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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
 Posted - 07/20/2006 : 7:46:53 PM
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That "5 year old" quote is the one that really resonates with me. I read that review. It and the one or two other good ones are basically of the notion that if you don't like this movie it's your fault because you can't embrace the film the way a child would- well, no I can't thank you. Even in a fantasy there has to be SOME logic. I should receive SOME intellectual challenge. And for gawd's sake- I won't hold it against Night if he wants to cast himself as a world saving messiah to his kids; what dad wouldn't. But to carry that into a film the rest of us are going to see- that's ego the likes of which have possibly never been seen before in Hollywood. Not even Cecil B. DeMille cast himself as Moses.
Moriarity on AICN seems to have this movie's number- go read that review. It's verty fair and it hits (I assume) the real problems with the film.
Coming soon-
Eraserhead: The Musical!! |
Edited by - Sardu on 07/20/2006 7:48:03 PM |
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zombiewhacker
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1475 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 12:13:39 AM
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How 'bout this quote from critic James Berardinelli:
"This is the biggest misfire of M. Night Shyamalan's career, including his pre-Sixth Sense movies. In addition to being dull and uninvolving, the film fails to draw in the viewer sufficiently to facilitate suspension of disbelief, which allows the plot to resemble a rejected Ed Wood screenplay."
[url]http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/l/lady_water.html[/url]
When it gets to the point where M. Night Shyamalan and Ed Wood are mentioned in the same paragraph you know it's time to start working on your Jabootu acceptance speech.
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Juniper
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
616 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 10:53:39 AM
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The complete spoiler is up over at themoviespoiler.com and let's just say (Spoiler below)
When you cast yourself a messianic writer who will change the world but will have to sacrifice your life and your bad guy is a movie critic you're just asking for trouble.
(End Spoiler)
"The Devil Made this Movie for You!" |
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RVHorror
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
532 Posts |
Posted - 07/24/2006 : 09:45:48 AM
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I saw Lady in the Water last night, and I liked it overall. But I can certainly see issues with it. The first few minutes are so slow and so self-conscious that it was extremely off-putting; had it continued any longer like that the film would have been doomed.
But it improved greatly as it went on; by the mid-point, I was won over and I found the ending very moving (in an abstract way). I can certainly see legitimate reasons for not liking it, though. It's a film that depends almost entirely on how a person responds to it--the quality or lack thereof is almost irrelevant. In that sense, it is ET all over again. (I hated ET.)
Bob Balaban's scene in the hallway was hilarious, by the way. I'm sure it will show up on YouTube.com at some future point; if you don't want to see the film, you should check out that scene. |
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flellis
Archdeacon of Jabootu
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 07/24/2006 : 11:09:43 AM
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The movie is a telling of ET in the same way M. Night Shamalyan told a comic book story in Unbreakable. The biggest twist in this movie is that there is no real twist ending. Like Unbreakable, I think the film will have a few staunch defenders, but a majority of people will not like this film because the film is too slow and very talky.
A few people on the movie have mention already about the film critic and the role Shamalyan casts himself in. Those are reasons enough to dismiss the film as an ego trip for M. Night, but there are some other reasons I didn't care for Lady in the Water were the following: First, it is was the way the story was told. As he tells the story, Shamalyan seems to be making up the story as he goes alongs. The rules of how to bring Lady in the Water back home keep changing by the minute. To quote Michael Atkinson from the Village Voice, "Shyamalan is mystically assuming that any idea or image that pops into his skull will make a shapely tale, no matter how much cock-and-bull logic he has to invent to Gorilla Glue it together." Second is the characterization of Giamatti and his tenants. Unlike other landlords or supers who are merely concerned with maintaing the place, drumming up new tenants and most importantly, collecting the rent, Giamatti's super is friends with all his tenants, has no problems with anyone and such a sadsack then when he passes his tenants by, they think of him, "Aw, that poor guy." The tenants don't appear to have any social life or any employment that keeps them super busy and away from home. They are there whereever Giamatti needs them, immediately buy into the story of the Lady in The Water at face value (without expressing any remote sign of skepticism) and ready to help Howard go home. Now I can believe a lady out of the water or wolves in the lawn but to pass these people off as real life people in living an apartment complex . . . well, for someone who has lived most of his 10 years in apartments, sorry I ain't buying it. These people seem so more fake than any of the fantasy concepts that Shamalyan comes up with.
Having said that, it looks like the Disney executives were right. The movie got mostly bad reviews and didn't do that hot at the box office. It debuted at #3 in the box office. Pirates of the Carribean and Monster House went above it. |
Edited by - flellis on 07/24/2006 11:24:47 AM |
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Paul LoJ
Supreme Potentate
USA
420 Posts |
Posted - 07/24/2006 : 11:53:16 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by UnknownSubject
[...]However, I do think it wouldn't hurt for Shyalaman to just direct someone else's script for a change, or to do a romantic comedy as a change of pace.
I second that. I thought he was slated to direct Life of Pi after this, but he appears to be off that project now.
I'm one of those people who personally liked every one of Shyamalan's films so far, but I can't make a good case why anybody else should. Signs & The Village both could have been improved almost as simply as by ending them early though.
"...You know perfectly well what is the matter with you. You have known it for years, though you have fought against the knowledge. You are mentally deranged." |
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zombiewhacker
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1475 Posts |
Posted - 07/25/2006 : 2:19:24 PM
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Speaking of meters on the rise, it appears Shyamalan's fanboys at IMDB are doing their part to artificially boost Lady's ratings.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452637/ratings
Just a week ago, Lady was rated in the 5.5 range. Now suddenly it's been inflated to the 6.5. range, thanks to a disproportionate number of imdBers ranking it a 10.
Why. Even. Bother. |
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Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 3:21:34 PM
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True, Shyamalan is overrated. Sure The Sixth Sense has a ghost doing unusual things, but even a J.A.G. episode (called "Ghost Ship" for originality extra points) featured a ghost that warned of Russian spies and saluted the American flag before retreating into wherever he was spending the eternity.
Note: Neville will vehemently deny having written any of this. Not only because he is a firm admirer of Shyamalan's work, but also because he doesn't want anybody to know he watched an entire J.A.G. episode. |
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