any came close to the flawlessness of X2. Days of Future Past was the closest, but was barely as perfect. After viewing 2009’s dreadful X Men Origins I would have never thought that a Wolverine film could make me tear up. Then the ‘Logan’ trailer came one day and we knew it was going to be an emotionally heavy film, but nothing truly prepared me for the beautiful sendoff of ‘Logan’. Even though I knew we’d say goodbye to two iconic X-Men characters that we’ve seen on the screen for almost two decades. Professor Xavier and Wolverine have always had the father and son relationship and the core of ‘Logan’ is about family. Jackman and Stewart gave some of their best performances in this film.

  Logan isn’t really a typical superhero film… it’s more drama than action. From the very first scene Logan tells you it’s not your typical X-Men film. Logan wakes up in the back of his car to the realization that he’s being robbed. Logan is old and worn-down. He even struggles to take them out. When he was in his prime he would have taken them all out in under a minute, but he is beaten up in the process almost like he wants to feel the pain. The viewer learns that Logan is a driver in order to make enough money to pay for Xavier’s medication and to get a boat to leave with Xavier. Xavier, who is now 90, is becoming senile and has seizures that cause psychic outbursts. Logan keeps Xavier in an abandoned warehouse in Mexico with Caliban who is also one of the last mutants left.

   Soon Donald, who is a mercenary, comes to Logan looking for someone of great importance to him. Logan tells him to go and Donald threatens him with knowing Xavier is still alive. Later, a mysterious easily angered girl named Laura crosses paths with Logan. She even has the same abilities as Logan himself. Once she’s there Donald and his group of mercenaries invades Logan’s hideout. After barely escaping Logan is tasked with transporting Laura to a safe haven and keeping a close eye on Xavier while still being pursued by Donald.

    I love how ‘Logan’ tackles the issue of how almost all of the mutants are gone now. Logan has been hiding the reason from ever increasing confused Xavier. Fleeing from Vegas after Xavier has an intense seizure, showing what his decreasing mind is capable of, they stay with a family on their farm. He suddenly remembers everything asking whom he thinks is Logan, “I don’t deserve it, do I? I did something unspeakable. I remembered what happened in Westchester. This in not the first time that I’ve hurt people. Until today, I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me, so we kept on running away from it. I think I finally understand you.” He remembers that his outburst was the reason for the death of several, if not almost all the X-Men, what is even more heartbreaking is that he’s confessing this to Logan’s clone who then murders him. It’s ironic, Xavier brought together so many mutants together in order to protect them and in the end he’s the one that has destroyed them.

    From the first moment that Laura appears on the screen the viewer just knows that she’s the daughter of Logan. ‘Logan’ is at its core about family. Logan walks in on Laura and Xavier watching the film ‘Shane’. Where Shane says, “A man has to be what he is, Joey. Can’t break the mould. I tried it and it didn’t work for me.” This is how Logan is through most of the film. “I suck at this,” he tells Laura. He tries to do his best in his own unique way. Laura and Logan are so much alike that they butt heads a lot. For example, their argument in the car Laura stole. She wants to go to Eden, but he doesn’t want to go. She starts get hot tempered. Logan being stubborn and tired then Laura being stubborn and angry. At the end, Logan discovers what a child’s love is. Logan places his hand on Laura finally taking a moment to feel what it is to love and be loved. “This is what it is,” he says when he finally realizes it. She simply replies, “daddy.” I promise your eyes will get watery.

   This is the Wolverine film that fans have been asking for. The previous X-Men films made Logan and Xavier to be clever, humorous, and overall fairly put together. It’s not like it in ‘Logan’. They are worn out from their many adventures. They are both physically and emotionally tired. Dafne Keen was absolutely fantastic as Laura. Lastly, hats off to director James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma). I actually believe it has a good chance for an Oscar nomination. Yes, that’s how good it is.

5 out of 5

Hell or High Water (2016) Review

“Only assholes drink Mr. Pibb.”

 Recently, the American western has been making a comeback since the remake of True Grit. After True Grit we’ve got films and television shows such as Bone Tomahawk, Slow West, The Salvation, The Homesman, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Justified, and Hell on Wheels. A lot of the westerns have brought fresh and unique approaches to the genre. Essentially westerns are love letters to a long-ago era. The stories are usually simple, but the dialogue almost poetic. The desperado usually wears black and the protagonist wears a white stetson. The desperado can even be the hero of the story. Watching a good western is one of my favorite things to do. Hell or High Water, a rare modern western, is a gritty captivating film that stays on the viewer’s mind even weeks after watching. Hell or High Water works on so many different levels. It’s certainly one of my favorite films of this year.

  The story is about two brothers, Tanner and Toby Howard that turn to robbing banks for their livelihood. They rob a specific chain of banks for a personal reason. Their mother had just passed away from a terminal illness and she left them the family farm. They can’t live on the farm since it’s about to reach foreclosure from the bank. So then Toby plans to rob from the soulless banks that robbed them of their land. So it’s a mission to correct the wrongdoings that was brought upon his family. The brothers aren’t criminals (well Toby anyways) they’re simply desperate. With the news about the robberies, a Texas Ranger and his partner search for the robbers.

   The film’s opening scene shows the brothers calmly and without any violence robbing a bank. Toby wanted to rob the bank when it first opened when there were no customers. The brothers only take the small bills from the front. They get away easily, bury their vehicle, and carry on to the next bank location. Toby is a soft-spoken, concerned, strong, and well-mannered man. He’s divorced and his two sons live with his ex-wife. He can barely pay child support for them. His intentions are essentially good. He wants to give the family farm fully paid to his children so they won’t have to live in poverty. Tanner is an ex-convict who is wild, erratic, hard headed, but has a strong love for his brother. He’s doing the robberies for his brother and for the thrill of it. Toby makes sure that no innocent people are harmed during the robberies and that’s why he made a foolproof plan.

   Once word is out on the bank robberies two Texas Rangers Marcus and Alberto search for the people responsible. Marcus is senior investigator in the department. He’s almost retired and wants to go out in the blaze of glory for his last case. He seems to always be worn out and breathes heavily when he walks for too long, but is smart when it comes to solving cases. Marcus is rather racist and extremely sarcastic. He makes racist and bigoted jokes about Alberto’s heritage (Native American/ Mexican). The both banter back and fourth. It’s a reminder of when friends could tease one other without worrying about class action lawsuits. Their friendship provides both insights into the culture of West Texas. Alberto provides his thoughts on where America is going. He points out how the whites robbed the West and took it from the Natives and now it’s happening to the white families who have owned their property for generations. What he says is full of truth and irony. The conversations Marcus and Alberto have are some of the best writing I’ve seen on film.

    West Texas is still the Wild West. The film feels like it’s a love letter to West Texas. The desert towns feel like they’re ghost towns. When the brothers pass through the towns there’s many foreclosure signs, pawn shops, loan shops, and the banks. Director David McKenzie (Starred Up) wanted to show the viewer the town’s desperation visually. That the bank’s greed is changing a once beautiful flourishing land. He wanted to portray that the banks have become judge, jury, and executioner for people who aren’t wealthy enough then strip them of their family possessions.

   The cast is superb as they all gave such amazing performances. Ben Foster plays his typical character, the charismatic maniac, but he plays it so well especially in this film. If you haven’t seen any of his films watch 3:10 to Yuma and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints they’re really good. Tanner’s character is unpredictable but holds a strong code when it pertains to family. Chris Pine truly shines in this film. He showed his potential as an actor in the Star Trek reboot series and in Hell or High Water he finally proved his acting ability. Pine gives a fresh, subtle, and an emotionally persuasive performance. Jeff Bridges is great as the sarcastic Texas Ranger on his last case before retirement. Jeff Bridges is basically playing himself, which is fine by me.

  The cast may be outstanding, but the true star of the film is the script. It rises above the typical bank robbery film due to the phenomenal writing of Taylor Sheridan who wrote last year’s Sicario. The dialogue is some of the best I’ve seen in a film. I always look for good dialogue, which is why I love the Before Sunrise trilogy, Glengarry Glen Ross, My Dinner with Andre, and Pulp Fiction.  The dialogue has that natural feeling to it from the brothers to Marcus and Alberto.

   David Mackenzie and Taylor Sheridan created a masterpiece of a western. It’s a film that is composed of many complex themes like corporatism, family, the American Dream, racism, and where America may be headed one day. Toby states that he’s never been a part of the American Dream because the family has always been kept poor. That the family has been in poverty for so many generations that it has slowly became a sickness. He doesn’t want his children to be a part of such a sickness. Toby wants them to live the American Dream as best they can. Even though Toby rather do anything else than rob banks, but he does it for family. Tanner enjoys being a criminal, but he’s being careful because he’s helping his brother. Marcus is conflicted because the town finds the brothers to be heroes robbing the banks that have been robbing them.

    Hell or High Water is a perfect film. It rises above the typical heist film with its many complex themes and great dialogue. Many of the summer films were simply popcorn movies, with an exception to a few films, so it was nice when this came out.

5 out of 5

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) Review

“He looked into my eyes and uttered four simple words. These words changed everything… ‘You Are My Quest,’ he whispered. I have seen the wonders of the universe, but the warmth of his gaze as I looked into his eyes. That… that I had never known. It was his humanity I saw.”

   Kubo and the Two Strings is an extraordinary film that provides some complex themes along with some of the most strikingly gorgeous animation that I have ever seen. To express its story, the film uses a blend of origami and stop motion. It’s Laika’s best film since Coraline.

  The film is set in Japan and references Japanese folklore, the samurai code, and Buddhism. "Recognizing his compassion, I recognized my own." It's like the lessons of Buddhism can be condensed to that one sentence. The director Travis Knight said that his mother-in-law and her family are Buddhists and he wanted a film that dealt with that because that sort of spirituality is something one hardly sees in a film. I’m glad that he did that because Buddhism is a beautiful thing and it really adds to the story. The film provides how the Buddhist custom of the festival of Obon is like when the spirits of loved ones come back. I also like how they incorporated cranes into the story. It shows the Western viewers a different way of conceptualizing death, human identity, mourning, and memory.

    The story is about a one-eyed child named Kubo. He lives in an uninhabited mountain with his mother who is very grief-stricken. When he isn’t taking care of his mother he performs origami tricks with his magic shamisen for the neighboring village. He always tells the same story about his father who is on a mission to destroy the Moon King with help from three pieces of golden armor (sword, helmet, and breastplate).  After accidentally disobeying his mother by staying out after dark he encounters his mother’s sisters who are just as evil as the Moon King. His mother reawakens to save her son from her sisters. She uses the last of her powers to protect Kubo. He awakes in a blizzard and sets off to find the three pieces of golden armor to defeat the Moon King once in for all. On his journey the strict Monkey, Kubo’s origami model of his father Little Hanzo, and the forgetful Beetle accompany him.

  The film tells the viewers that everyone has the capability to tell their own stories. The theme resonates quite a bit in the film. When Kubo’s mother tells him the tale of how she encountered his father we find out she was ordered to slay him. She then changes her story during their fight when she lets herself love him and to be loved by him. Kubo thinks he knows how his story will end till he fights the Moon King. He comprehends that vengeance isn’t the perfect ending, but kindheartedness is.

   When watching animated films I always search for morals that will teach children valuable lessons. So I was quite pleased with Kubo and the Two Strings. It teaches that loss can be good. Death is inevitable, but with death comes transformation and with that comes peace. Regardless of how much it can hurt or upset us that with our memories of them they’ll always stay with us. Memories give us strength.

  What does “the two strings” in the title mean? I think it changes throughout the film. First it starts off with life and death, then mother and father, Monkey and Beetle, Buddhism and Shinto, and lastly creativity and storytelling. At least that’s what I got from it.

   There’s only one flaw about Kubo and the Two Strings. The film is set in Japan and the characters are Japanese, but white actors voice the main characters. The performances are great even though I wish that Japanese actors did the voices. Granted some of the minor roles are played by Japanese actors like Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat, The Last Emperor) and the great George Takei (Star Trek, “Oh My”). I think Laika did this to attract many Western audiences to their film with big name actors.

   Kubo and the Two Strings provides a deep-rooted emotional experience. The sound and visuals bring such a depth that you feel a wide range of emotions. There were times that I felt melancholy, happiness, loss, and much more. Kubo and the Two Strings is one of the better animated movies I’ve seen since How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Big Hero 6. I recommend this film highly.

4.9 out of 5