Glass

I don't believe for a minute that Shyamalan intended Unbreakable to be the first picture in a trilogy. Nothing in that movie indicated that he had anything more for the story in mind. That actually makes it all the more impressive that he was able to tie it together with Split and develop this movie as a third installment in what appears to be an ad hoc series. This entry deftly unifies the second story with the first, and then gives the current narrative a life of its own, informed by but not restricted by the earliest work. With all that put together, the ultimate result here--and it does seem "ultimate" given how things go--is a strong entry into the mix, one that serves as a real showcase for McAvoy's ability to inhabit multiple characters in one role (without having to bother with introductory trappings, which make his transitions all the more seamless and impressive). The story also contains interesting meditations on the nature off comic book characters, what they are and what they represent, and this flick arguably gets right what so many of the other superhero films--particularly the biggest fish in the ocean--get dead wrong. I know that other boy from Philadelphia gets kicked around a lot, but I give credit where it's due: Shyamalan has lifted himself back up and made himself, again, a filmmaker to watch. That too is the act of a special person.

The Post

So this is what you get when an "eat your vegetables" story meets the most entertainment and emotion oriented of all movie directors. Everything in this story about the publication of the Pentagon Papers is Important with a capital 'I'--freedom of the press, checks and balances, lives on the line, etc.--but it never quite feels that way as these proceedings proceed. The storytelling is a little too paint-by-numbers; you can almost see the "CIVICS LESSON" stamp on the script pages, where certain lines are delivered less as acting and too much like an essay reading. And the efforts to build drama fail; true, we all already know (or, accounting for ignorance, should already know) the outcome of these events, but that's rarely a hurdle in the hands of a skillful storyteller. (Think Apollo 13; we knew going in they survived, but it was still a dramatic ride nevertheless.) Spielberg is not a poor storyteller, but something in the execution here is amiss, and it can't be laid upon the actors, who all acquit themselves well. Just as a salad is hardly exciting, but something you need to eat once in a while, this film is worth seeing, if only for the refresher in history--but it's not a particularly inspired piece of movie-making.

12 Years a Slave

An artfully crafted and masterfully executed film. This movie achieves exactly what you would hope and expect from a film on this subject: the viewer must watch this story and think to himself, “How would I react to being treated this way?”--precisely the kind of empathy required to prevent such madness. And ‘madness’ is the proper term; in some ways, this film serves as a meditation on how big a role insanity played in creating, justifying, and propping up slavery as an institution. (Not to mention religion, of course.) It’s worthy of its awards, and certainly worthy of your attention.

Down With Love

The cinematic definition of "a real hoot." The retro story and style work amazingly well, and the charming leads (Zellweger and McGregor) pull off their forty-year-old roles with aplomb. It's not exactly Important, but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face while watching it, so it gets a high recommendation.