I Still Like M. NIght Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, and Lady in the Water)

I wrote this review up months ago and forgot about it. I don't know if that means anything, but I guess you could read into it a little. Everyone thinks M. Night sucks now and have wrote him off (kinda like me forgetting this review.) The man has cranked out some hits and I'm about to revisit them.

The Sixth Sense
(1999) [Trailer]
Director: M. Night Shyamalan [IMDB]

Synopsis: A doctor starts seeing a child with a secret... he likes jam bands.

1999 was an insane year for movies. There were a tone of rad titles that dropped that year and among all of them, The Sixth Sense was one of my favorites. I think everyone has seen this film, but what I don't know is if everyone has rewatched it. It has a really different vibe once you've seen it and know what to expect. The performances, especially from Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette are great. The story has a Hitchcockian vibe but is still feels original and unfolds at a perfect pace... and there's even a few horror notes in there which work fantastically. Bravo M. Night... bravo!

Unbreakable
(2000) [Trailer]
Director: M. Night Shyamalan [IMDB]

Synopsis: A lone survivor of a cataclysmic train wreck learns there might be more to his escape than he thought after he meets a local comic book nerd.

I recall checking this film out in the theaters and loving every minute of it. I honestly couldn't remember a lot of it before this rewatch and was unsure if it would hold up. It's still pretty good, not great, but a lot of fun. I like the concept behind this film and it still feels extremely original and fresh 13 years later. Unbreakable is a unique twist on a super hero flick and one I think would have been cool to see a sequel for. I wasn't a huge fan of how quickly the ending unfolds, I think Shyamalan could have took it in a better direction, but ultimately this film is a winner in my book.

Signs
(2002) [Trailer]
Director: M. Night Shyamalan [IMDB]

Synopsis: Are mysterious signs being formed out of corn crops a hoax or a message from aliens? Signs takes a deeper look into this phenomenon.

Signs was pretty thrilling when I first saw it, I remember my arm hairs standing up when they first showed that Alien crossing the street in Central America. After this sitting, it still holds up for the most part I suppose. The cast were great and pulled off the material given to them with ease, but the story seemed a little weak to me. The crop circles are a small part of a grand idea, but I think that idea could have been more localized and contained, instead of trying to make Signs into a full scale invasion movie. I also felt like the ending was extremely abrupt and crisis resolves itself in an really unsatisfying way. I still like the film, I just think M. Night could have produced something better.

Lady in the Water
(2006) [Trailer]
Director: M. Night Shyamalan [IMDB]

Synopsis: A modern day fairytale unfolds as the residences of a Philly apartment deal with a mysterious visitor from their swimming pool.

I think this was the film that really started the ball rolling on the M. Night hate express. I know a lot of people loathed it but I still think it's a good film and after my recent viewing I still stand firm on that. It definitely has its flaws but I really appreciate the idea Shyamalan had with it and the execution of that concept is unique. I think the framing device in the intro and the old Korean lady were quasi lazy attempts to move the story along and it seems like there could have been a better way to handle it. Regardless, the story is fun, the characters were interesting, and the setting was incredible.

Dancer in the Dark

Dancer in the Dark
(2000) [Trailer]
Director: Lars Von Trier [IMDB]

I have been a fan of Björk's music since the early days of the Sugarcubes.  She is very different from your typical singer.  If you present me with two singers, one having a pitch perfect classically trained voice and the other an atypical voice, I generally tend to prefer the latter.  Even though Björk falls into that category she has a very powerful voice and an eccentric style I dig.  While I am not a fan of musicals I felt this might be worth watching because it comes very highly rated and has Björk as the driving force behind the musical component.  

Synopsis:  Björk plays Selma Jezkova, an eastern European immigrant living the United States in 1964.  Selma has a genetic defect that is causing her to go blind.  She has come to the United States because her son has the same condition and she is saving her earnings to afford a surgery to correct the defect in her son.  

Lars Von Trier has a significant following based on his filmography and most of those individuals have raved about this film.  My experience with Dancer In the Dark (Dancer) was vastly different.  Dancer was incredibly boring and highly quirky which is not surprising given Björk's creative input.  The tone of the movie is very somber and foreboding.  Yet as soon as the Trier establishes the mood for a specific scene we cut to an all out upbeat quirky musical number which ran counter to theme of the film.  I also found that many of the scenes lacked believability especially those related to how she gets into legal trouble.  Ultimately Selma is placed on trial but the circumstances that created her predicament were less that authentic.

As a musical, Dancer might have worked if the numbers were more inline with the direction of the film.  On the positive side, the acting was genuine and the actors were believable in their roles.  I also found the setting accurately reflected my impression of the time.

While I enjoy Björk's music, I wasn't crazy about Dancer.  If you enjoy musicals then this movie may appeal to you, otherwise I suggest taking a pass on Dancer.

Williams Film Review Top 100 Films of All Time.

We (Stephen and Curtis) decided it would be fun to list our top 100 favorite films of all time. These aren't necessarily the 100 greatest films of all time, just the ones we personally love. Whether or not they are historically important films or Commando... they just spoke to us on some level and made their place into the hallowed halls of the Williams Film Review Top 100. Enjoy.

My list is in no particular order, just throwing them out as they come to me. I've included links to all of them either to IMDB or to my review (if I happened to have written one.)

1. Goodfellas [IMDB] Director: Martin Scorsese (1990)
2. The Big Lebowski [IMDB] Director: The Coen Brothers (1998)
3. Aguirre, The Wrath of God [IMDB] Director: Werner Herzog (1972)
4. Gone With the Wind [WFR] Director: Victor Fleming (1939)
5. The Thing [WFR] Director: John Carpenter (1982)
6. The Shining [WFR] Director: Stanley Kubrick (1980)
7. Wild Strawberries [IMDB] Director: Ingmar Bergman (1957)
8. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back [WFR] Director: Irvin Kershner (1980)
9. Pulp Fiction [WFR] Director: Quentin Tarantino (1994)
10. 12 Angry Men [WFR] Director: Sidney Lumet (1957)
11. The Goonies [WFR] Director: Richard Donner (1985)
12. Halloween [WFR] Director: John Carpenter (1978)
13. Fargo [WFR] torDirec: The Coen Brothers (1996)
14. Rear Window [WFR] Director: Alfred Hitchcock (1954)
15. Jaws [WFR] Director: Steven Spielberg (1975)
16. Seven Samurai [IMDB] Director: Akira Kurosawa (1954)
17. Paris, Texas [WFR] Director: Wim Wenders (1984)
18. Raiders of the Lost Ark [WFR] Director: Steven Spielberg (1981)
19. The Exorcist [WFR] Director: William Friedkin (1970)
20. The Thin Red Line [IMDB] Director: Terrence Malick (1998)
21. The Royal Tenenbaums [IMDB] Director: Wes Anderson (2003) 
22. A Fistful of Dollars [WFR] Director: Sergio Leone (1964) 
23. Commando [WFR] Director: Mark L. Lester (1985)
24. They Live [WFR] Director: John Carpenter (1988)
25. Fitzcarraldo [IMDB] Director: Werner Herzog (1982) 
26. 8½ [IMDB] Director: Federico Fellini (1963)
27. Mulholland Dr [IMDB] Director: David Lynch (2001)
28. The Shawshank Redemption [IMDB] Director: Frank Darabont (1994)
29. The Tree of Life [IMDB] Director: Terrence Malick (2011)
30. Vertigo [WFV] Director: Alfred Hitchcock (1958)
31. Synecdoche, New York [IMDB] Director: Charlie Kaufman (2008)
32. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [IMDB] Director: Peter Jackson (2001)
33. High and Low [IMDB] Director: Akira Kurosawa (1963)
34. Amour [WFR] Director: Michael Haneke (2012)
35. The French Connection [WFR] Director: William Friedkin (1971)
36. Into the Wild [IMDB] Director: Sean Penn (2007)
37. Magnolia [IMDB] Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (1999)
38. Dazed and Confused [WFR] Director: Richard Linklater (1993)
39. Waking Life [WFR] Director: Richard Linklater (2001)
40. Alien [WFR] Director: Ridley Scott (1979)
41. Aliens [WFR] Director: James Cameron (1986)
42. To Live and Die in L.A. [WFR] Director: William Friedkin (1985)
43. Predator [IMDB] Director: John McTiernan (1987) 
44. My Dinner with Andre [WFR] Director: Louis Malle (1982)
45. Trainspotting [WFR] Director: Danny Boyle (1996)
46. eXistenZ [WFR] Director: David Cronenberg (1999)
47. The Dark Knight [WFR] Director: Christopher Nolan (2008)
48. Dawn of the Dead [IMDB] Director: George A. Romero (1978)
49. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [WFR] Director: Tobe Hooper (1974)
50. Rambo: First Blood Part II [WFR] Director: George P. Cosmatos (1985)
51. The Seventh Seal [IMDB] Director: Ingmar Bergman (1957)
52. Breathless [IMDB] Director: Jean Luc Godard (1960)
53. Gremlins [WFR] Director: Joe Dante (1984)
54. Casablanca [WFR] Director: Michael Curtiz (1942)
55. The African Queen [WFR] Director: John Huston (1951)
56. Cool Hand Luke [IMDB] Director: Stuart Rosenberd (1967)
57. Fargo [WFR] Director: The Coen Brothers (1996)
58. Danger Diabolik [WFR] Director: Mario Bava (1968)
59. Valhalla Rising [WFR] Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (2009)
60. Robocop [WFR] Director: Paul Verhoeven (1987)
61. Reservoir Dogs [WFR] Director: Quentin Tarantino (1992)
62. Network [IMDB] Director: Sidney Lumet (1976)
63. Lost in Translation [WFR] Director: Sophia Coppola (2003)
64. 2001: A Space Odyssey [IMDB] Director: Stanley Kubrick (1968)
65. United 93 [IMDB] Director: Paul Greengrass (2006)
66. Beetlejuice [WFR] Director: Tim Burton (1988)
67. Poltergeist [IMDB] Director: Tobe Hooper (1982)
68. The Wrestler [IMDB] Director: Darren Aronofsky (2008)
69. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan [WFR] Director: Nicolas Meyer (1982)
70. Taxi Driver [IMDB] Director: Martin Scorsese (1976)
71. Being John Malkovich [IMDB] Director: Spike Jones (1999)
72. Apocalypse Now [IMDB] Director: Francis Ford Coppola (1979)
73. Forrest Gump [IMDB] Director: Robert Zemickis (1994)
74. The Godfather [IMDB] Director: Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
75. Coming to America [IMDB] Director: John Landis (1988)
76. There Will Be Blood [IMDB] Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (2007)
77. Shadows [IMDB] Director: John Cassavetes (1957)
78. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf [WFR] Director: Mike Nichols (1966)
79. Das Boot [IMDB] Director: Wolfgang Petersen (1981) 
80. Braveheart [IMDB] Director: Mel Gibson (1995)
81. Babette's Feast [WFR] Director: Gabriel Axel (1987)
82. Die Hard [WFR] Director: John McTiernan (1988)
83. Evil Dead II [IMDB] Director: Sam Raimi (1987)
84. Down By Law [IMDB] Director: Jim Jarmusch (1986)
85. Traffic [IMDB] Director: Steven Soderbergh (2000)
86. Citizen Kane [IMDB] Director: Orson Wells (1941) 
87. Malcolm X [IMDB] Director: Spike Lee (1992)
88. Patton [WFR] Director: Franklin J. Schaffner (1970) 
89. Lawrence of Arabia [WFR] Director: David Lean (1962)
90. Cruising [WFR] Director: William Friedkin (1980)
91. The Terminator [IMDB] Director: James Cameron (1984)
92. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial [IMDB] Director: Steven Spielberg (1982)
93. A Streetcar Named Desire [IMDB] Director: Elia Kazan (1951)
94. Enter the Dragon [IMDB] Director: Robert Clouse (1973)
95. Psycho [WFR] Director: Alfred Hitchcock (1960)
96. Almost Famous [IMDB] Director: Cameron Crowe (2000)
97. In the Mood for Love [IMDB] Director: Kar Wai Wong (2000)
98. Back to the Future [IMDB] Director: Robert Zemickis (1985)
99. Big Trouble in Little China [IMDB] Director: John Carpenter (1986)
100. El Topo [IMDB] Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky (1970)

This is an almost impossible list to create. I am certain there are movies I am leaving out and movies I have listed that don't belong compared omissions. That said, I tried to rank them as seen below. I've included links to all of them either to IMDB or to a review if we have it on WFR.

1. The Shawshank Redemption [IMDB] Director: Frank Darabont (1994)
2. Braveheart [IMDB] Director: Mel Gibson (1995)
3. Avatar [IMDB] Director: James Cameron (2009)
4. The Matrix [IMDB] Director: Andy and Lana Wachowski (1999)
5. Indiana Jones  and The Raiders of the Lost Ark [WFR] Director: Steven Spielberg (1981)
6. The Terminator [IMDB] Director: James Cameron (1984)
7. Terminator II Judgement Day [IMDB] Director: James Cameron (1991)
8. Aliens [WFR] Director: James Cameron (1986)
9. Die Hard [WFR] Director: John McTiernan (1988)
10. The Bourne Identity [IMDB] Director: Doug Liman (2002)
11. The Bourne Ultimatum [IMDB] Director: Paul Greengrass (2007)
12. The Bourne Supremacy [IMDB] Director: Paul Greengrass (2004)
13. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back [WFR] Director: Irvin Kershner (1980)
14. Good Will Hunting [IMDB] Director: Gus Van Sant (1997)
15. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [WFR] Director: Peter Jackson (2012)
16. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [IMDB] Director: Peter Jackson (2004)
17. Rambo: First Blood Part II [WFR] Director: George P. Cosmatos (1985)
18. Forrest Gump [IMDB] Director: Robert Zemickis (1994)
19. Men In Black [IMDB] Director: Barry Sonnenfeld (1997)
20. Taken [IMDB] Director: Pierre Morel (2008)
21. Groundhog Day [IMDB] Director: Harold Ramis (1993)
22. Austin Powers International Man of Mystery [IMDB] Director: Jay Roach (1997)
23. The Social Network [IMDB] Director: David Fincher (2010)
24. Limitless [IMDB] Director: Neil Burger (2011)
25. First Blood "Rambo" [IMDB] Director: Tedd Kotcheff (1982)
26. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom [IMDB] Director: Steven Spielberg (1984)
27. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope [IMDB] Director: George Lucas (1977)
28. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi [IMDB] Director: Richard Marquand (1983)
29. Fast and Furious 6 [WFR] Director: Justin Lin (2013)
30. The Fast and the Furious [IMDB] Director: Rob Cohen (2001)
31. The Original Kings of Comedy [IMDB] Director: Spike Lee (2000)
32. National Lampoons Vacation [IMDB] Director: Harold Ramis (1983)
33. Rocky [IMDB] Director: David Avildsen (1976)
34. The Shining [WFR] Director: Stanley Kubrick (1980)
35. The Goonies [WFR] Director: Richard Donner (1985)
36. Halloween [WFR] Director: John Carpenter (1978)
37. Lethal Weapon [IMDB] Director: Richard Donner (1987)
38. Lethal Weapon II [IMDB] Director: Richard Donner (1989)
39. Predator [IMDB] Director: John McTiernan (1987) 
40. Romancing the Stone [IMDB] Director: Robert Zemeckis (1984)
41. Django Unchained [WFR] Director: Quentin Tarantino (2012)
42. Pulp Fiction [WFR] Director: Quentin Tarantino (1994)
43. Blade Runner [IMDB] Director: Ridley Scott (1982)
44. Jaws [WFR] Director: Steven Spielberg (1975)
45. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [IMDB] Director: Peter Jackson (2001)
46. The Last King of Scotland [IMDB] Director: Kevin Macdonald (2006)
47. Saving Private Ryan [IMDB] Director: Steven Spielberg (1998)
48. Inception [IMDB] Director: Christopher Nolan (2010)
49. Skyfall [WFR] Director: Sam Mendes (2012)
50. Alien [WFR] Director: Ridley Scott (1979)
51. Slumdog Millionaire [IMDB] Director: Danny Boyle (2008)
52. Rise of the Planet of the Apes [IMDB] Director: Rupert Wyatt
53. 300 [IMDB] Director: Zack Snyder (2006)
54. 2001: A Space Odyssey [IMDB] Director: Stanley Kubrick (1968)
55. The Blindside [IMDB] Director: John Lee Hancock (2009)
56. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan [WFR] Director: Nicolas Meyer (1982)
57. Top Gun [IMDB] Director: Tony Scott (1986)
58. Hotel Rwanda [IMDB] Director: Terry George (2004)
59. Blood Diamond [IMDB] Director: Edward Zwick (2006)
60. The Intouchables [WFR] Director: Olivier Nakache (2011)
61. National Lampoon: Christmas Vacation [IMDB] Director: Jeremiah Chechik (1989)
62. Coming to America [IMDB] Director: John Landis (1988)
63. Seven Years in Tibet [IMDB] Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud (1997)
64. Se7en [IMDB] Director: David Fincher (1995)
65. The Princess Bride [IMDB] Director: Rob Reiner (1997)
66. The Thing [WFR] Director: John Carpenter (1982)
67. Gladiator [IMDB] Director: Ridley Scott (2000)
68. The World's Fastest Indian [IMDB] Director: Roger Donaldson I(2005)
69. Enter the Dragon [IMDB] Director: Robert Clouse (1973)
70. Total Recall [WFR] Director: Len Wiseman (2012)
71. The Avengers [IMDB] Director: Joss Whedon (2012)
72. Jurrasic Park [IMDB] Director: Steven Spielberg (1993)
73. Fast Five [IMDB] Director: Justin Lin (2011)
74. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial [IMDB] Director: Steven Spielberg (1982)
75. Back to the Future [IMDB] Director: Robert Zemickis (1985)
76. The Count of Monte Cristo [IMDB] Director: Kevin Reynolds (2002)
77. The Lion King [IMDB] Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff (1994)
78. Full Metal Jacket [IMDB] Director: Stanley Kubrick (1987)
79. Toy Story [IMDB] Director: John Lasseter (1995)
80. Rocky IV [IMDB] Director: Sylvester Stallone (1982)
81. Rocky III [IMDB] Director: Sylvester Stallone (1982)
82. Casino Royale [IMDB] Director: Martin Campbell (2006)
83. Event Horizon [WFR] Director: Paul W.S. Anderson (1997)
84. Temple Grandin [WFR] Director: Mick Jackson (2010)
85. White Squall [IMDB] Director: Ridley Scott (1996)
86. Defiance [IMDB] Director: Edward Zwick (2008)
87. Argo [WFR] Director: Ben Affleck (2012)
88. Robocop [WFR] Director: Paul Verhoeven (1987)
89. The Way Back [WFR] Director: Peter Weir (2010)
90. Running Scared [IMDB] Director: Peter Hyams (1986)
91. Searching for Bobby Fisher [IMDB] Director: Steven Zaillian (1993)
92. Walk the Line [IMDB] Director: Jame Mangold (2005)
93. Invincible [IMDB] Director: Ericson Core (2006)
94. We are Marshall [IMDB] Director: McG (2006)
95. Machine Gun Preacher [WFR] Director: Marc Forster (2011)
96. True Lies [IMDB] Director: James Cameron (1994)
97. The Constant Gardner [IMDB] Director: Fernando Meirelles (2005)
98. Safe House [WFR] Director: Daniel Espinosa (2012)
99. Into the Wild [IMDB] Director: Sean Penn (2007)
100. Rescue Dawn [IMDB] Director: Werner Herzog (2006)

If you think we are crazy or there is something that was blatantly omitted, leave us a comment!