Monday, November 3, 2008

Why the M. Night hate?

Last night, for the first time in years, I had a nightmare. I'm usually such a deep sleeper that I don't even remember my dreams, and since having my second son a year ago it has been worse than ever because I am constantly sleep-deprived. When I lay my head down at night, it's curtains until his sonorous cry beckons me from the next room, which is usually way earlier than any human should be awakened.... :-/

But last night I found myself in one of those half-awake dreams where you are aware that you're dreaming, but can't seem to stop the dream from proceeding. Wierder still was the dream's content, which had me and my family starring in a movie that we watched several weeks ago. Now, let it be known, DH and I are in that minority of movie viewers who think that M. Night Shyamalan's movies are totally under-rated. Well, except for Lady In The Water. That one really did kinda suck. But aside from that one, we have appreciated all of his other offerings and legitimately got the chills from each one in turn. I mean, c'mon! Who can watch the basement scene in Signs without freaking out just a little bit?? What am I - made of stone?


The Happening was no different, but I don't know why I had such a delayed reaction to it! The critics said it was no good because we never find out what the happening is. Well, folks, some of us have imagination and can draw our own conclusions. Some of us also have similar opinions about the whole "humans effing up the planet and the planet reacting in its own inexplicable way" as Night, apparently, because we totally "got" it. And what the planet did to the humans totally freaked me right the fuck out, as evidenced by my dream some 3 weeks later.

Now, this movie didn't scare me as badly as The Descent, or even the somewhat craptastic Cabin Fever. Those two are on a whole 'nother level, IMO. However, there was something about this one - maybe the fact that there is no resolution, no cure, no epiphany, that really got to me.

Plus, I just really, really like Zooey Deschanel. She makes any movie awesome. :)

So, my point is (if I have one... not sure) that people need to cut my man M. Night some slack. Not every movie is gonna be The Sixth Sense, but they're all good in their own right. It's not like he's Zach Braff and has already peaked with his first movie. D'oh!