M. Night Shyamalan

M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Visit’ just made surprisingly good money for a small, independent opening. Could he be on the rise as a player again?

‘The Visit,’ filmed on a modest budget, takes a ton of chances and offers, perhaps, the most unrestrained vision we’ve seen from M. Night Shyamalan.

Ever since Wayward Pines was announced as an M. Night Shyamalan project, the threat of the twist ending is one that’s hung over the entire series. For better or worse, Shyamalan’s name is associated with stories that try to come out of left field in the apex of the third act and surprise you with the idea that nothing you’ve witnessed is what it seems, ends that enjoy their trickiness so much it keeps them blind to the fact that they don’t bear up under scrutiny. And given the early ads for the show, which were heavy on that symbolism—as well as too heavy on imagery and quotes that invited unflattering Twin Peaks comparisons—it was hard to dissuade yourself of that expectation going in.

If an episode called “The Truth” built up any expectations by virtue of its title, it met all of them and then some. This is the best episode of Wayward Pines to date, a tightly crafted hour that answers the show’s biggest questions and does so in the most satisfying manner possible.

The term ‘Plot Hole’ has grown legs and begun a marathon sprint in the last few years. In most cases, the vast majority of accusations were false, revealing a common misunderstanding of what plot hole means.

Hollywood history always makes for fascinating reading. Hindsight and whatnot. During a month in which Sound on Sight takes an opportunity to tip a collective hat in the direction of recently ‘retired’ workhorse auteur Steven Soderbergh, there is a further chance to reel back the years and examine a period of time when one of …

A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

Django Unchained Directed by Quentin Tarantino Written by Quentin Tarantino USA, 2012 Quentin Tarantino wears his style on his sleeve. Homages, tributes, and callbacks to older films, forgotten performers, and oft-ignored genres are part and parcel of his filmography. But one element of his aesthetic has become more pronounced over the years: his fierce, almost …

*Exclaimer: Please don’t read this if you haven’t seen Inception, The Empire Strikes Back, Planet of the Apes, The Wizard of Oz, Saw, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, The Usual Suspects or The Sixth Sense – As a probable testament to my poor academic acumen, I cannot, in good memory, recall the particulars of the situation …

The Last Airbender Directed by M. Night Shyamalan M. Night Shyamalan has had a tough time of it. Since his breakthrough classic The Sixth Sense in 1999, he hasn’t been able to find the right balance to please both critics and the public alike. Signs was his last film to be shown some respect, but …