Glass (2019)

If it wasn't for Glass, I probably would have never seen Unbreakable, one of the best origin films ever, nor Split, its marvellous standalone sequel. If I hadn't loved those two films, on the other hand, I would have never sat through two hours of whatever the hell Glass is. 

Set immediately after Split, Glass opens with an aged David Dunn (Bruce Willis) who, helped by his son, Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), tries to stop Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) and the twenty-four personalities that reside within him. Things don't go exactly as planned and both David and Kevin are locked up in a mental hospital where David's archenemy, Elijah Price aka Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), is also staying. As if that wasn't bad enough, David has to deal with a psychiatrist (Sarah Paulson) who is out to prove that the three men do not have super-human abilities. 

The plot was neither Unbreakable nor Split's strongest suit, so I was not expecting anything grand from Glass under this aspect. Unfortunately, it turned out to be even worse than anticipated. Not only it makes no sense whatsoever, it features twists that, at the same time, are predictable and unexpected as they are completely devoid of logic, and it just basically just a lame excuse to have the three characters reunited in one film, but it's not interesting, it's not compelling, it just simply does not keep you hooked like its predecessors did. 

The main reason both Unbreakable and Split worked for me was the characters —while not every single one of them had the depth or development they deserved, they were interesting —especially Kevin—, likeable and realistic. In Glass, they have the same issues —they are shallow and the development is nearly nonexisting—, only this time they are pretty uninteresting and quite annoying to be honest, especially the psychiatrist.

The performances are also disappointing. Bruce Willis gives a dull, uninspired performance as he essentially sleep-walks through the entire film; Samuel L. Jackson is mediocre to say the least as Mr. Glass; Anya Taylor-Joy, who reprises her role of Casey, has barely something to work with; and the same goes with Sarah Paulson who not only is given absolutely nothing to do but has the most excruciating lines of dialogue.

Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

M. Night Shyamalan's direction is also pretty bland and boring. The film indeed lacks the tension and suspense required by a psychological thriller —this is what Glass is supposed to be, right?—, there's no atmosphere, and the cinematography is lifeless.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel though, and it's James McAvoy's performance as Kevin and his multiple personalities. Already the most compelling aspect of Split, McAvoy is yet again mesmerizing, and the switching between personalities is more impressive than ever. This guy is just fascinating to watch and about the only logical reason to watch Glass.

Blue Jay (2016)

After watching and really enjoying Paddleton, I decided to check out more from the Duplass brothers and Alex Lehmann. That's when I stumbled upon Blue Jay and, since it sounded interesting and the cast appealed me, I checked it out (more than a month later because I'm terrible at this). 

The film follows Jim (Mark Duplass) and Amanda (Sarah Paulson), two high school sweethearts who meet by chance for the first time in years when they both go back to their California hometown. They seem very awkward at first as they don't have much to say to each other, but once they get to talking, and decide to spend some time at Jim's old house, they fall back into the past as if nothing has changed between them.

The story is very simple, so simple there's barely a story and the chances of it being dull were pretty high. Fortunately, Blue Jay immediately generates our interest as it's clear from the beginning that Jim and Amanda share a troubled past, and keep us engaged for its entire running time as we wait for the secret to be unveiled. In addition, it shies away from the predictable, clichéd romantic territory I was expecting it to fall into, as it turns out to be a very realistic, everyday kind of drama.

It's the actors though that get the job done. First of all, Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson have such strong, beautiful, magic chemistry that makes the relationship between Jim and Amanda incredibly genuine. Second, they both give great performances —Duplass he plays the role of Jim, a sensitive, normal guy, in such a natural way, Paulson plays the role of Amanda, a woman who is almost impossible to read, with so much tenderenss— and they both capture the playfulness and vulnerability of two people who used to mean the world for each other. And they are wonderful at improvising —Duplass is credited as the screenwriter but there wasn't an actual script, only a draft and he and Paulson did the rest.

The Orchard, Netflix

At last but not least there's Alex Lehmann's cinematography. It is simple and yet beautifully breathtaking, the black and white wonderfully conveys an atmosphere of nostalgia that complements incredibly well Jim and Amanda's past and present, each frame is perfect and shot in a way that it almost feels claustrophobic, as if you were stuck in the film with the characters, and enhances that feeling of intimacy that the actors bring to the screen.

Ocean's Eight (2018)

Ocean's Eleven is one of my favourite heist films ever. It's fun, entertaining, clever and the chemistry between the actors, it is simply wonderful. That's what I was hoping I would find in Ocean's Eight, the all-female spin-off of Ocean series. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as good as the "original" (in case you didn't know, Soderberg's film is a remake of a 1960 film, also named Ocean's Eleven, starring Frank Sinatra).

Newly released from prison, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), the young sister of Danny Ocean, puts in motion her five-year-in-the-making plan: she is going to get Cartier to lend a $150 million diamond necklace to a vain actress, Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), for the exclusive Met Gala where she is going to pluck it off the actress's neck. To pull off the heist, she assembles a team of talented women.

The plot is pretty much garbage. It's often implausible and it is filled with gigantic holes. What's worse though is that it's not exciting nor that entertaining as it lacks suspension and surprises --there are twists, but they couldn't get more predictable-- and because of that, it ends up being quite boring to follow. It is simply too straightforward for me to really enjoy it --I love my heist movie guys to struggle a little, but everything goes according to plan here.

Another problem with Ocean's Eight is that it lacks interesting characters. They are just heist movie stereotypes and as such, they have no depth whatsoever. We don't get their background stories --what is all that sexual tension between Sandra Bullock's Debbie and Cate Blanchett's Lou about?-- and they lack strong motivations.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Then there's the cast. Some of the women in the film can't even act --Rihanna and Mindy Kaling-- and most of those who can do a terrible job. I love Sandra Bullock and the chemistry she has with Cate Blanchett is amazing, but she is kind of a boring lead. Anna Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter do a pretty good job though, respectively as the vain actress and her quirky designer. Carter stole the scene every time she was on screen for me. James Corden is pretty good too. He basically plays himself only with another name --he's not an actor, after all-- but he is the one, the only one, who delivers the humour in the final part of the film.

Despite the poor writing and the mediocre to say the least acting, Ocean's Eight doesn't qualify as the worst film of the year. Although the humour is flat at times, there are several humorous moments that will keep you interested, and to watch the heist being pulled off was entertaining despite the lack of tension.