village

THE FLICK: The residents of an isolated village live under an uneasy arrangement with strange creatures that roam the surrounding forest. When an emergency forces Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard) to break the truce and enter the realm of “those we do not speak of,” the entire village must come face to face with their worst fears. The tsunami of criticism that washed over M. Knight Shyamalan’s The Village started with ripples of egotistical showmanship inherent in the director’s work from the very beginning. Touted as the next Spielberg after his deft touch with The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan instead molded his career as a latter-day Hitchcock, using his unusual moniker to signify the next big event in cinema. His name – strange, exotic and mysterious – became synonymous with the “master of suspense.” And the guy had only three major movies under his belt. Most people have to go through at least seven years of college to be considered at “master” at anything; Knight crowned himself after only six. And not without some justification. If The Village proves anything it’s that Shyamalan knows what to do with a camera. Once again, his direction is nearly flawless – grandiose without being showy, nimble but unafraid to linger on a face or a landscape or a moment that most Hollywood hacks would cut away from in an L.A. minute. The Village is directed with the confidence and fearlessness one would expect from a director of twice Knight’s experience. And it’s precisely those two qualities as a writer that finally did him in. Whether it was the pressure to deliver another success or the manifest destiny of his own auteur status, Shyamalan ultimately believed his own hype – believed that the audience would gasp at whatever shock he delivered. And The Village delivers not one, not two, but three big moments – one for each act of the pretentiously symbolic screenplay. It’s difficult to honestly criticize the film without revealing any of them. What can be said is Shyamalan’s formula for thrills has run its course. A director of his talents could (and still might) become this generation’s most talented mainstream filmmaker. He pushes the genre label in new and interesting directions. But he’s not a gifted writer and his talents would be best served making the work of other people even better; much like the original master of suspense, Hitchcock, did so well. Take the good (Bryce Dallas Howard and Joaquin Phoenix’s peak performances) forget the bad (the most selfish and forced surprise ending in recent memory) and move on. THE FEATURES: Perhaps hedging their bets, Touchstone’s Vista Series DVD is rather sparse. Deconstructing The Village is the lengthiest featurette (30 min) and provides the usual interviews, set visits and Q & A. Bryce’s Diary is a melodramatic 5-min spoken word excerpt from the actress on-set journal...not worth much. M. Knight’s Home Movie stars a pre-teen Shyamalan taking on the role of Indiana Jones. The Deleted Scenes feature a nice speech from actor Brendan Gleeson that didn’t make the cut beautifully lit by candlelight. And lastly, the obligatory Photo Gallery and Sneak Peeks at upcoming releases. Also released concurrently on a separate DVD is The Buried Secret of M. KnightShyamalan, the mockumentary that posits the director truly has a “connection with the other side.” Academy Award nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn investigates the allegations with journalistic fervor...which makes the whole thing pretty damn funny if you know what to expect. Watching the camera follow Shyamalan through the woods like some metro-sexual Sasquatch was one of the cinematic highlights for me this year!