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Post by Quorthon on Mar 12, 2005 22:04:47 GMT -5
I liked Signs and The Village.
Um, you probably should stop reading this if you don't want the movies ruined if you haven't seen them!!
Even though Signs had some holes in it (me smart astral-hopping creature, cannot escape kitchen!), I still loved it for the "chills" factor, and the fact that he delivered what, I believe, most moviegoers didn't think he would.
The Village worked best for fans, since after Signs, we knew that this was a writer/director that could and would "deliver." So it kept suspense throughout the film--we were waiting for the big shocker--to see the monsters. I was only a little disappointed that they weren't real, but dammit, I was thrilled that the end still caught me off guard.
Overall, I like his filmmaking style. But Unbreakable, dammit, I love that movie. Possibly because the the positive, uplifting feeling you get at the end of it. It was kind of a happy ending that felt deserved, not typical Hollywood "always have a happy ending" crap.
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Post by DrLenera on Mar 15, 2005 15:57:41 GMT -5
I voted for Signs, somethat crazely. It has the weakest of all his screenplays, esp. at the end, but it's so darn effective, I jumped in the cinema several times, esp.at the 'TV' moment [trying toi avoid spoilers!]. The level of tension and fear I thought was terrific.
I've enjoyed all his films, even if his twists are not as original as claimed, the one at the end of Sixth Sense had already been used in the [admittedly quite obscure] 70s chiller The Survivor. The Village's had been used befoe too,can't remember where.
He's a good filmmaker though, his films will always be interesting. He makes his films the way he wants so and if they connect with the mass audience then that's probably just a bonus to him. As somebody else mentioned here, it's great when somebody's films spark so much debate. It's boring when everyone likes everything about a film!
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Nov 22, 2005 21:34:00 GMT -5
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Nov 24, 2005 9:08:11 GMT -5
The clip wouldn't work for me.  |
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Post by Bartwald on Nov 24, 2005 9:13:59 GMT -5
Same here - I click on VIEW TRAILER and nothing happens.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Nov 24, 2005 12:38:29 GMT -5
You guys have Quicktime installed? Don't know what else it could be. It works fine for me. Just watched it again.  |
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Post by Phoenix on Nov 25, 2005 23:32:47 GMT -5
Saw the preview for 'Lady' before Harry Potter on the big screen. GREAT teaser - not one of those previews that shows you the entire movie (yuck). I do like Paul Giamatti! Was a very pleasant surprise.
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Nov 26, 2005 0:27:16 GMT -5
You guys have Quicktime installed? Yeah, I have it. Just tried it again & it still wouldn't work. |
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Dec 1, 2005 2:02:31 GMT -5
Hmm... try going to see HARRY POTTER like Pheonix did. Maybe you'll be able to see it then. ;D
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Post by Quorthon on Dec 1, 2005 10:32:51 GMT -5
You guys have Quicktime installed? Yeah, I have it. Just tried it again & it still wouldn't work. Maybe you need a newer version--I had to download a newer Quicktime (and iTunes) to view Lady in the Water and the King Kong trailers. |
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Dec 1, 2005 17:20:45 GMT -5
Hmm... try going to see HARRY POTTER like Pheonix did. Maybe you'll be able to see it then. ;D |
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Post by Fenril on Nov 9, 2010 14:18:33 GMT -5
BUMP!
I was going to start a thread about Shyamalan, but since there's this old one...
So six years later, what do you all think about M. Night (his movies, that is)? Still like them? Used to like them but now hate them? Have decided that it's yet another one-trick pony that did two or three good movies and that's it?
I like his stile, I like that he was (and isn't anymore) doing "quiet" chillers in the midst of loud and over-the-top Hollywood thrillers. But I never quite liked his actual screenplays and I feel he became far too famous far too quickly and that this ended hurting his movies. Basically he's been given a lot of budget and still wants to do b-movies (the non-exploitative kind). And the films themselves:
- Wide awake (1998). His little known opera prima is a fairly interesting drama about a kid looking for god. This would be where his religious themes and twist endings came from...
- The sixth sense (1999). Yes, it's still a good ghost movie; yes, it's still an iconic horror film, but yes, it's nowhere as original as it seemed back in the day, it rips off lots of previous ghost stories and movies. Ah, it's still enjoyable, anyway.
- Unbreakable (2000). I guess it's one really original superhero movie, and I guess nowadays it's a bit underrated, but ...I dunno, this is where I started finding Night's movies a bit puerile and naive. It was still an entertaining thriller.
- Signs (2002). Alien invasion movie... this is kind of a mixed bag for me: a great first half with lots of suspense, and a ludicrous second half --I can even pinpoint where the movie starts going downhill. The minute an actual alien appears on-screen, the movie starts sprouting plot holes everywhere. Then there's that business about a divine revelation that consists of: "Hit somebody with a baseball bat!"
- The village (2004). Another good thriller with a twist ending that only raises a lot of questions, but I actually liked this movie, it has a very "fairy tale" atmosphere.
- Lady in the water (2006). This is where Night started losing fans, a movie that wanted to be a meta fairy tale for adults and instead confirmed that Night's skill as a filmmaker far exceeds his maturity as a storyteller. I didn't really hate it, just found it "meh".
- The happening (2008). Killer plant movie that had some good bits on it but shows why you can't make big budget films the same way you do indie productions. Basically it's a very violent film with most of the gore happening offscreen, yet indulging in gratitous shots (like a man feeding himself to the lions) that an actual B- movie could get away with, but not a major production. It also has our lead character asking a house plant permission to use the bathroom and it's presented as something really serious...
Haven't seen his short "Praying with anger" (it sounds interesting), nor "The last airbender" (have heard nothing but bad things about this one), not "Devil" that he produced but didn't direct (I hear it's actually quite good).
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Post by Bartwald on Nov 9, 2010 18:18:58 GMT -5
The Happening was awful, but I liked all his previous films starting with The Sixth Sense. The Lady In The Water was not as good as the preceding foursome of horrors/thrillers with a twist, but I enjoyed it and found the finale pretty creepy and tense. That said, after The Happening I really don't feel like watching any of his films soon. Yup - hated it so much.
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Nov 15, 2010 2:45:36 GMT -5
The last Shyamalan movie I discussed here was Lady in the Water, which I defended. Looking back, it's not quite as great as I remembered it (I was swayed mainly by Giamatti's amazing performance), but it's the last Shyamalan film I've ever defended.
The Happening, to me, was beyond defending. It was just awful. Bad writing, bad acting, bad everything. Just a complete waste of time.
The Last Airbender was also just... complete shit. I hated it. I'm usually easy on child actors, but... I gotta draw the line somewhere. I'll give it credit for its stunning visual effects and good music, but overall the movie was a complete disaster.
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Nov 15, 2010 2:46:32 GMT -5
I did think Devil was quite entertaining. But he only came up with the story for that. He neither wrote nor directed it.
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