The 5 Must-See Movies of January

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

Split (January 20th)

Synopsis: Three young girls must escape after being kidnapped by a man (James McAvoy) who has 23 different personalities.

M. Night Shyamalan is a director with a lot of baggage. It’s insane to think that just 18 years ago Shyamalan busted out of the gate with the blockbuster creepfest The Sixth Sense. After that film it was as if the director, who many compared to Hitchcock, could do no wrong. But he did. In fact, you could say he’s been wrong for at least 10 of the 18 years since his debut. 2015’s The Visit marked an uptick in critical appreciation for the director, though audiences were still hotly divided on whether it was any good or not (I say it’s terrible). Split toured the festivals last year as a surprise screening and received generally warm reviews but considering the similar response to The Visit, that’s a double-edged sword.

The trailer looks suspenseful as it gets, proof positive that the marketers definitely understand how to promote Shyamalan’s films. McAvoy replaced original star Joaquin Phoenix, and the X-Men actor goes for broke with each personality practically changing his appearance. Split also stars “It Girl” Anya Taylor-Joy of The Witch, and after adoring her in that I’m eager to see how her career progresses. The story sounds like The Collector meets Three Faces of Eve, but decent genre cinema is rare during these months, best appreciate what we can.

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