The "Send M. Night Shyamalan back to film school" fundraiser

[Ms_Shell]

Aha! You both brought up directors that I hadn't thought of but I'm now doing the Homer Simpson "D'oh!" head slap over the fact that I didn't think of the Coen brothers and Kevin Smith. That's why I posed the question -- I wanted to know if people do, these days, choose movies based on the director.

I do! I love Darren Aronofsky - I was super excited to see Black Swan before I even knew what it was about.  Also I haven't seen a bad Coen brothers movie yet.   

If you're a Darren Aronofsky fan does that mean you can tell me what was going on in The Fountain?

I can try and fail miserably!

[hyzenthlay]

Given what he did the 'The Last Airbender' which was one colossal insult to the creators, the fans, the actors he cast, and to the cultures he claimed to be trying to honor, I think a public call out is perfectly appropriate.

But he won't care. His interviews indicate he really does think he's still a genius director, when the reality is that his talent is to direct  exactly one kind of film well.

[JenJay]

Aha! You both brought up directors that I hadn't thought of but I'm now doing the Homer Simpson "D'oh!" head slap over the fact that I didn't think of the Coen brothers and Kevin Smith. That's why I posed the question -- I wanted to know if people do, these days, choose movies based on the director.

I do! I love Darren Aronofsky - I was super excited to see Black Swan before I even knew what it was about.  Also I haven't seen a bad Coen brothers movie yet.    

If you're a Darren Aronofsky fan does that mean you can tell me what was going on in The Fountain?

LOL! It drives my friend CRAZY that I totally "got" that movie and he didn't, even though he's a movie snob and I'm not at all. And he loves it as much as I do, so it really, really bugs him. I'll say this - it was the most beautiful movie I've ever seen.

**spoiler alert for those who haven't seen The Fountain and might want to**

I think the key to that one is to just take it as it is and experience it, not try to figure it out. I loved Natural Born Killers for the same reason. In The Fountain you've got the earlier parts, which I think are showing him as he reads (and experiences in his mind) the story she wrote, then the current stuff which is actually happening, then the future part which, for me, was showing how he worked through the process of letting her go and moving on. I don't know if he was finishing her story or meditating or maybe he literally went crazy with regret and grief and hallucinated the whole thing, but I didn't take either the past or future parts as literally happening at any time. I got goosebumps at the end scene, when he takes the seed she gave him on one of their walks and plants it. It ties in with the tree of life from her story and the blooming of the tree in the future from his. You know in the spring that seed will sprout, a tree will grow, new life. He's finally able to accept her death and let her go.

I sound like such a movie nerd but I'm not, I swear (I wish I was but I don't pay close enough attention to details most of the time. lol). It was just deeply touching to me.

[Ms_Shell]

Yeah.  What JenJay said.  ( I wouldn't have been that articulate).

[Larrabee]

Yeah, I've read numerous interpretations, I still don't like it, sorry!

I found it shockingly pretentious to be honest, I'm not opposed to abstract, or quirky, but I thought that film was just a big vanity project, the definition of style over substance and possibly a demonstration of his feelings for Rachel Weisz.

Its a shame, because I thought Pi and Requiem for a Dream were great but I won't be dragged to Black Swan if you paid me!

[JenJay]

Yeah, I've read numerous interpretations, I still don't like it, sorry!

I found it shockingly pretentious to be honest, I'm not opposed to abstract, or quirky, but I thought that film was just a big vanity project, the definition of style over substance and possibly a demonstration of his feelings for Rachel Weisz.

Its a shame, because I thought Pi and Requiem for a Dream were great but I won't be dragged to Black Swan if you paid me!

Hey, you don't have to apologize to me, I don't work on commission .

My friend (same guy as above) and I call Requiem "That movie with the UNsexiest sex scene EVAR!!" lol. It was great, though. I haven't seen PI. I doubt I'll see Black Swan, maybe if it becomes available to watch instantly on Netflix. Same Friend LOVED it and told me all about some squicky close-up detail stuff that I wouldn't enjoy and I don't know anything about ballet, so, not much for me to see.

[Surianne]

I adore Aronofsky and The Fountain was one of the worst films I've ever seen -- I had to turn it off halfway.  So Larrabee, if that's the only Aronofsky you've seen, I'd say give him another try.  However, if you didn't like his other films (Pi and Black Swan are my favourites), then you probably just don't like him and are right to stay away    He can be pretty melodramatic and pretentious so it depends on your tolerance for that. 

[Ms_Shell]

I have to admit I'm a sucker for great cinemetography, so I loved The Fountain partially for its visuals.  Then again, I might be the only person I know who really loved The Cell, and I thought The Fall was good too.

[The Wild One, Forever]

Really?  I like him!  "Signs", (one of very few Movies So Scary They Must Not Be Named In Front Of Mom), terrified me and "haunted" me for a very long time.  The scene with the baby monitors...shudder.  Must think of my happy little Yorkies frolicking in the yard...there, that's better.   

Anyway, I am sure he has a thicker hide than to be offended by the opinions of a group of people. 

Oh, and I liked the premise of "The Village", too, even though I figured out the twist pretty early into the movie.  That's one I would see again.

[Groundsgirl]

I have to admit I'm a sucker for great cinemetography, so I loved The Fountain partially for its visuals.  Then again, I might be the only person I know who really loved The Cell, and I thought The Fall was good too.

I adored The Cell for that very reason.
The plot was mildly absurd and the acting was borderline terrible but the cinematography...wow...that was one visually stunning film. That scene with the three mothers gives me chills. Beautiful work.

Lousy movie though. Sure was pretty.

[aventurine]

  Then again, I might be the only person I know who really loved The Cell

Lapis and I liked The Cell too, as much as you can like such a thing.  And I though Pan's Labyrinth was stunning.

[kglory]

I think not only is this rude to the director, it's a total waste of donated money.

Don't like M. Night Shyamalan's movies?  Here's a perfect solution - don't see them!

Even if you have only $1 to donate, my gosh, there has to be SOME cause out there more worthy of donation...a homeless shelter, earthquake victims, the Red Cross, animal rescue....something that really could need that money.  A millionaire going to movie school is not one of these.

So I guess I feel not only is it rude to the director, it's rude because it's such a fake "charity," it's like a slap in the face to real charities that really do need donations for important purposes.  Hmmmmm.  Not sure if that makes logical sense, but it makes sense in my head.

[blahblahblah]

Re: the speculation on whether Shyamalan cares about this stunt or not - Judging from his interviews and the book I read where the author followed around MNS when he was making Lady in the Water, I'd say that Shyamalan probably cares very much indeed if he's aware of this 'project.' He doesn't strike me as the type to laugh or shrug off criticism. Dude has a persecution complex a mile wide. In LitW, he even inserted a 'strawman critic' character as a response to his film critics.

[Ms_Shell]

Re: the speculation on whether Shyamalan cares about this stunt or not - Judging from his interviews and the book I read where the author followed around MNS when he was making Lady in the Water, I'd say that Shyamalan probably cares very much indeed if he's aware of this 'project.' He doesn't strike me as the type to laugh or shrug off criticism. Dude has a persecution complex a mile wide. In LitW, he even inserted a 'strawman critic' character as a response to his film critics.

Yeah, I can totally see that.  I think he's very thin-skinned.  I dunno, the whole thing strikes me as rude and reeking of schadenfreude. 

[shadowfox79]

Really?  I like him!  "Signs", (one of very few Movies So Scary They Must Not Be Named In Front Of Mom), terrified me and "haunted" me for a very long time.  The scene with the baby monitors...shudder.  Must think of my happy little Yorkies frolicking in the yard...there, that's better.   

Anyway, I am sure he has a thicker hide than to be offended by the opinions of a group of people. 

Oh, and I liked the premise of "The Village", too, even though I figured out the twist pretty early into the movie.  That's one I would see again.

I liked "The Village" too, even though I felt the big reveals could have been done much better. I found it very atmospheric.

As for his other films, I loved them up to "The Village" and then started to go off them. "The Happening"... nah. "Lady in the Water"... not so much. Didn't even see "Airbender".