While its pretty much accepted that the longer M Night Shyamalan’s career goes on, the lower the quality of his films have become. Of course personal taste will vary, but for the most part he isn’t as bankable as he used to be. (Unbreakable is still my fav of his)
I was quite looking forward to seeing how he did with The Last Airbender, as it would be his first film that wasn’t of his own material. He decided to take on the project because his kids were big fans of the show, but honestly where was this guy going to go next. His “twists” were the bread and butter of his films, and without them people lost faith and with them they just predicted a twist and it distracts from the film.
So in Mexico City when he was at a press conference to publicize The Last Airbender a reporter makes some blunt comments about his career and motives to which he calmly opens up a can of shutthefuckup.
While I don’t entirely disagree with the reporter’s comments, I do have to agree FULLY with Shamhammer’s retort.
Of course he thinks he is doing a good job. And yes, if he did think as negatively as the picture the reporter painted of him he would be a prime candidate for depression or suicide.
I have to believe that ANY director is going to have pride in his own works. I don’t think that Shyamalan did anything wrong at all here. He took offense to the statement and addressed it accordingly.
Some people think he is being too pompous about it and I disagree. He makes some valid points about the broad appeal his films must be getting as they are making the studios money, and that some of his films are better recieved in different parts of the world illustrating the subjectivity of opinion. And he caps it off with resentment that he just took The Last Airbender to try and win back his audience.
Perhaps Shyamalan’s best work is behind him, and his real strengths are not with adaptations. But to make an accusation that he isn’t trying is making it personal, and I applaud him for standing up against this reporter like this.
He could have gone Christian Bale on her, but he kept it cool but still scathing.
