Introducing the Movie-O-Matic!

Have you ever felt like watching a movie, but just can't decide what to watch?  Recently, I came up with a solution to this age-old problem for the film enthusiast.  I call it the Movie-O-Matic.

The assembly process

What I've done here is collected several scraps of paper and written various genres and themes on them (ie, horror, award-winners, etc.), which then go into a bag together.  When I can't decide on what to watch, I pull two slips of paper from the bag, and then find a film that fits that description.  I think it provides a little more variety to my watching habits, and exposes me to films I might have otherwise passed over entirely.  Any future reviews I write that have been selected via Movie-O-Matic will be tagged as such, for those interested.
I welcome you to try this for yourself at home and see what you discover!

La La Land (2016)

La La Land is one of the most talked about films to come out this year, with multiple Oscar nominations (as of this writing), as well as multiple Golden Globe wins.  The film begins its story with Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress who is currently making ends meet by working at a Hollywood coffee shop.  Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is in a similar life situation, forced to play uninspiring music for an unappreciative audience, instead of opening the jazz club he dreams of owning one day.  After a few chance meetings, the two fall in love, and begin to seek their dreams together.  However, both run into obstacles, and realize that the way to their dreams wasn't at all what they imagined.
La La Land is a wonderfully made film.  The cinematography, lighting and choreography are all excellent and deserving of all the awards attention this film has received.  The songs are memorable, and will stick in your head in the best way.  The acting is equally praiseworthy.  Not only do Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have great onscreen chemistry and captivating performances, but they also sing, dance, and even play piano, in Gosling's case.  Of course, if you've read even the smallest media coverage of this movie, you already know all of this.  The real magic of La La Land is how it makes you feel when the credits are over.
I saw La La Land in a small town theater (thanks to the folks at the Norgan Theatre!).  To the best of my memory, I haven't seen a movie in this type of theatre since the late 90s.  Being able to briefly soak in those feelings of nostalgia certainly enhanced the experience for me, so I encourage you to see it somewhere small and local, if you can.   As I mentioned before, La La Land is much more than a simple song and dance movie.  The ending will feel different for everyone who sees it, but I'm confident it will make you think about your own life and the choices you've made in that time.  La La Land also explores the idea of personal dreams and relationships.  Sometimes dreams are not what they seem, or the process of achieving them is much different than we imagine.  In the same way, people can become different over time, in their ideals and personalities.  It's a surprising amount of emotional data to unpack, but it's well worth the price of admission.
In short, La La Land brings back the classical flair of old Hollywood, while at the same time challenging the emotional intellect of the audience.  It doesn't claim to have any answers to the questions it raises, but it dares to ask those questions all the same.  I think La La Land is a film with class and complexity that will stand the test of time for future generations.

Split (2017)

The more recent work of director M. Night Shyamalan (The Visit, Lady In The Water) has been very hit or miss.  Thankfully, Split is a well made movie that marks a return to form for Shyamalan.
The film begins with the abduction of three teenage girls (Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula, and Anya Taylor-Joy) by a mysterious individual named Kevin (James McAvoy).  We soon learn that Kevin suffers from DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), a condition which has resulted in him exhibiting 23 distinct personalities.  While the girls try to escape their captivity, Kevin visits his therapist, Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley).  She does what she can to help Kevin, but it soon becomes clear that something isn't right when Kevin's 'others' begin to constantly contact her asking for help.  They are all worried about a mysterious 24th personality that is apparently much worse than any other, and is getting ready to emerge.
When I first saw the trailer for Split, it seemed too good to be true, from an acting standpoint.  As it turns out, I was right.  I wasn't counting, but there are roughly eight personalities we see portrayed onscreen by James McAvoy, rather than all 24, as we're led to believe.  This isn't to say that McAvoy delivers a bad performance, however.  His character ranges from coldly murderous to friendly, or even disarmingly funny, sometimes all within a few minutes of screen time.  Even a slight change in facial expression or posture alerts the audience to his changes in personality, which is extra impressive considering how often these changes happen over the course of the film.
McAvoy is helped immensely helped by a great supporting cast.  Betty Buckley is wonderful as Kevin's caring, but concerned therapist.  I appreciate that M. Night Shyamalan allowed this film to take its time in examining the psychological side of the story, rather than simply focusing on the teens in danger part of the story.  Anya Taylor-Joy is another standout as Casey, a quiet, but sharply intelligent young woman.  We receive much of her story in small flashbacks, and by the end of the film, we reach a fuller understanding of Casey's character, and what makes her the smartest one in the room.
Split is a well shot film with a perfect balance of mystery and tension.  While the story does dip into the fantastic for a moment or two, it never feels too unrealistic.  With some very strong acting to back it up, Split makes for a great piece of suspense with a few solid horror accents.