tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post3507671248434867320..comments2023-11-17T11:08:31.857-06:00Comments on Michael May: Re-assessing Shyamalan (or, What's up with the water?)Michael Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12514945570212261283noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-52675519303887742482013-11-26T12:50:53.290-06:002013-11-26T12:50:53.290-06:00I learned about his brief association with Life of...I learned about his brief association with <i>Life of Pi</i> while I was preparing for the podcast and thought, "How appropriate!" In additon to the water and disconnectedness, there's India, and I think I'm remembering correctly that Shyamalan actually comes from the town that Pi is named after. <br /><br />It even has the twist ending, which is apparently what led him to turn it down, because he knew people would be looking for it and that would lessen the story's impact.Michael Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12514945570212261283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-83622532499605039352013-11-26T00:30:59.512-06:002013-11-26T00:30:59.512-06:00As fun as the podcast was to listen to (and it rea...As fun as the podcast was to listen to (and it really was a fun show, and I'll definitely be checking out more from the Nerd-Lunch gang), I was surprised how little actual discussion of the films came up in the episode. So thanks for your thoughts in more detail here. As I mentioned on Twitter, I largely agree with everything you say here, and find the analysis of water themes compelling. The low-energy performances is something that always stands out in his work, too, and I definitely think it's a stylistic approach that works at times, but only with the right stories, and he needs to stop trying to jam it onto tales where it doesn't fit. I think it, among other things pointed out, shows that while he does have skills as a filmmaker and storyteller, his range is more limited than he seems willing to admit.<br /><br />As a tangent, he was originally signed on to do <i>Life of Pi</i>, and if you've seen the movie, I wonder what you think his themes of water and disconnect could have been like when applied to that story.NoelCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01744014386233716741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-89171955684849787592013-11-22T10:10:11.059-06:002013-11-22T10:10:11.059-06:00Yeah! I don't think I mentioned it in the arti...Yeah! I don't think I mentioned it in the article, but Shyamalan's eye is excellent and I love the way he sets up shots and communicates ideas, even in the worst of his films. Michael Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12514945570212261283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-20804863332080761362013-11-22T09:56:38.102-06:002013-11-22T09:56:38.102-06:00Unbreakable also has some of the best editing I...Unbreakable also has some of the best editing I've seen in a movie period. <br /><br />When David is told by the doctor about his survival, there is a body in the foreground that David is starring at. As the monologue continues, the body begins to pool red with blood. As nurses rush in to aid, the camera slows zooms in on David. This visually confirms the death of the man and isolated David as the sole survivor. <br /><br />After leaving the hospital his son tries to hold his hand, but David pulls it away. He cannot connect.<br /><br />Later when he has a conversation with his wife, he is standing in the middle of stairs, unable to move forward. Erik Johnson Illustratorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11184274387021011687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-74092682071944812162013-11-22T08:12:53.206-06:002013-11-22T08:12:53.206-06:00Thanks, man. You're absolutely right and Samue...Thanks, man. You're absolutely right and Samuel Jackson is the perfect opposite-of-low-energy actor to bring into David's world to shake him up.Michael Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12514945570212261283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-47108219252732703332013-11-21T21:06:30.203-06:002013-11-21T21:06:30.203-06:00Great analysis. I have such a great love for Unbre...Great analysis. I have such a great love for Unbreakable that I can't be objective about it. You are right about the low energy performances but I think that works in this world of banality that David has created around himself. Then Mr Glass comes into his life....wow. I need to watch that again.Kalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00663751053844271849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-41479875410644065322013-11-21T08:51:15.163-06:002013-11-21T08:51:15.163-06:00Oh man, now I want to watch North by Northwest aga...Oh man, now I want to watch North by Northwest again. (Though that describes almost every waking minute for me anyway.)Michael Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12514945570212261283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-9533514546029091682013-11-21T08:45:39.863-06:002013-11-21T08:45:39.863-06:00Your identification of the ongoing "cleansing...Your identification of the ongoing "cleansing water" is quite thought provoking and actually lead to thinking about some other director trademarks. The baptism reference in "Unbreakable" got be thinking about the Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" and its theme of anonymity and identity with how the character is reborn with a completely new identity after he is "shot" and has a change of costume. Erik Johnson Illustratorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11184274387021011687noreply@blogger.com