I think a lot of Shyamalan's problems are that he's focused on a different aspect of the movie than most people are.

Let's look at Signs. That was really the first one, I think, that generated widespread disdain. Signs, IMO, was a good story but a bad movie.

Most people talking about Signs would focus on how stupid it is that aliens would invade a planet that's "infested" with water, if you will, when they themselves are water soluble. They would also talk about how unbelievable the aliens were on screen. The "twist" at the end was also way more predictable than 6th Sense and Unbreakable. I'm not saying these aren't valid criticisms; they absolutely detract from the movie as a whole (and ultimately ruined it for me).

But the underlying story about faith, doubt, destiny, self-worth and discovery is wonderful. This is where I think Shyamalan really shines -- in telling stories about characters who learn/discover things about themselves. This is also what I suspect he is focusing on, sometimes to the point of tunnel-vision. He ends up serving a gourmet meal on a cracked plate and a lot of people spend so much time staring at the crack that they forget to taste the food.

I loved The Sixth Sense. Unbreakable is my favorite film specifically because of the underlying story of destiny and self-discovery. It also happens that I really enjoy both the subtle and not-subtle comic book references, so the surface story appeals to me as well. Signs was a misstep but The Village was a move back in the right direction. Lady in the Water was more like Signs; a good beneath a crappy veneer.

Since then his movies have been fairly ordinary, uninteresting, routine Hollywood affairs. I haven't seen any of them.

More than anything, I think it's become popular to dislike him and his movies. Nobody had a bad thing to say about Sixth Sense until Signs came out and all the sudden everyone claimed to have never liked any of his films.

I wish he would go back to doing what he is really good at but also fix the distractions. Serve us our meals on plates that are worthy of the food they're carrying.

I don't get all the Shyamalan hate. I've seen almost everything he's made (starting with Sixth Sense up to and including The Happening), and imho he hasn't really made a bad movie. The problem seems to be he made a really good one (Sixth Sense) and has been living in its shadow ever since.

I have never seen any of these movies (I did see The Fly one...) but I would say, if I did, imo, Green Mile was good. But I agree, Boons and Sin City sucked... and Req of a Dream... reminds me of my mother too much...

And where was As Good As It Get's and Kickass?

>> ^shuac:

>> ^luxury_pie:
Upon seeing this comment referencing the one bad movie he could find in his opinion, I had to start writing a comment about it.
Seriously a list of aroung 50 movies that are clearly top-notch with some exceptions and you pick out 1, name it and declare this sift crap? And for that matter the taste of another person entirely? Well if that doesn't qualify for a severe case of douchbaggery, I don't know what else.
>> ^shuac:
Upon seeing The Boondock Saints, I had to stop. This person's taste is in his ass.


Don't misunderstand, Lux. This comp is filled with crap. I was just communicating (quite clearly, I thought) at what point I stopped watching. Here's the full list:
The Green Mile - ponderous, fantasy bullshit which makes it not for me.
Braveheart - far too many huge, huge liberties taken with historical fact. Ergo, not for me.
Sin City - all style, threadbare substance: not for me.
The Boondock Saints - a misfire from start to finish by a fevered ego.
Snatch - meh, simulacrum of the year in a series of similar flicks, not for me.
It's a Wonderful Life - jesus, give me a break, popular does not equal great.
Forrest Gump - gonna catch hell for this one but I really didn't like it. Too hokey. Not my taste.
The worst thing about this comp is the sugary-inspirational music pervading each clip in the background. If these scenes are so very choice they probably don't need such auditory support, n'est ce pas? The music made it so much worse.
So I'll gladly accept my role as a practitioner of douchebaggery, just so we're all clear about what it's not for.

>> ^luxury_pie:

Upon seeing this comment referencing the one bad movie he could find in his opinion, I had to start writing a comment about it.
Seriously a list of aroung 50 movies that are clearly top-notch with some exceptions and you pick out 1, name it and declare this sift crap? And for that matter the taste of another person entirely? Well if that doesn't qualify for a severe case of douchbaggery, I don't know what else.
>> ^shuac:
Upon seeing The Boondock Saints, I had to stop. This person's taste is in his ass.



Don't misunderstand, Lux. This comp is filled with crap. I was just communicating (quite clearly, I thought) at what point I stopped watching. Here's the full list:

The Green Mile - ponderous, fantasy bullshit which makes it not for me.
Braveheart - far too many huge, huge liberties taken with historical fact. Ergo, not for me.
Sin City - all style, threadbare substance: not for me.
The Boondock Saints - a misfire from start to finish by a fevered ego.
Snatch - meh, simulacrum of the year in a series of similar flicks, not for me.
It's a Wonderful Life - jesus, give me a break, popular does not equal great.
Forrest Gump - gonna catch hell for this one but I really didn't like it. Too hokey. Not my taste.

The worst thing about this comp is the sugary-inspirational music pervading each clip in the background. If these scenes are so very choice they probably don't need such auditory support, n'est ce pas? The music made it so much worse.

So I'll gladly accept my role as a practitioner of douchebaggery, just so we're all clear about what it's not for.

Upon seeing this comment referencing the one bad movie he could find in his opinion, I had to start writing a comment about it.
Seriously a list of aroung 50 movies that are clearly top-notch with some exceptions and you pick out 1, name it and declare this sift crap? And for that matter the taste of another person entirely? Well if that doesn't qualify for a severe case of douchbaggery, I don't know what else.
>> ^shuac:

Upon seeing The Boondock Saints, I had to stop. This person's taste is in his ass.

You know when people clap at the end of a movie? I've always been confused about that because it's not the premiere; no one who made the movie is there to hear it.

Well, I booed at the end of Transformers because I wanted everyone else in the audience to know how pissed off I was. Definitely in the top 10 worst movies I'ever ever seen. And I have seen some VERY bad movies.>> ^eric3579:

Transformer films. Top ten worst films ever (imo).

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

@spoco2 - no, not all of them. Just the vast majority. It's true that if I'm already in a funk - I'm likely to feel a movie is worse - but it never makes a good movie bad - just a bad movie worse.

I agree with @campionidelmondo that not knowing anything nor expecting anything - can sometimes lead to pleasant surprises. That's happened to me with three films:

The Matrix
Knowing
Limitless

I enjoyed all 3 so much more because I had no expectations at all.

>> ^NaMeCaF:

>> ^TheGenk:
An observation:
Novel writers usually write about stuff they know about or do extensive research before writing.
TV show writers seem to just write.

Bad TV writers seem to just write. Bad movie writers too.
Good TV and movie writers though, write what they know or do the research


Fair enough.

>> ^TheGenk:

An observation:
Novel writers usually write about stuff they know about or do extensive research before writing.
TV show writers seem to just write.


Bad TV writers seem to just write. Bad movie writers too.

Good TV and movie writers though, write what they know or do the research

Adaptation is one of my favorite movies. Strike that... IS my favorite movie.
He is so good in that I overlook EVERY BAD MOVIE HE HAS DONE.
>> ^sanderbos:

I don't think this was the intent of the video but it actually made me realize what a great career this guy has had, if you leave out all the crap that is. I mean, Rumble Fish, Peggy Sue Got Married, Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Wild at Heart, Honeymoon in Vegas, Leaving Las Vegas, Face/Off, Lord of War, that would be a very respectable list for any actor.


>> ^poolcleaner:

>> ^berticus:
Don't forget Adaptation!
>> ^dannym3141:
I think he's a fan-fucking-tastic actor when he picks the right films. Leaving Las Vegas really couldn't have been anyone else. And in Kick-Ass - quirky, interesting, engaging? And i thought he suited The Rock perfectly.
Sometimes amazing, sometimes terrible.


Raising Arizona and Adaptation are tops in my book! Coen Bros. and Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman for the fucking win!


p.s. DOUBLE QUOTING!!!!@!

I would make a terrible movie critic, I actually liked a lot of "Bad" movies this year, The last airbender included.

Maybe it's because I know nothing about the lore behind the Manga, but I found it mind-numbingly enjoyable.

However, I think the most fun I had was going into the movie knowing it was Shamalamalamalan and knowing his style. I actually couldn't contain myself and even said (in the robot chicken voice) "What a twist!" at the end.

Good laughs were had by all.

I guess I really didn't see any "bad" movies this year.


Good:
Harry Potter
Toy Story 3

and as before mentioned: Scott Pilgrim vs the world. I never -NEVER- would have expected my favourite movie slot to be taken by a Michael Cera movie, but it quite honestly is a movie for nerds.

>> ^blankfist:
Has Nolan made a bad movie yet?


Nope.

Following
Memento
Insomnia
Batman Begins
The Prestige
The Dark Knight

As far as I'm concerned these are all 3 1/2 star movies or above (out of four). Nolan is the real deal.

Has Nolan made a bad movie yet?

Oh how I miss John Candy... Even when he did bad movies (and he did quite a few), he was truly funny.

I'm late to this best of party, and I haven't seen 'In the Loop', 'Moon' and a few others that people have included in their lists, but here goes....

Best (in no particular order):

-Inglorious Basterds
-Where the Wild Things Are
-Watchmen
-Yeardly
-District 9
-Up in the Air
-Mr. Fantastic Fox
-The Hangover
-Capitalism (Not Moore's best, but any film that attempts to make honest discussion of capitalism less taboo in American culture earns my respect. Despite a meandering structure and the inclusion of youtube videos on the big screen, there is plenty to like here.)

Worst (It's pretty easy to avoid bad movies these days, but I managed to see a few)

-Antichrist - I usually like movies by Lars, but he seems to have purposely made this ode to genital mutilation to be unlikable/unwatchable, which must make its inclusion in my list a badge of honor. Well done, you sick pretentious fuck.
-Paranormal Activity - At 90 minutes, this over-hyped D grade student film was 70 minutes too long, with across the board failings in direction, acting and writing categories..... but still infinitely better than....
-2012 - One of the worst films I've ever seen. Mind bogglingly dumb, boring and entirely too long. Even the elaborate, expensive CGI/action sequences were lifeless, dull and uninspired. Zero entertainment value. When you can't make the destruction of the Earth even vaguely entertaining, you should probably stop making movies.