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

[Ms_Shell]

I'd rather have the title changed, and the story recognizable, than have the title stay the same and the story go missing.

I Am Legend, I am looking RIGHT AT YOU.

I see your 'I Am Legend' and raise you an 'I, Robot'.

(Maybe its Will Smith  )

To be fair, "I, Robot" did manage to capture the spirit of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics very well. I haven't seen "I Am Legend," but from what I've heard it completely subverted the ending of the original story.

It was the transformation of Susan Calvin into a hot young thing that was the final straw!  I actually don't hate I,Robot and will watch it, but I do wonder what Asimov would have thought.  It seems to start out with the three laws but not really go as deeply into their implications and potential as the original stories in order to be more of a standard action film.  I did like Sonny though, especially as he was voiced by Alan Tudyk!

I Am Legend, yeah the ending was a million miles away from the book.  It would have been a brave director to spend that much money on something closer to the original!

Apparently the Vincent Price version (The Last Man on Earth, 1964) is the most faithful adaptation of the original story.  I haven't seen it yet though so I can't personally vouch for it. 

[blahblahblah]

The Last Airbender infuriated me. I think the best way to sum up how I felt about that movie is the fact that he randomly changed the pronunciation of some of the main characters names. WHY?? What purpose did that serve except to tick off the fans? You think you know what will work better than the creators of a successful series? The arrogance of that drove me up the wall.

Well, he said it was to be more authentic to the Asian roots of the series, which struck me as being completely silly and ridiculous, considering some of the other choices he made wrt the film.

[PeterM]

The Last Airbender infuriated me. I think the best way to sum up how I felt about that movie is the fact that he randomly changed the pronunciation of some of the main characters names. WHY?? What purpose did that serve except to tick off the fans? You think you know what will work better than the creators of a successful series? The arrogance of that drove me up the wall.

Well, he said it was to be more authentic to the Asian roots of the series, which struck me as being completely silly and ridiculous, considering some of the other choices he made wrt the film.

No, no, it makes perfect sense. Changing the pronunciations to be what he considers more authentic more than makes up for casting the whitest white-boy from White-town as Sokka. I like Jackson Rathhbone just fine, but man did he not belong in that movie.

[Giggity]

No, no, it makes perfect sense. Changing the pronunciations to be what he considers more authentic more than makes up for casting the whitest white-boy from White-town as Sokka. I like Jackson Rathhbone just fine, but man did he not belong in that movie.

Dang, and all this time I thought Gentleman Friend was the whitest white-boy from White-town. I was unaware!

[PeterM]

No, no, it makes perfect sense. Changing the pronunciations to be what he considers more authentic more than makes up for casting the whitest white-boy from White-town as Sokka. I like Jackson Rathhbone just fine, but man did he not belong in that movie.

Dang, and all this time I thought Gentleman Friend was the whitest white-boy from White-town. I was unaware!

We might both be right. White-town is like Springfield, every state has at least one. Except in the Simpsons, of course, because they're it's Sickly-Yellow-town.

[TychaBrahe]

Can someone explain what exactly is supposedly wrong with Shyamalan's directing?

I saw Devil in the theaters, and the credits alone freaked me out.  The cinematography, just shooting the entire thing upside down, was really creepy and synonymous with the whole theme of the movie, I thought.

Has anyone else seen Wide Awake, his second movie?  It reminded me a lot of The Miracle, but not so much that I thought it was derivative, and I thought Rosie O'Donnell and Camryn Manheim were superb.

[The Opinionator]

Can someone explain what exactly is supposedly wrong with Shyamalan's directing?

I saw Devil in the theaters, and the credits alone freaked me out.  The cinematography, just shooting the entire thing upside down, was really creepy and synonymous with the whole theme of the movie, I thought.

Has anyone else seen Wide Awake, his second movie?  It reminded me a lot of The Miracle, but not so much that I thought it was derivative, and I thought Rosie O'Donnell and Camryn Manheim were superb.

Tycha, Shyamalan came up with the story for Devil and it was his production company(or something along those lines), but he didn't direct it.

[Ms_Shell]

Tycha, I'm not really sure.  I really enjoyed The Sixth Sense and The Village.  I can see where people might get tired of the twist ending convention after awhile, but it doesn't seem like it warrants such venom towards his directing just for that, KWIM?  I hear that he's known as a huge egomaniac - maybe that has something to do with it?  But then again, by all accounts Quentin Tarantino is even worse in the ego department and people think he's the best thing since sliced bread.  *Shrug* It'll remain a mystery to me.     

[PeasNCues]

Tycha, I'm not really sure.  I really enjoyed The Sixth Sense and The Village.  I can see where people might get tired of the twist ending convention after awhile, but it doesn't seem like it warrants such venom towards his directing just for that, KWIM?  I hear that he's known as a huge egomaniac - maybe that has something to do with it?  But then again, by all accounts Quentin Tarantino is even worse in the ego department and people think he's the best thing since sliced bread.  *Shrug* It'll remain a mystery to me.     

Me too. And I also enjoyed Lady in the Water very much. His style is different, but I wouldn't call it bad.

But I haven't been able to sit through a Quentin Taratino movie.

[hyzenthlay]

Can someone explain what exactly is supposedly wrong with Shyamalan's directing?

Well in 'The Last Avatar' he did so many thing wrongs it could be a guide to how NOT to do a movie. Bad acting, bad pacing, too much exposition, use of exposition to replace what should have been thrilling scenes, bad composition of scenes.

He directs his 'twist' movies very well. But it appears he has the ability to direct only that kind of movie. As soon as you need significant or sensible plot progression he begins to fall apart.

[PeasNCues]

Can someone explain what exactly is supposedly wrong with Shyamalan's directing?

Well in 'The Last Avatar' he did so many thing wrongs it could be a guide to how NOT to do a movie. Bad acting, bad pacing, too much exposition, use of exposition to replace what should have been thrilling scenes, bad composition of scenes.

Oh, well, yes that movie was atrocious. 

He directs his 'twist' movies very well. But it appears he has the ability to direct only that kind of movie. As soon as you need significant or sensible plot progression he begins to fall apart.

How do you mean? I've found plot progressing in his films actually well paced (except for the aforementioned atrocity).

[MrsJWine]

The only movies of his I haven't liked were The Happening and The Last Airbender, the latter simply because of the terrible acting.  I couldn't get around it.  The movie itself was gorgeous though--at least, to my untrained eye it was.  I couldn't really judge any other aspect of it because of the acting, though.

In my very unprofessional opinion, he does mood and visual aesthetics very well.

[Larrabee]

I loved Signs actually, mainly thanks to Joaquin Phoenix in a tin foil hat, but I actually thought it was a lot better than the sixth sense.

[hyzenthlay]

How do you mean? I've found plot progressing in his films actually well paced (except for the aforementioned atrocity).

I found the plot in Signs and The Village to be absolute baloney. The tempo, the mood, the atmosphere are all great. But the plot lines themselves border on nonsensical.

When he's doing a mood movie, where the plot exists to carry the mood, he's ok. But when faced with needing to actually relay a logical 'a leads to b leads to c' plot he can't manage it. It's why The Last Airbender was so very bad. He had resorted to endless exposition because he can't tell a coherent story.

[PeasNCues]

How do you mean? I've found plot progressing in his films actually well paced (except for the aforementioned atrocity).

I found the plot in Signs and The Village to be absolute baloney. The tempo, the mood, the atmosphere are all great. But the plot lines themselves border on nonsensical.

I am honestly confused by this because as far as I know there was a logical process and purpose and development in both those movies. Strange how preception can be so different!

When he's doing a mood movie, where the plot exists to carry the mood, he's ok. But when faced with needing to actually relay a logical 'a leads to b leads to c' plot he can't manage it. It's why The Last Airbender was so very bad. He had resorted to endless exposition because he can't tell a coherent story.

I actually felt that the last airbender was horrid because it jumped around a lot without a logical progression, unlike his previous movies.