Not Coming to a Theater Near You

The Village / USA / 2004

I learn my Shyamalan lesson, part deux. But it isn’t terrible, certainly nowhere near the debacle of Lady in the Water. The Village essentially felt like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone (although a work colleague compared it to Teenage Cave Man, a Corman film I am unfamiliar with). The film looks gorgeous, and I’m intrigued at the idea of a thriller set during the Colonial (?) era, but, in the Shyamalan style of late, it ultimately disappoints.

by Jenny Jediny | Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone DVD
02 Aug 2006 4:50 PM | Comments (10)

Comments / 10 total / Submit Comment

1. leo / 2 August 2006 / 2:11 PM / URL

   I’m telling you: Unbreakable is awesome. Sure, I was on painkillers, having just had my wisdom teeth removed, when I saw it. But, damn it, I will stand by that opinion.

2. Jenny / 3 August 2006 / 6:33 AM / URL

   Hmm…I don’t know, percasette is pretty powerful stuff. Seriously though, you’re on – I have not seen Unbreakable, so I’ll put it on Netflix.

3. Rumsey / 3 August 2006 / 6:58 AM / URL

   Having abashedly promoted my fondness of Shyamalan’s Signs here, I’ll further disrepute myself by promoting my fondness for this film as well.

   I think M. is a prominent casualty of hype, and his (more recent) films are so deftly promoted that the kneejerk response is to scrutinize their flaws in an effort to discredit said hype. I think he’d be much more admired if his work wasn’t so overwhelmed by his persona as a non-union Mexican equivalent. His narcissism, however, I can neither defend nor justify.

   The word is nearly unanimous that Lady in the Water is a trainwreck, and for this reason I’m very much looking forward to it.

4. Strunk & White / 3 August 2006 / 9:35 AM

   I agree with Ms. Jediny – I can stare at the gorgeous, autumn colors and field stone houses for hours. But, ultimately, I wanted a more sensitive examination of these villagers who chose to flee from what they perceived to be a very dangerous world.

   Night may be a victim of hype, I agree. But he is his own worst enemy when it comes writing dialogue. For example, he creates a verbose, flowery language for the village people, but cannot come up with something better than “Those we do not speak of?” At the very least, can he refrain from ending the designation with a preposition?

   Of course, then we are left to ponder what sounds worse, “those of whom we do not speak” or narf, scrunt and tartutic (oh my!)?

5. Chiranjit / 3 August 2006 / 12:09 PM / URL

   I’m with Leo on Unbreakable and I wasn’t on painkillers (at least I don’t think I was). It just felt like a very sparse and comfortable thriller were Night’s customary tactics finally made sense for his material. As for Signs, I’m usually fairly forgiving when it comes to plot details, but why exactly would an alien race invade a planet that’s 70% covered by a liquid that burns their flesh. Maybe a better question is what do the aliens do when it starts to rain.

6. Rob / 3 August 2006 / 1:16 PM / URL

   For the record, I love Unbreakable; definitely one of those films that grows on you in hindsight and after each viewing. The climax is a bit whiplash-inducing the first time around, but once you know where the film is heading it’s all the easier to appreciate just how perfectly the pieces fit together.

   And as for Signs, I’m going to risk being a complete elitist jerk here, but: if the US can invade a country of whos culture, religion, regional qualities and current state of political affairs it has next to no idea on, then any dumbass aliens get a free pass in my book.

7. leo / 3 August 2006 / 1:21 PM / URL

   You’ll change your tune when the dumbass aliens come to git us, Rob.

8. Rob / 4 August 2006 / 5:38 AM / URL

   I’m not entirely sure what the intended tone of that comment is (humoresque? intended insult?), but if it’s treading the reductive line of thought I think it is (because I’m obviously referring to the aliens’ inanity as a real entity and not a cinematic construction potentially seen as a contrived plot twist), then I’m just going to leave it.

9. Rumsey / 4 August 2006 / 6:34 AM / URL

   Obviously, you’re not a golfer.

10. leo / 4 August 2006 / 8:30 AM / URL

    I’m sounding your patriotism, Rob. We need to know who to trust when the aliens arrive.

    But good news! The French are back on the side of the human race.