GET OUT…4.0****

Who knew Jordan Peele had it in him? It is none other than one half of the TV comedy duo Key and Peele, Jordan Peele. Peele gives us a horror film like no other, one that deals with the subject of racism. Get Out is one of the more creative and uniquely executed stories for this or any other  genre.  Rarely do we get a glimpse into the realistic day to day eyes and emotions of African Americans who are subjected to prejudice . "Get Out" is grounded in reality in its attempt to portray how it feels to have nothing but white eyes staring at you, and Peele brilliantly holds on to that sense of unease and judgement throughout the film. See that's the scare. There's no monster, no serial killers with axes, or chainsaw wielding cannibals, and yet the tension in this movie is far more  real than any of those old tired horror movies because it's real. We know it exists. . "Get Out" has the  self-assured hands of a black man who knows how that feels( and yet this is his time as a director) along with an absolutely rock solid script (which he's also penned). The movie manages to hold onto the racial tension and paranoia throughout, building to an awesomely terrifying ending for which any horror fan will appreciate. Imagine "Look Who's Coming to Dinner" married to "The Stepford Wives".  Oh yeah, and it's pretty darn funny too. Smartly crafted and balanced in both giggles and gore, this is one of the better pictures in the genre since the brilliant "It Follows". It seems horror is being lifted from the  dumps of the five dollar DVD bins at Wal-Mart back to the top shelf, and the movie world is better for it.

STORY: Chris, who is a young black man  (Daniel Kaluuya) is invited by his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to spend the weekend at her parents’ estate. This will be the first time Chris has met them and is nervous about how their interracial relationship will be received. He knows that Rose has not told her parents that he is black. When they first arrive, Chris takes note that both the maid and groundskeeper for the family are black and creepy. However, Rose's father Dean (Bradley Whitford) tries to assure him that there are no racial overtones.. Even more odd is her mother Missy (Catherine Keener) who practices hypnosis. Despite Chris having declined having a session to stop his smoking addiction, she performs it on him anyways. Then there is her brother who is beyond strange and starts a fight with Chris.. As the weekend gets underway, the family hosts their yearly party with friends, all of whom are white except one young black man.. Chris is growing uncomfortable as it seems everyone is trying way too hard to seem like they aren't racist. They bring up liking Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and one older lady even make remarks about Chris ‘physique. He is surprised to see the black man and attempts to chat with him to ease the awkwardness, but finds the young man to be just as odd and creepy as the rest of them. Chris finds comfort in a phone call with his cousin Rod (Lil Rel Howery), who swears something sinister is going on. Both Chris and his cousin continue to chat by phone  and both grow more paranoid and  uneasy as they try to piece together the strange, creepy happenings. The rest you’ll have to see and be creeped out for yourself.

This is not your typical horror film, the scares are subtle tricks played upon the audience. It follows more of a psychological thriller pattern, avoiding unnecessary jump scares or relying on gore to aid its story. There is an unease that follows you throughout the film as you try to dissect each character and figure out what the heck is going on. It's full of tension and continually plays with your mind.  If you're looking for a film that can do that and also provide thought provoking social commentary and real philosophical meat to chew on, “Get Out” is the movie you need to see. You won't regret it.

Rated R for violence, bloody images, and language including sexual references | 

Clark

SPLIT   3.0***

      M. Knight Shyamalan (Director) had his debut with the critically acclaimed 'The Sixth Sense' followed by positively reviewed movies 'Unbreakable' and 'Signs'. After that, he went through a series of duds.  But, he made a decent comeback with 2015's 'The Visit'  and he's back at his game with 'Split'.

Story: After a birthday party, three girls, led by Casey, are kidnapped by the troubled Kevin. . What follows is how the three girls are terrorized by and desperately try to escape from Kevin who himself is slowly having a mental breakdown.  Shyamalan's  uses the dissociative identity disorder (DID; also known as “split personality)   to create his bonkers premise, John McAvoy plays Kevin, a man who possesses 23 distinct personalities, some of which are male and some of which are female, some of which are young, and some of which are old, some of which are homosexual and some of which are heterosexual, some of which have OCD or require insulin for diabetes, and some of which are really rather volatile and dangerous. The catch? The 24th is about to arrive, with all hell set to break loose. 

If this sounds like an actor's dream job, you're right. With the opportunity to flex his acting muscles to the nth degree, accent-changing, mannerism-altering McAvoy rises to the challenge with a performance of breathtaking versatility. The film around him is never quite as reliable as this towering performance, however. The plot moves between an incredibly tense kidnapping/hostage situation, scenes of Kevin and his doctor who purports to be an expert on DID, and  flashbacks of the early childhood of Casey, one of the 3 girls. The movie never bores for a second, thanks to Shyamalan's distinctive style and an ominous score.

Most worthy of a warning is the film's last 20 minutes which evolves into something genuinely terrifying and quite tense, as twist upon twist piles up to create a thrilling sense of chaos and dread.  It becomes a psychological thrill and that is somewhat difficult to keep up but that adds to the frenzied feeling .. What might shock you more is the twist ending (which I won't spoil), but unlike the other plot twists Shyamalan has done in his previous movies, this twist is one you will find to be very surprising !

Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and behavior, violence and some language. ( Not an “R” because there is little or no gore as this is not really a horror movie but a psychological thrill )

Clark