M. Night Shyamalan - why isn't there more love for this fine director? in Second Takes on Films of the 2000s Forum

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M. Night Shyamalan - why isn't there more love for this fine director?

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Joe Karlosi	M. Night Shyamalan - why isn't there more love for this fine director?	Lead	[-]
Jan 12 09 7:02 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : None I have to get ready for work so I'd like to elaborate later... but I just watched THE HAPPENING, thought it was very good, though I seem to be in a minority about this fine director, whom I call "The Savior of Modern Horror". I just am baffled by the disinterest and dismissal, and sometimes outright bashing of Shyamalan, especially when it often comes from seasoned purists like many of us 'old-timers' here! For me, this lack of appreciation is an enigma. Here we have a time where new genre films are so lousy and all-explosions, all-CGI, mind-numbing actionfests, with little to no imagination and tension .. and then we get a guy like Shyamalan who is more "old school" like so many of us, offering up "Twilight Zone-ish" scenarios that make you think... simple, but effective.. not overkill ... scary and intense... and they're not appreciated. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, of course, but I'm just sincerely saying I don't understand how M. Night seems to be making "our kind of horror movies", and yet so few appreciate them. Please help me see where you're coming from. I haven't seen LADY IN THE WATER, but I saw and loved THE SIXTH SENSE and SIGNS .and now THE HAPPENING .. I thought THE VILLAGE was "decent", not horrid. Last Edited By: Joe Karlosi Sep 9 10 6:06 PM. Edited 1 time.
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AlfredLynch		#1	[-]
Jan 12 09 7:49 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I like the Sixth Sense and Signs, both are pretty good, I thought the Village though not quit as entertaining was his best made movie, great acting and a cool story. Didn't like Unbreakable and The Lady in the Water was just horrible, a complete let down and I have been avioding the Happening because of all the bad reviews. He is a bit too polished and light wait for instance I prefer Stir of Echos over the Sixth Sense.
Siouxsie Sue		#2	[-]
Jan 12 09 11:58 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I've seen Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs. And after that, my attention's gone, apparently. I don't know. I guess I just find them kind of dull. Well, Unbreakable -- that was just ridiculous. Waste of celluloid. The other two are okay, but they crawl... Twilight Zone comparison interesting, as I said that myself some time ago, except my negative was -- 'this could've been done well in half an hour or 50 minutes'. Over 90+ minutes, not so much. There seemed to me nothing in the craft of the film-making itself that made the running time worth it. It felt torpid. But I wouldn't knock the hell out of him. I'm not a hater of the films... and I am increasingly sick to death of these cinematic computer games, for sure. Last Edited By: Siouxsie Sue Jan 12 09 12:00 PM. Edited 1 times.
Bill Warren		#3	[-]
Jan 12 09 2:19 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I think criticism is aimed more at Shyamalan's scripts than his direction. Certainly that's where my objections lie. The unbelievably stupid (and hackneyed) idea in SIGNS that the aliens are vulnerable to mere water just about ruined the whole movie for me. After all, 3/4 of the Earth's surface is water--and that would be obvious to any space-faring race. THE VILLAGE also treated a horribly hackneyed, painfully familiar idea (hey, it's happening RIGHT NOW!) as though it was an astounding new idea. UNBREAKABLE had a very good central idea--how a superhero might evolve in our real world--but threw in the idiotic premise of another guy >creating< him so HE could be a super-villain. That one with Paul Giamatti was also full of tired, outmoded ideas--and not very good ones in the first place. THE HAPPENING once again trotted out over-familiar ideas. Few of thse movies had characters you could give a damn about. Most reviewers I've read have said that Shyamalan is a >good< director, even of these messy, ill-conceived movies; he's just let down by his own scripts.
Siouxsie Sue		#4	[-]
Jan 12 09 3:35 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Well, I guess he's a competent director, but I wouldn't say he was a great one. A great director might spin a worthwhile experience out of an awful script. Giving a damn is an important point. That'd be an issue for me. 'Much ado about nothing' is my feeling. There's a simple premise and seemingly there's always a 'twist' -- and in between, a lot of stuff I don't care about much. Oh, another apt quote, for me: 'There's less to this than meets the eye'.
jimi d2		#5	[-]
Jan 12 09 3:57 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The Happening was almost as exciting as Day of the Triffids... except it lacked the exciting bits... and Janet Scott... but other than that, it was good enough... I genuinely liked The Sixth Sense and thought Unbreakable was acceptable for a single viewing, but Signs completely turned me off with it's idiotic plot twist: "We have traveled across inter-stellar space, but don't squirt us with your water pistol because we're too stupid to wear protective gear when walking about inhospitable environments..." {sigh} Honestly, Men In Black is far more clever...
riotengine	Shyamalan does Avatar...the other Avatar.	#6	[-]
Jan 12 09 4:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Well, he's still getting work. He's been signed to write and direct the big screen, live-action version of the Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, now shortened to simply "The Last Airbender." Presumably, to not create confusion with James Cameron's Avatar. The new film already generated some controversy in it's casting. http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0634819/ GREG ESPINOZA I made it possible for you to come here! I welcomed you to this Earth, you made it a charnel house! http://www.comicspace.com/gregespinoza/ Last Edited By: riotengine Jan 12 09 4:07 PM. Edited 1 times.
Tyrannocaster		#7	[-]
Jan 12 09 4:38 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	When I think of this director, the first word that comes to mind is "erratic". I liked the Sixth Sense, and I actually liked Unbreakable, unlike most of the folks here, apparently. But Signs was just awful - Mel Gibson playing a wimpy priest who has to have everything done by his brother but we're still supposed to be rooting for him? And the water bit? PLEASE! Then I saw the trailer to The Village and said, "No way! This is gonna be awful!" so I skipped it. Imagine my surprise when I finally saw it and found out it wasn't a horror movie at all - what a lying trailer that was. I liked The Village, but I must be one of three people on the planet who did. But the one that convinced me that this guy is capable of REALLY low efforts was Lady In The Water, which I think was one of the poorest films I've seen in years; pretentious, self-indulgent wallowing that Paul Giamatti couldn't even begin to save and I usually like him a lot. That film established him (in my mind, anyway) quite firmly as somebody who wants to act but shouldn't. Cameo parts for directors can be fun but plainly he is more impressed by his own abilities than anybody else is, so he actually took on an entire minor role in the movie...and he wasn't very good, but he did stick out. Bottom line - one really good movie made so much money that the industry bought into his mystique and still hasn't let go, despite the adage about being only as good as your last picture. I have no intention of seeing his latest one.
Joe Karlosi		#8	[-]
Jan 12 09 4:50 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks for the feedback (and looking forward to more). I still intend to see LADY IN THE WATER, but it seems I'll be doing so with much trepidation!
Koukol 5		#9	[-]
Jan 12 09 4:53 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Shama Lama is a Spielberg wannabe...and I hate them both. Both make cliche-ridden Disney type films for children.
Joe Karlosi		#10	[-]
Jan 12 09 4:57 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	THE HAPPENING has some stuff in it I wouldn't want my child to see.
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Koukol 5		#11	[-]
Jan 12 09 5:02 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I haven't seen THE HAPPENING but what I have seen by what's his name?..I didn't like. Sorry that I dumped on your thread Joe. The dumbing down of the arts is one of my biggest pet peeves. Last Edited By: Koukol 5 Jan 12 09 9:01 PM. Edited 1 times.
Joe Karlosi		#12	[-]
Jan 12 09 5:48 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Well, don't apologize - I asked for opinions. However, I feel completely opposite from you in the "dumbing down" charge; I think the problem for many (not saying people here; I mean mainstream) is that it requires more thought than most of the "wham-bang-sfx" fare. But you said the films are for kids; I'm saying there's some strong stuff in THE HAPPENING which the director had to trim just to keep it at an 'R'. NOT for the kiddies.
hermanthegerm		#13	[-]
Jan 12 09 6:45 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The pure aspect of his direction is probably OK. He needs to focus more on his scripts, and the kind of movies he wants to make, the kind of career he wants to build out. Not every movie needs a twist (or gimmick) ending. If he keeps doing the same thing he's done people are gonna be sick of him pretty soon (if they're not already, I know I am.) "There is a lot of money tied up in this film and people expect to hear a boom when something blows up, so I'll give them a boom." George Lucas as quoted by Harlan Ellison's WATCHING
Joe Karlosi		#14	[-]
Jan 12 09 6:53 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I think that if a filmmaker uses a twist each time, then the problem is the viewer is always looking for it. And it does get played out. I was looking for a twist at the end of THE HAPPENING. But I didn't think there was one. Wow - I would have thought I'd find at least a couple of praises for M Night!
oldmanster		#15	[-]
Jan 12 09 7:27 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	FWIW, and I've stated this position in other Shyamalan threads, I've enjoyed most of his films. The Sixth Sense caught me off-guard, which made the finale a wonderful surprise. Unbreakable is, I think, his best film, although he should have taken more time and effort to provide a stronger conclusion. Signs and Lady in the Water were good films, very emotionally charged. I had/have no problem with the "water" rationale in Signs, and I really liked the general fairy tale motif in Lady. The Village was a disappointment in terms of screenplay/storyline, but the direction was fine. The Happening is, imho, his worst film. I couldn't buy into the general idea for all the mayhem, although some of the individual scenes, i.e., the construction workers toppling off the building, were pretty darn scary. Overall, I give Shyamalan props for trying to modernize older genre motifs. Most of his efforts work fine for me. But I do hope he follows The Happening with something a bit more believeable. ... Reed
Red Gargon		#16	[-]
Jan 12 09 7:32 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I hear you Joe, I think Shyamalan - at least in the movies I've seen, does pretty well at creating a sense of eerie/foreboding that is lacking in so much modern horror. I always get suckered in by the first teaser ads and am intrigued by the concepts. It is just that the payoff to the buildup has been so DOOPID in each of these movies (Bill points them all out). We keep being led to believe we are going to learn something deep profound and VERY IMPORTANT and it turns out to be something like Sam Jackson is a Super-villain or Aliens are here because Mel Gibson lost his faith, or Bryce Dallas Howard is Amish. It just seems like so much pretension in retrospect then, it's a big turnoff. THE SIXTH SENSE is probably the least obnoxious. I guess it's a matter of taste, do you want a modern movie that's dumb from the get go or one that leads you to believe it is going to be great, then pulls the rug out from under you?
Joe Karlosi		#17	[-]
Jan 12 09 7:41 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	If I may be so bold, I think a common stigma I keep coming across (not just here, but everywhere I read) is that many people just cannot get past THE SIXTH SENSE, and it's against this successful hit that all of Shyamalan's subsequent pictures are judged. I am one of those people who doesn't have a problem with the "water" angle in SIGNS. Okay, so they're not the most brilliant aliens around. Or they figured as long as they don't go around swimming in the water or taking a shower, they'd be okay on Earth. I mean, Count Dracula never knows how to steer clear of the sun or to invest in a wristwatch through decades of movies, and nobody minds. Last Edited By: Joe Karlosi Jan 12 09 7:44 PM. Edited 1 times.
skelton knaggs		#18	[-]
Jan 12 09 7:46 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	With THE SIXTH SENSE he knocked it outta the park. His next two times at bat he hit two doubles. He struck out his last three times. To try and use a musical analogy........When the Rolling Stones had Jimmy Miller as producer and their third ear, they were at their artistic peak. When Jagger & Richards decided to produce themselves, well it's been more or less a downhill unhappening. M. Night Shyamalan needs some serious collaborative talent to help hone his skills. "You can't smell any reefer, can you"?
Joe Karlosi		#19	[-]
Jan 12 09 8:02 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Here's a question I'd like to toss out there. Who, in the past 10 years, has been a better "horror/scifi filmmaker"? I can't even think of any genre filmmakers. Surely not Stephen Sommers (brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!)..
skelton knaggs		#20	[-]
Jan 12 09 8:18 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Joe Karlosi wrote: Here's a question I'd like to toss out there. Who, in the past 10 years, has been a better "horror/scifi filmmaker"? I can't even think of any genre filmmakers. Surely not Stephen Sommers (brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!).. Larry Fessenden, Lucky McGee, Guillermo del Toro. Three filmmakers I enjoy over M. Night. "You can't smell any reefer, can you"?
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