Saturday, July 31

It takes a Village

In another attempt to seek air conditioning where there once was none, I went to see The Village, M. Night Shyamalan's latest attempt to creep out movie audiences everywhere. You can't say too much about his movies without giving away the inevitable twist-ending, which is what irritated me most about the Village, a movie which had great acting, a good script, and some really cool cinematography. I knew the twist was coming, I guessed it early on, and I spent far too much time wondering if I was right (and I was). That said, Joaquin Phoenix is so appealing in a such a disturbing way that his character's romance with Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard) more than stole the show from the "what are the creatures who live in the woods?" question. I was also disappointed in Sigourney Weaver's performance, as she appeared to be giving a wry, knowing smile much of the time, which was totally out of place for her character and the period. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

My friend said it was her favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie yet, but I can't say I really have a favorite. I enjoyed Signs (Phoenix made that movie for me) and Unbreakable, and you can't deny how creepy and effective The Sixth Sense was (no matter what a cultural joke it's become). I think I'm still waiting for him to write his best one; I keep seeing the potential, but I don't feel the pay-off.

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