‘Julieta’ a successful experiment in nonlinear storytelling

Posted on January 26, 2017 by reelentropy

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.

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The Open Bar Review – Split

Posted on January 25, 2017 by reelentropy

Paul and I discuss James McAvoy and whether or not dissociative identity disorder is a real thing.

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The Möbius Strip: ‘Split’ shatters expectations, Hollywood reacts to Trump

Posted on January 24, 2017 by reelentropy

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

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‘Bye Bye Man’ does good business not despite, but because of how awful it looked

Posted on January 22, 2017 by reelentropy

Man, whatever happened to Carrie-Anne Moss? Stills courtesy STX Entertainment.

The Bye Bye Man dramatically overperformed last weekend after a widely mocked marketing campaign, almost doubling its $7.4 million budget. So, was it any good?

No.

Shit no.

I mean, look at this trailer —

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McAvoy, Taylor-Joy shine in ‘Split’

Posted on January 20, 2017 by reelentropy

Split leans heavily on this type of invasive close-up even outside of its primary basement environment. Image courtesy Universal Pictures.

Split is a sharp, tight movie about a trapped girl and her insane captor, except when it isn’t.

The movie starts with social outcast Casey Cook (Anya Taylor-Joy) forced to ride home with two of her much more well-adjusted classmates, Claire Benoit (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula). The three are kidnapped by Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and who’s body is inhabited by more than 20 different people. From Crumb’s several identities, the girls learn they must escape his underground lair before being sacrificed to a final, cannibalistic personality known only as “The Beast.” Also, Crumb sees a psychologist, Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), and the movie halts all its momentum at several points so we can get her two cents.

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