2015 in review: the visit and while we're young

The Visit: (dir: M. Night Shyamalan) You think you've written him off, but don't get hasty. There's a reason that we all know his name, although few of us can pronounce it without stumbling. He's one of that mere handful of directors who have practically created a "genre" for themselves, like a "Hitchcock film" or a "Lubitsch comedy". "M. Night" movies share certain factors in common: first, you should go in knowing as little as possible, as there will be a twist toward the end which will will lose some magic if you prepare yourself. Second, there will be thrills (OK, some more thrilling than others), even downright scares, but, thirdly, everything will turn out alright in the end. This last has spelled his downfall more than once (Signs springs to mind), as his anti-cynicism, his possibly born-again zealotry for everything falling ultimately into place under the magnificent plan of an unspecified god, underwhelms and oversimplifies his sometimes beautifully complex and downright weird stories.

IN SUMMARY: It works. It's as unconventional as they come, Hansel and Gretel refigured for the modern world. Because of the rules attendant upon full enjoyment of M. Night Movies, I won't say anything else, just that, yes, his optimistic buoyancy remains intact and allows for some cheese, but there are true scares, and, most importantly, it just works.

While We're Young: (dir: Noah Baumbach) Flipping genders this time to explore the bro-crush between heterosexual males, Baumbach continues his observation of inter-relations between those enigmatic beasts, modern New York artists. He's also exploring that moment which happens in your forties when you realize you're supposed to be an adult, you're already in fact verging on becoming elderly, and you don't know what the fuck you're doing, or if your life is anything like what you're supposed to be doing at all.

Ben Stiller (is he ever funny? Tell me when he's been funny, and I'll watch it) and Naomi Watts are the main duo, but it's Adam Driver who steals the thing as the aspiring documentarian who wedges his way into their lives. The thing about Driver is his apparently complete openness, which makes him, paradoxically, completely enigmatic. The plot depends on his character being utterly charming, potentially wonderful, and equally potentially evil, and he pulls it off. Until the end, it's hard to tell if he's a good guy or a bad guy or something in between.

IN SUMMARY: Some interesting insights into the dilemmas of child-bearing at the last minute, the ethics of art-making, and the creative re-invigoration of a good marriage.