Monday, August 02, 2004

Shyamalan's "The Village" Eerily Good

Yesterday afternoon I completed my trio of weekend watchings with a viewing of M. Night Shyamalan's (pronounced sha'-ma-lan) "The Village." Two sentences (after this one) before the review commences. First, you may (or may not) remember Mr. Shyamalan from his other blockbuster movies "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable" and "Signs." Also, "The Village" sports numerous stars such as Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson and Judy Greer (okay, maybe she's not a "star" like the others but I'm pulling for her) but it features the daughter of actor/director Ron Howard, Bryce Dallas Howard, in her feature debut (or what I'm going to call her "big break").

With that said and linked, the review. "The Village" is an excellent movie, another fine installment from M. Night Shyamalan. It begins spooky, progresses to eerie and finishes at "whoah" (to take a cue from the inimitable Keanu Reeves). It's an excellent movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending is very good, I didn't see it coming at all (better than "The Sixth Sense"). I *highly* recommend "The Village" for those who aren't scared away by its trailer.

Alan's Movie Rating: DVD-Worthy

MOVIE RATING NOTE:


It's about time I institute and explain my movie rating system since I consciously apply it to just about every movie I see, whether it be on TV, in the theatre, on DVD or a rental. The scale is highly subjective as it is based on my own reaction to the movie. The scale is, from lowest to highest:
  • Won't see again. (Self-explanatory.)

  • Cable-Worthy (Wait for it to come out on Cable/movie channels.)

  • Rental-Worthy (Worth renting.)

  • Theatre-Worthy (Go see it in the theatre while you still can!)

  • DVD-Worthy (I plan on buying the DVD when it's released.)

No warranties, express or implied, are made that my opinion of the movie will correspond with your impression and reaction. If you're looking for a truly unbiased, objective review of the movie, too bad. I advise you to look on another planet for non-human reviews and opinions. "Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."