What's with the hatred for Shyamalan?

Look, I will not sit here and say The Happening is a perfect film - it is probably his weakest effort, but I am amazed at how much people seem to loathe Shyamalan and his movies. Is it that he was over-hyped after Sixth Sense? Is it that he takes himself very seriously? Is it that he is a bit of an egomaniac? OK, none of that sounds that good, but still, his movies, compared to many, are all pretty good. When Unbreakable and Signs came out, they were not received with universal critical acclaim, yet every review I have read everywhere for The Happening (and also for LITW) mentions how brilliant he was with those three films, and then turns around and acts like his last 3 films have been utter garbage. I've even seen him compared to Boll and those morons that make the "______ Movie" movies. Seriously? I really think people will look back on his films in 20 years and think he was a true gem among directors. He isn't a great screenwriter, and there is often clunky dialogue, but that hasn't changed - it was there in 6th Sense. His visual style, and his ability to come up with a unique and interesting story, which slowly builds incredible tension is unmatched by any filmmaker working in the "thriller" genre. I think we may see a turnaround on his last 3 movies with critics and movie viewers alike down the road, much like we now see with Signs and Unbreakable.

With me it isn't hatred so much as disappointment. The man has talent for directing but insists on writing his own screenplays, which haven't been very good lately. I keep thinking of what good films the man might turn out if he looked for some good scripts. But if he's going to keep churning out stuff like "Lady in the Water" (I haven't seen "The Happening"), he deserves the disrespect he gets. After all, studios are paying him big money to make these films, and filmgoers are shelling out big bucks to see them. Everyone deserves better than they're getting.

John

It's a lot of things already touched on. Personally, I thought The Sixth Sense was brilliant. I loved it both times I saw it and thought the entire thing was rather clever. That promise was entirely squandered with Unbreakable and Signs, the latter of which I fell asleep to. I haven't bothered with The Village, Lady in the Water or Happening.

See, the man has always been egotistical, from his pissing match with Disney to the interviews he has conducted over time. He didn't feel the need to do a commentary on his first movie because Spielberg doesn't do them? I'm sorry...after one film, you'd better not be comparing yourself to anyone else.

He's also an easy target, like Tom Cruise for a lot of people.

Jason, not a Cruise hater

Redo.(EDIT)
GOOD!
"The Sixth Sense"
"Unbreakable"

BAD!
"Signs"
"The Village"
"The Lady in the Water"
"The Happening"

question answered?

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[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Oct 15, 2008 - CDT 1:25 AM]

Everyone has been bashing him lately. I like his stuff. That still does not interfere with me renting or buying his stuff. Agreed, if he would hire an screenwriter his movie would be that much better. But whatever. His stories are still great, and entertaining. I have yet to rent this newest movie, and will most likely enjoy it. I love the end of the world stuff, in all forms.

I thought Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense were awesome, Signs was alright, and I didn't really care for The Village. The others I haven't seen.

Quote:
I haven't seen "The Happening"

John, it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen and it wasn't just a problem with the screenplay. The acting was atrocious. Honestly, I thought it was a weird Canadian indie movie from some small rural town made for about $20k. Then I thought, "naw... this is worse than any indie movie I've seen made with $20k". I'll admit too that I didn't watch it all the way through. It was one of those very rare movies that I just couldn't torture myself with anymore. Frankly I didn't give a crap about the characters and how things turned out... except wanting the movie to end with them all dead ASAP.

Oh I'll add that this movie made "lady on the water" and "the village" look like masterpieces.

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[Post edited by Skyhawk on Oct 12, 2008 - CDT 3:42 PM]

Sky, the dialogue in the first 20 minutes is the worst of the movie, so you should have hung around. That term "worst movie ever" is thrown around way too much. If The Happening is the worst movie you've ever seen, you need to get out more.

Haven't seen The Happening, but to be honest, I haven't seen Wahlberg act that bad...the trailer is just one of the worst ever, along with Waist Deep...but yeah, Signs was great, so was The Sixth Sense...I loved the plot twist on The Village, but the overall movie disappointed.

Plus, it is not hatred, but like John said, disappointment.

"John, it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen ..." Skyhawk

Thanks, Sky. Yeah, I haven't wanted to waste any money on it. However, I will try to catch it when it shows up on cable, just because I've seen all of M. Night's previous films, and I'd like to maintain the record (for good or for bad).

John