What with all the M. Night Shyamalan bashing going on over his latest dopus (as in opposite of opus) Lady in the Water, I thought I might remind you that Mr. Shyamalan’s been on a slide for some time and direct your attention to The Journal of the Alien from “Signs”, which I wrote back in 2002.
I also added two other old fake-news articles from a previous BBn incarnation, Mr. Owl is a Lying A-Hole and Economics Study Claims “Free Parking Prize” Destabilizes Monopoly. All were published in May 2002 in the old BBn.
I’d post “Warcraft Orcs Stray into Sims City,” which I also wrote for BBn, but an updated version of that piece will be published next month in ToyFare #110.
All I need to know about Shyamalan I gleaned from a 4 page excerpt in EW of his new book – The Man Who Heard Voices. It provides a description of the final, fateful meeting between Shyamalan and Disney execs over his latest script – Lady in the Water. They had major concerns over a number of elements, most notably his casting of himself in the role of a misunderstood writer who will go on to write works that will change the world forever.
I think someone bought a little too much into Newsweek’s cover story – ‘The New Spielberg’.
It’s always kind of sad to see an artist self-destruct as an egomaniac (rather than as a tortured genius, which is much more respectable though tends to have far more tragic results).
It’s somewhat similar to Tom Cruise. One wonders how aware Shyamalan is of just how much of a living joke he’s becoming. Has he entered a bubble world, protected from the reality-based community a la GWB and surrounded by yes-men? Or will he eat a little crow and come back with a small, well-written picture with real characters and a coherent story?
I haven’t seen his last two pics because Signs was underwhelming compared with The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. I have to agree with both of you in that he probably read too much early pub about himself and ego took over.