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Night at the movies - The Village


Supreme Cmdr
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Let me put it bluntly, if you're not pissed by the time this move ends, you're a better man than I.

See the movie, then you'll probably enjoy my score. I have NEVER felt like a complete and utter tit before. Yes ladies, we've ALL been had and this damn movie is NOT what you think it is. I hope it flops.

1/10

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I'll start off by saying that I am NOT a fan of M Night Shayamalan. I figured out 6th Sense in the first 5 minutes - same goes for Unbreakable. Signs had some holes in logic so big you could drive a truck through them.

The point is this: if you *liked* those pretentious pieces of cinematic crap, then you will HATE The Village.

Really, the movie is a victim of it's audiences own preconceptions. The fact that it's being advertised as a thriller/horror dosn't help one iota. There's no twist, no gimmick, no great revelation. The story is carefully revealed piece by piece rather than in one giant exposition like Shayamalan's other films.

If you've read the reviews then you've heard the same thing over and over "Night spoils the twist and so you are just waiting for the movie to end."

THERE IS NO GOSH DARNED TWIST FOR HEAVENS SAKES!!! This is a movie about love, hope, and overcoming great obstacles in the name of good. Walker spells it out quite clearly in his speach to the council - The Village is place where people can hope for a better future... and you should do everything to nurture that hope.

What's this? A REAL MOVIE with REAL VALUES from M Night Shayamalan? *GASP*

By now I think it's safe to say I absolutely LOVED The Village. It's Shayamalan's best work. It pays off for those who are paying attention to details. This is not a sit-and-watch film - you have to be actively engaged and paying attention.

When you walk into a movie called Death to Smoochie expecting something akin to carebears, and instead get Reservoir Dogs - you're bound to be upset (I remember people bringing gangs of kids to that movie, it's the same story here). Well, when you walk into The Village expecting Sixth Sense - you're not going to happy.

Go into this movie expecting a drama/suspense/love story - not a supernatural thriller. It really has more in common with Anne of Green Gables than The Thing, but there's plenty to love if you know how to look at it.

SCORE: 9/10 - marked down a point for an overdone running-through-the-woods scene.

SPOILERS ENSUE - I believe going into the movie with this knowledge could drastically enhance your appreciation of the film. Knowing this, you will spend less time trying to figure out the nonexistant 'big secret', and actually watch the movie.

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There are no 'real' monsters - they are a story perpetrated by the council, who founded the village on the idea of creating a crim-free society. The Village is hidden in a modern-day forrest and disguised as a wildlife preserve - paid for by Mr. Walker who is one of the richest men in the world. The village does have one bad apple, however... some of the younger ones were raised in The Village, and grew up being told stories about the creatures in the woods. They have no reason to doubt. Noone is allowed to leave the village - not even for medicine, to protect their way of life - mostly to keep the world outside from intruding into their little world. When something bad happens, one person has to venture through the woods and into the world outside for medicine, that person has a hard time coping with the years of lies they grew up with and still partially believes in the creatures. But will they get the medicine and make it back in time?

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END SPOILER

See the Ebert & Roeper review. Roeper *got it*, Ebert didn't.

Again, I give The Village a score of 9/10.

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quote:


Originally posted by Scrivener:

The fact that it's being advertised as a thriller/horror dosn't help one iota.


Yes. Its called false advertising.

quote:


This is a movie about love, hope, and overcoming great obstacles in the name of good.

I went to see a thriller/horror because they pitched me on a thriller/horror. If I wanted to see a love story, I'd have stayed home, cuddled up next to the loved one, thumb in my mouth, and watched any number of stupid crap I'm supposed to be watching in the name of love.

I heard there was some sort of revolt at a local theatre over this movie. I'm not in the least bit surprised.

I hope it tanks at the box office.

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Thanks for heads up on this one. Yeah, the TV adverts here made it look like a thriller/horror or at least a good ghost story. I'm sure it's the same commercial running country wide. So basically, what they did was disguise a chick flick to get the guys to go see it.

Well we still have AVP to look forward to.

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quote:

So basically, what they did was disguise a chick flick to get the guys to go see it.

I wouldn't call it a chick flick - it's more like people coping with the sad crap life throws at them.

quote:

I went to see a thriller/horror because they pitched me on a thriller/horror.

That I can understand. It's actually one of reasons I was so pleasantly surprised... but then again, I'm wierd that way. It was so very un-Shayamalan. I understand that he was really getting boxed in creatively, and most likely wanted to do something that would flat-out piss people off based on their expectations. Sort of like throwing a kid into water to teach him to swim, as if to say "You ruined it for yourself."

*snic* Yeah, I know that's pretty mean - but I actually respect him quite a lot more for it. I went in expecting the same old shlock and was quite happy that it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Anyway, this is a breakaway movie. It's meant to stir up the pot and sift out some of the mass market audience - likely paving the way for something more niche in the near future. What's happening here is that Shayamalan is building his fan base the way he wants it... and he dosn't want people to feel like they know what to expect out of him. He's too pop culture right now, and I think this movie is doing exactly what he wanted it to do.

OT: That scene with Noah and Lucious - god, that was perfect!

That said, under close scrutiny The Village is an experiment in testing his own creative range. It's really destined to become a cult phenomenon. I have no doubt that when the controversy cools off and people start to give this film a second chance with renewed understanding, they'll begin to see how good it really is.

Anyhoo, the same thing happened with Fight Club and Donnie Darko if you remember.

People just need some time to cool off.

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I don't care what Scrivener says, this movie was bollocks. If you actually go and see it, you only have yourself to blame. It has - IMO - *no* redeeming qualities. If I wanted to watch a movie about what shit life throws, I'd switch to the Cannes or Turner Network Classics.

I hope it bombs at the box office. Especially now that $50m worth of people have seen it and are no doubt going to spread the word about how much of a farce it is. I predict that it will drop around 55% to 70% by next Monday.

I hated this movie, not primarily because I was misled, but because it was rubbish.

I hope it bombs at the box office.

quote:


Originally posted by LostInSpace:

True it might be a good movie but the point is that it's being advertised as something it is not. That's like Universal Combat being advertised as a game for the casual gamer (which of course it is not).


EXACTLY!!!!

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I guess this settles it. It's one of *those* films, now.

I havn't seen or heard any middle ground on this one. You either loved it or hated it. Most of the folks at my school loved it - we're talking graphic design here. My friends, however... they sound like SC =)

This qualifies as a Cult Film/Art-House Movie. Make your decisions accordingly.

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quote:


Originally posted by Scrivener:

I guess this settles it. It's one of *those* films, now.

I havn't seen or heard any middle ground on this one. You either loved it or hated it. Most of the folks at my school loved it - we're talking graphic design here. My friends, however... they sound like SC =)

This qualifies as a Cult Film/Art-House Movie. Make your decisions accordingly.


LOL!! Yep.

The part that really, truly, pisses me off the most is that, if it were any other movie, I'd have exited, got my money back, and either gone in to see another movie or gone home.

But no, I sat there thinking ....its going to get better.

As soon as he took the girl to the barn and explained it all, this devolved to ....this b*tch [M. Night that is] had better not be putting me on!. I swear, you could hear the groans in the theatre as people submitted their incredible disappointment. I for one kept thinking that monsters may exist since Hurt kept talking about how there was talk of monsters being in the woods.

Once the girl ended up in the forest, then got spooked.....and they cut to Brody having escaped with you know what, my thoughts went to ....sonofa*****!!! I've been had!!!

I stayed glued just because I was already in too deep and figured, what the heck.

Once the movie ended and everyone started *****ing about how disappointed and pissed they were, I just went and saw Manchurian Candidate. I was too pissed to go home.

I hope it tanks at the box office. One thing for sure, I'm never, ever going to see another one of his movies on day one. Never, ever, again. Bastard.

All that sci-fi channel hullabaloo as well was a marketing ploy. That even enrages me the most. What a goddamn farce.

I hope it tanks at the box office.

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I agree with everything Scrivener said. I was expecting monsters and creatures and death and blood. I was totally wrong, but I loved being wrong and I think Shayamalan is a genius. There were os many cool themes in this movie in my opinion. There was love, overcoming difficult obstacles. There was the concept of "the road to hell being paved with good intentions." They tried to create a crime-free and good society and they had to do something wrong and bad (lie) to do it.

Furthermore, in my opinion, if you went in expecting monsters and ghost it was kinda your own fault. I mean, your own imagination took flight with the previews and even during the movie. You saw what you were expecting and wanting to see.

Anyway, I loved it.

9/10. I marked it down one point because there were SOME scenes that were ruined for me because of people in the theatre and I couldn't enjoy them all.

As a sidenote, I saw this movie on Thursday at a special sneak preview. I was at the CPL for Counterstrike, CoD, Painkiller, exc. I was one of 50 people that won a spot to go see it early.

**SPOILER WARNING**

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During the scene in which the mentally handicapped guy stabbed the supposed main character, half of the people in the theater yelled out "Humiliation!"

That is what the Counterstrike game says when you get stabbed. Talk abot nerds....good lord.

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SPOILER WARNING

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BTW I figured that Noah was in on the little secret because of the way he acted - all giddy when everyone else was frightened. He just seemed like one sadistic bugger - so I also assumed that he was the one skinning the animals too (That's why the council was launching those inquiries - they knew that a lot of this stuff wasn't one of them). I never bought the 'real creatures' argument - and when the one appeared in the forest chasing Ivy I thought it could only be two people - the upset Council woman or Noah guy. If Noah hadn't been locked up I would have guessed it was him trying to get her... after all, Noah didn't have the mental faculty to deduce that Ivy can't see him anyway... it's something his character WOULD do - especially after the beating Ivy gave him. But he was locked up. *shrugs* I never really felt duped, the signs were all there (so to speak) - but if the movie had been edited so that we see Noah's parents reaction (but not the revelation that he escaped and took the costume) before he shows up in the forest, that scene would have been much more effective. Hence the 1pt dock in my score.

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**************SPOILER WARNING***************

I think Noah was the one responsible for cutting up all of the animals. I mean, when they find out he has escaped from the quiet room she even says, "Oh my God, the animals."

I think Noah knew about the secret one way or the other before the movie even started....

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Darn it. My conversion scheme isn't working.

brb

ps: I DO get it; but I had known what kind of movie it was, I would NOT have gone to see it. Thats the point I'm trying to make. Just imagine if next week I went to see AvP and it turns out to be a love orgy between the predators and the aliens. I'd be pissed.

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Hehe...I'll admit it SC, upon watching the previews and watching interviews with Shalymayan it was definetly mis advertised. In a way though, I think it was necessary to get you in the proper mindset. The movie would have been "standard" stuff if there had actually been monsters. The thing I found cool was that you, yourself, the viewer, created the plot twist because you were expecting evil creatures.

Now, if there is a lovy orgy between the Aliens and Predators I'm going to have to thrown down with the manager of the theater and the director...

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