Stills courtesy Screen Gems.
If there’s one unifying factor in the Resident Evil series, it’s that you don’t get to see the coolest things it has to offer. In the worst example, the series’ third movie, Extinction, ends on a cliffhanger with dozens of Alice clones preparing to go to war, but the first 10 minutes of the next movie, Afterlife, are dedicated to extinguishing that plot point. This leaves room for the series to bring us all the ham-fisted exposition it can think of and extend its least remarkable stunts with slow motion.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter continues that tradition and takes it to the extreme.
Ten years after the evil Umbrella corporation released the zombie-creating T-virus, which ravaged humanity, Alice (Milla Jovovich, who can’t get much work outside this series) learns of an anti-virus under the corporation’s control — but also that in two days, the last outposts of humanity will be wiped out. She returns to Raccoon City, where the series began, reuniting with Claire Redfield (Ali Larter, who can’t get much work outside this series). With a handful of allies, they assault Umbrella’s underground base to claim the anti-virus from arch-villains Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts, who can’t get much work outside this series) and Alexander Isaacs (Iain Glen, who was on Game of Thrones).
Julieta is a blend of several genres. At times, it’s a road movie. Other times, it’s a tragedy. In the middle, it tackles romantic comedy. The narrative is unpredictable, but easy to follow. Images courtesy Warner Bros.
Steven James
@StevenLeeJames
Julieta puts melancholy, suspense and strange visuals at center stage. A group of talented actors play two generations of assholes who can’t look past their own issues.
After hearing news of her daughter’s whereabouts, Julieta Arcos (Emma Suárez, Adriana Ugarte) cancels moving to Portugal with her boyfriend, Lorenzo Gentile (Darío Grandinetti). Arcos a personal journal focusing on her daughter, Antía (Blanca Parés, Priscilla Delgado), who ran away 12 years earlier during a religious retreat. While writing in her journal, Julieta, who suffers from major depressive disorder, realizes how little she knew of her daughter, and that maybe her depression had alienated her. In a narrative alternating between past and present, Arcos comes to terms with the fact her daughter is no longer a part of her life and realizes why she left in the first place.
Image courtesy Universal Pictures.
Night Shyamalan’s Split was a staggering success, pulling in more than $40 million despite industry projections putting it at $24 million or so. Releasing opposite, XXX: The Return of Xander Cage met expectations with $20 million- Box Office Mojo
There are several reasons Split blew industry expectations out of the water- The Wrap
One of them is, despite everything, people generally still really like M. Night Shyamalan. Split is being called a comeback, but it’s impressive $40 million bow is only the sixth highest opening for the director- Film School Rejects
The film is a fantastic showcase of Shyamalan’s conventions, first and foremost the twist ending that put him on the map with 1999’s The Sixth Sense. Why is the flair at the end so popular? Film School Rejects
Reel Entropy 