Published by Casey Seijas,splashpage.mtv
September 18,2008
Love his work or hate it, there’s no denying that M. Night Shyamalan always seems to be one step ahead of the curve with his films — from the twist no one saw coming in “The Sixth Sense,” to finding new ways to scare the crap outta moviegoers with “Signs” and “The Village.” And he was even years ahead of the current comic book movie boom (for better and for worse) when “Unbreakable” hit theaters in 2000.
So that being said, is it time for Shyamalan to take a step back for a change and revisit his superhero/supervillain film with a sequel, given the rampant popularity of the superhero genre?
“I tell you I get asked about it all the time, so it’s not [an idea] I ever forget,” Shyamalan told MTV News. “I genuinely just asked this question the other day — should I make ‘Unbreakable 2’?”
If Shyamalan does indeed decide to revisit “Unbreakable,” he’ll have at least one of the original film’s stars ready and willing to join up — Samuel L. Jackson, who played the very-breakable villain, Elijah Price, in the movie.
“Every time I see [Shyamalan], he says, ‘I’ve written this thing for you,’ so I say, ‘why are you always doing these movies I’m not in?’” said Jackson.
According to both Shyamalan and Jackson, “Unbreakable” was originally intended to be a trilogy, but a series of bad reviews as well as fan and film critic misconception of Shyamalan’s work quickly tabled the idea of a possible franchise. As Jackson put it, “He was a victim of what Quentin [Tarrantino] was a victim of. ‘Jackie Brown’ is a great movie, but it’s not ‘Pulp Fiction 2.’ ‘Unbreakable’ is a great movie, but it’s not ‘I see f**king dead people.’”
Likewise, Shyamalan has his own take on the lack of a sequel. “I made the mistake of getting caught up in the hype of the immediate reaction of the movie, which, experience has shown me, is not accurate to any of my movies,” he explained. “And If I had been more confident and said ‘I believe in that movie, I love that movie, and I should just go start writing the second one,” that would’ve been the right move. I’ve still been thinking about it a lot and wonder if it’s too late.”
Shyamalan even sat down with Jackson during the film’s production to discuss where his character could and would go had the film spawned a sequel.
“Back then we talked about what the rest would entail,” recalled Jackson. “I broke out of the mental institution. I’m out there doing stuff and ["Unbreakable" co-star Bruce Willis' "David Dunn" is] after me. It’s very cool. He still wears that rain thing, that windbreaker.”
So the idea seems to be there, and Jackson’s ready to break out the funky hair-do(n’t) and purple suit, so — bottom line — will we see an “Unbreakable 2,” Mr. Shyamalan?
“I do love the [comic book movie] genre, I just wanna make sure that I’m able to express who I am,” explained Shyamalan. “I don’t want to get so lost in the subject that I have to neuter everything that’s me in it, so maybe ‘Unbreakable’ is the comic book thing I should do — I keep coming back to that.”
We’ll take that as a solid “maybe.”
Thursday, September 25, 2008
'Unbreakable' Sequel?
Monday, July 7, 2008
Reviews:The Happening,Forgetting Sarah Marshall
After the disappointment caused by recent M.Night Shyamalan movies,many wondered:what happened to the talent,which was evident in his earlier work (mainly in the Sixth Sense)?The expectations for M.Night's new movie were mixed and some people were not very optimistic.It was evident that after the critical and box-office failure of Lady in the Water,he needed a hit movie.The early reviews for the Happening were negative,and the other that followed were also negative,although there were some who thought that it was a good movie.
In my opinion,TH is not,by any means,a bad or even a mediocre movie.It certainly has its flaws.However,the plot device is interesting,making you wonder what's really happening?M.Night succeeds in creating an uncertain environment,a tense and uneasy atmosphere and there also some scary moments.Sometimes,the movie slows down and some questions are left unanswered.Overall,it's a decent movie,which is worth watching.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one more movie from the "Apatow factory" and most of the gang is here.It's a comedy with some dramatic moments.To some level,it's a bittersweet movie,considering the development of the relationships and all the related stuff.There are lot of funny moments but there is also,sometimes,a serious tone.At times,FSM loses its pace,resulting to some weak moments.To sum up,Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a very funny,entertaining but flawed movie.
