[Stinger]

So, being the most ridiculously huge M. Night Shyamalan fan alive, I was eager to see the late showing of The Village tonight, and I have to say--I loved it. I was a little concerned when I heard that Roger Ebert, one of my personal heroes and the only movie critic I read religiously, gave it a one-star trouncing, but I wholeheartedly disagree with his assessment.

For me, this movie ranks slightly below Signs (my favorite of his movies) and just a touch above Sixth Sense and Unbreakable--though all four are probably in my 20 favorite movies ever.

Shyamalan fans? Where does it rank for you? I recommend anyone who has not seen the movie not read further, as it's tough to talk about the movie without spoiling it completely.

Oh, and I declare this a Shyamalan-hater-free zone.

- Evan

[Titan]

If it was in league with Sixth Sense & Unbreakable then I'm certainly looking forward to it. I thought Signs however, was the most overated movie of that year. I found it utterly boring.

[jjacob]

Originally Posted by Titan

If it was in league with Sixth Sense & Unbreakable then I'm certainly looking forward to it. I thought Signs however, was the most overated movie of that year. I found it utterly boring.

I've never read one single positive or even slightly positive review of Signs, so how could it be overrated? I haven't seen it yet, but a friend reccommended I keep it that way. Unbreakable on the other hand, was overrated, man did that movie have an anti-climax, I mean it's perhaps the king of all a-climatic experiences, no?

[Intrepid Homoludens]

So, was this one as predictably plot twisted at the end as all his other movies?

[Erwin_Br]

I don't recall Signs as overrated, because I remember I went to see it with normal expectations. I must say I really liked the movie, except for the last 10 minutes or so, when they really show the alien creatures. The strenght of this movie was in the things you didn't see. Overall, it rates pretty high in my rankings.

--Erwin

[Kingzjester]

Originally Posted by Stinger

So, being the most ridiculously huge M. Night Shyamalan fan alive, I was eager to see the late showing of The Village tonight, and I have to say--I loved it. I was a little concerned when I heard that Roger Ebert, one of my personal heroes and the only movie critic I read religiously, gave it a one-star trouncing, but I wholeheartedly disagree with his assessment.

For me, this movie ranks slightly below Signs (my favorite of his movies) and just a touch above Sixth Sense and Unbreakable--though all four are probably in my 20 favorite movies ever.

Shyamalan fans? Where does it rank for you? I recommend anyone who has not seen the movie not read further, as it's tough to talk about the movie without spoiling it completely.

Oh, and I declare this a Shyamalan-hater-free zone.

- Evan

Oh, god, you make it soo easy... too ****ing easy... Are you honestly serious? Cause I don't think I agree with any of your statements above.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Classic.

[Stinger]

Ohhhhhhkay...so maybe "Shyamalan-hater-free zone" doesn't mean to everyone else what it does to me...

Kingz, I am dead serious...and I don't really think I said a whole lot that you could disagree with...other than that I loved The Village. I never expected you and I to have the same taste in cinema...but I'm just trying to talk about a movie I enjoyed. No need to pounce on me like that.

Well, I've made my journey into the forbidden woods. I'll just wander back out to the adventure gaming forums now...

[jjacob]

Out of sheer curiosity though - what is your top 20 movies of all time?!
Ofcourse to each his own but I do agree that it would be wayyy too tempting for a true Shyamalan hater to reply here, having said what you said about Signs and Unbreakable . Also, what is it about him that appeals to you so much?

[Stinger]

My favorite movies - American Beauty, Usual Suspects, Fight Club, This is Spinal Tap, Life is Beautiful, the first Austin Powers, Seven, Memento, Being John Malkovich...I have fairly modern tastes. I'm not an arthouse snob at all, I actually think most arthouse movies are far too conceited for their own good.

I just admire Shyamalan's filmmaking technique. I think that his directorial ability surpasses that of most modern mainstream filmmakers. He understands what so many fail to: what is the most frightening is what you can't hear and can't see, not what's loud and on the screen. His use of silence and camera movement is always amazing to me--unlike anyone else in this era. I would say that, post-Hitchcock, there's not a single other director who's better at this type of suspense movie. Shyamalan also is effective at calculating uncomfortable moments of tension between humor and fear. Unbreakable and Signs were especially good at this.

I would never presume to say it's not a matter of personal preference though. I'm just completely absorbed by his filmmaking style, especially in this era of directors spending a hundred million dollars to show you big things and make really loud noises.

Plus...as my list of favorites above probably betrays, I am predisposed towards movies that have twist endings. I almost always enjoy them and find them rewarding. Seven is probably my favorite twist ending ever. I've found all four of Shyamalan's twists to be rewarding. I understand there are many who hate twists or always guess them before the ending--and I wouldn't fault them for not liking his movies as much. Again, it's personal preference, I'm not trying to be snobby about my Shyamalan lovefest.

What I've never understood, though, is why people think Sixth Sense is so much better than his next movies...that was a movie that was about nothing but the twist. At least the others have been about something other than just the payoff.

Btw, jjacob, in response to your comment about never reading a single positive review of Signs...have you ever looked? Most of the more respected film critics in America--Kenneth Turan, Peter Travers, Michael Wilmington, Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper--absolutely raved about it. It was in multiple year-end Top 10 lists. I'm certainly not saying mainstream critics are the end-all, but to say you've never read a positive review kinda baffles me.

There must be SOMEONE here who likes Shyamalan as much as I do.

[Henke]

The movie hasn't opened here yet of course but I will see it when it does.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

j-j-jjacob, why don't you start a "What are your top 20 favourite movies of all time' thread?

[Maquisard]

Warning, this will spoil the movie for you!

Spoiler:

(if it turns out to be true) The creatures from the woods turn out to be indians!

[jjacob]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

j-j-jjacob, why don't you start a "What are your top 20 favourite movies of all time' thread?

Don't mind if I do Heh, nah I'm way to busy for posting anything lengthier than one paragraph, er.. sentence..

..

You do it! Or stinger..

Originally Posted by Stinger

Plus...as my list of favorites above probably betrays, I am predisposed towards movies that have twist endings. I almost always enjoy them and find them rewarding.

Hehe I knew it, that's why I asked Ok so I was exaggerating a bit when I said I didn't read anything slightly positive, but overall critics here weren't much more enthusiastic about Signs than they were about Unbreakable. Still looking forward to seeing the Village though, looks pretty creepy.

[Maquisard]

OK, now I've seen the movie for real, and must say I'm really impressed. I liked it very much. To whomever's seen it, I'd like to discuss some of the unresolved plot strands.

Spoiler:

at the end, where Shyamalan's reading that newspaper, there's an article about a missing seven year old boy, and another one about a search for a killer on the loose. There was a picture of the killer, and I though I recognized that fat Irish guy from "Gangs of New York" and (I think) "Troy," who, in this movie, plays one of the elders. So I thought, could it be that this particular elder is a killer, who killed that boy they were burying at the beggining of the movie, for finding the village? Could it be he was skinning the dogs? I don't think it was all Noah, and William Hurt suspected an elder. There may be more clues to that effect in his wife's monologue at the end, but I forgot what she said. Also what was the point of Shyamalan's ramble about birds and people exploring the preserve? I think he may know their secret, and is trying to protect it. (They like to have birds flying over, they were talking about it in the council, and he said those gov. guys gave him a lot of trouble, cause they didn't want birds flying over etc.) Anyway, those are my observations. Hope some of you guys can pitch in.

[BenjaminBunny]

I loved this movie.

[emma]

I liked it, the suspence-build up was pretty damn well done. However, I annoyed myself immensely by predicting everything that happened, at a fairly early stage in the movie.

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by Stinger

I have fairly modern tastes. I'm not an arthouse snob at all, I actually think most arthouse movies are far too conceited for their own good.

What exactly are arthouse movies? (I wouldn't want to get angry for no good reason, so I have to check )

[Erwin_Br]

Not everyone who loves 'arthouse' films are snobs.

--Erwin

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by Erwin_Br

Not everyone who loves 'arthouse' films are snobs.

--Erwin

Oh. Well, I guess that answer my question, in a way, and so I guess I can be angry now.
Damn those ignorant fools who call people snobs when they're looking for something more than fun in movie theaters. It's like calling people snobs because they read actual books instead of comics.
And damn the Village, Signs and Unbreakable too, while I'm at it. (I actually liked 6th sense, but I think I'll damn it too, just in case. )