Signs
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Movie Reviews of Signs
Movie Review: Shyamalan is the next Hitchcock
Summary: 5 Stars
I've got no trouble saying that Signs is one of the 20 best movies ever made. M. Night Shyamalan is one of my favorite filmmakers (I put The Sixth Sense in the top 50 movies). I've no doubt that as time goes on, he will be recognized as the next Hitchcock. Their styles are very familiar--both have tight control over their film, with as little takes and editing possible, and both allow the audience's imagination to do the work. Both treat the audience as an intelligent being, and not some mindless drone. We have a true talent with M. Night Shyamalan.What makes Signs so great isn't the cgi (which Night doesn't like to use). It's the human drama, the story of this family, their hurt, and how they mend. And it is a story of faith--having it and losing it. It doesn't matter so much what is going on outside of the farmhouse, whether it is world war 3, an alien invasion, or just a hard winter. The true story is how these four family members interact with each other. First their is Mel Gibson, who plays an ex-reverend who lost his faith when his wife died. Gibson puts forth one of the strongest performances I've seen him give. It may be his finest performance. Joaquim Phoenix definitely gives the best performance of his career, as Gibson's younger brother. He's both strong and vulnerable. Rory Caulkin plays Gibson's son, and this may be Night's true talent, finding child actors and bringing such strong performances from them. But it is Abigail Breslin, who plays Gibson's daughter, who steals the show. She's an adorable child, who gives her lines with such a deadpan grace and humor. You can bet the best scenes, and some of the best lines, are hers. Rounding out the cast is M. Night Shyamalan (who gives a strong performance) and Cherry Jones as Officer Paski. What makes the movie so great is the mood Night evokes. The entire movie feels tragic, sad--it feels like the entire movie has been tinted blue. But through the movie's sorrow, Night still brings humor and hope. It's an emotionally charged movie. Combine that with James Newton Howard's amazing score (based on a three note motiff, evocative of Psycho) that never overpowers the movie, but enhances it. And the movies sound effects and dialogue mix perfectly with the music. The two never fight each other, but work together to give the viewer one of the best movie going experiences.
The Vista Series dvd is a great value. Shyamalan's dvds always contain the bare minimum, but you never feel cheated. In addition to a great movie, the Signs dvd gives you a few deleted scenes and another of Night's movies he made as a kid. This one, his first 'creature' movie. There's no commentary, but there is a six part making of featurette (here's the real value of the dvd). I've seen a lot of making of and behind the scenes documentaries and featurettes, but none of this quality. You don't need a commentary track with these featurettes. Part one covers the writing of the screenplay, two covers the building of the sets (including the corn), three is the longest (22 minutes) and is the 'making of' documentary, four covers the effects (which really only is the creature), five is last voices and deals with scoring the movie, and the final featurette, "Full Circle", Night covers the business aspects of filmmaking--the marketing.
Movie Review: Classic! The very best of the best of M. Night
Summary: 5 Stars
I think this is my all-time favorite movie. I honestly don't know what everyone is complaining about. This movie is suspenseful, perfectly executed, and its' simple theme of faith and hope and the importance of family and forgiveness is beautiful. Forget the stupid aliens who reacted so badly to water and yet decided to invade a planet made up of 3/4 water; the aliens are a mere afterthought to what the film is really about.
The real twist at the end of the film is that there isn't one! I know I was fooled, thinking all along that it all just HAD to be a hoax, somehow, until the family left the basement. And there were plenty of times I jumped in my seat in startelment. We see only quick glimpses of the antagonists (the aliens) in this, but that's enough; somehow its' even more ominous because the imagination can provide far more scarier images than what can be shown on screen. The music was also very good, the same 3 notes providing a background of tenseness and acute hyper awareness and expectation.
Most of all, though, the circle of people that was the Hess family, Graham (Mel Gibson, my favorite actor), a recently widowed Episcopalian priest who recently left his church due to a crisis of faith; Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix, my second favorite actor), a washed-up minor league baseball player in his early twenties, the younger brother of Graham (by about 18 years) who moved in with the family after the death of Graham's wife Colleen; and the two children, asthmatic Morgan and water-idiocyncratic Bo. The level of devotion, protectiveness and caring for each family member was palpable; I could truly believe this was a real family. And each of these people's distinctive traits wound up to all be for a reason. The entire theme of the movie was like a sack with a drawstring tie that slowly pulled closed and tightened together until it was closed by the end of the movie, in a very satisfying, comforting manner.
The performances of each cast member was flawless, and there were some wonderful moments of humor and silliness to offset the intensity. (Both Gibson and Phoenix have demonstrated their talents for dry wit and comedy before and used it in sparing doses in this.) I think my favorite scene was the "Last Supper", where they all went from tears and anger and impending doom and dread to simple re-affirmation of each one's love for each other.(And they all managed to do it without getting too sappy about it.) The moment when a sobbing Graham, surrounded by his two distraught children, pulls his weeping brother Merrill into their hug was both funny and very touching and poignant.
Even the children did very well, bright and precocious without ever slipping into overly cutesy or bratty.
I liked the extra "Making Of" feature and especially the deleted scenes; there was one in particular I really wish that would have been kept, where Merrill tries to block the attic door from the aliens and Graham tells him the story of when he, Graham, accidentally broke Merrill's arm when Merrill was 2 1/2.
This is a movie I am able to watch multiple times without losing interest. It's well done all around with a little something of everything, and highly recommended.
Movie Review: M.Night is a true genius!!
Summary: 5 Stars
How could anyone possibly find reason to say this movie was not enjoyable. Personally, I absolutely loved it.I failed to find a serious flaw in the film. Every actor in this film was brilliant and delivered flawless performances. Joaquin(one of my personal favorite actors), known for his flawless dramatic acting, delivered a surprisingly hilarious performance. Mel Gibson was awesome as always. And the childrens acting was unbelievable. For a child to act is a great feat but for that child to act as well as any adult is rare is should be commended.
People are not giving M.Night enough credit. Spielberg is credited as being one of if not the best director ever, but he does not write his films. A script has more to do with how good a film is than people realize and M.Night wrote a brilliant script. His script served the purpose of making us laugh, understand the characters and possibly make us think. The film is where the horror and thrills are. His use of camera work is very simple. There are unbelievable shots where all you see are the actors. Their faces are all you need to be scared.There are alot of very frightening quiet moments in this film that work so very well. Furthermore there is not one murder,not one gruesome attack or bloody battle, no real running from the enemy scenes and yet it still is as frightning as any 'boo' horror film.
The film may lack originality in its use of aliens attacking but M.Night makes it original by making it very realistic. People aren't freaking out and looting or murdering left and right people are scared which face it no matter how tough you think you are you would be to. The horror and trill of this film is that it makes you scared. It feeds the fears of most people like not knowing your enemy but knowing it's there somewhere, small spaces, seclusion, fear for the lives of your loved ones, hopelessness. It doesn't just go for cheap jumps however there are a few.
People who criticize this movie are looking for something before they go. The Sixth Sense comparison is unneccessary. This is coincidentally the director of Sixth Sense. It's not Sixth Sense 2 so who care how it compares. For every bad review you read keep in mind that had this movie not been directed by the director of Sixth Sense, no one would have anything bad to say about it. It would just be a good movie plain and simple.
There are some criticisms about the underlying challenges of morals but that part of the film again is very real. It keeps the film realistic while big green goblins are attacking.Life involves morals and beliefs and although the message may seem cheesy at times it's also part if how people develop, and in this film how the characters develop.
This film works on so many levels that there is something for everyone. If you just want to laugh, just want to get spooked, if you want it to make you think, if you want to see some awesome acting whatever, then this movie is worth seeing. Hey, see it just to see what everyone's talking about, but see it!!!
There is a simplicity and brilliance to it that many people don't get but if you get it you will, as I did, absolutely love and appreciate this film for how good it truly is.
Movie Review: Amazing Movie Disappoints Only Idiots
Summary: 5 Stars
When I saw the preview for this movie back in 2001 I knew this was going to be good. I did not have internet at the time so I would always watch the preview at my aunt's house as much as possible. Now that I do have internet and the chance to read all the garbage the idiots are putting about this movie I'm going to express my feelings and the facts.
1) First of all I am so sick of people complaining that the movie was stupid because the aliens were allergic to water and that the earth is made of 75% water and so on. Who cares! The movie is not about the aliens!!! It does not take a genius to know that the real plot line is about a man (Mel Gibson) struggling with his belief in God and the fact aliens might be taking over the world. Duh!!! How dumb are we???
2) I hate it when people trash talk the acting in "Signs". The acting is amazing and is extremely real. The people who makes fun of the movie's acting ability is probably some nerd that can't even get up on stage and say two words without pissing their pants. The bottom line, if you can do better acting then Mel Gibson, Joaquin Pheonix, or any of the two children in "Signs", I want to see you be a star in a movie and impress me because as far as I'm concerned they are the ones making lots of money and were chosen for that part for a reason.
SPOILER!!! DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING OF "SIGNS". I AM USING THE TWIST TO YELL AT PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY KNEW THE ENDING.
3) Whoever says that they could predicted the ending in "Signs" is by far the most pathetic liar in the world. By what I mean is if you knew the twist (most people said they could predict it by the opening credits) you already knew that Morgan's asthma was going to save him from the poisonous gas the aliens would spray out, which the movie doesn't tell us the aliens had poisonous gas until towards the end of the film. That means you also knew Bo's picky water habit was going to save them by leaving them scattered around the living room, you knew the aliens were allergic to water, you knew "swing away" meant Merrill was going to kill the alien by the baseball bat hanging up on the wall, and you knew the alien was going to come back in the first place for revenge. I HIGHLY doubt anyone knew all that information before the movie's climax.
4) It is retarded when people try to use an anology to state thier opinion. For example, "My God, my three-year-old cousin could direct and write a better movie than this." This quote came from an adult that was reviewing "Signs" on this website. It shows how low and stupid people can possibly be.
There are many things I have to say to the low lifes dissing M. Night, but I know that they can't even write or direct a better movie. [...]I will be glad to read your sad opinions and I am looking for a good laugh. Anyway M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN IS A TALENTED DIRECTOR AND ONLY IDIOTS, FOOLS, AND RETARDS CAN'T SEE THAT!!! Also I learned that you can't please everybody, but if you are going to hate "Signs", have a better excuse then, "the aliens were allergic to water they should've had armor on!"
Movie Review: A completion of a brilliant trilogy
Summary: 5 Stars
After he became famous because of his talent to make a cliche to something which is realistic and emotional, M. Night Shyamalan is a director you can easily put next to the other Big Boys like Ridley Scott or Tim Burton. Now, he returns to complete something which he calls a trilogy. A trilogy of realistic and dramatic, suspensefull thrillers. And it seems like he is aiming for a place next to the Big Boss, Steven Spielberg. Not only because of his attempt to make Aliens new again (something Spielberg also did some years ago with his Close Encounters of the Third Kind) but also by showing that he has a brilliant vision, and now he is ready to entertain a very wide range of audience.The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable were, although handling themes who were very much fiction, still very serious, emotional and above all; slow. With his new attempt of re-inventing a cliche, he changed a lot and still kept a lot the same. To start with the similarities, next to the main story line, there's also a plot about a man having to cope with the loss of his wife and losing his faith. Having faith in something seems to be the main theme of the movie; a pastor having to regain his faith in God, and his children who do or do not believe in Aliens who are taking over the world.
This, of course, gives the movie something we have missed in a lot of blockbusters lately: depth. It also provides the much needed emotions and realism set agianst a story which is, at first, totally unconvincing. The mix of these two elements makes the whole movie much more believable and thereby also way more suspensefull. And as before, the movie never gets really violent.
The movie also continues in the tradition of the director showing up in a cameo. Only this time his cameo has grown into an important character which was, to say the least, a bit surprising. But hey, the man does a great job and it makes the character really stick out, which is very important.
But the most surprising element of all, which leads us to the differences between the previous 2 of his movies and this one, is the wit and humour at moments you need a relief. And this is at times really needed, because next to the tension you really feel in your body when sitting at the edge of your seat, you also get a fair amount of shock reactions (even more as in The Sixth Sense) All this adds up to the most intense motion picture experiences we have seen in, well, quite a while. And if you add to this a storyline which is faster in giving information and richer in action sequences, you get a movie which a very wide audience should see.
To come to a conclusion, I could fairly say that, because of the much Shyamalan-elements, the fans of the director won't be disappointed. And because of the more commercial style, everyone who never really liked a movie of M. Night before should give Signs a try as well. If they like a good suspense movie, they are in for a wonderfull motion picture experience.
And don't worry about the ending, like I did; although it doesn't leave much room for a deep discussion afterwards, it certainly will leave you satisfied.