MOVIE REVIEW: Split

Writer/Director M. Night Shymalan is back in the game with Split, his new thriller that also gives us moviegoers a lesson or two about Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. In layman terms, it's multiple personality disorder and actor James McAvoy who probably made this film after an X-Men film since his head is shaved, gives an outstanding performance as a troubled man with different personas (23 of them to be exact) all inside of him.

When three girls, the socially awkward Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), best friends Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula) were randomly kidnapped by one of McAvoy's identity in broad daylight after a birthday party, the rest of the film all comes down to the house by the lead character and the psychologist Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley)'s home/office in which he seeks help. 

Split has the claustrophobic atmosphere that really gets to you and in vintage Shymalan form (aside from his annoying cameo) brings you a pleasant surprise especially if you admired one of his best works after his groundbreaking hit The Sixth Sense. 

MOVIE REVIEW: La La Land

A love letter to old Hollywood and jazz music, La La Land is a beautiful musical spectacle best seen on the big screen. In their third big screen team up after Crazy Stupid Love and Gangster Squad, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone proved even more that they have great chemistry. They made the right decision to do it for this is the best among the films that they made together.

Emma Stone plays Mia Dolan, an aspiring actress who works at a coffee star inside a movie studio in Hollywood. Gosling is Sebastian, a struggling jazz musician/pianist who dreams is to open up his own jazz club. La La Land is basically the story of dreamers who wanna make it big in the city and the challenges that they face in achieving that.

In only his second major film after the award winning Whiplash, director Damien Chazelle proved that he ain't a one hit wonder. His love of jazz still lingers in the film and also he magically combined it with a tribute to the movie musical set today. However, La La Land keeps it grounded providing it with an ending that's real and haunting. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Hidden Figures

Let's start 2017 on a positive note with Hidden Figures. It is the ultimate feel-good movie about a vital element of human history in relation to space exploration that we are not aware of .

The film is the true story of the three African-American lady mathematicians who played a vital role in the Mercury Program of NASA and helped the United States win the race to space against the Soviet Union. It wasn't that easy for them since it was during the time of racial segregation in the U.S. South and they're all women, which it all accounts is a double whammy.

The three lead actresses: Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (Dorothy Vaughan), nominee Taraji P. Henson (Katherine Johnson) and singer Janelle Monae (Mary Jackson) in only her second film after the excellent Moonlight, all give outstanding performances as the pioneering ladies of NASA who broke barriers. Kevin Costner is at his all vintage self as their big boss. Jim Parsons making a 360 turn from his iconic nerd role in TV's The Big Bang Theory, plays one too albeit a racist one. Kirsten Dunst is also in the film playing Spencer's mean supervisor whose heart can easily be melted when the call arises. Monae's Moonlight co-star Mahershala Ali is also in the cast playing Johnson's love interest.
Hidden Figures succeeds because it's one hell of an inspirational tale with all the right elements released in a perfect time where we question equality and tolerance not only in the United States but also worldwide.