what’s happening?

i’ve never been a big fan of m. night shyamalan’s movies, though i’ve always been impressed with his name. i called the sixth sense early on, signs had some heart but no guts, the village and lady in the water were picturesque but predictable, and the happening kills itself with an anticlimactic dead end. i liked unbreakable though.

the popcorn crunching movie-goer in me resists shyamalan’s movies with strong conviction. i didn’t even finish my soda at the happening, which is extremely rare for me. but as an artist i have an appreciation for what shyamalan is trying to do. trying is they key word though. finishing one of his movies feels very similar to being back in art school for critique day. too often in art school you are left let down, and yet appreciative of what an artist is trying to achieve. i would buy shyamalan a round or two, but i wouldn’t buy one of his paintings.

i think the problem is that m. night shyamalan is given too much money to work with. most often i find that i am most creative, and produce my best work, when i’m lacking resources because i have a reason to fight for artistic vision in the face of adversity. shyamalan needs to step away from hollywood for a while and produce the kind of films that truly communicate his vision without the hollywood nonsense that gets in the way. those are the kinds of films that great actors beg to be in, and aspiring actors and filmmakers cite and discuss for decades to come.