Movie Review: Split

I guess I should start out by saying I like M. Night Shyamalan films. I am sure that is going to turn away a certain percentage of you as it seems the appearance of his seems to be the punchline to an unspoken joke to many. No, I do not like all of his films, but when he is on his game, he can make a very good film. His last film, The Visit, seemed to indicate a return to form of sorts, so with the release of Split there was every reason to hope the trend would continue. I am very happy to report that the upward trend is there. Split is very good film. Perfect? No, and at times frustrating, but it is always interesting and it has a fascinating conclusion that is not a twist, but does alter the perception of what came before it.

Movie Review: The Visit (2015)

The Visit has arrived in theaters and seeks to bring M. Night Shyamalan back to his roots. He is a writer director who began his career with an improves sick string of movies, most notably the Oscar nominated The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. His career started getting big and, in my opinion, the quality started to falter with movies that seemed to feature Shyamalan in an unchecked mode. His most recent films have been lackluster studio fare, like After Earth, that left me wanting more from him. I was wondering where the guy who made Unbreakable went. I think we found him.

Movie Review: After Earth

So, let me get this straight. Will Smith turned down Django Unchained, a role that was written with him in mind, in order to embark on this project dripping with nepotism, personally hiring M. Night Shyamalan along the way? Sounds like when he turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild, Wild West. It seems to me that whenever his instincts guide him in one direction, he should go in the other. Much like Wild Wild West, After Earth is not a good movie.