Director Spotlight: M. Night Shyamalan
With the release of the director's new movie "Old," we recommend our favorite Shyamalan flicks
Happy Friday, DYLAers! We’re back after a week off with some more movie recs. M. Night Shyamalan’s Old is in theaters this weekend, so what better time to discuss some Shyamalan movies? The director has had a truly fascinating career arc, breaking through with The Sixth Sense and becoming one of the most well-known brand-name filmmakers around. The quality of his work has had its ups and downs, but if you’re in the Shyamalan mood this weekend before or after seeing Old, check out one of his past movies streaming now.
Drew recommends…
The Sixth Sense (streaming on Peacock)
I knew about the big twist at the end of The Sixth Sense well before I actually saw the movie. M. Night Shyamalan’s 1999 supernatural thriller has made such a deep impression on our culture that even if you haven’t seen a single scene, you probably know what happens at the end. That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? How many other movies can say that? In case there are a few of you out there that don’t know about one of the most famous twists in movie history, I’m not going to get into it here, because I’d rather talk about the movie around it.
Even though I never got to experience the shocking realization that Shyamalan intended with The Sixth Sense, it’s a true compliment that it still works so well as a movie even knowing the big reveal. Whereas the movie’s imitators (and perhaps some of Shyamalan’s own subsequent movies) try to pull the rug out from under the audience just for the sake of it, The Sixth Sense puts character and story ahead of easy tricks. In the same way, this is a creepy and unsettling psychological (PG-13) horror movie that makes the jump-scare moments take a backseat to a well-constructed melancholy character study. This is what will allow The Sixth Sense to stand the test of time, as well as why most people consider it Shyamalan’s best film.
READ: Spoiler Alert! Movies with Major Twists Streaming Now
Only 29 years old when the movie debuted, Shyamalan was the hottest thing in Hollywood immediately afterwards. His next two movies had double the budget of The Sixth Sense and he appeared on the cover of Newsweek with the headline “The Next Spielberg.” Unfortunately, Shyamalan’s career went into a steady decline until he hit his nadir somewhere around The Last Airbender or After Earth, big-budget failures that did not suit his strengths as a director. Recently, he has come back stronger with low-to-mid-budget thrillers -- The Visit, Split, Glass, and now, Old -- that have gotten much better reviews and turned him from a joke to a respected filmmaker once again.
Even if he never tops The Sixth Sense, that’s not such a bad fate. This is a terrifically effective ghost story that gets you to care about its characters (with serious help from Haley Joel Osment’s astonishingly good child performance) while still delivering the chilly scares and hammer of a final twist that have become Shyamalan’s signature moves.
Billy recommends…
The Happening (streaming on Peacock)
Well this is a first for Do You Like Apples. I am recommending a movie that is certifiably horrible. The great part is that none of this movie is boring. At every turn there is something that either hints at a good movie or something so absurd that the only appropriate reaction is to laugh. Come up with some drinking game and get your vaccinated friends together immediately.
A pandemic like disease is ripping through New York and the world. This is no normal disease, though. The disease compels people to kill themselves. Our introduction to our main character, high school science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), is the exact antithesis to the great teacher introduction from Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark. In this movie Mr. Moore is breathily telling us about the importance of science/bees and we get to see how friggin’ cool he is with his students. All attempts to give an emotional connection are completely missed with actors that are acting shocked the entire time. The best friend hates Elliot’s wife for some reason. The best friend was supposed to be with his wife, but couldn’t for some reason. Elliot’s wife is maybe having an affair that is complicating getting to safety? I don’t know because none of it is really explained except for a few, “what’s that?” Or with some abrupt explanation.
Instead of just ripping this movie I want to give some credit to the fun aspects of watching this besides the hilarity. Or THE fun aspect. Watching this during a pandemic is an interesting thing because this was released in 2008 and brought together a completely different mindset to something that could be hurting the population. The first reaction to people being hurt in a massive capacity in this movie was that it was a terrorist attack. That perspective that I found interesting is short-lived because as soon as I started writing the previous sentence all the characters were running away from the wind.
The Happening is a fantastic movie watching experience that came at a time for me that is almost non-existent now. A movie that was highly anticipated until people got into the movie theater. There is almost no chance to be surprised by a movie anymore. Good or bad. There is a chance to be disappointed or have a different opinion once you leave the theater, but the consensus is generally established beforehand. Here we had a director in M. Night Shyamalan who had three borderline classics to start his career followed up by two somewhat misses. From The Happening onward we get one of the most fascinating career trajectories we have ever seen, leaving a mark on movie culture that is almost consensus-proof. And for that very weird reason I get excited for every movie he releases. Even the horrible ones that I recommend to you all.
Signs (streaming on Amazon Prime and Peacock)
This is a re-post from a May 2019 newsletter
M. Night Shyamalan is the most polarizing director of all-time. No filmmaker has directed so many masterful movies while also creating so many all-time bad movies. Signs is a controversial one for Shyamalan fans. Is it great? Is it terrible? These are the only two outcomes coming out of this film. Luckily for me, I find this one great.
Signs follows former reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), who after the death of his wife loses his faith that he once held dear. Hollywood does not portray faith well in movies, but Signs brilliantly shows how traumatic a crisis of faith can be. Gibson, a real-life Catholic, must have brought his own life into this role because you feel every emotion that he is going through.
Weirdly, at times, it almost feels like the lack of faith is freeing for his character. Shyamalan makes it clear that that is the problem. For himself it is initially freeing, but for everyone else in his life (his kids and brother-in-law) it has become a detriment. I do not know if such a tie to your faith is a good thing or bad thing, but once Hess lost his faith he became a more selfish person. By the end of the movie we realize that Hess needs his faith to live a fulfilled life.
Hollywood movies typically pick one side or the other. Show faith as a detriment or show it as only a positive. Signs is so unique in that it shows the complexity of faith. The ups and downs and the difficulty to keep it in the midst of tragedy. This one is funny, scary, sad, and maniacal. That combination leads to an amazing film. Give this one a look.
Links
One of our most anticipated movies of the year got a trailer this week. Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer, will be in theaters this October.
Other new trailers this week included another look at sci-fi epic Dune, coming October 22nd, and the first look at horror maestro James Wan’s (The Conjuring, Saw) next project, Malignant.
Everyone’s favorite Premier League coach is back on TV! Read this wonderful GQ profile of Jason Sudeikis as you dig into the new season of Ted Lasso.