The Village...- Page 2

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/1/04 at 2:19pm

I highly recommend THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. It is one of the sharpest, smartest and most thought-provoking films I have seen in a long while. All the acting was superb, but Meryl Streep gives another award-worthy performance. One of the greatest political thrillers I've ever seen. I would unreservedly give it an A.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 8/1/04 at 5:12pm

I just saw The Village, and I must say, it was, well, not great. I enjoyed it though, and that is probably because of Bryce Dallas Howard. She was what kept it together, through the strange plot twists and the trite dialogue. I look forward to her next film choices.
Manchurian Candidate is next on my list of things to see.

[FrAiLtYEnCoRe]

Posted: 8/1/04 at 5:16pm

I thought that The Village was okay. I too was disappointed. I went in wanting a scream-worthy, pulse-hightening film. What I ended up watching was a suspensefull drama. I did not expect what happened with Lucious and enjoyed being stunned a little. I felt like it ended a little inappropraitly. Anybody else smell a sequel or spin-off? I do. It reaks.

Also, I think that the actors were amazing. I think the tecnique, or w/e you call it, of whispering a boring line to create "suspense" was a bit tired in this movie. I enjoyed BD Howard though. She was amazing and gorgeous. She lit up the screen.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 8/1/04 at 7:51pm

N. Night has "jumped the shark"

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 8/1/04 at 9:55pm

It might be a bit early for a shark sighting right now, but he's heading that way.

[JoizeyActor]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 12:08am

I like to think of myself as a big horror movie fanatic, but I was really terrified during certain scenes in the movie. Granted the movie is not a two hour fright fest, but I think it is still effective. I heard people muttering in the theatre that it sucked, but everyone was really chattering and talking about it as soon as the light came up in the theatre, so it definitely had 'impact'.

My friend and I were cringing in our seats during a few of those scenee. The direction is really incredible and the way the camera always has the main object out of view makes you terrified and unwillingly to let the camera turn around to reveal whatever horror is being mentioned. It's chilling.

And those creatures...I was scared. I keep imagining them behind me as a type this. Gives me shivers. I give it an A.

[LadyGuenevere]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 12:12am

Yeah, even though I did get disappointed when the 'twist' was true (I had suspected something....), M. Night has definitely done well what scares people, even though it happened only for a few seconds, and about two times in that movie.

The character that flashes by the screen, and the music- I think that's what does everything, added to the atmosphere. To hell with the plot, just play scary music and have a guy pop up- people screamed (me included, I must admit).

I was looking for more, though. I need to see it a 2nd time to register the real plot in my head, it sounds clever, but the previews and hype were very misleading so it's not going to get all the good reviews.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 10:44am

I really enjoyed it. Yeah, the ads are misleading, but I still enjoyed the movie for what it was. It reminded me of the original Twilight Zone series and even Jarico commented how interesting that the movie is released now considering the use of scare tactics.

I would like to see Manchurian Candidate, but I'm so afraid it won't live up to the original, which is what I consider one of the all-time perfect thrillers. Angela Lansbury was sublimely evil.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 10:57am

Oh, Matt. Take it from another Matt that Miss Streep will NOT dissapoint. She is the nastiest bitch I've seen on the screen in a long long long time!

[ckeaton]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 1:03pm

Some idiot leaked the plot to me, so I haven't seen it yet.
There's a big claw in one of the TV commercials. Can someone tell me what that is? Is it a stuffed bear or something?

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 1:24pm

Well, I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. Here's my dilema:

HEAVY SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU PLAN ON SEEING IT!!!!

I felt that M. Night killed any suspense by giving away the elders' secret about the creatures not existing. During Ivy's entire journey throughout the woods, we know that such creatures don't exist, so what is the point of trying to build suspense where there isn't any danger? We know that they aren't real, so why does M. Night try to make us fall for it? (I'm talking about Noah being dressed in the suit) I think the entire scene in the woods would have been more effective if M. Night had held out on the scene where William Hurt's character reveals the "creatures" for what they really are. Once the revelation is made (about halfway through the movie), there's really no where else for the movie to go. The "twist" ending can easily be derived because no where in the film are we told what year it is and the fact that it is present day would be a reasonable excuse for why the elders lied. That's how I figured out the twist before it was revealed. The second half is a mess. And M. Night's cameo was very distracting and unnecesary. We've figured it out, we don't need him to spell it out for us. It's as if M. Night thinks his audience is a bunch of morons (which, I guess, might be true because a lot of the people at my showing were horror fans wanting a scare).

END SPOILER!

With that being sad, the film is not a complete loss. The first half is very interesting. There is a lot of build up, but sadly, no pay-off. Bryce Howard is fantastic. Adrien Brody's character seemed out of place and borders on the line of silly. The dialogue in the movie is sometimes ridiculous and falls into the "so-bad-it's-funny" category. Some things are taken too seriously. The film has a great style and atmosphere. M. Night is developing into a great director, but as a screenwriter, he's declining.

So, overall...

** (out of 4) Updated On: 8/2/04 at 01:24 PM

[Karma76]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 2:16pm

I put a disclaimer on this topic since some people are discussing it.


ok Yes it was NOT the way it seemed in the trailer, BUT it also was in a way cause in essence we were all frightened of the woods, anticipating what was in the woods. Which is exactly what the movie is kind of about. How suggestion can make us fear. I jumped a few times in my seat. Was it like his others NO and i am not sure it should have been.

I agree i was very thrown off at first cause I kept waiting for a huge scare! Like a more intense scare then i was getting. My brain was working more though...haha like what is happening. I love Joaquin's timing. I thought he was adorable and his relationship with Bryce was also fun. She was great!!!

NOW someone pointed out something great about Adrian brody's character and that he knew all along about the secret in the village. He may have been depicted as the village idiot but he was not.

Overall I think it is worth seeing. People were clearly antsy in the theatre (one yelling out this sux) but thank god those few left so i could just watch and see the WHOLE film before i judged.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 2:26pm

Okay, I haven't even seen the movie and I guessed at the spoiler about the creatures.

If you all are looking for an incredibly well-made film, go see DOOR IN THE FLOOR with Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 12:52am

Lots of people caught the final twist--and they aren't liars. I picked up on it BECAUSE I kept wondering why Sigourney and a few others were so "bad". When you know the final twist, you realize WHY she and others were speaking so "phony". I was glad I figured this out so that I could stop watching the film as a horror film and start watching it as a beautiful drama. THEN, I was able to get get scared when I thought things might be turning back around.

And, yes, there will be MUCH disgust of the film. When the first twist was revealed, there were people who left the theater. These are the same people who LOVED Matrix Revolutions, while hating LOTR and Spiderman 2--these people do not want story, characters, DEPTH. They want spectacle.

I like this quote from ew.com, which I think sums up Night's problem right now:

"What an irony -- and a shame -- it would be if ''The Sixth Sense'' turns out to be the movie that first made and then ruined the career of M. Night Shyamalan. A filmmaker of superb technical facility and emotional control, Shyamalan floored audiences with the ending of his 1999 thriller, the rare film twist that was genuinely unexpected without being in the least dishonest. It's not his fault that the public has approached each of his subsequent movies as narrative piñatas that will spill forth their secrets if only they can be cracked."

After his next film, Night is set to direct an adaptation of THE LIFE OF PI. This will be an excellent opportunity to see him branch out from his own writing (even if he adapts himself). He is with out question a marvelous director, even if one could find fault with his screenwriting.

Updated On: 8/3/04 at 12:52 AM

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 11:34am

When Brendan Gleeson is burying his son at the beginning, his gravestone reads 1890-1897, so you ARE told what year it is.

I think, by revealing that the monsters were fake when he did, he was trying to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. Hurt says to Ivy that there were rumours of monsters being in the woods years before, and that's where he got the idea. I think you were supposed to think that the "monster" going after Ivy was real.

My problem with the final twist is not that it's obvious (Matt_G is right, there is NOTHING to hint at it), it's SO badly handled. The viewer needs a little more than William Hurt staring at a picture and a bunch of voiceover to buy such a huge conceit. That really took the edge off for me.

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 2:30pm

i guessed the "twist" less than half way through, no lie. bryce dallas howard was very good, but it seemed obvious that shamalan (or however you spell it) was trying to use his old formula, and didn't diliver the goods this time. then again, i didn't like "signs" either.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 2:45pm

I think that those who guessed the twist did so because they knew one was coming so they were looking for it. Had the fact that there was a twist been completely withheld from the public and had it been marketed correctly (as a thoughtful drama, rather than a suspense thriller), I think it would have been far better received.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 5:11pm

I adore Joaquin Pheonix, can't wait to see it

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 7:44pm

No, I CLEARLY thought that the language by the adults was stilted. That plus clues in the art direction (the houses and other elements were a little too modern) made me get the feeling that this was a false world that they were inhabiting.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 7:46pm

For the first hour of that film, the dialogue just annoyed me. To me the entire cast sounded like Keanu Reeves using his "accent" in DRACULA, if that makes any sense. It just didn't sound right to me.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 7:51pm

exactly--it was a false language for the characters.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 8:00pm

This movie was retarded. Not scary at all. lol

[Matt_G]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 8:01pm

No, Adrien Brody was the only retarted thing in the movie. And it wasn't supposed to be scary.

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 8:12pm

it was chilling. not neccessarily a good movie, but it had it's moments (the first time the red people came- very scary)

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 8:13pm

hahaha, I know Shamylan said it was different and not as scary but I'm sorry, I was expecting some thrills and chills like SIGNS and thats what others were expecting too.