M. Night Shyamalan

This seems like a better place for it.

non_amos wrote:Not to derail the subject but speaking of M. Night I loved his early films, The Sixth Sense & Unbreakable especially. I thought both films were brilliant. Signs I liked OK & it was also pretty popular from what I remember but after that it's like he started his downward spiral. Not really sure what happened there. Some celebrities, whether we're talking about rock stars who come back with a vengeance or actors/directors like Ben Affleck, somehow these people find a way to salvage their careers. M. Night hasn't seemed able to do likewise & I just don't understand why. He seemed like a good storyteller in the beginning. What happened?!

URL- https://supermanfilmwatchdog.forumcanadien.org/t1053p15-we-were-right-about-that-piece-of-shit-all-along

I enjoyed all those and I'm even the guy in the room who liked the Village. In my mind, he never went off the rails until Lady in the Water. And ever since then, he's never really recovered. There was a point when he snubbed Lucas and Spielberg and declined to do an Indiana Jones movie because it wouldn't be "his" movie. He wanted to direct it but, let's face it, nobody gives a damn if Spielberg isn't directing. But of all directors, that era of Night's career might've been the one time he was capable of pulling it off. But either way, he didn't want to be a hired gun. He wanted it to be his movie or he wouldn't get involved.

And one could argue he made the right call... but not the point. Would ANY of us say no if Lucas and Spielberg called up wanting us to somehow be involved with a new Indiana Jones movie?

I'm rambling. What I'm saying is that Lady in the Water is where I at least tuned out. The Last Airbender really could've been good. Certainly the Asian kid in that movie can act apart from his incredible martial arts moves. He damn near rises above that mess. But everyone else has that breathless, wide-eyed, Mark Wahlberg-in-the-Happening shit going. It's hard to believe that was the same guy who directed Signs, which had real performances in it and even a few bits of humor in it. Maybe Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix and that Culkin kid wiped their asses with Night's direction and did their own thing. But maybe not.

The hell of it is he seems like a good guy all around. But man, name any big name talent in the business. The Wachowski brothers, George Lucas, I don't care, NONE of those guys bottomed out as hard or as fast as Night did. I remember when he was called "the next Spielberg!" These days it's like he's the next Ed Wood or something.

You forgot about 'Unbreakable'. And if Shamalamadingdong wants people BACK on his side, then a sequel to that movie is what he NEEDS.

Comic book movies are all the rage these days. He opened the door to a whole world of them in 'Unbreakable', and then turned his back on it. Unfortunately Bruce Willis doesn't give a shit about putting on a "performance" anymore, but maybe M. Night can coax one out of him? Have Samuel L's "Mr. Glass" released from the mental facility he was locked up in, and turn his attention towards "specials" who think like HIM. And on the flip-side, Willis' David Dunn starts coming across others like himself.

I figured out the twist in 'Sixth Sense'. I liked 'Signs'. Big fan of 'Unbreakable'. Didn't dig 'The Village'. 'The Happening' was utter DOGSHIT. And I haven't watched a film of his since.

Ya know I used to read reports online about the possibility of a sequel to Unbreakable. From what I remember it sounded like even M. Night was up for it but at the time I read that 12 years had passed since the original film. Now even more time has passed. I'm just afraid it's a missed opportunity. However, I bet Samuel L. Jackson would jump at it in a heartbeat. He's continued that genre anyway so that wouldn't be a stretch. M. Night, Willis & the length of time might would be the problem now.

Why not work the passing of time into the movie? Don't try to pretend it never happened.

Frankly though, I could give a damn about Unbreakable. It was okay. I guess. But it came out in a time when people were leery about superheroes and whatnot. I think even Chris Nolan would watch it these days and say "that's IT?"

If I remember correctly from the article I read years ago the passage of time was something that M. Night did want to work into the proposed sequel. The 12 years, the fact that the son was grown now, all of that. Just not sure what happened. Time for Google sooner or later I suppose.

I think I'd have preferred a direct sequel like the usual 2 or 3 years after the initial film. Certainly Night could've pulled this off? It probably would've also put him in a good time frame with his career, i.e., before his train derailed. But I also would've taken the above. I guess now we'll probably get nothing. Well, at least it's a good stand-alone film if nothing else. That is, unless someone comes along & reboots it too.