M. Night Shyamalan | dual personalities

Tag: M. Night Shyamalan

February 6, 2019

“The broken are the more evolved. Rejoice.”*

by chuckofish

Last weekend, as you know, I was planning to watch John Ford movies in honor of his birthday. I watched How Green Was My Valley (1941) and Fort Apache (1948) and enjoyed both immensely.

But for a change of pace, I also watched Split (2016) starring James McAvoy and written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who you may have heard, is in the middle of a huge career comeback.

Screen Shot 2019-02-05 at 12.15.55 PM.png The plot is basically: three girls are kidnapped by a man with 23 diagnosed distinct personalities. “They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.” James McAvoy plays the guy with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and he is very impressive. I mean really. Why was he not nominated for an Academy Award? Good grief, I don’t know.

Anyway, it is a sequel to Unbreakable (2000).

Screen Shot 2019-02-05 at 11.43.46 AM.png Shyamalan made it on a shoestring ($10M) using his own money. It did great and the sequel Glass (2019)–also made for a mere $20M–has been #1 for three weeks. This pleases me, as it demonstrates that you do not have to spend a boatload of money to make a good movie. It is the story/script that is most important and not the CG histrionics.

Screen Shot 2019-02-05 at 11.53.12 AM.png

It is an interesting story and not overly scary/weird/gross/and or violent. I liked it, so I recommend it.

Also please note that it is 31 days of Oscar on TCM and they are showing a lot of good movies. Time to set your DVR! The schedule is here.

*The Beast, Split (2016)

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September 13, 2013

Another Friday the 13th

by chuckofish

It is a commonly held superstition that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day.

According to Wikipedia, the number twelve, in numerology, is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, the 12 successors of Muhammad in Shia Islam, twelve signs of the Zodiac, etc., whereas the number thirteen is considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table results in the death of one of the diners.

Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century’s The Canterbury Tales, and many have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Friday is also the day when Jesus Christ was crucified, adding to its unpopularity.

Well, you may be thinking that I am going to pick a movie from the Friday the Thirteenth film franchise (there are 12) to watch tonight, but I have not seen any of them. Horror movies are not my bag. I saw Halloween once on TV. Please. I recently saw Psycho (1960) and, despite the actors’ best efforts, it was really very silly.

The best scary movies are the ones that could actually really happen–like Jaws (1975) or Rear Window (1954). But I have to admit that I like the early M. Night Shyamalan movies, especially The Sixth Sense (1999) and Signs (2002). They kept me guessing and were very creepy when I first saw them. I even liked Lady in the Water (2006) which features a favorite actor of mine, Paul Giamatti. The horror in these movies is all based on the personal heartbreak and loss experienced by the hero in each story. The story lines may be far-fetched, but the human loss is real and relatable.

I think I’ll watch Signs tonight.