SSoommee FFaannttaassttIIcc The Meteoric Rise & Issue #12, Summer, 2007 Operatic Fall of M. Night Shyamalan Vol. 3, No. 3 By Chrisopher J. Garcia http://www.somefantastic.us/ “Who could my father be? Moleman? Mr. Burns? ISSN # 1555-2241 {Gasps} M. Night Shyamalan? That would be a twist worthy of his increasingly lousy films!” Feature 1 — Homer Simpson , The Simpsons 1 The Meteoric Rise & Operatic Fall of M. Night Shyamalan, Once upon a time, there was a young boy who loved to by Christopher J. Garcia make movies with his High-8 Camera. His name was Manoj Nelliattu Shyamalan, and he was an Indian kid reared on the Book/Graphic Novel Reviews films of Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock. He was a smart kid, could have been a doctor like his father wanted 13 Overclocked , by Cory Doctorow; him to, but he was artistic, controlling, and passionate. In reviewed by Danny Adams other words, he was a director. He made films, more than 45 15 Sun of Suns , by Karl Schroeder; of various lengths, and edited them together. He usually reviewed by Chris Elliot starred in them and wrote them and shot them too. A kid 17 Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction with a camera is a dangerous thing, capable of feats of re - from the Cutting Edge , edited by Lou Anders; reviewed by markable clarity and intensity as well as furious empty-head - Jessica Darago edness and camp. His films were in so many different areas, 18 Eifelheim , by Michael Flynn; including take-offs on popular films like Indiana Jones and reviewed by Steven H Silver Amazing Stories episodes. He includes some of these films on 19 The Secret History of Vampires , his feature film DVD releases now, making me wonder just by Darrell Schweitzer; reviewed how he ended up where he is today. by Mario Guslandi Having just watched Mr. Shyamalan’s latest film, The 22 Mainspring , by Jay Lake; Lady in the Water , I now know that genius is often cut with lib - reviewed by Christopher J. Garcia eral doses of failure; potential with strong overtones of ego. It’s never easy to dissect a man’s career while he is still mak - DVD Reviews ing a go of it, but The Next Spielberg’s career is over, finished with having three consecutive films hammered by critics and 6 Stranger Than Fiction ; met with harsh mixed reactions from fans. M. Night Shya - reviewed by Edna Stumpf malan’s career is not over, but that International Bright 8 The Prestige ; Young Thing is no longer working; now, he’s just another reviewed by Richard Fuller scraping director. 11 Star Trek: The Animated Series ; reviewed by The first time the world really took note of M. Night was Caroline-Isabelle Caron when he stepped out of NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts and 20 A Scanner Darkly , reviewed onto the festival circuit. His film was Praying with Anger . This by Edna Stumpf was not the M. Night Shyamalan that we know today. This was an auto-biographical film of a young Indian man who was raised in America going back to India. It was a beautiful film, especially when you consider that it was student film, Bylined articles are the copyright of the cred - and it showed M. Night’s mastery of the art of directing. He ited authors and artists. All other written con - tent is © 2007 by Matthew Appleton, except used tone so perfectly, his pacing was magnificent, and I’ve where otherwise noted. All rights granted only seen a couple of filmmakers who better understand the under a Creative Commons License. For role of cinematography in making emotional connections more information, please visit the website. with characters. It is a remarkable film that shows that Shya - malan has the chop to do serious drama without a genre set - ting. His work with actors in the film was excellent ters all over and yet we can not seem to connect. That as well, but the film is obviously crafted. It is not an is to say... that adults cannot connect. Children, as is art film, as much as it sounds as if that’s the case. It evidenced by the time I viewed with a six-year-old is a Hollywood film made with a small-time direc - named Evelyn, can use this film. It beautifully ex - tor’s budget. There is professionalism at work, an plains the search for God and the exploration of the understanding of the techniques and methodologies meaning of death. Evelyn loved it, understood it of “real” directors. Tisch is known for producing fine even without her usual favorite explosions and laser directors, but this is a USC-style directorial debut. blasters. She was silent and still for the entire DVD, You can tell that he is pushing the limits of his a remarkable feat. She understood the film and budget at every step, managing a strong film that through her eyes I came to realize that M. Night could have played far wider than the festival circuit Shyamalan understood audiences. Now, he claims and one theatre/one week release it got. This is he wasn’t making it for children, but thinking of his where the legend of M. Night Shyamalan begins. marriage, of the potential for children that repre - Like many directors, Shyamalan married shortly sents, it is obvious that was on his mind when he after making his first film. He was 23. This may not made it. seem like much, but it is an important part of the This was M. Night Shyamalan’s sophomore story. When a director marries, even if it is not per - curse, but at the same time no one expected much manent, his films change, they either mature because from the film. It was shelved for three years, that’s a the director understands relationships better (as was telltale sign of bad mojo. The fact that it got a release, the case with Kevin Smith) or they become more im - even before the release of The Sixth Sense , is a re - mature, desperately clutching at that which they markable achievement. That fact alone shows M. have to give up in favor of familial ties. With Shya - Night’s remarkable personal marketing power. He malan it is difficult to tell which direction it leaned somehow got the film released, and even if it was a him at first. The first film he wrote and directed after failure, he brought people in the industry to his side his marriage was Wide Awake . It is a difficult film; one and got them to believe in him. That trust would which brings an extreme variety of reactions from a erode as the days went on. wide audience. It was a commercial failure despite You wouldn’t expect M. Night Shyamalan’s having hot properties at the time of its release in 1998. name to be on the script for Stuart Little , but it is. The film was made in 1995 and told the story of There’s a lot that echoes with his later films. If you a boy looking for God following the death of his look at the character of Stuart, you can draw strong grandfather. While Praying with Anger is a stronger, comparisons between many of the children (and a more gut-felt film, Wide Awake walks many lines that few of the adults) in Shyamalan’s later films. There Shyamalan will explore later. Here, he introduces was also talk of Shyamalan taking the role of ideas such as the search for things one already has writer/director of one of the Harry Potter movies, but and the exploration of what family means in today’s the timing never worked out. world. In many ways Wide Awake is the first film that There was a moment in 1999 when “it” hap - feels like M. Night Shyamalan and not some Tisch pened. There was something coming out of Holly - film student about to break. Here he explores what’s wood that was definitely not of Hollywood. It was a going on in the mind of a child, another of his fa - guy in Pennsylvania who some Disney exec paid vorite themes, at the same time he looks at how fam - two million dollars for a script and then green- ilies can constrict and encourage growth during the lighted to direct a film called The Sixth Sense . All of special times, and how eyes of disbelievers can be that happened without the approval of the higher- opened. ups. To show what that means, a non-top level exec The reaction to Wide Awake was mixed because has few options to get films he wants made without there were many who thought that there was no one going through those above him. He can issue a pur - in the film that a regular viewer could connect with. chase order for the maximum amount and maybe There’s Rosie O’Donnell as a nun, which doesn’t re - even three or four and hope no one catches on until ally work. There’s a young Julia Stiles. There are it’s too late. There have been a few films made like places where we are supposed to hook into charac - that. He can put up his own money and then put the Some Fantastic 2 SUMMer, 2007 company on its trail and that’ll end up as the way it have pulled it off. In fact, Collette’s reaction is what happens. Or he can just pretend like he has all the gives that scene any sort of emotional power.