M. Night Fans » Unbreakable

Framed: Unbreakable

Rohan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:50:50 +0000

The folks from Cinematical runs a column every Thursday called “Framed” to celebrate the artistry of cinema — one frame at a time. Personally, I like the idea and I even love it now since they have “Unbreakable” on their list. Like every other website they commence their article discussing how M.Night Shyamalan was one of the brightest film directors and now he is going down. Hey, at least that’s their opinion and our opinion differs from theirs for it is clearly showing where Shyamalan is heading with his career. Despite the brutality of the critics against “The Last Airbender” the film has earned over $300 million worldwide and ‘Devil’ doing great as well. And, not to forget, Shyamalan’s clash with Smiths for a new project called “One Thousand A.E.”.

Anyways, I can go on, yet at least they have better things to say about the beauty of Unbreakable. And, it’s nice how they have discussed carefully every frame. It’s worth the visit and to read.

Framed: Unbreakable

‘Unbreakable’: Giveaway

Rohan — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 01:34:04 +0000

Looks like the folks from MTV are the big fans of M.Night Shyamlan’s dark superhero film “Unbreakable”. They brought M.Night Shyamalan into town last week for a look back on the film 10 years after it first hit theatres and whoever attended the special screening at the New York Comic Con 2010, MTV give away bunch autographed posters, copies of the movie, and various other promo items at the panel, yet that’s not it.

There is more “Unbreakable” stuff to give away including tickets to next weeks’s screening of ‘Unbreakable’ at the Philadelphia Film Festival.

Here is what MTV is giving away:

- “Unbreakable” t-shirts (two styles) in sizes L-XXL. There are limited numbers of certain sizes and designs, but I’ll try to make sure winners get as close to the size they’re looking for as possible.

- “Unbreakable” fitted hats in sizes M and L.

- Two pairs of tickets to the screening of “Unbreakable” at the Philadelphia Film Festival on Thursday, October 21. You can find more info about the screening here: http://pff10.org/

Here’s what you have to do to win an “Unbreakable” shirt and/or hat:

1. When this post goes out on the official MTV Splash Page Twitter account, retweet the full message (including hashtags) to all of your followers. If you don’t have a Twitter account, leave a comment in this post letting us know how much you love “Unbreakable” and that you want to win a free shirt or hat!

2. Each weekday for the next few days (starting Monday, October 18), I’ll randomly select a few winners from Twitter and the comment section. I’ll make sure to post each day’s winners on Twitter and in the comment section (look for “rick@splashpage”), so you know to keep trying if you didn’t win yet. Keep in mind: You must be following @MTVSplashPage to win via Twitter, because I need to be able to direct-message the winning account.

The winners will receive an “Unbreakable” hat and/or t-shirt (depending on how much of a response we receive).

Here’s what you have to do to win tickets to the “Unbreakable” screening at the Philadelphia Film Festival:

1. Leave a comment here with the phrase “UNBREAKABLE TICKETS” letting us know how much you love the film and that you’d like to win a pair of free tickets to the screening.

2. On Monday (October 18) at 6 PM Eastern, I’ll randomly choose two winners from everyone who left a comment with the phrase “UNBREAKABLE TICKETS” and send them a message via their MTV.com reader account. Make sure to set up the necessary account notifications and/or check your account for messages that evening, as I’ll need your shipping info ASAP to get you the tickets in time! (You’ll get a message from “rick@splashpage” asking you for your info.)

The winners will each receive two tickets to the 7:20 PM screening of “Unbreakable” at the Philadelphia Film Festival on Thursday, October 21. The winners will also receive a pair of “Unbreakable” hats and t-shirts. You don’t actually have to wear them to the screening, but if you do, make sure to take pic and send it to us!

And that’s all you have to do!

IMPORTANT NOTE: The contest is open to all contestants, not just U.S. and Canadian residents. However, you probably shouldn’t try to win the “Unbreakable” tickets if you can’t make it to Philadelphia on Thursday evening.

M.Night at NY Comic Con 2010

Rohan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:17:31 +0000

Thanks to MTV News for hosting an event that took a look at one of the first dark superhero films of the decade: M.Night Shyamalan’s “UNBREAKABLE”. M.Night Shyamalan himself was also present at the event. The filmmaker had the chance to sit and talk about Unbreakable, fans and also a possible sequel to the movie. Thanks to the folks at MTV for the videos. Check out the videos below and post your comments on what do you think of the event.

There are more selected highlights from the 60 minute panel. View the rest of entry for more videos. We are all fans of M.Night Shyamalan and his work, so check back soon for more information on “Unbreakable” sequel.

The ‘Initial Idea’ Of ‘Unbreakable’ Was A ‘Plane Crash’

Why Hasn’t There Been An ‘Unbreakable’ Sequel?

Shyamalan Is Still ‘Thinking About’ An ‘Unbreakable’ Sequel

What Would You Change About ‘Unbreakable’?

Shyamalan Loves Twist Endings

“Night” will be coming out into the light

Rohan — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:46:54 +0000

Academy Award nominated director M.Night Shyamalan, who shoots his films in the Philadelphia region and is most famous for “The Sixth Sense” will celebrate the first-decade anniversary of “Unbreakable.” The filmmaker will appear at a screening and answer questions afterward. The intriguing PG-13 fantasy thriller stars Bruce Willis, Samul L. Jackson and Robin Wright.

According to Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, his appearance ranks as a wonderful opportunity for movie fans.

“I’m excited about the 10th anniversary of ‘Unbreakable’ and I’m thrilled that Night is presenting the film,” she said at a Center City media gathering to announce the festival’s guests and schedule. “He’s getting in touch with Philadelphia fans who admire him so much.”

“10th Anniversary Screening of ‘Unbreakable’/An Evening With M. Night Shyamalan” will be held Oct. 21 at 7:20 p.m. at the Prince Music Theater.

In addition to celebrating “Unbreakable,” the festival will be showing another 106 films from Oct. 14 to 24.

Visit their site to obtain more information about the festival and other films. http://pff10.org/

Thanks to Burlington County Times

Shyamalan speaks at New York Comic Con

Rohan — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:24:40 +0000

Writer/Director/Producer M.Night Shyamalan was present at New York City Comic Con 2010 this past weekend. His 2000 hit superhero film “Unbreakable” was screened and he took the time to answer some questions and reveals some information on the sequel. Read on below the 10 best quotes about his regrets, plans and all things ‘Unbreakable’.

10. On shooting ‘Unbreakable’ without coverage:

“There are hunters and there are gatherers. Most filmmakers are gatherers and we gather and gather [footage] and see what we have in the editing room, but I’m a hunter. Kubrick was a hunter. You just pick [your shot] and go and don’t care about anything else. If I don’t get what the movie wanted, then I’m okay living with that.”

9. On DVD commentaries:

“I don’t do them – they feel like gynecological exams.”

8. On what he would change about ‘Unbreakable’ if he shot it today:

“I think I was a little morose as a human being at that time, just a hair – 5 percent. If I made ‘Unbreakable’ today I would go a little more to the line of tonality that the movie is also about a little boy who thinks his father is Superman, and this little boy is right. I’d just focus more on the joy of the gift – just 5 percent more.”

7. On recent superhero films that have resonated with him:

“I just loved the tonality of the first ‘Iron Man,‘ that was just a slam dunk. In the press conference in the end, they caught something, and Tony Stark’s compassion as a human being and his reaction to society… the same character resonates with audiences a lot. Jack Sparrow, The Joker, Tony Stark, they’re all making fun of the way we conduct our lives right now cause it’s not real and that resonates with people, that this is not working – the way we’re doing things – and this is our voice right now. And Tony Stark was saying that this is a joke the way you think about things.”

6. On his reputation for twist endings and their place in The Night Chronicles:

“I was really naive [during 'Unbreakable'] and didn’t think of twist endings as burdens at all. I love giving you a perspective that’s giving you a wrong impression and using your impressions against you… I like that, but I don’t want to use that format every single time. But if left up to me, I’d probably use that format 6 out of 10 times. A lot of the Night Chronicles do have that format.”

5. On one scary ‘Unbreakable’ fan:

“‘Unbreakable’ has unusual fans because they relate to the supernatural stuff and the grounded nature of it creates an opportunity for someone to take an extra leap. There was one day when I was writing ‘Signs‘ and I was in an office building and the buzzer rang and I heard some kind of squabbling going on down the hall. I could tell by the tenor of the voices that something unusual was going on, and it was someone out front who thought he was ['Unbreakable protagonist] David Dunn. He was saying I made the movie for him and that he’s ready to fight superheroes with me. And he brought his wife with him which was kinda weird… i didn’t actually go out there, because of security and stuff.”

4. On ‘Unbreakable’s’ commercial failure and making something that other people just don’t get:

“You feel clarity as a human being when you feel like you’re onto something, but it’s tough when everything that comes back says ‘No, that’s not the case…’ And the contingent that likes it are the quiet ones at the time. At the time, I wasn’t properly prepared to analyze ‘Unbreakable’s failure, and for a long time if you said the word ‘unbreakable’ I would get upset. I wanted to get as far away as I could, and you can see tonally how I went to a different place with ‘Signs’ and went to not as dark a place, more upbeat, more positive. I wasn’t’ nearly as aggressive with my shot-making on that movie – there was a 400 shot version of ‘Signs’, but I didn’t go with it.”

3. On his depression following ‘Unbreakable’s release, and the kids who were mean to him:

“To be perfectly honest, the 29 year-old version of me was just hurt by the reception to this film, and I didn’t have the perspective to know better…It was confusing to me at the time. There were a certain set of expectations that were not met. I’d be in a restaurant and there’d be a group of kids who’d recognize me and start making fun of me cause of ‘Unbreakable,’ and i’d be like, ‘Really?’ I was in a record store and some guy was like ‘There’s M. Night Shyamalan’ and the other kid was like ‘Yeah, but unbreakable sucks.’ Loud enough for me to hear! …The first time we screened it for Disney they had an incredibly strong positive reaction to the movie and their jaws dropped, and the next day we screened it for a public audience in CA and the scores were low. Not tragically low, but low. I was standing on a sidewalk and the editor and an executive were saying they didn’t believe the results, that they knew what this movie is. I didn’t understand it at the time – i was dazed, I was trying to find answers.”

2. On an ‘Unbreakable’ sequel:

“It took a long time before I was able to look back on ‘Unbreakable’ and feel pride about it. I was too young, and there was too much happening to interpret with strength. I’ve got one side of the artistic thing huge which is that i only want to do original films and take risks, but the other side I’m not very good at is taking the repercussions.

If i did a sequel, it would cause a reaction, because it wouldn’t be this movie it would be a whole other thing in my head. My instinct is take the opportunity to have all these expectations and do something really wild. but i’m thinking about it…”

1. On his creative process and his current tonality:
“I wish i could make whatever movie comes to mind, but I can’t… Audiences are changing the tonality, the sweet-spot of the audience has shifted so much from 1982 with ‘E.T.’ that hit the sweet-spot, and [that movie] is seen as so young and so soft now that it’s way off the target, and darker filmmakers who weren’t in the sweet-spot 9 years ago are dead in the sweet-spot now. I sort of swing from the dark spot to the ‘E.T.’ spot. I love Kubrick movies, which would be in the sweet-spot today but were way on the fringe back then. The only way the process of coming to terms with that affects me is that now I have a new movie idea and I feel at peace about it cause it’s dark and edgy, so I don’t have to come up with an answer to that question right now. I’ll worry about it when I have another soft movie. I mean, I have my [daughters] here, I’m a soft guy. I cry at ‘Extreme Home Makeover.’ But I have another side too where i’ll play ball and I’ll definitely fight with you.”

New York City ComicCon: Unbreakable: Ten Years Later Panel

Specter — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:37:28 +0000

At NYCC’s “Unbreakable: Ten Years Later” panel with M. Night Shyamalan, the director made his first Comic Con appearance of any kind, period. He encountered an enthusiastic crowd and discussed ideas for Unbreakable 2 that have never come to fruition.

After showing a clip from Unbreakable, Shyamalan met the crowd to a rapturous applause and began recounting the criticism of the film had measured. He remembered how a Carrot Top movie that had been released the same time as Unbreakable had received higher praise from particular news outlets. Indeed, this panel was a vindication of sorts for the director.

The director also noted how the movie industry’s experienced a superheroic sea change — he attempted to sell Unbreakable as a superhero movie but encountered resistance from the studios. Indeed, a fuzzy nostalgia for the late 1990s-early 2000s pervaded the panel (after all Unbreakable debuted Thanksgiving 2000). Shyamalan also spoke at length about his admiration for Quentin Tarantino as a pioneering filmmaker. He also noted that he’s met “unusual fans” of the film, including one fan who wanted to fight crime with Shyamalan.

MTV played a clip show of a correspondent trying to convince Shyamalan to make Unbreakable 2; it also showed footage of Bruce Willis and Sam Jackson expressing interest in a sequel. Shyamalan noted that there wasn’t an immediate sequel as he was hurt by the reception of the film at the time. He recounted how callous teenagers on the street would crack wise about Mr. Glass. Goodness knows how he took the Airbender reception — in fact, the film wasn’t mentioned once during the panel. However Shyamalan did explain that he had originally planned to direct Devil after The Village.

The director also mentioned that as an artist, he’s not good at “taking the repercussions.” He noted that he’s had ideas for Unbreakable 2, but he was afraid the sequel wouldn’t live up to the original. He said that he has considered writing a comic book Night Chronicles sequel to Unbreakable. Indeed, the past was on display here, and we didn’t hear much about his future projects.Overall, Shyamalan was content to revisit the past. Alas and alack, there were no twists up his sleeve.

-via io9

MTV presents ‘Unbreakable’ at NY Comic Con 2010

Rohan — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 02:09:10 +0000

I thought we are the only ones obsessed with M.Night Shyamalan’s superhero thriller ‘Unbreakable’, but according to MTV’s Splash Page those folks are showing off their love and obsession of ‘Unbreakable’ in a different, yet unique manner. It’s a good news for all the M.Night Shyamalan fans out there and thanks to MTV for it.

M.Night Shyamalan’s dark superhero tale first hit theatres in 2000. After MTV pestering M.Night Shyamalan about a potential sequel for years and recently discovering that we might actually see it, but just not Unbreakable 2. MTV is making their collective love for the film official with a special 10th Anniversary panel during New York Comic Con attended by M.Night Shyamalan himself.

“MTV Presents ‘Unbreakable: Ten Years Later’ With M. Night Shyamalan” will be held Sunday, October 10, at 12:45 PM in the IGN Theater. And check it out the awesome trailer for the film below.

‘Unbreakable 2′ repurposed for ‘Night Chronicles’

Rohan — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:12:32 +0000

MTV Movies recently had the chance to sit with Writer/Director/Producer M.Night Shyamalan where Shyamalan was again asked about the possibility of a sequel to his 2000 dark superhero film “Unbreakable”. Previously M.Night Shyamalan stated that he is looking for the right story for “Unbreakable 2″, yet we were not sure if M.Night Shyamalan was seriously considering a sequel to Unbreakable.

It’s a great news for all the fans out there because M.Night Shyamalan revealed that his “Unbreakable 2″ story will indeed hit the big screens, but as a completely different film.

“I cannibalized the idea for the sequel to ‘Unbreakable’ for one of the ‘Night Chronicles,’” revealed Shyamalan.

“It was such a cool idea for a villain, and it was actually originally in the script for ‘Unbreakable,’ and it was too much,” he said of his reasons for excising the element that was intended to become “Unbreakable 2.” “There were too many villains, so I pulled this villain out and was like, ‘I’ll make this the second flick.’”

However, as the filmmaker got caught up in other projects and “Unbreakable 2″ became less likely, the seed of that idea still managed to grow.

“I fleshed it out more and more, and thought, ‘This could be a standalone movie,’” he said. “I’ll just say it: the third ‘Night Chronicles’ movie is what would have been the sequel [to 'Unbreakable']. So now I need to come up with a new idea.”

Shyamalan also semi-validated “Unbreakable” fans’ appreciation for the 2000 film, admitting that it’s also one of his own favorites.

“Literally, that’s the question I get asked the most anywhere around the world — if I’m making the sequel to ‘Unbreakable,’” he laughed. “I love that movie. ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘The Village’ are my favorite two movies of mine.”

What you guys think about a sequel to Unbreakable?

The Last Airbender box office update

Rohan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:23:43 +0000

Critics took their turn bashing M.Night Shyamalan’ s THE LAST AIRBENDER and some even stepped outside of the box to bash M.Night Shyamalan personally. Disrespecting the “The Sixth Sense” “Unbreakable” director and chanted that M.Night Shyamalan’s career is over.

However, reviews are often useless when it comes to the box office, which can disgust critics and make studios sign in relief. Even some poorly reviewed movies are box office hits and can save a franchise. The Last Airbender was opened on the Fourth of July weekend and in spite of review rants the film opened big and Shyamalan laughed heading to the bank.

The Last Airbender was opened in a difficult period. Twilight: Eclipse was destroying all competitions in its first weekend, while Toy Story 3 was still doing big business in its third week. All the awful The Last Airbender review scores may ensured that it would get blown by Eclipse, yet that didn’t meant that the film would be a bomb.

According to Deadline Hollywood, the film opened to $16 millions on Friday July, 2, 2010, behind Eclipse’s third day of $28.2 million. Despite all of The Last Airbender review complaints, the film was built in brand name. M.Night Shyamlan himself is still a brand, despite his declining reputation. In addition, the 3D prices also helped boost the numbers, even though most critics stated that the 3D conversion was terrible.

Let’s not constitute the film a bomb. The Last Airbender earned $20.3 million from 45 territories according to Box Office Mojo. It held steady to a $3 million first week take in China and a $4.3 million debut in Mexico. In two months, The Last Airbender earned $122.2 million overseas for a worldwide (domestic plus foreign) total of $252.8 million.

M.Night Shyamalan always planned to make THE LAST AIRBENDER into a trilogy. Now we are waiting for Paramount to green lit the project with a trilogy.

Shyamalan embraces inner kid

Rohan — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:45:18 +0000

M.Night Shyamalan is known for spine-chilling thrillers with ghoulish final-frame twists like in The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and The Village. But director M Night Shyamalan says he loved getting the chance to be a big kid again when making his latest film ‘extravaganza’ The Last Airbender.

Based on a hit children’s TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the film in which the world is at war and its fate lies in the hand of one small boy. ‘I think each artist thinks of themselves at a certain period of their life and a little bit of me perceives me as a ten-year-old a lot,’ Shyamalan tells AAP from his home in the US.

‘You see it, even in my darker pieces – there’s always a perspective from that age group. Whether it’s Unbreakable when he sees his father in a certain way, obviously in The Sixth Sense and also in Signs which tells the kid’s point of view of what’s going on.

‘It’s always feathered in there. ‘The Last Airbender tells the story of a primitive world which is being threatened with extinction by the Fire Nation, who aims to annihilate the more peace-loving nations of Air, Water and Earth.

But then a ‘waterbender’, who is still learning to control her powers, discovers the long-lost Aang – not only the world’s last airbender, but an avatar sent to save the earth.

It was Shyamalan’s own children who introduced him to the captivating TV series which inspired the big-budget, CGI-assisted, 3D film. ‘Usually people are getting stabbed in all of my movies,’ Shyamalan laughs.

‘It was fun to make a movie that the whole family was a part of from beginning to end. ‘(My kids) were hanging out (on set) and they’re friends with the cast and when I come home, the cast is at my house – it was like that kind of atmosphere.

‘It was a very emotional, fun time – kind of being a kid and doing something for the family and families and thinking with a different part of my brain. It was a soul-enriching kind of thing.’ Wrapping the movie and saying goodbye to the young cast was a tough day, Shyamalan says.

‘It’s always emotional at the end of a movie, but that one in particular was hard,’ he says. Shyamalan is hoping to get the green light on a sequel to The Last Airbender, but he doesn’t think his darker film-making days are over. ‘As the kids grow older and become teenagers, I’ll start to make movies for them at that age, and soon they’ll be adults and we’ll be making only thrillers again,’ he laughs.

‘But it’s nice to make movies for your kids while you have kids.’ The director always had it in his mind to create an alternate world on film, but he acknowledges that in transforming the hit TV series for the big screens he is under a lot of pressure from hard-core fans to get it right.

‘They know the width of the arrow on the head and all that stuff,’ he says. But it was a story that should always have been told on a grand scale, he argues.

‘The ideas were so cinematic … it felt like it was almost too big for what it was before,’ he says. Shyamalan says he had always considered CGI effects to be his ‘arch nemesis’, but he embraced them for this film and soon learned to love them.

‘I’m glad I don’t see it as an enemy anymore,’ he says.

‘I’m a technophobe a little bit. I think it’s just my old curmudgeon ways of not wanting to change, more than anything else.

‘But spending all this time working with CGI I’ve really come to love it as an art form … I think I’ve learned a new tool for the belt.’ Shyamalan, who describes himself as a ‘minimalist film maker’ doesn’t envisage a CGI-dominated movie like Transformers on his horizons.

‘I think when I go back to doing other movies I’ll be able to use it as a tool, but it will still have a minimal part of the story-telling process,’ he says.

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