GLASS

Release Date: Malaysia, 17 Jan 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Running Length: 2:09

Cast: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan

GLASS serves as the final installment in Shyamalan's Eastrail 177 superhero universe where Unbreakable and Split exist. We see the return of David Dunn (Willis) and his "arch enemy" Elijah Prince aka Mr Glass (Jackson), as well as Kevin Wendell Crumb (McAvoy), the "villain" who has multiple personalities.    

While 2017's Split got better and better as the movie progressed (THAT hyperventilating brief moment at the very end...YAS!), Glass was a reverse experience for me. It started out strongly but ran out of gas mid-way. 

Eventhough Shyamalan said he already had an idea of how all these 3 main characters would exist when Unbreakable was conceptualized (that was 20+ years ago), this film felt like a rushed job with a mix of half-baked ideas. 

From a performance standpoint, many have praised McAvoy's acting. As good as he is here, his performance was "same-same" to me as he was in Split. There wasn't any additional layer(s) introduced to make his character more human. At times, he just came across as a caricature. 

The poorest performance to me was from Sarah Paulson. The whole time I was think if she was played by say, Jodie Foster (think Silence of the Lambs), this movie could have seriously leveled-up.

What bothered me about this film is also its excessive exposition. Characters in the movie will be illustrating out loud their intentions and motivations. 

That said, I enjoyed the slow-burn approach to such a genre (vs any other loud and CGI heavy superhero movies) as it gives its audience time to reflect and take it in. The signature Shyamalan twist was also serviceable, although some would argue it's a little tad too silly. 

In summary, Glass offers a tidy closure to these characters. It's watchable but an underwhelming conclusion. 

  

RATING: 6.5/10

OCEAN'S 8 (Malaysia, 14 Jun 2018)

Genre: Thriller

Running Length: 1:47

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham-Carter, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Richard Armitage, James Corden

Director: Gary Ross

Screenplay: Gary Ross & Olivia Milch

What's this movie about?
A spinoff from the Ocean's franchise, OCEAN'S 8 is about Debbie Ocean (Bullock) and her right hand partner Lou (Blanchett) together with their motley crew attempting to pull off a heist to steal a US$150 million necklace during the glamorous annual Met Ball.

Highlights!

• The performances and interaction. It's fun to see eight talented actresses interacting through the proceedings of the film. They have great chemistry and the cast seems to be having fun making this movie! A special shout out to Anne Hathaway, one of the most underrated badass actress of her generation. 
• Stylish. Just like the original series, everything from the leads' performances to camerawork to editing oozes style. The jazzy and breezy score definitely ramps up the cool factor.  
• The final reveal. 

Lowlights

• A safe movie. As much as I enjoyed Ocean's 8, I felt it didn't take enough risk. It felt like a cash grab by the studio's male-dominated head honchos - make some quick money by switching the genders to ride on the current gender inequality movement in Hollywood. I personally feel the best example of a truly feminine movie is Wonder Woman by Patty Jenkins. It has love, strength and sensitivity. As a result, it made A LOT of money. The least they could have done here was to hire a female director.       
• Lacks tension. A memorable heist movie is defined by its edge-of-the-seat sequences but there's nothing like it here (except for one sequence). The execution part is fun to watch but it was underwhelmingly safe. Missing were moments where what was planned goes wrong and what wasn't turned out right in unexpected ways.
• The unnecessary bit at the end.  As much as I enjoyed the final reveal, the last act where James Corden's character is introduced was unnecessary. Instead of ending high, that bit caused the film to end low. 

In summary

OCEAN'S 8 is definitely from the same universe as the other Ocean’s movies. It's very watchable. It's fun, stylish and the leads are cool and confident. But I wished the filmmakers took more risk and made this film its own movie because conceptually, making an all-female version of an Ocean’s film sounded appealing.

RATING: 7.5/10