Split

Well, I never thought I'd be writing these words, but... M. Night Shyamalan has made am extraordinary film that everyone really must see. The story of this psych thriller (I can't call it horror really) is quite well put together. Yes, there are holes in portions of it, but the reviewers who have made those their sticking points are missing the bigger picture. It's a good story well told, and he clearly did some research on popular theory of this subject. James McAvoy is, in a word, transcendent. He should absolutely get an Oscar nod for this. But, in all honesty, it was the direction that grabbed me the most. This doesn't look like a Shyamalan film - it truly looks like something Kubrick made. It's a visual feast, and so much of the story is told visually and through the soundscape. It's the total package, and, yes, there's something unexpected at the end. At least he stayed true to that convention. Seriously, this is amazing. You must watch it. 4.5/5

Split on Netflix

Wide Awake

There's a reason no one has ever heard of this early M. Night Shyamalan film. Because it's horrid. It's family dramedy that is Hallmark quality and faith-based. I couldn't make it past the halfway point without turning it off. Not good at all for me! 1.5/5

Wide Awake on Netflix

After Earth

Well, this wasn't good at all. However, it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting. Let's start with the positives. The effects were decent. The plot wasn't overly complicated. And, for once, there was no big twist to screw up the end of a Shyamalan movie. I've certainly seen worse Shyamalan films before. However, that's where the praise has to end. The acting in this is awful, just awful. Jaden has a bizarre way of speaking that made him extremely difficult to understand. Many of his lines just seemed garbled, and I felt that the other actors in the film were almost trying to copy his "accent". Will Smith was bad, but Jaden was *really* bad. But perhaps the thing that bothered me the most was the central point of the film, that fear is a choice. Well, Mr. Smith, since you wrote this garbage, I would like to invite you to live in the body of anyone with an anxiety disorder and tell me fear is a choice. It's not, everything we know about biology and psychology says it's not, and I couldn't get past that to actually enjoy the film. It was just poor writing and there was no real way through it. Unless you're a Shyamalan completist, skip this one. 2/5

After Earth on Netflix

The Visit

Seriously, what happened to Shyamalan? This was just awful & the "twist" was ridiculous. Painfully bad. 1.5/5

The Visit on Netflix