Split Review: Shyamalan's Inventive Thriller Poises Director for Historic Comeback

Split follows the story of three young girls who are kidnapped by a crazed man with an unprecedented case of Split Personality Disorder.  The girls must fight for their lives while their abductor's psychology spirals out of control as more is revealed about the past - and future - of the characters.  It stars James McAvoy (X-Men Franchise) as the kidnapper and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) as his very unlucky victim.

M. Night Shyamalan has made some of my favorite movies in Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, but he has also made some of the most universally-hated movies of recent years in Last Airbender and The Happening.  Last year, The Visit teased a potential return to form for the nose-diving director, but was it a fluke or will Split bring Shyamalan back on his path to greatness?  

(There will be NO spoilers in this review, so read on fearlessly.)

Top 10 Most Exciting Movies of 2017

With 2016 now truly behind us and a whole new year ahead, it's time to look forward at what we can expect - and anticipate - about 2017.  In this post I'll give a list of the 10 movies we should all get excited for already coming later this year, starting with a couple honorable mentions to kick it off.  Most of these movies will not end up in my best of the year list in December, but they will all certainly create discussion and excitement over the next 12 months.

Top 15 Movies of 2016

After such a long ride of ups and downs, it's hard to believe that 2016 is nearly over.  Before we head to 2017, it's time to look back at the best movies of 2016.  This year  has been stuffed with blockbusters, but it also has some big surprises, so I've decided to break this down into a top 15 list, with some honorable mentions to kick it off.  

Rogue One Gives Hope to Expanded Star Wars Franchise

NO SPOILERS

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set just before Star Wars: A New Hope, following a band of Rebel soldiers who uncover the Empire's plan to build a superweapon and their harrowing mission to try and steal those Death Star plans that kick off the Star Wars story.  

               Four years ago when Disney announced the earth-shattering news that they had purchased Lucasfilm and were making new Star Wars movies, one of the more interesting - and concerning - elements of the reveal was that they would not only be giving us new Episodic movies, but that they would also be giving us "Anthology" movies that worked much like spin-offs into various ends of the Star Wars Galaxy.   While the excitement was strong for Episode 7, I was concerned that these "Anthology" movies would be nothing more than cash grabs and even after The Force Awakens I fearfully wondered if Disney could  truly venture beyond the core story and still manage to feel worthwhile.  Would the first of these Star Wars Stories, Rogue One, live up to this fear?  Or would it prove that the galaxy of Star Wars truly is open for new and exciting stories? 

Top 10 TV Shows of 2016

The Film Fan Awakens: Top 10 TV Shows 2016

                2016 is quickly coming to an end and it’s time to look back on the year as a whole, the best and the worst.  Here, I’ll go through the top ten TV shows of 2016, from Netflix pop culture takeovers to philosophical examinations of our current society.  Check out my list below and come back later this month for a look at the best and worst of movies this year.

The Roles We Play: Reviewing The Walking Dead Season 7 episode 2

"Embrace the Contradiction" Tristan Mayer reviews The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 2 'The Well'

Last week on The Walking Dead, Negan made a smashing entrance, knocking sense and loyalty into the group and sparking intense debate and conversation in the fandom.  While some praised the envelope-pushing violence and intense performances, many wondered if the show had gone too far or fallen deeply into unrealistic pessimism.  The episode destroyed in ratings and generated passionate discussion.  Could the second episode live up to the impact of the first?  Or would it sizzle out the excitement the show has regenerated?    

Batter Up: Reviewing The Walking Dead 7 Premiere "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"

Tristan Mayer's

The Walking Dead Season 7 Premiere Review:

"The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be"

              The Walking Dead Season 6 ended on what I consider to be one of the most insulting and cheaply executed cliffhangers of recent memory.  The type of gimmicky behavior commonplace in soap operas, no the Emmy-worthy drama that The Walking Dead likes to say it is.  After a sixth season of ups and downs, The Walking Dead had begun to lose me as a fan, and as someone who had been watching the show since it premiered and still reads every issue of the source material, that was a severely disappointing realization.  Through the teasing marketing and undeniable leaked evidence, I began to wonder if this season premier could be enough to bring me back or if the true victim of Negan’s brutality would be my desire to keep viewing.