Shyamalan a ding-dong

I don't want to leave my somewhat defending of MNS on this thread out there without at least saying once that "Lady in the Water" is a steaming, festering pile of narf shit.

And while I said that smugness is a quality that often makes good directors, I should also note that there's a thin line between that smugness and absolute arrogance. And MNS, what with the casting of himself as a writer whose work, while misunderstood during his lifetime, will ultimately make the world a better place in the future, ventures just about as far into arrogance as you can go.

I still think the guy should get some credit for taking a different approach in some of his other work. But he should have most of that credit taken away for this God-awful piece of shit.

 

This thread has really inspired the best out of people. Indeed, I would say it's inspired us to a MNS-level of greatness.

I won't be content until Alan Smithee directs a MNS flick.

 

I am sorrowful he got anyone's eight bucks for this egg-laying.

 

Somehow I had missed this dog classic.

I love when a post gets me to laugh out loud, even for a half a breath.

 

I finally saw 'Lady in the Water.'
Not a good movie, but not the complete disaster it has been made out to be.
It was interesting, but it suffered from weak source material. Instead of making up his own fairytale/myth structure, he could have served the movie better by adapting some existing source material.
The camera shots were great, and Giamatti's performance was good.
Although I wouldn't call it a good movie, I've got to believe it was better than 90 percent of the dreck in theaters right now.
I'd give it two stars out of four.

 

Considering your posts that are so supportive of the Ding Dong... I consider this the most damning review of LITW I have seen.

 

I'm just giving my honest assessment of the movie.

 

Absolutely.

 

'Lady in the Water' grossed $18 million in its opening weekend.

Pretty disappointing numbers for the Shyamalanster.

BTW, if that movie really is a bedtime story he told to his daughters, he's more fucked up than I even imagined.

 

http://www.observer.com/20060724/20060724_Rex_Reed_culture_rexreed.asp

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with the story for children — sea nymphs who try to help humans and evil creatures who try to stop them.
There's nothing wrong with that.
Like I said, there's a lot to recommend the movie.
The execution just missed, and I think the story was the problem. Not the idea, which is good, or the plot, which is also good, but the story. If he had been working with a more well developed story before starting the screen play, I think the movie would have worked better.

 

We've already had Reed's review referenced.
By the way, Reed takes a passing shot at Tom Waits in the review, so his taste is suspect (if anyone needed another reason to think so).