Out of many writer/directors coming out with movies now-a-days, there are few that I find can thrill me and make me think as much as M. Night Shyamalan. While other people are whining and complaining that none of his movies were or will be as good as "The Sixth Sense," I'll be quick to disagree. Frankly, "The Sixth Sense," is one of my least favorite Shyamalan movies.
I put his movies in this order (favorite to least favorite):
1. "The Village"
2. "Signs"
3. "Lady in the Water"
4. "The Sixth Sense"
5. "Unbreakable"
Now let me explain myself.
After "The Sixth Sense" came out people were saying how great that twist was, they didn't see it coming and so on. After that movie, he became boxed into the horror genre and it was implied that he needed a twisted ending to have a great film. As Shyamalan's next movie came out people began expecting that shocking twist and it didn't come. With all consecutive movies, the same thing happened. That expectation hasn't been met, and therefore it's automatically a bad movie and a waste of time.
His audiences wanted to be scared -- like the bodies hanging from ceilings and Mischa Barton reaching out from under a bed in "The Sixth Sense." People don't understand that Shyamalan creates the psychological thriller. It doesn't have to have a scary theme to be scary. The moments that scare me the most in his films come out of nowhere. In "The Village," when Michael Pitt's character opens the door to the water tower and the monster runs underneath it, it's scary. In "Signs," when an alien's hand moves across Rory Culkin's chest when he leans on a grate -- totally scary.
With each new film, Shyamalan is trying something new, from seeing dead people to comic book-like powers, the supernatural, a love story set in a village, or a fairytale. It's all different for him. But he dedicates himself to continuity in his films -- words and actions that seem to have no meaning at the time often come into play later. The movies are puzzles that you want to put together.
My favorite Shyamalan film happens to be one of those hugely disappointing movies at the box office. So what's my reasoning? This was a love story first and foremost, everything else occurred around the story of a guy liking a girl, the guy gets hurt and the girl does everything she can to save him.
The twist of "The Village" was that it was a period piece actually happening during modern times. It wasn't a huge twist, but a twist all the same. There were hints throughout the movie that there was something wrong with this village besides the fake monsters, such as the dialogue that sounded like someone thought that was how people spoke during the colonial period. It was a creative story, the colors were vibrant, the filming was beautiful and the actors were all amazing.
There were rumors that Shyamalan was going to attach himself to Yann Martel's novel "The Life of Pi," but he turned it down. It would have been an amazing story for him to adapt, but it would have put him back into that box he's been getting out of because there's a massive plot twist involved. He's also discussed how he was approached to do the first Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," but was filming "Unbreakable" at the time. It was another great story to adapt that he would have done well with. Shyamalan says that the only film of the series he would consider filming now would be the seventh film. I'd love for him to try.
Shyamalan is a triple threat when it comes to movies: writer, director and actor. He took a larger acting role in "Lake in the Water," and it was surprising how great he was. "Lady" doesn't come out until tomorrow and I'm already craving another Shyamalan movie. He's a mastermind when it comes to the film industry and I can't do anything but support his films.
Now, if you are looking for a scary movie, but also want Shyamalan involved, "The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan" was one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen. This "documentary" has people thinking this was reality and Shyamalan's secrets would be unleashed was really a stunt for the Sci-Fi Channel, but it was a well thought-out stunt.
I put his movies in this order (favorite to least favorite):
1. "The Village"
2. "Signs"
3. "Lady in the Water"
4. "The Sixth Sense"
5. "Unbreakable"
Now let me explain myself.
After "The Sixth Sense" came out people were saying how great that twist was, they didn't see it coming and so on. After that movie, he became boxed into the horror genre and it was implied that he needed a twisted ending to have a great film. As Shyamalan's next movie came out people began expecting that shocking twist and it didn't come. With all consecutive movies, the same thing happened. That expectation hasn't been met, and therefore it's automatically a bad movie and a waste of time.
His audiences wanted to be scared -- like the bodies hanging from ceilings and Mischa Barton reaching out from under a bed in "The Sixth Sense." People don't understand that Shyamalan creates the psychological thriller. It doesn't have to have a scary theme to be scary. The moments that scare me the most in his films come out of nowhere. In "The Village," when Michael Pitt's character opens the door to the water tower and the monster runs underneath it, it's scary. In "Signs," when an alien's hand moves across Rory Culkin's chest when he leans on a grate -- totally scary.
With each new film, Shyamalan is trying something new, from seeing dead people to comic book-like powers, the supernatural, a love story set in a village, or a fairytale. It's all different for him. But he dedicates himself to continuity in his films -- words and actions that seem to have no meaning at the time often come into play later. The movies are puzzles that you want to put together.
My favorite Shyamalan film happens to be one of those hugely disappointing movies at the box office. So what's my reasoning? This was a love story first and foremost, everything else occurred around the story of a guy liking a girl, the guy gets hurt and the girl does everything she can to save him.
The twist of "The Village" was that it was a period piece actually happening during modern times. It wasn't a huge twist, but a twist all the same. There were hints throughout the movie that there was something wrong with this village besides the fake monsters, such as the dialogue that sounded like someone thought that was how people spoke during the colonial period. It was a creative story, the colors were vibrant, the filming was beautiful and the actors were all amazing.
There were rumors that Shyamalan was going to attach himself to Yann Martel's novel "The Life of Pi," but he turned it down. It would have been an amazing story for him to adapt, but it would have put him back into that box he's been getting out of because there's a massive plot twist involved. He's also discussed how he was approached to do the first Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," but was filming "Unbreakable" at the time. It was another great story to adapt that he would have done well with. Shyamalan says that the only film of the series he would consider filming now would be the seventh film. I'd love for him to try.
Shyamalan is a triple threat when it comes to movies: writer, director and actor. He took a larger acting role in "Lake in the Water," and it was surprising how great he was. "Lady" doesn't come out until tomorrow and I'm already craving another Shyamalan movie. He's a mastermind when it comes to the film industry and I can't do anything but support his films.
Now, if you are looking for a scary movie, but also want Shyamalan involved, "The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan" was one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen. This "documentary" has people thinking this was reality and Shyamalan's secrets would be unleashed was really a stunt for the Sci-Fi Channel, but it was a well thought-out stunt.
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
