Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th. (IMDB)

When I heard that M. Night Shyamalan was going to be releasing a new movie I got excited. When I found out that the film was going to have a main character with Disassociative Identity Disorder, that excitement immediately disappeared, especially after I discovered that this character was going to be the villain. Before I go into a long rant about the DID aspects of the film though, let me just quickly go over the basics. The acting done by pretty much all of the women was good but the acting done by McAvoy was not. His tendency to overact is on full display and makes his character even less believable (I will go into more details about this a bit later). The cinematography and directing are mostly good, but there are scenes where you see shadows in places that they really shouldn't be. This was either a creative choice meant to add to the ominous feeling of the movie that did not work out very well or someone behind the camera was unaware of how shadows work, which makes it look sloppy. Speaking of the ominous feeling, the score was done wonderfully and is probably the best thing about this film. I also liked how parts of Casey's past kept being shown as both a way to explain her strange survival skills and a sort of comparison of how people deal with similar trauma. When the film began and she was just sitting in the car before the other girls noticed anything wrong, I was so angry that she just kept quiet and did not do anything. However, finding out that she had a history of being abused made her reactions more understandable.

If  McAvoy's character was just a serial killer who abducted girls and there was nothing about DID in the story or I had no knowledge of the disorder at all, it would be an almost okay film. However, the inclusion of this mental disorder that is surrounded by so much controversy and misinformation turns it into absolute trash. The way this movie portrays not only DID but mental illness, in general, is completely wrong and even dangerous for those dealing with these issues.

The child or childlike, the opposite sex, the controller, and the monster. From movies like Split to television shows like Criminal Minds, these are go-to alters whenever they have a character with Disassociative Identity Disorder. The child is innocent or stupid, the opposite sex is portrayed in the most stereotypical way possible, the controller usually has OCD and of course, the monster has to be the most repulsive and violent creature ever. Copy and paste this to your crime or horror story and you can spend more time enjoying the money you have earned instead of actually taking the time to write something new and creative or dare I say, accurate? No thought is given to how these negative portrayals of the disorder will impact those who are really dealing with it and no thought is given to how films like Split increase the stigma towards those with any mental illness. The bigger the stigma, the less likely someone is going to be able to get help (due to embarrassment, denial, or lack of knowledge and/or resources).

Are you fucking kidding me?

Don't get me wrong, I am all for believable characters that are suffering from mental illnesses in stories, but the keyword here is BELIEVABLE. It is not something pretty that should be glamorized and it is not something that should only be dealt with in the horror or crime genres. Yes, I realize that there are several very good movies that do this, but that is kind of my point. It can be done and it can be successful. It can lead to progress and understanding instead of harm. That is why I find myself so angered to see writers and directors being so lazy because, let's be honest, when they create stories like Split, that is exactly what they are doing.

More Information that probably makes more sense:
5 Reasons You Should Boycott M. Night Shyamalan's Split
Split is the latest horror film to misunderstand why mental illness is terrifying
Movie ‘Split’ Does Harm to People with Dissociative Identity Disorder, Experts Say
Media’s Damaging Depictions of Mental Illness
Dissociative Identity Disorder (Information)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆2/10

A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane. (IMDB)

I loved how this film utilized more than one film type (black & white, sepia, etc). The acting was fantastic and the birthday party scene left me in awe. The score blends in well and gives one a sense of something being very wrong. There is also an awful lot of silence, or almost silence and long sequences that to me seemed like the director was trying too hard to be artsy. Overall though, it is an incredible movie if you do not mind the slow first half and a definite must for anyone who is into the art of cinematography.

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆7/10

Lady Elanna Valtai is fiercely devoted to the King who raised her like a daughter. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Elanna is accused of his murder and must flee for her life.
Returning to the homeland of magical legends she has forsaken, Elanna is forced to reckon with her despised, estranged father, branded a traitor long ago. Feeling a strange, deep connection to the natural world, she also must face the truth about the forces she has always denied or disdained as superstition powers that suddenly stir within her.
But an all-too-human threat is drawing near, determined to exact vengeance. Now Elanna has no choice but to lead a rebellion against the kingdom to which she once gave her allegiance. Trapped between divided loyalties, she must summon the courage to confront a destiny that could tear her apart. (Goodreads)

I was provided a free digital arc of this book to review.

My feelings about The Waking Land are a bit mixed. The first half of the book is mostly spent repeating the same stuff over and over again. I understand the need for world-building. It is a vital part of any story, especially one that is in a brand new world. However, the number of times the same history was repeated makes it feel like the author is assuming her readers are either incredibly stupid or have memory issues. My other issue with the world-building was how much useless information was also provided. We did not need to know the name of every servant or soldier. It felt like the spitting out of random names was being used, like much of the politics and history, as filler to stretch things out. These sections of the book dragged on and on and took quite a bit of enjoyment out of it.  I also found myself incredibly annoyed by Elanna, who was immature, whiny, and obnoxiously indecisive. What I found to be the most annoying about her was the "everything is all my responsibility" mentality. The best feature of this story is definitely the world in which everything happens. I found myself wanting to know more about the side characters, previous rulers, and magic. The second half of the book was more focused on action and with the exception of a few battle scenes, made it worth getting through the first half. I was surprised at how neatly everything was tied up at the end though. 

Rating: ★★★☆☆3/5

February 12 is just another day in Sam's charmed life until it turns out to be her last. Stuck reliving her last day over one inexplicable week, Sam untangles the mystery around her death and discovers everything she's losing. (IMDB)

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆7/10

Before I Fall is the heartbreaking story of a girl who dies in a car accident. The day after she dies, she wakes up and proceeds to re-live the day of her death seven times.  Each day more questions arise about herself, her best friends, and their behavior towards others.  Each day she does things differently in the hopes that she can not only save herself but also change things for the better for others.

Sam and her friends are the stereotypical popular mean girls. For the first half of the book, this is made quite clear to the point of being obnoxious. I really just wanted to slap each of them, especially Lindsay. However the exploration into why they behaved the way they did eventually make me more understanding. (I still think they were pretty shallow though.) The portrayal of teenage behavior and attitude was pretty spot on. What I enjoyed most was seeing Sam grow over the seven days. The last day was heartbreaking but I believe that Sam completely redeems herself from all previous awful behavior. It left me in tears with a book hangover.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5