Film Review: Split

 "Let Us Show Them What We Can Do. Let Us Show Them How Powerful We Can Be..."

If there is one thing to be said about M. Night Shyamalan's career in the business of movie-making so far, to say it was one of the most diverse and critically haphazard back catalogues of all time wouldn't exactly be a raging overstatement. Whilst films such as The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable continue to be Shyamalan's support beam for his seemingly imperishable reputation, people tend to forget the cinematic bombs such as After Earth, The Last Airbender and Lady in the Water, films which not only are regarded as utter, utter stinkers but films of which Shyamalan tends not to remind people of their existence in fear of not actually being allowed to be behind the camera ever again in Hollywood. With Split, Shyamalan seems to be on similar and overtly familiar territory, with a creepy, psychological premise at the core of the film's screenplay and a final twist which is both surprising and overtly on-the-nose in terms of its' utter silliness but one which too will leave the lay cinematic audience scratching their heads.

Featuring a scenery chewing central performance from James McAvoy, one which echoes the full-blown madness of his role in the black-hole darkness of Filth, Shyamalan's latest is undeniably a welcome return to some sort of form, with the obvious b-movie silliness actually resorting in a movie which is much more fun in terms of its' exaggerated ripeness than one might have first expected, due mainly to the headline performance of McAvoy, whilst the go-to actress for creepy leading ladies in recent times, Anya Taylor-Joy, continues to impress after continuing on from her stand-out roles in both The Witch and Morgan. Of course, now the un-embargoed reveal of the very final act of Split is one of which will baffle those unaware of Shyamalan's previous work, yet for those privy to a particular early Shyamalan picture, the concluding seconds bring with it a surprising sense of wanting to pat Shyamalan on the back for having the audacity to attempt it, let alone actually film it. 

Overall Score: 7/10

Film Review: Lion

"I Had Another Family. A Mother, A Brother. I Can Still See Their Faces..."

Arriving in the season of Oscar madness, Lion, the directorial debut from Gareth Davis, is the cinematic adaptation of Saroo Brierley's non-fiction book, "A Long Way Home", an autobiographical account of the extraordinary tale of the Indian-born Aussie, who after being separated from his family in Central India at a young age remarkably sets upon reuniting with his long-lost siblings after a staggering 25 years, resulting in the sort of movie you'd expect to be part of the many conversations regarding the upcoming Academy Awards, particularly regarding its' undeniably touching screenplay. Whilst Lion boasts a fundamentally humane and uplifting narrative basis, one which inevitably results in being an effective tear-jerking tale of the power of human nature, Davis' debut falls short of being a really excellent drama and instead settles for nothing more than being a solid adaptation of an interesting tale of one man's journey to rekindle his lost love. 

With Dev Patel in the leading role, the links between Lion and Slumdog Millionaire are entirely obvious and unfortunately expected, particularly in regards to the two films' similar narratives, albeit one being entirely fictional and the other based upon true events. Furthermore, where Danny Boyle's movie succeeded is where Gareth Davis's ultimately falls flat, with the riveting and sharp feel of Slumdog being entirely absent within Lion, a film which takes way too long to actually get going and one which would have benefited from actually being at least twenty minutes shorter, particularly in its' plodding second act where the elder Saroo attempts to locate his lost family, a particular shame when regarding the strong opening portion of the movie in which we witness the younger Saroo's efforts of survival throughout the mass maze of Central India. With captivating performances from both Nicole Kidman and young newcomer Sunny Pawar, Lion seems to transcend an extraordinary tale from page to screen with some degree of success, yet its' moments of prolonged tedium in certain areas of the film leave you slightly underwhelmed come the closing credits.

Overall Score: 6/10

Film Review: Live By Night

"I Signed Up To Fight In The War. I Went Away a Soldier, I Came Home An Outlaw..."

In order to really make a substantial wave in the genre of gangster movies, one has to stand up upon the shoulders of giants, classic movies which act as the linchpin of cinematic history and are unanimously regarded as plain and simple masterpieces. Whilst the ones that spring to mind include the likes of The Godfather, Goodfellas and Casino, all movies which arrive at the top-end of their respective genre, recent portrayals of the well-worn gangster theme have somewhat added to the notion that the best will indeed never be matched in terms of their overall impact on cinematic history, particularly when you take the likes of Black Mass and Legend in recent years, cases of films which are executed in an overly solid fashion yet are undeniably forgettable in the context of the genre in which they are placed. With Live By Night, the latest pet project from Ben Affleck who follows in the footsteps of movies such as Argo and The Town by writing, directing and starring in the lead role, Affleck takes on the esteemed gangster genre and whilst parts of the film are reasonably commendable, like many have already pointed out already, Affleck's latest does feel like a quickly jumbled together release, due in part to Affleck's high-profile role in the DC Universe, resulting in a movie which can only be regarded as a resounding disappointment. 

Focusing primarily and wholly generically within the era of prohibition, Live By Night feels too much of a sweeping cinematic slog, attempting to cram in as many narrative swings as possible and subsequently suffering from a wide range of issues such as two-dimensional characters, a laughably stereotypical lead villain and a concluding act which verges on the edge of storytelling at its' most basic and immature. Whilst Affleck tries to do his best in both a directorial capacity and in the leading role, the overtly familiar feel of the script doesn't do the film any sense of justice whatsoever, a resounding shame when considering the book on which it was based on, written by Mystic River and Shutter Island author Dennis Lehane. Star of the show belongs entirely to Chris Cooper as the conflicted Sheriff Irving Figgis, whilst Elle Fanning follows on from her superb performance in The Neon Demon by producing a solid, believable performance as Figgis's daughter with the time she manages to bag on-screen. With previous successes with both Argo and The Town, Affleck's latest is unfortunately in a completely different ball park in terms of critical success, and whilst I enjoy a good gangster flick as much as the next guy, Live By Night makes Legend look like The Godfather. 

Overall Score: 5/10

Film Review: The Bye Bye Man

"Don't Say It, Don't Think It..."

Of all of the many cinematic genres within the spectrum of movie-making today, horror is perhaps the one arguably hardest to crack successfully, particularly in recent years where the generic formulaic feel of "cattle-prod" cinema has been the default setting for many poor examples of the genre, resulting inevitably in shoddy critical examinations and even worse box office figures, leading many to come to the conclusion that perhaps the genre as a whole is ever-so swiftly running out of steam. In the case of The Bye Bye Man, it comes as no real surprise that not only is this embarrassment of a horror more than happy to settle into such preconceived notions, but it is a film which insults the intelligence of even the most amateur of horror fanatics, with a non-existent sense of threat grinding its' way into submission alongside a clunky, cliche-ridden screenplay, one which is stretched to the limit in order to splutter some sort of reason for existence upon the big screen when it undeniably belongs within the straight-to-DVD bargain bin in your local supermarket. As you might be able to tell, The Bye Bye Man is an utter, utter, utter work of horror from beginning to end. Just not in a good way. 

With a premise which blatantly rips off everything from The Babadook to A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Bye Bye Man suffers from a fundamental issue of being mouth-gapingly stupid both in execution and production. A trio of leading characters you really don't care about, a leading bogey-man who isn't scary in the slightest, a cop-out ending which obviously is there for franchising potential and more laughs than scares is a selection of the many issues surrounding the film, one which is directed with no real sense of character by Stacy Title and includes strange, off-kilter cameos from the likes of Carrie-Anne Moss and Faye Dunaway who can only be involved in the project due to the promise of a improved bank balance. Whilst I can enjoy stupid, b-movie silliness as much as the next person, The Bye Bye Man really has nothing at all in its' favour, an overly cheap knock off a horror movie which needs to make the most of its' short stint in the cinema in order to recuperate the cost to create its' sheer awfulness, awfulness which can only result in being a film you simply have to leave by saying bye bye man. Yeah, I know. 

Overall Score: 2/10

Disney Reportedly in Talks With Fisher's Estate

Its been a difficult few weeks for Star Wars fans who have been rocked by the death of Carrie Fisher. Even more so consider her reportedly large role within the upcoming instalment of the series. Fortunately, the filming for Episode 8 has wrapped and Fisher will be making a posthumous return, but what about the final episode in this trilogy that also considers her role extremely important?

If we take a step back and look at the latest Star Wars adaptation, we can see Disney and Lucasfilms have a potential solution. Peter Cushing or as some may know him, Grand Moff Tarkin was digitally imprinted into Rogue One. Cushing, who died is 1994 was brought back to life by VFX artists and magicians to reprise the iconic role with express permission from his estate. Personally, had I not been told, I wouldn't have known about this until after the release of the film which prompted a lot of controversy. Towards the end of the film we also witnessed a young Princess Leia using the same technology but was far more apparent. 

Its being reported that Disney have already begun talks with Fisher's estate to utilise her image as Princess Leia so they can finish this trilogy. As of what the talks will consist of or if there will be any script/story changes, we can't be sure, but its hoped by many that if they come to an agreement, Leia will be done gracefully, not overdone and her role heavily reduced or ended appropriately. 

Considering the impact of the character on the universe and the film industry, I can see a deal going ahead. Fisher's estate owes a lot to the Leia character and the fans that have supported them the over decades and I feel that justice can be done for both Carrie and Leia to round out her career with respectfully. 

What do you think of this? Would you like to see Fisher maintain her role through CGI? Let us know in the comment section below!

Film Review: Manchester By The Sea

"I Can't Beat It. I Can't Beat It, I'm Sorry..."

Arriving on a weekend packed to the rafters with a wide range of movie releases, the release of Manchester By The Sea carries with it the annoyingly unavoidable air of hype which has engulfed it over the past few months or so, resulting in an inevitable array of Golden Globe nominations as well as being tipped as one of the top contenders for the upcoming Academy Awards which takes place next month. Directed by Kenneth Lonergan, whose previous credits include screenplays for Gangs of New York and Analyze This, Manchester By The Sea follows in the footsteps of La La Land by being a film which lives up to its' high expectations, a touching tale of loss, sorrow and the chance of redemption held together by a simply outstanding performance from Casey Affleck who undoubtedly will walk away with the Oscar for Best Actor next month, and a sharp, snappy screenplay which dissects the everyday notions of family and friendship upon an overarching melancholic plot thread which acts as the central cornerstone of a movie seeped in utterly believable human emotion. 

Cowering throughout the movie in an unbearable understated embodiment of repressed emotion, Affleck's Lee Chandler is a complex shadow of a character, one who is brought back to his titular homeland after the death of his brother and one whose societal absence verges on the edge of a complete dissociation with anyone around who shows him the slightest bit of attention. Add into the mix Lucas Hedge's Patrick, the son of Lee's lost brother, and the film begins to unravel a parallel between the past and the future, one which balances out loss with a chance of redemption for a character who could easily burst into a complete and utter meltdown at any moment throughout the film. Subsequently, the commanding performance of Affleck ironically leads to the film's only real setback, with Michelle Williams strangely seeming rather absent and underused, alongside other characters which come and go rather too swiftly. Ultimately, Manchester By The Sea is Affleck's movie entirely and the down-to-earth dramatic turns and realist decisions by his character result in a film which is up there with the most rewarding dramas to be released in recent memory and for a film which is just under two and a half hours, it seemed strange to be leaving the cinema by actually wanting more, the sign of a cracker if ever there was one.

Overall Score: 9/10

Film Review: La La Land

"I'm Letting Life Hit Me Until It Gets Tired. Then I'll Hit Back. It's a Classic Rope-a-Dope..."

The return of director Damien Chazelle this week brings with it a wide range of reasons to rejoice, no more so than remembering just how superb the masterpiece that was Whiplash back in 2015, a film which had the brilliant recognition of landing top of the list for best movies in its' respective year at Black Ribbon alongside a couple of Academy Awards including a Best Supporting gong for J. K. Simmons who reunites with Chazelle in his latest cinematic venture, La La Land. Going by trailers and other in-your-face modes of advertisement alone, the hype surrounding Chazelle's latest was unbelievably rapturous to say the least with calls for a shed-load of awards to be swiftly thrown in its' general direction amongst unanimous rave reviews which concluded with parades of full marks for execution. Where Whiplash was essentially a war movie disguised in the body of a jazz-based drama, La La Land is a full-blown romantic musical, one which is soaked in a wondrously upbeat sense of joy and a rare case of a film which not only lives up to the hype surrounding it but surpasses it two-fold, resulting in an unforgettable cinematic journey which accumulates in you leaving the cinema with a spring in your step, singing and humming the beautiful soundtrack alongside a willingness to see it again as quickly as possible.  

Following the intertwining lives of Emma Stone's ambitious actress Mia and the jazz-infused figure of Ryan Gosling's Sebastian, La La Land succumbs to the age-old tale of classic musicals by focusing primarily on a relationship gelled together by ambition and dreams, beginning with the first moments in which our leading lovers embrace and eventually concluding in a manner both heartbreaking yet entirely fulfilling. Intertwining the narrative throughout the film are the beautifully written and deliciously choreographed musical routines which although are not as explosive and extravagant as classical cinematic scenes of similar ilk, manage to perfectly suit the overall tone of the movie, with "Mia & Sebastian's Theme" being the standout track of the soundtrack, a melodic piano piece which accompanies the narrative of their relationship from its' inception until the end. With Stone arguably stealing the show as the doe-eyed barista, eager to hit the big time in Hollywood, Gosling's confident yet understated sense of swagger results in a central relationship which oozes chemistry, helped extensively from the pair's past work in films such as Crazy, Stupid, Love, resulting in a pair of leading characters in which you totally believe in from beginning to end. 

Writing a day after the conclusion of the annual Golden Globes awards, it comes at no surprise to see Chazelle's latest completely sweep the board in a record-breaking bout, with awards for each of the top-billed trio a fitting reward for a movie which in a time of trials and tribulations in terms of the overall world view, reminds you how cinema can allow for a route of escapism in troubled times, particularly a movie as heartwarming as La La Land. If Whiplash was Chazelle's angry awakening to Hollywood, then La La Land is a commemorative ode to its' otherworldly appeal, one which embraces the notion of the American dream and a destination where many journey to reach their goals of fame and fortune. In the case of La La Land, Chazelle has found his Citizen Kane, his Singing in the Rain, and after its' inevitable forthcoming award success, the cinematic spectrum will most certainly become his oyster and as an avid fan, I cannot wait to see what happens next. 

Overall Score: 10/10