"Lady in the Water" opened last weekend and I have a fair amount of indifference. Judging by the box office, I wasn't the only one. My wife made an attempt to get me interested in the movie, but I have too many doubts. And several of the reviews appear to confirm these doubts.
Night makes good looking films and knows how to set the mood. But his stories seem too hit-or-miss. "The Sixth Sense" was a fabulous movie with the twist that you didn't see coming. "Signs" was solid, although unspectacular with a weak ending. With "The Village", once you figured out the twist, it was tough to sit through. And "Unbreakable"... well, I thought it was two hours in which nothing happened (comic books fans, I discovered, disagree strongly). And judging by the trailers of his latest, it's atmosphere over plot. However, there are some pluses. Night has stated there is no twist with "Lady in the Water" and it does star Paul "why hasn't he been nominated more than once" Giamatti. But a recent article in Entertainment Weekly painted Night as a control freak with an inability to listen to outside ideas. That's a blessing and a curse. It's good to see Night stand his ground as Hollywood has a tendency to water down an idea. But if the idea doesn't work... Hey, I'm a control freak as well, but I also realize the need to listen to constructive criticism (the downside is that it has to come from someone I respect).
Maybe the recent disappointing box office will make Night rethink his strategy. He's definitely a director with a unique prospective and the ability to make quality movies. Hopefully Night won't let ego trump creative vision.
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