comment #1

K. Bowen says ...

I know, I'm the only person on the planet who kinda liked Lady in the Water. If you accept it on its own terms as a fairy tale, I think it works a little better than generally believed.

And when did refusing to play by Hollywood's rules become such a terrible thing?

comment #2

BlueRaymondBabbit says ...

I've been searching in vain for the old interview where Shyamalan declared, "There's a secret to making this kind of film, and only Spielberg and I know it."

(also on the lookout for that pre-release interview with Kinka "Mystery Men" Usher where he proclaimed, "I can out-direct any other first time director in town.")

(I love these quotes. Love 'em.)

comment #3

Geoff says ...

THE VILLAGE and LADY IN THE WATER were films I hated. I was extremely dissapointed in M. Night.

I really think he should find a script and just direct, or get a writing partner.

I'm hoping THE HAPPENING is great though.

comment #4

The Winchester says ...

That book about the making of Lady in the Water is fascinating.

I agree with Geoff, he needs to stop writing his own scripts. The dude can direct. But his writing is getting in the way.

comment #5

AlexStroup says ...

I loved Lady in the Water. It is one of those films where I understand perfectly why people who don't like it, don't like it.

But for that one, Shyamalan and I are completely on the same wavelength.

The Village, though, was horrible. But otherwise I've enjoyed his movies enough that from me he still gets that rare thing: I'll go see the movie regardless of what anybody else has to say. If this one sucks then that might finally come to an end.

comment #6

Monument says ...

I have never forgotten an interview that M. Night gave right after the Sixth Sense was released. He said that he could write a script about the Smurfs and turn it into a statement on the human condition.

comment #7

CinemaPhreek says ...

The problem is that Shyamalan is attempting to do what NO ONE HAS EVER DONE (and for good reason): be a blockbuster director who writes all his own original material. Spielberg only has his name on one of his hits (and if you've read Phillips' book he probably didn't deserve sole credit on that as it was).

Which is a shame, because Shyamalan would probably be touted as one of the possible successors to Spielberg/Coppola/Scorsese if he would just stop letting his ego push him toward only directing what he writes. If Tim Burton is the world's most frustrated production designer, then Shyamalan is the writer who really should be solely directing.

comment #8

Adonis says ...

That's a very insightful comment Cinema just made. Very precient, especially in its Burton comparison.

comment #9

Adonis says ...

And I'll add this: When even an oft-criticized film like the Village earns $255 Worldwide, then frankly studios don't have a whole lot to complain about.

And no, I do not think M. Knight's "karma" is running out. All he's got to do is produce a good project (and it would help if he kept costs down; the Lady in the Water didnt need to cost $70 Million). People will never tire of the genre... they just want a solid end product.

comment #10

D.Z. says ...

I think he should just focus on lighter material, and stop trying to top himself with each new film.

comment #11

lawnorder says ...

Although I'm not necessarily a fan of Shyamalan's later works, I don't see how anyone can suggest he's a mediocre screenwriter after having written "The Sixth Sense" which is an extraordinary screenplay. I read it about a year before the film was released and was blown away by the writing and craft behind the script. No writer is on 100 percent of the time - just doesn't work like that. Unbreakable was solid as well. I think he's actually a better writer than a director. I find his directing style uninspired for the most part. It worked for the Sixth Sense and to some degree Unbreakable, but it becomes painful in later films. The Happening doesn't interest me at all. I do agree that he's on a losing streak lately, and should revisit the themes of his first two films - intimate supernatural stories with twist endings that you don't see coming.

comment #12

moorish says ...

I didn't *hate* The Village, I was just sorely disappointed in it; the twist was WAY too obvious and Shyamalan's ponderous style of filmmaking was starting to get old. Lady In The Water was just outright awful. Giamatti and Howard were absolutely wasted, and the whole thing just smacked of an enormous ego trip. A director making a cameo is one thing, but to give himself a huge role where he would save the world with his writing -- sweet Jesus what a crock of balls. I have very low expectations for The Happening. If the big reveal about what's behind the event is as we have all heard then it cannot help but suck.

comment #13

Movie Watcher says ...

The Sixth Sense was such a great movie, I think he's trying to equal that with every movie after that. Unbreakable was good. I hope The Happening is good, the trailer makes me want to see it. He should step back and have someone else write the scripts; ht's got to put his ego aside, and maybe do what hollywood wants. Lucas didn't, but he's not him. I think if sixth sense wasn't his first movie, he would have been bettter off. It's like a writer whose first novel is great, and he keeps tyring to reach that mark every other time.

comment #14

Luke Y. Thompson says ...

Agree with all those who say he should get another writer. I thought there were nicely directed moments in Lady in the Water, but the script was ridiculous.

That said, as much as I hated the obvious twist in The Village, it has one of my favorite exchanges of dialogue ever, that I think sums up gender differences very succinctly:

Bryce: "Why can you not say what is in your heart?"
Joaquin: "Why can you not stop saying what is in yours?"

comment #15

Luke Y. Thompson says ...

"I think if sixth sense wasn't his first movie, he would have been bettter off."

Sixth Sense wasn't his first movie. It was his third.

comment #16

MAGGA says ...

I finally saw The Village a few weeks ago after putting it off due to all the poor reviews and bad buzz. I loved it! Especially the direction, which was so stripped down that each beat change brought enourmous intensity to key moments, the stunning photography... Also, while we all may have seen the twist coming, the point is to save the revelations to the characters until late for dramatic purpose, and gradually fill the viewer in on the specific details, that all work as a perfect metaphor for modern thinking, wilfully ignoring the rest of the world and the alterations, clinging to old beliefs that turn out not to be as valid as they seemed, leaders using fear and lies to keep the population scared, ignorant and thereby supposedly happy. Obvious? Yes. But also told in a fresh way, in a movie more original than any of the political dramas we've had recently, in that it uses the things cinema does well to make its points rather than slavishly following "facts" and farting an air of importance on the viewer. I have yet to see The Lady In The Water, but I will watch that and the Happening and believe that any bunch of film fans decrying the fact that a director fights the Hollywood system, writes non-commitee original scripts and has his own writing- and directorial style need to ask themselves what they want. Was Sign a piece of shit? Most of it, in my opinion. Is it fair to dislike many of Nights movies? Of course. But I think dismissing the grounds on which they are made is suicidal for people who love movies not based directly on comic books, TV-shows, amusement parks, video games, books and other uncinematic art forms.

Also, I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall yesterday, and I think it was a great film (if hit-and-miss in the jokes department) that has been looksed at in the wrong context. It would make a perfect warm-up movie for Fight Club

comment #17

Spacesheik says ...

M. Night is a great filmmaker, there hasn't been a film he's directed that I have disliked, I really enjoyed LADY IN THE WATER, a semi-HEROES motif running through it (characters unaware of their powers) with a great Giamatti performance and a rousing, moving score by James Newton Howard.

I can see why some people hate it, but imho its a good flick.

THE VILLAGE's 'twist' I could see a mile away but it was an enjoyable yarn.

The only thing I had an issue concerning Night's direction was that horrid epilogue freeze frame at the end of UNBREAKABLE - that ruined a lot of good will the audience had for the flick. One simple freeze frame *can* almost ruin a film.

He's a filmmaker I always want to watch, he dwells in TWILIGHT ZONE/OUTER LIMITS, Hitchcockian dramas with damaged characters and I'm a sucker for that.

I believe he worked on an INDY 4 script, I would have liked to see what he came up with.

comment #18

Rich S. says ...

M. Night's biggest problem is his over-reliance on the "twist" at the end. If it works, like in Sixth Sense, it's dynamite. If it doesn't, like in The Village, it tends to ruin everything that has gone before it.

I have a feeling that The Happening is going to end up in the latter camp. If the twist is as reported, it would make an interesting half-hour Twilight Zone. But building a two hour one trick pony on that twist is problematic.

All that said, if M. Night's movies didn't make money, they wouldn't keep giving him money to make them.

comment #19

renorambler says ...

I'm hoping The Happening is good if only so Zooey Deschanel doesn't become a victim of the M. Nights's failings as a writer/director.

comment #20

BurmaShave says ...

There seriously can't be a twist in THE HAPPENING. Really? He's officially a joke if there is. A shame.

comment #21

MDOC says ...

Night's first three movies had A list leads. His second two did not. It's can be debated that Mark Wahlberg is an A lister, but I would have tried for a more surefire lead.
I bet the Airbender deal falls through.

comment #22

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

This guy obviously has talent, but he really needs to do something DIFFERENT (and stop acting, his cameos are incredibly distracting)

I have no desire to see The Happening and I hope it dive-bombs.

I'm truly surprised by how many of you intellectual filmlovers on a site such as HE love this guy so much.

comment #23

lonniechung says ...

I'm hot and cold on M. Night. I hated the Sixth Sense, mainly because when you build an entire movie on the premise that the "twist" is so great, it will fail; the twist must be the payoff of a great story. Unbreakable was interesting, but never really seemed to come together, Signs is junk - a real step backwards. Then cam the Village, which I thought was really good. I can accept all of the criticisms, but it was engaging and original. I felt the same way about the Lady in the Water; for whatever flaws the film had, there was enough good stuff to make it worthwhile.
I suppose Night's films have all been marketed wrong - trying to cash in on the idea of thrillers from an original voice - when sometimes a movie is just a movie. I look forward to the Happening, if only because I have no idea what's in store, and I feel like Night will eventually find his voice. He's not as much a great artist as he is a hardworking filmmaker - in that regard the Spielberg comparison is apt. He would be better off making movies for himself, by himself. Modest budgets that don't aim for the brass ring. Accept who you are Night, and everyone else will get on board.

comment #24

actionman says ...

M. Night is an extremely talented filmmaker; that's why he's getting a lot of love at HE.

He's not infallible, and fine, some of his pictures don't work as well as others.

Here's hoping that The Happening is a return to old form for him. I love the trailers and the posters. I hope it's a fun, nasty, R-rated chiller. Or maybe it'll suck...either way, the sun will rise tomorrow.

comment #25

Sam Adams says ...

There's a billboard here with white text in front of black clouds that looks like it was designed by an intern. They're not even trying.

comment #26

ScottMendelson says ...

Shyamalan has inexplicably lost favor with the public after basically one bad film that flopped - Lady In The Water. I liked The Village, and history will be kind to it (it was not a horror film but a thoughtful and disturbing parable of how governments use irrational fear to keep the populace distracted). This, despite making two obscenely successful and well-liked mainstream thrillers (The Sixth Sense and Signs) and two personal dramas that made a lot of money despite being divisive (Unbreakable and The Village). The Happening is being sold as something closer to closer to Signs than Unbreakable. That he was encouraged to include R-rated content means that everyone is playing for keeps. On the plus side, the film cost under $60 million, so as long as it doesn't outright flop, it should be profitable.

As for me, M. Night Shyamalan still remains one of my favorite directors. The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable are two of the best films of this decade. Signs, tense and suspenseful as hell, was a simpler film. He called it his 'Wal Mart film', having been burned by the response of Unbreakable. But even his stupid is smarter than most people's intellectual.

Even his lesser works, be it the flawed but interesting The Village, or the complete misfire of Lady In The Water, feel wholly original and the work of someone who truly gives a damn. His directorial style resembles a twisted Claude Chabrol and his dialogue is always refreshingly human. While his scripts are hit and miss, he is never less than a visionary pro behind the camera. He pulls terrific performances out of mainstream stars like Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson and peppers the rest of his cast with interesting character actors. Even if The Happening underwhelms (as one off-hand web review claims), I will continue to look forward to this most unique auteur, whose successes are beyond compare and who's failures are always the result of trying too much, rather than daring too little. He is an American original and should be treated as such.

Scott Mendelson

comment #27

Ghost072 says ...

Add me to the list who loved Lady in the Water; I was actually shocked at the drubbing it received. I hated The Village and Signs - the former's "twist" was telegraphed and stupid (and unforgivable combination, IMO) and the latter's ending has to be one of the lamest ever. The first half wasn't bad, but a bad ending kills a movie for me (except, strangely enough for 3:10 to Yuma).

Unbreakable has gotten better each time I've seen it however, and along with the Sixth Sense, holds up the best over time. I have a feeling Lady in the Water may live a longer life than some may believe, too.

comment #28

Movie fan09 says ...

Posted by D.Z. at June 2, 2008 01:04 AM
Although I'm not necessarily a fan of Shyamalan's later works, I don't see how anyone can suggest he's a mediocre screenwriter after having written "The Sixth Sense" which is an extraordinary screenplay. I read it about a year before the film was released and was blown away by the writing and craft behind the script. No writer is on 100 percent of the time - just doesn't work like that. Unbreakable was solid as well. I think he's actually a better writer than a director.

I was sorely disappointed by Unbreakable.
I remember seeing the trailers and I got the impression (with all the hieroglyphics and Sam Jackson's weird hair) that it was some sort of mystical pulp-y thing.
and then it ended simply being about comics.
In the hands of Spielberg, it probably would a lot more inventive and just used the pulp thing as a spring board.
That's probably my favorite thing about Spielberg.
He may have just read better comics though.
heh.

I find his directing style uninspired for the most part. It worked for the Sixth Sense and to some degree Unbreakable, but it becomes painful in later films. The Happening doesn't interest me at all. I do agree that he's on a losing streak lately, and should revisit the themes of his first two films - intimate supernatural stories with twist endings that you don't see coming.

He is too cocky to ever do anything like that again D.Z.

comment #29

Jimmycrackcorn says ...

There is a screening report at the following site. The good news is, apparently there is no twist ending. That is also the bad news, by this account.

http://www.collider.com/entertainment/reviews/article.asp/aid/7903/tcid/1

"If you're dreading the Shyamalan trademark twist-ending, you can breathe a sigh of relief. There's no twist whatsoever. But there's also no ending. I won't ruin it any further by talking about what's not there, but prepare to feel very, very cheated and figure out in advance what consultation you can offer when the person next you confusedly asks, "Is that it?""

comment #30

btwnproductions says ...

SIGNS doesn't have a twist, either. (Maybe the twist is that there is none, that you accept it's about an alien attack.) The problem with THE HAPPENING is that it looks so ordinary, a typical Jan-March horror programmer with familiar J-horror imagery (mass suicides) and a TRIFFIDS-ish ecological hook. Dull and impersonal, in other words--and easy to sell for a couple of weeks.

comment #31

televisiontears says ...

Spacesheik: "...that horrid epilogue freeze frame at the end of UNBREAKABLE - that ruined a lot of good will the audience had for the flick."

Completely agree, but it's impossible to put that on Night. It was solely a studio decision based on the negative test screening reactions to the original cut to black (w/o phony epilogue). Guess folks didn't like the idea of the supervillain maybe, perhaps getting away.

I guess allowing the suits to shamelessly butcher your perfect ending amounts to "not playing by studio rules". Ludicrous, this hit job.

comment #32

Movie fan09 says ...

televisiontears [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Spacesheik: "...that horrid epilogue freeze frame at the end of UNBREAKABLE - that ruined a lot of good will the audience had for the flick."

Completely agree, but it's impossible to put that on Night. It was solely a studio decision based on the negative test screening reactions to the original cut to black (w/o phony epilogue). Guess folks didn't like the idea of the supervillain maybe, perhaps getting away.

I guess allowing the suits to shamelessly butcher your perfect ending amounts to "not playing by studio rules". Ludicrous, this hit job.

eh.. it was already pretty much of a let down by then..

comment #33

Howlingman says ...

Shyamalan is hit and miss, but name me one filmmaker who isn't. Having a roaring success like THE SIXTH SENSE has to be a mixed blessing as you've already set the bar impossibly high for everything you'd do subsequent to it. As a filmmaker he at least understands that one doesn't have to cut every five seconds, that long takes can play out, that the camera can be a tool to tell the story, not to just capture the image to chop apart later. I'm about 50-50 on his work so far, but am always interested in seeing what he does.

And yes, the NY Times piece smells like a hatchet job. Since when was "not playing by the studio's rules" a bad thing?

comment #34

p.Vice says ...

This article does smell fishy, as if "Hollywood" is paying the Times to paint a smear campaign in the hopes of getting Shyamalan to play their game. Then again, the Times' film coverage is so out of touch it often appears as if it were written by someone living in a cave in Afghanistan, so this ultimately really says nothing about The Happening or Shyamalan in general.

That said, I came across the review that supposedly reveals the "twist" of The Happening and boy... it definitely doesn't sound like his idea factory has lost any of its clumsy earnestness. Since the commercials on TV are billing this as "Shyamalan's first R-rated movie!" it doesn't sound like there'll be a lot more than that on the plate here.

comment #35

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

The whole twist thing is self-defeating after a certain point, because all anyone does is hunt for clues to the twist. Personally, I could tell Bruce Willis was dead five minutes into the movie, but that was okay, watching how it was woven into the fabric of an affecting drama was powerful and intriguing. He needs to give up on twists and just make solid movies-- and I sure don't see why anyone would think knuckling under to the suits is a path to that.

comment #36

messiahcomplexio says ...

M Nights Shyamalans
SMURFS

they're blue, because they're already dead.

Na, NA, na na na na...hahahahahahaha!!!

comment #37

JapAdapters says ...

I've only seen two M. Night movies, THE SIXTH SENSE (overrated, IMO) and UNBREAKABLE (liked it quite a bit), so I'm no expert, but I do have a question:

I've heard Shamalan initially wrote SS without the twist, which seems impossible to me since it's become his trademark. Does anyone know if this is true? If so, it would seem to have hindered him long term.

comment #38

WinslowLeachtheComposer says ...

One problem with at least The Village and now The Happening is that, after even a modicum of exposure to the marketing, you're likely to know what they're about. A couple viewings of The Village's trailer and I knew what the twist was, and after I watched the online clip promoting The Happening it became pretty obvious what's going on there, too. I know, don't watch the clip. But the real problem is these ideas he's fond of are the kind of broad, adolescent premises that are driven by one BIG IDEA that isn't enough to sustain a movie. The Twilight Zone analogy is appropriate.
Night would recognize this if he didn't take criticism as attack (if that book is to be believed).

comment #39

Richardson says ...

Jap - the way I've always heard it is that he was writing the story, had no ending, spent a long time writing it, and then came up with the twist, and it was the right ending, and then he spent five drafts making sure it all worked perfectly.

I imagine that that's why it's the only good script he's ever written -- because he took the time to re-write it enough that it made sense.

comment #40

Richardson says ...

That article says that Shyamalan’s mistake regarding 'Lady in the Water' was in publicly criticizing Disney... as opposed to making the movie without listening at all to their valid criticisms.

Everything I ever see about Shyamalan is a fluff piece... in the pornographic sense of the word. Even when he makes fun of himself (see: 'entourage', or American Express commericals), it's always making fun of how he's so brilliant he just can't help it.

comment #41

JapAdapters says ...

Thanks, Richardson. That makes sense ... he must have stuck with it because it worked.

I actually liked UNBREAKABLE, but that may just be the comic nerd in me. Whatever I think of SS, it was a really well-written script, just not scary enough.

comment #42

Richardson says ...

"Whatever I think of SS, it was a really well-written script, just not scary enough."

I always remember seeing it in a theater; I wouldn't say it wasn't "scary enough" because I don't think it was that kind of thriller, but the people sitting behind us vocally agreed with you. For the whole movie, they complained about the movie they were watching.

Then the ending came, and floored them, and they walked out talking about how great the movie had been.

comment #43

JapAdapters says ...

My one beef with it was when the kid said "I see dead people," I was like "Yeah, so? Are they trying to get you?" The twist worked, fooled me, but I didn't buy the whole thing, line and sinker, because that line didn't scare the shit out of me.

comment #44

Richardson says ...

I think of it as a drama about a boy who is really really scared, as opposed to a thriller where the audience should be really really scared. I'm not scared that he sees dead people, but the movie does a really good job of convincing me that he's really scared of the fact that he does.

comment #45

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

I think of it as a movie about how it's okay for our kids to be exposed to constant violence in media and in our schools, they can not only handle it, they can help us get over it, too.

comment #46

Richardson says ...

Ah, to see the world through red-colored glasses.

comment #47

brendan says ...

Jeff you erote: "I've heard the same stuff that Weiner has about the film. Everyone knows what's (possibly) going on."

Why don't you end this debate and fill us in on the lack of reporting here? Can you update us on what you have heard about this film? I know for one, I am interested in this rated R release of an M. Night film.

Thanks,
B

comment #48

Rich S. says ...

Plus, the little dead girl in the Sixth Sense that barfs up the gruel went on to become Mischa Barton. No one saw THAT twist coming.

comment #49

appleman says ...

So, I also agree that since when is being outside the Hollywood culture a bad thing? I've met M when I was living Philly. Great personable guy eating at Le Bus in Manyunk.

How many directors do we know that have a brand. Few. Especially, Spielberg who shattered his once golden image with the latest Indian Jones garbage.

Hit or miss M is the real deal. Re-watch Unbreakable. I'll be in line to see The Happening next week.

comment #50

jany says ...

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