Hold the Presses: I just saw Lady In The Water

Sorry for the lack of posting of late. The 100+ and no air conditioning makes me uncreative when it comes to blogging. So I had planned to relay the recipe for the veggie dish I cooked last week: Summer Leeks and Yellow Peppers, but then I went to see Lady in the Water and so now that recipe is on pause for tomorrow.

Before I continue, I just have to say that if you haven't seen the movie and want to, and want to give it a fair shot, STOP READING. Check back in tomorrow for more recipes and come back to this post after you've seen the movie (that's not a recommendation by the way - wait for the video).


I'm just going to dig right in with spoilers. First of all, I have never seen a filmmaker as egomaniacal as M Night. I think it would be an understatement to say that the man has a God complex. Why, you ask? Well maybe because in this film, a mythical creature comes to an apartment complex to inspire a man to write something that will change the course of history for the better. Who would be cast in such an important role in the film? M Night casts himself of course. I bet you didn't know Signs or the Village was going to save humanity. Well according to him it will. The man recently compared himself to both Bob Dylan and Michael Jordan. Nice.

Oh but have I mentioned that he's so self-involved that he's beyond crazy? Check out this review of his new book for some of the dirt:

http://movies2.nytimes.com/2006/07/10/books/10masl.html

As far as the movie is concerned, it's just bad storytelling with so many plot holes and confusing mythology that it's not even worth going into except for the following:


I CALL FOUL when one of the character's (Frederico from Six Feet Under) entire character is based on the fact that he's only been working out ONE of his arms, so that one arm is huge while the other is normal. AND YET at the end when it's revealed that he's the guardian he does not use his SUPER ARM to throw anything. He just stares the beast down. FOUL!!!!


I CALL FOUL on Shyamalan casting himself in such a pivotal role in the film and then when it should clearly turn out that Giamatti's character was the true writer who's been inspired, he refuses to give up that glory and keeps it for his own character. FOUL!!!


I CALL FOUL on Shyamalan for never giving Ron Howard's daughter any pants!!!!


I CALL FOUL on his stupid animosity towards critics which he takes out on the Bob Balaban character with a great deal of unnecessary self-reference!

and finally, and perhaps most importantly:

I CALL FOUL for pawning off an almost incomprehensible myth on an unnamed Asian tradition...and DOUBLE FOUL for being stereotypical and, I'll say it, racist in the process.

Shame on you Shyamalan for being a talented director who's too mired in his own ego to make a good film when you could be great if you'd just get over yourself.

End rant.