Despite The Negative Reviews 'Glass' Mostly Works

I'm not an M. Night Shyamalan apologist by any means.  I felt that his act (what a twist!) had grown stale around the time of The Village.  His twists and turns felt forced and unnecessary.  I think The Village would have worked 100 times better without the surprise ending.  Even when he tried movies without twist endings (The Happening & Lady In The Water), he felt like a filmmaker without a cause.  I thought the (ridiculously whitewashed) The Last Airbender was an example of someone who had been given too much to work with and didn't know how to fit all the pieces together.  Finally, the less that's said about After Earth, his mistaken Scientology metaphor film with Will Smith, the better.  I, like many others, had written Shyamalan off for dead... resigned to the scrap heap of cinematic history.

However, something funny happened on the way to Hollywood exile.  Shyamalan started making good movies again.  Blumhouse stripped away all his excess and forced Shyamalan to tell stories again.  His first success was with the found footage film, The Visit.  This "they're not who you think they are" film shouldn't have worked.  He was years late to the found footage genre and it wasn't a particularly original idea.  However, Shyamalan knows how to craft a story and tell it visually.  I thoroughly enjoyed that film way more than I thought I would have.  Next came Split, a doozy of a story featuring a stunning performance by James McAvoy as a man with dozens of personalities and the girls he kidnapped.  I think we were all caught by surprise how enjoying that film was.  He even threw in a trademark twist ending that actually worked.  It was at the end of that film that we (spoiler alert!), as an audience, learned that Split was connected to Shyamalan's best film, Unbreakable.

And here we are with Glass, the movie that connects both films.  I was intrigued by the trailer and thought it would be a knockout hit with critics and audiences.  However, as the reviews started rolling in, it was apparent that this film was not critics' cup of tea.  It was getting savage reviews normally reserved for the likes of Michael Bay and Zac Snyder.  The reviews were nasty and personal in nature.  After watching Glass, I can say that it's not nearly as bad as the reviews say.  Sure, it has its flaws, and the dialogue is extremely heavy-handed at times, but Glass is a way better movie than people give it credit for.  It's as if the world hasn't forgiven Shyamalan for his past filmmaking transgressions and is taking it out on him through Glass' reviews.

Glass picks up months after the events of Split.  McAvoy's Kevin Wendle Crumb has once again kidnapped a bunch of young girls (McAvoy once again knocks his role out of the park, sliding seamlessly between Crumb's personalities).  Bruce Willis' David Dunn has opened a home security company with his son and still moonlights as The Overseer at night.  He is hot on the tale of Crumb, but before they can fully wage battle, they're captured and placed in a mental hospital.  A psychiatrist (played enjoyably by Sarah Paulson) is convinced that they're not actually superheroes, but rather suffer from a mental and/or physical condition that can be explained scientifically.  It's at this moment, we're reintroduced to Samuel L. Jackson's Mr. Glass.  He hasn't skipped a beat since Unbreakable.  Still dastardly and one step ahead of everyone, Mr. Glass is the glue that holds this film together.  His scheme leads to a conclusion that I can't explain without ruining the film.  I think it works, but it's probably going to be the part that has people arguing for years over this film's merits.

I will say that, while I enjoyed the ending, I can see why people may take issue with it.  It's the most heavy handed in terms of expository dialogue, something I wish Shymalan had turned down a bit.  I get it, we're in a movie that knows it's a comic book movie.  However, we don't need the running commentary by Mr. Glass during this section.  I think it would have been a much better movie if Shymalan had lead this part out.  Shyamalan has to learn that his audience can figure things out on their own.  We don't need to be spoonfed all the time.  I also think that of the approximately 27 personalities that James McAvoy played, The Beast is by far the least enjoyable.  I think this film may have overused him in this one.

That being said, despite its flaws, I found Glass to be an enjoyable conclusion to Shyamalan's superhero trilogy.  It's worth a shot even if the critics seem to take delight in trashing it.  2.5 out of 4 stars.

The 10 Best Movies I Saw In 2018

In many ways, 2018 was a weird year for movies.  We're very close to Oscar nominations and yet, I can't really tell what the front runner is.  We just had a bizarro Golden Globes ceremony where a movie with a Rotten Tomatoes score in the low 60s won best picture (Bohemian Rhapsody).  On the other hand, 2018 saw one of the best superhero movies ever made dominate the box office (Black Panther), a brilliant return to form for Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) and a better than it should have been Star Wars film bomb at the box office (Solo).  We also saw the tides shifting towards streaming services for quality film releases (Roma), and the rise and fall of Movie Pass (RIP).  That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the movies in 2018.  There's still a bunch of films I need to see (The Favourite, Spider Man Into The Spiderverse, Boy Erased and Widows to name a few) before Oscar season.  However, I wanted to get my top 10 list out of there before the nominations come out.

Here are the 10 best films I saw in 2018, but first, here's a list of films that just missed the cut.  They were all great films, and any of them could have nabbed that 10th slot. For this list, they're on the outside looking in.

Bumblebee
A Quiet Place
Avengers: Infinity War
Creed II
Mandy
Fahrenheir 11/9 
Sorry To Bother You


10) Disobedience - This quiet film about the impact of faith on family, life and love is a film I just happened to stumble upon... and I'm glad I did!  It features two harrowing performances for Rachael Weisz and Rachel McAdams as lesbians living inside and out of an Orthodox Jewish society.  The film is a treat to watch and completely heartbreaking at the same time.

9) Hereditary - One of the most intense and thoughtful horror movies of the last decade.  This tale of a family dealing with grief will leave you in complete disbelief.  It slowly builds to a crescendo of chills and thrills.  It's stayed with me for months.

8) First Man -  This telling of Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon was a surprise stinker at the box office, and I can't tell why.  It fits all the check marks that you would want in a movie.  It has a stellar cast, story and is directed with a surgeon's precision.  For the life of me, I can't tell why this one isn't a bigger player in the awards chase.

7) First Reformed - This gripping telling of a priest who has lost his faith isn't for everyone.  In fact, I don't think most people will get it.  However, it's stayed with me and has grown in stature every day since I viewed it.  Ethan Hawke gives a career defining performance and will hopefully be recognized for it.

6) Mission: Impossible Fallout - This may be the best pure action movie ever made with stunts that may never be topped.  The Impossible franchise just won't quit and I don't want it to.  It's the new high water mark for spy thrillers and I can't wait to see where it goes next.  Though, Tom Cruise may eventually die performing one of these signature Impossible stunt sequences.

5) A Star Is Born - A brilliant re-telling of a Hollywood classic, A Star Is Born lives up to the billing.  Both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper deserve everything that is coming their way.  Bring your tissues and enjoy the ride.

4) BlacKkKlansman - A welcomed return to form for Spike Lee.  This film hits you like a ton of bricks.  Equal parts humorous and scathing takedown of Trumpism, Klansman is the film we need for the times we live in.

3) Roma - Alfonso Cuaron's latest film is a master class in directing and storytelling.  As beautiful as it is bleak, Roma should be the favorite for best picture.  It's a slow burner of a film that almost feels like a documentary that hooks its claws in you and doesn't let go.  It features some of the most intense sequences I can remember and some of the most beautiful imagery in a long time.

2) Black Panther - What more can I say about Black Panther that hasn't already been said.  It's without a doubt the best Marvel film and has a claim in the battle for best superhero movie of all-time.  The biggest question facing this film is whether or not it will be the superhero film to finally enter the best picture discussion.  I can't wait to find out.  Speaking of best picture...

1)  Annihilation - I was hooked from the instant I saw this film.  Director Alex Garland's second sci-fi thriller (behind the wonderful Ex Machina) is the kind of film I wish more people would make.  It felt like a long lost Kubrick film that is worth repeated viewings.  Sadly, it kind of fell by the wayside.  I hope it gets the long life it deserves now that it's available on home video and streaming.  I can't wait to see where Garland goes next.

The Brilliant 'Roma' Is The Future Of Quality Films.

I finally had the opportunity to watch the new Alfonso Cuaron film, Roma, the other night and it hasn't left me since.  It's the latest masterpiece by Cuaron and it's available exclusively on Netflix.  It's sucks you in and doesn't let you go as it simmers to some of the most gut wrenching scenes I've seen in a long time.  Roma also represents the future of high quality films.  In a time where the marketplace is dominated by Superhero films, Netflix (and other streaming services) appear to be stepping in to fill the void for audiences that don't want to be pounded into submission by the latest caped escapade.

Roma is a semi-autobiographical film by Cuaron, which follows a family through the eyes of one of their servants, Cleo, (played extraordinarily by first-time actor Yalitza Aparicio) in 1970s Mexico.  Roma feels like a documentary.  The first half of the film builds its emotion as Cleo balances her work and personal life.  Cuaron doesn't waste time with wasted dialogue.  He lets his camera do the talking.  And boy, is does that camera showcase some beautiful imagery.  Shot in gorgeous black & white, Cuaron recreates the world of 1970s with precise detail.  He also lets the camera introduce us to the different members of the family that Cleo works for.  There's a wonderful scene that introduces the patriarch that only shows different angles of his car as he tries to park it in the garage.  During the first half of the film, the family is largely presented from afar.   Cuaron goes to great lengths to show the dichotomy between employee and employer.  She's overlooked by everyone in her life and yet she has a passion and strength for life that is unparalleled by the other characters in the film.

While the first half of Roma largely feels ethereal, the second half brings everything together to make Roma one of the most devastating and emotional films of the year.  There's a few scenes that I could barely watch, and yet, I couldn't turn my eyes away from.  I don't want to ruin anything for you, but there's one scene in particular that will stay with you forever.  You could tell that Roma was extremely personal for Cuaron.  Each character and scene is crafted with a tender love and care.  This world feels lived in and real in a way that Cuaron's other films haven't.

Roma will be a test for Hollywood.  Is there room for a film like it in the cinemas (where a film of its scale and beauty definitely deserves a healthy run)?  Or will more and more so-called "quality" films find a home on Netflix?  It looks like we're seeing the start of a trend here.  Martin Scorcese's return to his gangster film roots, The Irishman, is up next for Netflix.  And if Scorcese can't find a theatrical window for that, then who knows who can?

Roma is one of, if not the best films of the year.  It's beautiful, heartbreaking and will hopefully get some much-deserved awards.

Bumblebee Is Not Just A Good Transformers Movie, It's A Good Movie Movie

First off, I love Michael Bay.  I can't quit him.  I've seen all of his movies, and I love most of them.  I've seen 4 out of the 5 Transformers movies at the midnight screening on opening night.  I realize his severe limitations as a filmmaker, but the man is a visual genius.  He can craft an action sequence like no one else.  That being said, the last few Transformers movies have been all out piles of robotic crap.  For a director who normally sees plot as a means to get to the next action sequence, the last few of these had even less of anything remotely resembling a cohesive story.  Bay also took the lore and backstory of the Robots In Disguise to even loonier heights.  Each film tried to establish a different backstory for the Autobots and Decepticons to diminishing returns.  Needless to say, it was time for Michael Bay to move on.

Enter Travis Knight (Kubo And The Two Strings).  He wisely strips down all of the Michael Bay nonsense and focuses the film on a single robot, the highly popular Bumblebee.  And it worked!  I can't believe it, but Bumblebee is not only a great Transformers movie, but it's also a great movie movie.  It's full of heart and humor, while still existing as a top notch action film.

Bumblebee starts on Cybertron (the robotic home world of the Autobots and Decepticons) as the war is ending.  Bumblebee is jettisoned from his home planet to Earth as a sort of scout for the other Autobots.  However, he is soon caught, had his memory erased and his vocal chords slashed (answering the biggest running bag in Transformers history) and forced to go into hiding on Earth as the famous VW Beetle from the cartoon series.  He is soon discovered by Charlie (played with tomboy piss and vinegar by Hailee Steinfeld), and has to re-learn how to be a transforming robot.

This is where the film earns the majority of its charm points.  It's as if Knight said, "What if Spielberg made one of these?" and just loaded up the film with E.T. charm.  It also works because Knight chose to make his human characters as important to the story as the robot on the poster.  This is very much a 1980s coming of age film that just happens to feature fighting robots from outer space.  Knight takes the time to develop his characters and give them stories that make sense.  You feel for the people as much as the robots that are fighting above them.  John Cena continues his strong film presence in this one as well as a member of a government military agency.

Another thing that I loved about Bumblebee was that it didn't run away from nostalgia like the Bay films did.  Everything in this one felt like a celebration of the original 80s cartoon series (and companion feature film), rather than a re-imagining of it.  They use the original "tranforming" sound effect.  The robots are shown in the forms they took in the cartoon series.  Hell, they used a snipet of the catchy feature film song in this one.  It all worked to make something that all audiences could get behind.  Knight also wisely cuts down the number of robots to only a handful, so you don't have to keep track of a million characters on screen.

There are a few things that don't work in this film (there was a high diving backstory for Steinfeld's character that felt forced), but overall it's a hell of fun ride.  I'm giving Bumblebee 3.5 stars out of 4.  If you're a fan of the original cartoon series, or even someone who has grown tired of the Bayhem of the film series, go check it out.  It tries its best to ground the series in emotion over explosion and mostly succeeds.