Lady In The Water

Wanted to plop a thread out on this one to see if anyone has seen it, what they think of it, how and where this movie went wrong, and even talk about how this movie will affect Shyamalan's future movies.

I've been a general fan of Shyamalan's movies. So far, everyone he has made I have enjoyed. I liked Sixth Sense when I saw it, but Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village are favorites of mine that I like to watch often. But I remember when I saw the first trailer for Lady in the Water... I kinda was embrassed to say I like Shyamalan movies after seeing that. I just knew that this movie would be butchered before it got out the door, and second its far-fetched nature/plot makes me kind of shun it.

I'm gonna go see it. At least in the dollar theater, and possibly even a full price. But I'm expecting to be let-down. Any other thoughts?

Oh and for reference... It has 21% on Rotten Tomatoes

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Yeah, I figured it would be pretty awful. From what I have been hearing from fans, movie-goers and critics alike... sounds like it's worse than awful. Can't say I'm surprised really. He started off big and has been in a fast decline since. Too bad.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I will never, ever understand why everyone loves him so much.

He's a one-trick pony.

*fairly standard movie* *totally wicked twist* *::SCENE MISSING::* *Everyone praises*

Sixth Sense's major twist (I'm not spoilering this, because everyone in the world knows this) was nothing more than Usual Suspects with a dead guy. His psudeo horror while trying to drown everyone with "hey guys I'm spiritual" is irritating. He can't direct, he can't write, and he certainly can't act.

And he looks like Kumar.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Lol.

I'm not about to debate or defend everything that the guy does. In fact, I really don't care that much for Shyamalan. He seems kinda egotistical and kinda self-important. I think that his "one-trick-pony" was actually the most boring movie he has made. It hit at a time when little kids were still creepy, and it did a good job of surprising the general populace. Ever since then, its like everyone expects his movies to have a twist. And the "twist" parts of his movies post-SixthSense, is not really the point of 'em, heck, its not really even there. (Unbreakable & Signs especially)

I like the underlying themes in his movies. Unbreakable is about following and changing your destiny. Signs is about holding onto faith. The Village is about love conquering fear. These are the "point" of his films, and therefore why I like them. That and the cinematography. He just gets great shots with great peak moments (like the end of Signs, the "hand grab" in Village, etc.).

But Lady in the Water? Lady in the Water? From a "fairyland" or something? In someones backyard pool? Seriously, you cant be serious. I mean, thats nearly as bad as something like the "wardrobe" in Narnia (though the fantasy world more than makes up for it). This seems to stretch over the limits of believability.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

To me, M N Shamylamy's (sp, w/e) is sorta the equivalent of Tolkein's Roverandom. Not comparing Shamylamy to Tolkein, just Roverandom's relativity to his normal work. Its a more sort of whimisical fun peice.

Saw the movie today, and I enjoyed it. My only tiffs were that the beginning and end weren't developed enough.

Also, in most his works, something about the directing would strike me as above par. Unluckily, it didn't in this one.

20% is only critics, users is 80%. Critics seem to have some trait that makes them different from the majority. Despite their vast expierance with movies as their occupation, rarely do their opinions reflect the public's.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by acid

Sixth Sense's major twist (I'm not spoilering this, because everyone in the world knows this) was nothing more than Usual Suspects with a dead guy.

The twist of "you're actually dead" wasn't and isn't new, and I don't think it was supposed to be. The thing about a twist is just that - it's a twist. It doesn't matter what it is so much as how/if you pull it off.

I also thought Unbreakable was an intriguing movie, even if it had some dumb stuff in it. If there's one thing I really like about these films is the overall atmosphere and pacing.

I haven't seen Signs or The Village or Lady in the Water, but let's stop with the haterism

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Eleo

The twist of "you're actually dead" wasn't and isn't new, and I don't think it was supposed to be. The thing about a twist is just that - it's a twist. It doesn't matter what it is so much as how/if you pull it off.

I also thought Unbreakable was an intriguing movie, even if it had some dumb stuff in it. If there's one thing I really like about these films is the overall atmosphere and pacing.

I haven't seen Signs or The Village or Lady in the Water, but let's stop with the haterism

The Village is an aquired taste, but its good if you arent looking to be scared or surprised. If you watch it as a drama, its good. So watch it if you want.

Signs is great though. I mean Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix are steller. Make sure to check this one out.

And you are right. Alot of the appeal of his movies is the atmosphere that comes with them.

@avanent
It's good to hear that the movie was pretty good from a real person . Now I'm a little more excited about going.

Most amazing jew boots

I don't know why people never like his movies anymore. I absolutely loved The Village. (I STILL don't get why people didn't like it) I thought the filmography was fucking excellent.

And Signs I found to be whole-heartedly acceptable, since theres no better time to question where your faith lies when something so drastic and mind-fucking as aliens landing on your planet would be. ^_^

As far as Lady in the Water, I want to see it. I wanted to go tonight, but nooooo. Let's go see JACK SPARROW again.

I am unsure of the plotline for Lady in the Water, but I hear it's a bedtime story Shamylan (sp) tells his kids. I have a feeling it's a "don't believe everything you see" kind of story. I could be wrong, but I would bet money that the albino chick is the bad guy in this. I am only speculating, though~

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Sassafrass

I don't know why people never like his movies anymore. I absolutely loved The Village. (I STILL don't get why people didn't like it) I thought the filmography was fucking excellent.

Quoted for absolute truth. The Village is my favorite as well. Some people say I'm kinda obsessive about it. But most people watch it and just don't get it. And I've kinda given up trying to convert people to it *sigh*. But you are right, the acting is amazing, the camera work is soooo great. And the violin... oh the violin tears at my soul. Great work by James Newton Howard.

Quote:

And Signs I found to be whole-heartedly acceptable, since theres no better time to question where your faith lies when something so drastic and mind-fucking as aliens landing on your planet would be. ^_^

Sarcasm noted. The faith struggle part has more to do with his wife dying than the aliens. You can tell the whole story is about Mel's faith in God waning after his wife died because the movie flashes back to her dying at the climax of alien encounter. Aliens weren't the point. Mel's lost faith in God's care was.

Quote:

As far as Lady in the Water, I want to see it. I wanted to go tonight, but nooooo. Let's go see JACK SPARROW again.

I am unsure of the plotline for Lady in the Water, but I hear it's a bedtime story Shamylan (sp) tells his kids. I have a feeling it's a "don't believe everything you see" kind of story. I could be wrong, but I would bet money that the albino chick is the bad guy in this. I am only speculating, though~

I'd be laughing if you were right. We'd need to add spoiler tags :doh:

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by acid

I will never, ever understand why everyone loves him so much.

He's a one-trick pony.

*fairly standard movie* *totally wicked twist* *::SCENE MISSING::* *Everyone praises*

This comment is made of fail and lie.

*watches Saving Private Ryan*
*wonders why there is so much talking when these people will just die anyway*

Eleo has it: the reason I love Unbreakable, in fact consider it one of the best movies ever made, is not just because of the acting, the plot, the twist, the soundtrack, the cinematography, or the art design, but the ambiance of the whole thing. It's because everything comes together and just feels right.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Dayvon

Quoted for absolute truth. The Village is my favorite as well. Some people say I'm kinda obsessive about it. But most people watch it and just don't get it. And I've kinda given up trying to convert people to it *sigh*. But you are right, the acting is amazing, the camera work is soooo great. And the violin... oh the violin tears at my soul. Great work by James Newton Howard.

To be honest, I think the score is half of what makes the film so great. Very powerful.

Not to mention the colors of the movie. So well anticipated and executed. I've yet to understand why people dislike the film. I think it's because they were expecting something completely different than what they got?

Quote:

Sarcasm noted. The faith struggle part has more to do with his wife dying than the aliens. You can tell the whole story is about Mel's faith in God waning after his wife died because the movie flashes back to her dying at the climax of alien encounter. Aliens weren't the point. Mel's lost faith in God's care was.

Thanks for the summary, guy. EYEROLL. I know what the movie is about. I was giggling about the fact that Shyamaylan used aliens as a test of faith with the cast. I found it exceedingly clever and appreciated the play he gave it. Not too many people could execute that as well as he did, if you ask me.

I KNOW aliens weren't the point. I don't need you to point that out to me. I thought it was INTERESTING how he used ALIENS to SHOW his point as his TOOL.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Ahhh... sorry. I read sarcasm in your statement when I guess it wasn't there. I agree that it was clever and it worked very well.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I just saw this movie. It was excellent. The critics are all wrong.

This is not really like his other films, but it's quality stuff, and I like it more than The Village. I may come back to elaborate further, but I'm stopping there for now.

By the way, there's no "big twist" here, so you can dispense of any expectations drawn from that convention.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Quote:

(I STILL don't get why people didn't like it)

The end obviously. That's the only thing to take issue with, really. But it can be a huge problem, depending on how you view the movie. But for most, you get sucked into these peoples' lives and time, only to find out right at the end that you were duped. In that sense, the audience feels what the villagers would feel... and that's not such a good thing...

Quote:

I am unsure of the plotline for Lady in the Water, but I hear it's a bedtime story Shamylan (sp) tells his kids. I have a feeling it's a "don't believe everything you see" kind of story. I could be wrong, but I would bet money that the albino chick is the bad guy in this. I am only speculating, though~

It's a "Everyone has a part in life, everyone is important" kind of story. Another faith-y, self-empowerment theme, like a couple of his other movies.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Vampiro

The end obviously. That's the only thing to take issue with, really. But it can be a huge problem, depending on how you view the movie. But for most, you get sucked into these peoples' lives and time, only to find out right at the end that you were duped. In that sense, the audience feels what the villagers would feel... and that's not such a good thing...

It's funny that you mention that. I came in to that movie NOT thinking that it was a period piece. The whole time I was thinking they were like amish or something. So there was no "twist" for me, and the movie was better for it.

I really think that what hurts Shyamalan's flicks is people's expectations. They come in thinking "thriller, twisty turny movie that will surprise me", and they dont get what they are looking for because thats not his films. And then it's "Shyamalan teh sux0rz". When that expectation is taken away, then people can actually WATCH the movie and let it be the drama movie that it is.

Most amazing jew boots

I wonder if anyone's just given up on an episode of The Twilight Zone because it gets to a silly point just too far beyond belief. I read a review in the paper today that said M. Night doesn't know how to tell a story. The reviewer proceeds to go on about how the plot of a

FANTASY MOVIE

was ridiculous. Not about how the movie was paced or the dialogue. But that there was indeed a lady in the water in Lady in the Water. He described the gist of the movie while suppling the captions "(I'm not making this up)." He liked the acting (except for M Night's cameo). He liked the look of the film. What got him was the believability.

I've found that his movies always have a dorky, yet endearing, sense of humor to them. In the more serious moments, he's not so pretentious as to think he's profound, but he has normal people using simple words to do the best that they can do. I think he can tell a story quite well and in a unique way. I think that he is a standout director. Not a single one of his movies has felt like a stock effort. I really don't get what everyone's problem with him seems to be.

I do really hate that American Express ad with him in it, though.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I saw the movie on Wednesday for a private showing, I really liked it and I didn't know why. It wasn't the best story ever, but it hooked me from the beginning, just how everything played out. I am probably going to see it again in the next few days.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Excellent... Lets hope the good reviews keep flowing.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

After seeing The Village, I was one of those people who was expecting the "twist" and ended up disliking the movie. In retrospect, I really appriciate it for what it is. It is a good movie.

As for Lady in the Water, I already had it in mind that this was not gonna be a twist movie and I was able to enjoy it very much. I can see how some people will not like this movie. But it will all be because of false expectations.

M. Night Shyamalan is trying to crawl out of the suspense category everyone pigeonholed him into. Kinda like how Jim Carrey tried to do non-comedy roles. Here's hoping M. Night has better luck.

Most amazing jew boots

Hmm I can't say much good about this movie, and I even loved the Village and his previous works...

Spoiler:

It's not that I have problems with the fairy tale, you can invent all the creatures you want, it's just that I can't allow myself to be absorbed into the film which has multiple adult human beings treating the fairy tale with utter seriousness and like it's one of the most important things to ever happen in their lives. You can't make a kid's bedtime story into a serious drama for adults and on top of that even try to weave deep and universal spiritual themes into it. It's not happening.

It didn't help that the movie seemed to have a secondary purpose of lashing out at critics for painting him as a one-trick pony and trying to prove himself capable of making a "serious" (non-twist?) film. Sadly I would've defended him against their attacks on all of his previous movies because I see a lot more merit in them than just a twist, but I won't defend him here -- they are justified in whatever negative things they have to say about this one, except the music which was the only good thing for me. I'm sure Shyamalan can enjoy this movie because he seems to have made it for himself, but for that reason I'm very surprised that anyone else can.

On other fronts there was a criminal squandering of potential on Bryce Howard's role, who is given nothing to work with and sits around in a catatonic state the entire movie. After her performance in the Village being so awesome, seeing her do pretty much nothing here was depressing. And the first 30 mins to an hour has so many long pauses and periods of nothing between (mostly poor and unnatural) dialogue I was cringing. During the climax of the film when Heep is healing Story I was about ready to walk out of the theater because the film reached a critical mass of disconnection from what Shyamalan probably wanted me to be feeling and what I was not feeling.

Well, here's hoping The Fountain, The Prestige and Children of Men can make up for this one.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Quote:

I really think that what hurts Shyamalan's flicks is people's expectations. They come in thinking "thriller, twisty turny movie that will surprise me", and they dont get what they are looking for because thats not his films. And then it's "Shyamalan teh sux0rz". When that expectation is taken away, then people can actually WATCH the movie and let it be the drama movie that it is.

I don't think something like that would change peoples' minds. If it had a twist, people would complain about "ugh, every movie has a twist, can't he do something original?" And if it doesn't, people complain about expecting one or whatever other lame reason. I mean, I don't think he's a good director, I only like two of his movies, but people hate him because he's popular. Seems that way anyways. I think a large majority went to see this movie so they could hate it.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Quote:

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

Uhh okay... well I have never been a fan of Shyalaman's work. I think he's the Uwe Boll for rich people. Sixth Sense was okay, the Unbreakable was pretty bad and The Village was a disaster (definitely the worst ending I've ever seen); however I guess I will give this one a shot, too, maybe it's good, though the reviews say different. imdb's rating is 5.3 so far (= not very good)

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Musharraf

Uhh okay... well I have never been a fan of Shyalaman's work. I think he's the Uwe Boll for rich people.

Thats a terrible comparison. Even if you dont like the story, you must admit he can direct, as well as manages to pull in some pretty good cast members. All Boll can do is gain the funding for the films; all other aspects are way way sub par.

FELIPE NO

I hope to see this film because I've liked Shyamalan's movies. Although I haven't seen The Sixth Sense from start to finish, I've seen enough to know it's a good movie. Signs was a well-done, even though I sort of saw the "twist" (if it can be called that) before it truly revealed itself. The Village was a bit dull for me, most likely since I already knew the twist before I began watching. It was a good movie with interesting characters, though. I was shocked when who I thought was the main character was injured and effectively taken out of the movie.

I absolutely love Unbreakable. It is truly my favorite movie. It's a better superhero film than any other, likely because of it lending itself better to reality. The film doesn't explain everything, but doesn't have to. The film allows for the viewer to fill in the inconsequential details that aren't revealed, a nice imagination-stimulating item. And the ending can be compared to nothing. Anyone who hasn't seen Unbreakable needs to. It's that simple.

I read a review for Lady in the Water in my local paper that claims there are several plot holes in the movie. Mainly, certain creatures aren't suposed to be allowed to do certain things under certain circumstances, but can do them anyway with no explanation as to why. Is this true?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

no, your paper journalist didn't listen very well.

Jam it back in, in the dark.