Have you ever tried to love someone? Have you pinned your hopes and dreams on somebody, however unfairly, only for them to fail you in every way imaginable? I think we all have experienced this, and it's usually referred to as an "ex".
Well, I'm not going to talk about exes right now, although I certainly have a lot to say about that topic, so I'll save it for a rainy day. The kind of love I'm specifically referring to is more like a deep admiration for someone that is later found, through constant disappointment, to have been grievously misplaced. This is how I feel about M. Night Shyamalan.
Anyone that knows me, or is a regular reader of my blog, is aware of the vitriol I feel towards Shyamalan, but not many realize that it is a hate that was born out of love, much like the hate that drove Anakin to the Dark Side... and if that doesn't make sense, blame the Star Wars prequels. There was a time where I would have happily considered myself an M. Night fan, and I would see all of his movies in theater the very weekend it was released. Then again, there was a time I would have considered a Pepperoni Roll from the Minute Mart a "delicacy", so I guess as we mature, so do our tastes - which is the core to M. Night's problem, I think. The guy refuses to grow as a filmmaker, or at least, all of his attempts to grow have been ill-thought out at best.
The best way to really understand my hate of M. Night is to briefly run through his filmography and illustrate how far he has fallen as a filmmaker. Follow me into Hell.
The Sixth Sense
This is undeniably one of Shyamalan's best movies, if not *the* best (though that is debatable - personally I'm more partial to Unbreakable, which I'll get into momentarily). The movie has a premise that could be considered rather hackneyed in the horror genre: a child has a supernatural gift that allows him to see dead people. I mean, what's that about? I've seen dead people - big fucking deal! I went to my grandpa's funeral, and he just laid there in the casket doing nothing. My family has still not forgiven me for heckling "booooooring" at him, but he did the same thing in my high graduation, so fuck it.
Oh, wait, the kid in The Sixth Sense could see ghosts? Oh. Well, that's still not that original - the kid in The Shining could see ghosts as well, and that movie was ten times better. Also, this movie came out at about the same time as Stir of Echoes, starring Kevin Bacon as a character who could also communicate with the dead. So, my point is, the idea of a human, whether it be a kid or an adult, making contact with the dead ain't exactly like the discovery of Dark Matter (whatever the fuck that is). However, here is what made The Sixth Sense so good: the execution of the movie. Shyamalan took a simple premise and made a chilling, suspenseful movie around it. The characters weren't terribly memorable, but that was okay - we got to know the characters enough that the story was still largely entertaining. It also helps that there aren't that many characters to begin with beyond Haley Joel Osmond, Bruce Willis, and Toni Collette. Even if I can't remember the characters, the movie was strong enough that I certainly remember several amazing scene. One scene that still haunts me out to this day is when Cole is locked into an old "dungeon" with a hostile ghost by bullies.
Of course, most people cite the ending of The Sixth Sense as one of the best twists in cinematic history. I must admit, it certainly blew me away. Shyamalan did a fine job of misdirecting the audience enough so that one never really suspected anything was wrong with Willis' character, besides there being an uncomfortable emotional distance between he and his wife. It's a good twist, most importantly, because it doesn't feel contrived or cheap. The movie didn't set out to trick you so that it could shove you face in it later - all the signs were there, especially the big hint, specifically, the scene where Cole tells Dr. Crowe he can see dead people, and breath vapor comes out of his mouth as he says it, which the movie establishes is a tell-tale sign that a ghost is present. It's a fine twist, and serves to wrap up Cole's story in that it displays how his gift is not such a curse after all. The theme of an individual living up to his potential instead of being ashamed or afraid of it is something that is explored in Unbreakable, and most of Shyamalan's other work (though not quite as effectively). So, while the movie does a fantastic job of being scary, as I'm sure coping with such an ability as Cole's would be, it ends with an uplifting note: Cole seems to be more comfortable with his ability, and Dr. Crowe can finally "move on" from the past that has kept him unwittingly bound to this world. Everyone wins!
The story was great, but I remember being even more impressed with the cinematography and the use of color. Most of the color in the movie is very muted and drab. However, whenever a ghost is present, the color red is used to almost signify this. In the above scene, when Cole ventures upstairs and hears the angry ghost in the cupboard, he follows a red balloon. Most of the objects that Dr. Crowe interacts with are red (such as the door knob, and his wife's blanket). After Cole finally learns to accept his ability and use it to help people, the color tone of the movie seems to brighten a little.
As for the cinematography, Shyamalan proves himself to be extremely adventurous with a camera, but doesn't self-indulge too much. Most of the shots are fairly stationary, until a ghost is present, and then the camera begins to move more, or the scene is shot from an unsettling angle. Every shot fits each scene perfectly and effectively captures the emotional atmosphere, whether it be scary or happy.
Last, but not least, the acting is really good, if a little subdued at times (a problem that will creep into most of Shyamalan's later work). M. Night seems to prefer his actors to go for a more natural approach to their roles, which can be a double-edged sword, because while the performances may come across as more realistic, they can also just as easily be translated as dull or lifeless. When you have characters who are dealing with larger-than-life situations, such as communicating with the dead, realize that they are a superhero, or dealing with the first wave of an alien invasion, then subdued, "realistic" performances may not be the best approach. However, it works really well for this movie, and Shyamalan was lucky to be working with actors who can do subdued really well.
Now, some cinesnobs will turn their nose up, rolls their eyes, and say that The Sixth Sense is just commercial garbage that is no better than Shyamalan's other work, and while they may be correct that it's "commercial", that is not in and of itself indict a movie to being "terrible". I've seen plenty of commercial movies that are some of the best films ever made (cough, Back to the Future, cough cough). So what if it appeals to the masses - that's what a fucking movie is supposed to do. Movies they are made for just one person to enjoy are called porn. Also, it's just plain delusional to place this movie in the same echelon as Shyamalan's later work. Face it cinesnobs - The Sixth Sense is a great movie. It may not meet the art house standards of:
- Have an unbearably slow, plodding pace and be boring
- Be unnecessarily long (3 hours minimum)
- Involve flat, uninteresting characters; or, annoyingly, unrealistically quirky characters (see: Wes Anderson)
- Have a soundtrack that includes laconic, moody music by an obscure, Indy folk band OR music that is obnoxiously upbeat by an obscure Indy folk band.
- Show unbridled contempt for the audience
TO BE CONTINUED...
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