I think ita's hit the nail on the head as far as I can see. Messianic complex plus persecution complex minus talent equals douchebag.
Willow: Yes. Hi. You must be Angel's handsome, yet androgynous, son. Connor: It's Connor. Willow: And the sneer's genetic. Who knew?
'A Hole in the World'
Buffista Movies 5: Development Hell
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Hayden - Jul 26, 2006 6:59:53 am PDT #3142 of 10001
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
bon bon - Jul 26, 2006 7:01:36 am PDT #3143 of 10001
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
Does that make a difference? If it's okay to use your success as an actor to try directing, why isn't it okay to use your success as a director to try acting?
Probably because a director has the power to cast himself as an actor, and not the reverse.
Polter-Cow - Jul 26, 2006 7:03:39 am PDT #3144 of 10001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
Even if you limit it to people who were directors "first", are Shymalan's acting indulgences that notable? Because I feel like he's taken a disproportionate amount of flak for it.
I think it may be disproportionate. Signs bugged me because it was such a huge jump from his small cameos in the first two movies, and it seemed unnecessary. And then, for the hell of it, he went the other way and only made a vocal cameo in The Village. I actually like all his movies for the most part, though.
Hayden - Jul 26, 2006 7:04:28 am PDT #3145 of 10001
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
Frankly, I think Renoir's The Rules of the Game proves that a director with no history of acting can successfully cast himself in a major role in a major movie (one of the best ever created, in fact) and make it even better.
But Shyamalan is no Renoir.
§ ita § - Jul 26, 2006 7:06:33 am PDT #3146 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I despise Tarantino's casting of himself (and anyone else casting him too) because he's a hugely awful actor. That's the other reason that sucks.
Frankenbuddha - Jul 26, 2006 7:09:31 am PDT #3147 of 10001
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"
I think ita's hit the nail on the head as far as I can see. Messianic complex plus persecution complex minus talent equals douchebag.
...for freedom.
No, wait, that's Bob Novak.
t /gratiutous wingnut pundit bashing
I wouldn't say MNS is without talent (unless you're referring strictly to acting here) but I do think he is a much, much better director than he is a writer, and it wouldn't surprise me if he felt just the opposite.
Frankenbuddha - Jul 26, 2006 7:14:31 am PDT #3148 of 10001
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"
I despise Tarantino's casting of himself (and anyone else casting him too) because he's a hugely awful actor. That's the other reason that sucks.
The irony there is, if he's to be believed, is that he got into writing/directing because he really wanted to act. He started writing scripts and thinking about directing them so that someone would cast him in a movie. I actually find him enjoyable in small doses, like the TOP GUN riff in SLEEP WITH ME, and even the slightly larger one on ALIAS, but he seems at his worst in his own movies.
Hayden - Jul 26, 2006 7:17:05 am PDT #3149 of 10001
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
I do think he is a much, much better director than he is a writer, and it wouldn't surprise me if he felt just the opposite.
Yeah, I can grant that he has a flair for gray atmospheric films, but that may be because he has good taste in cinematographers. I knew there was a twist going into The Sixth Sense, and figured it out fairly early on. I didn't see the twist coming in Unbreakable, but I also couldn't understand why the movie was shot in hushed, mute tones. I thought it might be another ghost story because of the cinematography and editing, and I'm still not sure why that movie was so elegaic. I thought Signs was utterly ridiculous and failed at everything but the short footage of carnage around the world on the TV (the birthday party where the aliens first appeared in particular). Didn't see The Village. Don't plan on seeing Lady In The Water.
§ ita § - Jul 26, 2006 7:17:12 am PDT #3150 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
The irony there is, if he's to be believed, is that he got into writing/directing because he really wanted to act.
He gave me Reservoir Dogs. For that I'll always be grateful. But I don't like most of his work, in front of or behind the camera.
Strega - Jul 26, 2006 7:18:56 am PDT #3151 of 10001
Oh, I get why Shymalan's role in Lady in the Water is eyerolly. But Zenkitty seemed to be saying that giving yourself a major role is always bad.
minus talentI think he has talent. That's why I think it's a shame what he's doing with it.
a director has the power to cast himself as an actor
A star has the power to say "I'll only be in this if I can direct." Or "I'll do this for your studio if you'll produce this other movie I want to direct."