I am really looking forward to seeing "The Village"

In my book M. Night is three for three. Not all homeruns. The last two were RBI's, but that's not too shabby.

Below is an article about someone who supposedly got a hold of the closely guarded script.

http://www.filmjerk.com/nuke/article603.html

I thought that The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable were both a little overrated. I mean, the whole point of Sixth Sense was the twist. Everything was leading up to that point, which in the end I saw coming. Umbreakable was far too subdued for my tastes.

Signs was his best so far, I think. He took what most people would have made a special-effects alien invasio flick and turned it into a more quieter, isolated view on it. In this case the subdued feeling fit it, as it was about the family more than anything, not the aliens, which I liked.

The village looks pretty good, though with him it's hard for me to say. I didn't like Sixth, hated Unbreakable, but loved Signs. Who knows. I'd bet you dollars to donuts I know what the twist ending is. That's the one bad thing with his movies: he has the same type of twist, so the twist isn't unexpected anymore. You expect it from him, so you look for the signs.

I don't really like the guy... not as a writer or director/movie maker. I didn't like the six sense or unbreakable... I thought that Signs was an exercise in typical run of the mill movie miffs.

I saw the baseball bat and water bit coming from 3 miles away.

I did however like signs better than any of his other movies to date... all though, it was still pretty stupid.

In the end, the village looks lame at best. It is going to be very dry and very ho hum. I think the good parts will far be out weighed by the bad parts.

Just my two cents, but that's how I see it.

The thing about M. Night (I'm not going to even attempt spelling his last name) is that he seems to think that people always expect a twist ending from him.  Unfortunatly, this is probably true.  I guarantee you the day he makes a (probably good, critically acclaimed) film without the twist ending is the day mainstream audiences turns their backs on him.

As far as "The Village" goes... eh.  I like the idea, but if the ending is what I heard (as has half of the globe by this point), I will be very dissapointed.  Also, the ad campaign makes me sick with the trailer re-capping Night's career (why?) and the false, "Secrets of M. Night" documentary set to air on Sci-Fi.  Just stop already.

Signs is his best....the rest are, well----"not bad"

I do find the subtext of this idea irresistible and intriguing given the times we are faced with here in America.

Outsiders kept apart by a thin border and ancient agreement. Neither side having a full understanding of the other until one day someone breaks the agreement and ventures in to the others territory and more confusion, suspicion, fear and death occur.
SOUND A LITTLE LIKE THE WAR ON TERRORISM?

If this subtext resonates by way of these subtle, subconscious messages this should be a popular film.

Stop and think about the rash of "revenge" films that came out recently.

THE PUNISHER
WALKING TALL
KILL BILL
MAN ON FIRE

A coincidence or a reflection of our current societal and political leanings?

50% of the list of movies you just named are remakes.

The other two are works of a genre in need of something original.

Watch the original piece that walking tall was based off of, and tell me it's typical...

Watch the original Punisher... a more gritty, more true to form look at Frank Castle, not a pretty boy Hollywood block buster. Dolph was the punisher invisioned... in my opinion anyway.

Instead of wearing a gay ass skull T-shirt, his beard was in the shape of a skull... really cool stuff in the original punisher, given the fact Marvel didn't release all the rights to the studio.

I have to agree with baltis here.  Call it a guilty pleasure, but I do enjoy when the Dolph Lundren "Punisher" comes on WB on Sunday afternoons.  As for the re-make?  Could have been good if given to a seasoned director.  Hensleigh may have been a bit of a pre-mature choice as a director for such a high-caliber action flick.

As far as revenge films in general, I actually liked "Man on Fire" (except for the ending).  Though, I would really like to see a "Max Payne" picture (in all of its dead baby glory).

Quoted from AmericanSyCo, posted July 10th, 2004, 8:05pm at here Though, I would really like to see a "Max Payne" picture (in all of its dead baby glory).

As long as they give it to someone who can handle it (I'm thinking a Hong Kong director, like John Woo before he went blockbuster on us) I wouldn't mind seeing one either.

The point is:

These movies coming out now (whether remakes or not) are reflections of our social state of mind. REVENGE sells to a public in need of a way to express its anger. These films might not have been greenlighted in more tranquil times. Not a lot of REVENGE flicks in the 80's. It's not anything new. Movies have provided this sort of catharsis for a long time.

LOOK OUT FOR The Manchurian Candidate (also a remake) about a shadowy brainwashing experiments and government manipulations. mmmmmm...

If your movie isnt called Fahrenheit 911 then people dont really care about some war (and their feelings about it) when they go see a movie. If the movies good, see it and if it isnt---somebodys gonna accidently wind up in the theatre anyhow.
WAR=stuff exploding and people dying
MOVIES=entertainment

Big difference. No correlation.

I am not suggesting that these films are overtly political or that they are popular because people want to be informed about politics or war. True, the primary function of film is to entertain, but trends form at different periods in time and the public responds to because of politial and social events.

The ideas work on a subconcious level and reflect a deeper meaning.

Take a look at the films of the fifties. Many of them especially the sci fi ones dealt with outsiders/aliens infiltrating and destroying our society. Invasion of the body Snatchers, War of the worlds some of the better examples. They tapped into the fears brought on by the rad scare.

It's not just a phenomenon in American society. The great Japanese Monster films for example. Nuclear mutations destroying great cities becomes an expression of a society dealing with the horrible aftermath of nuclear destruction.

It's naive to overlook these trends in art. Not just movies, but all art.

I suppose I agree, because, mostly in early paintings, all they did was represent situations occuring in the times----but I dont think viewers of these painting really cared about that, though the artist did.

You don't have to "care" about it. You don't even have to know it's there, but it is and for me it's fun to observe.

What are you talking about PAULA?

RAMBO, RAMBO 2, RAMBO 3,

All the MISSING IN ACTION movies

All the BRONSON movies

EXTERMINATOR 1 & 2

EXTREMITIES

Every DOLP LUNDGEREN movie in the 80's and early 90's

All the BILLY JACK movies

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT

HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK

DON'T GO INTO THE HOUSE

DON'T TOUCH MY SISTER

MOTHERS DAY

FIRE CLOUD
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I could go on and on and on and on...... and on some more about all the REVENGE movies that came out in the 70's and 80's.

You don't know what you're talking about PAULA. There were litterally hundreds of them in the day. It just looks to me that you don't know your movies well enough to know about any of them.

Please, don't speak your opinion when it's far from truth. And if you do speak it, please let it be known that it is "YOUR" opinion.

Cause I just listed several movies in the REVENGE genre... and all of them were released at more "TRANQUIL" times....

Whatever...