M. Night Fans » AFI

Has it really been 10 years?

Since M. Night Shyamalan, a 29-year-old prodigy, released the now classic film The Sixth Sense in 1999, it has been the subject of parody and the film to which everyone compares each of his own subsequent films.  Whenever a film with a twist comes out, people reference this one.  It is, quite possibly, the greatest twist ending that a film as ever had.  Audience after audience left stunned.  People were unwilling to tell anyone else what the ending entailed, as they wanted their friends to see a great film, and be enamored by a director that no one had ever heard of, telling a story unlike any other.

The Sixth Sense became a cultural phenomenon.  And now, ten years later, I can still watch it and enjoy the careful direction, the precise film making, and the strong dialog that still echoes in my head.  This was the film that truly launched a career and took the world by storm.  It’s no wonder that it found it’s way onto AFI’s updated 100 movies / 100 years list for its’ 10th anniversary, coming in at #89.

It’s the 10th Anniversary of AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Films, and to commemorate the occasion, they made films released from 1996-2006 eligible for inclusion.  The Sixth Sense has been voted onto the list.  It came in at number 89.

Other films from those years appearing on the list are: “Titanic” (#83), “Saving Private Ryan” (#71)  and “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (#50).

Congratulations, M. Night!