M. Night Shyamalan film discussion

[TwilightEL]

Re: The Happening

When the alien emerges from the bushes at the kid's birthday party

That was probably one of the best scenes in the movie, but it wasn't that good.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

Re: The Happening

That was probably one of the best scenes in the movie, but it wasn't that good.

I loved it

 

[Friday]

Re: The Happening

That was probably one of the best scenes in the movie, but it wasn't that good.

It was pretty good.

All of Nights movies are the same. You need to see it in the theater, you can't think about it too much after, and you can never watch it again. If you're cool with that then you'll probably enjoy them.

 

[Planet-man]

Re: The Happening

Signs had one of the scariest scenes in a movie ever.

You know what I'm talking about if you've seen it.

Completely agree. If I were to pick the 3 scariest moments in any film, that'd be one of them.

It was pretty good.

All of Nights movies are the same. You need to see it in the theater, you can't think about it too much after, and you can never watch it again. If you're cool with that then you'll probably enjoy them.

I dunno, I've seen The Sixth Sense twice, Unbreakable twice, Signs four or five times and I could still watch any of them again. I'm actually really anxious to watch Unbreakable right now.

If anything I'd say that you have to watch them at LEAST twice to fully appreciate them.

I've seen them all on DVD too.

 

[ProjectX2]

Re: The Happening

Signs had one of the scariest scenes in a movie ever.

You know what I'm talking about if you've seen it.

It annoys me because that's the only scene I've seen. This is why I have no desire to see the rest of it.

 

[Planet-man]

Re: The Happening

It annoys me because that's the only scene I've seen. This is why I have no desire to see the rest of it.

Umm.... there are about 5 more absolutely terrifying moments in it, not to mention just the entire atmosphere of suspense and everything. That moment happens about halfway through the film. If that's all you've seen, you haven't seen enough.

 

[ProjectX2]

Re: The Happening

Umm.... there are about 5 more absolutely terrifying moments in it, not to mention just the entire atmosphere of suspense and everything. That moment happens about halfway through the film. If that's all you've seen, you haven't seen enough.

Um... I've seen that scene and it freaked me out so much I'm too scared to watch the rest of it.

 

[Planet-man]

Re: The Happening

Um... I've seen that scene and it freaked me out so much I'm too scared to watch the rest of it.

Oh! I thought you were saying that the film's goods had been spoiled so you didn't want to see the rest.

What you're actually saying is that you're a *****. Got it.

 

[TwilightEL]

Re: The Happening

I can't believe you guys are that scared of Signs. I remember it sucking. I'm watching it again tonight.

 

[ProjectX2]

Re: The Happening

Oh! I thought you were saying that the film's goods had been spoiled so you didn't want to see the rest.

What you're actually saying is that you're a *****. Got it.

Well, yeah, when you're flipping through channels at midnight alone, and you come across Phoenix watching random videos and wonder what it is... and then an alien appears. I almost shat myself.

 

[Joe Kalicki]

Re: The Happening

Well, yeah, when you're flipping through channels at midnight alone, and you come across Phoenix watching random videos and wonder what it is... and then an alien appears. I almost shat myself.

Almost?

Come on, Proj. . .

 

[Planet-man]

Re: The Happening

Should we change the title of this thread to "M. Night Shyamalan film discussion"? That includes continued speculation for Da Hap'nin and we can continue to deride Proj's fear and lack of Unbreakable-having-watched in the meantime.

 

[TwilightEL]

Re: The Happening

Should we change the title of this thread to "M. Night Shyamalan film discussion"? That includes continued speculation for Da Hap'nin and we can continue to deride Proj's fear and lack of Unbreakable-having-watched in the meantime.

Already done.

Proj hasn't seen Unbreakable? Is he refusing to see it, or has he just never done it?

 

[ProjectX2]

Re: The Happening

Already done.

Proj hasn't seen Unbreakable? Is he refusing to see it, or has he just never done it?

I want to see it, but I haven't.

 

[Hibiki]

Re: The Happening

Already done.

Proj hasn't seen Unbreakable? Is he refusing to see it, or has he just never done it?

That's the only one i like. all the rest are just crap.

 

[compound]

Re: The Happening

That's the only one i like. all the rest are just crap.

Yeah, Unbreakable was the only one that I can say I really liked, as a movie.

Sixth Sense entertained me, but I can't say I *liked* it. Signs freaked me out (but that's not saying much, because so did both versions of The Ring, and The Others, and The Blair Witch Project, so it *really* doesn't take much to creep me out). I found Lady in the Water unwatchably dull -- which is uncharacteristic, because I've loved just about every other movie Paul Giamatti has appeared in. And the premise of The Village didn't interest me enough to want to see it -- plus, I read about the twist, and it seemed totally out of the blue, from what I understand about it. At least Sixth Sense had sufficient foreshadowing for the surprise to make sense, once it's finally revealed.

More than anything, I find Shyamalan over-rated. I wouldn't go as far as Hibiki, to call everything "crap". But it's certainly given more undue hype than it's worth, IMHO.

 

[bluebeast]

Unbreakable is by far his best movie. Has one of the best endings in a movie to. (Well so did Sixth Sense but everyone knows that one.)

"They call me Mr. Glass."

 

[Joe Kalicki]

I thought The Village had some quality foreshadowing. I guessed the "twist" pretty quick into the movie, and I NEVER guess the twist in anything.

 

[compound]

I thought The Village had some quality foreshadowing. I guessed the "twist" pretty quick into the movie, and I NEVER guess the twist in anything.

Fair enough. Please qualify this, using spoiler tags, if necessary.

As I mentioned, I haven't actually seen the film, but every single person I know who has claims that the twist was totally out of the blue. And they didn't feel impressed enough with the movie to watch it a second time, to see whether they could have picked up on any previous hints.

Personally, my attitude towards "big reveals" -- particularly in movies -- is that if you can't at least drop enough narrative clues to make the twist seem believable, then you've failed as a story-teller.

I'm a little more forgiving about printed stories (novels, shorts) and comics, because at least, once the book/issue is in your possession, you can easily go back and check to see whether there was adequate foreshadowing. You obviously can't do that in a cinema, without watching a second screening, or a DVD copy. So there has to be at least more thorough foreshadowing.

 

[Joe Kalicki]

Fair enough. Please qualify this, using spoiler tags, if necessary.

Well, the big reveal is

Spoiler

that the Village is some weird group of people living in an old-fashioned society in the woods, while just a ways away is modern day civilization. Not all that exciting, really.

This was forshadowed a number of ways, the main one I can recall is

Spoiler

some dialogue with a woman who mentions getting assaulted in an alley, it's some really anachronistic dialogue for the period the movie was supposedly taking place in. There's other such anachronisms that I don't remember quite so vividly.