Reader Tim Harden: "I wanted to like this movie. Going to a movie knowing that it will be different (and not in the 'This time the gay cowboys will be transgendered, and fighting the Nazis in space!' way) is exciting. And I like both suspense and fantasy movies. Yet . . . 'Lady' is just not a good movie, and it borders on very, very bad."There is, however, an intriguing defense of Shyamalan in this week's Village Voice.
Variety: "Vindication is rarely as swift or complete as that likely awaiting the Disney execs who passed on M. Night Shyamalan's latest effort 'Lady in the Water' After Disney balked, the director carted the project to Burbank neighbor Warner Bros., then lambasted his former studio for a lack of vision in a tie-in, tell-some book. Disney's misgivings were well founded, as Shyamalan has followed 'The Village' with another disappointment -- a ponderous, self-indulgent bedtime tale."
Philadelphia Weekly: "Has M. Night Shyamalan lost his goddamn mind? That's the only logical excuse for Lady in the Water, the Philly-based writer/director/egomaniac's convulsive seizure of narcissism that's so nakedly personal—and also so unintentionally, hilariously revealing—watching the movie feels a bit like walking in on your roommate while he's masturbating … to a picture of himself."
edited to add in the further interests of equal time: Desson Thomson in the WaPo: "'Lady in the Water,' a captivating amalgam of mystery, thriller and mythic fantasy, eclipses his 1999 debut for sheer inventiveness, audacity and narrative derring-do. . . . Until now, Shyamalan's work has been one of masterful trickery, designed to keep audiences spellbound until the end credits. But for the first time, the filmmaker illuminates a world beyond scheme, beyond the shell games of his earlier films. In 'Lady in the Water,' we no longer think of his characters as mere slaves of the narrative but mazes unto themselves. The eventual outcome of their lives is something we contemplate long after the movie has ended. That's the mark of an artist who makes it his business to push the boundaries of storytelling in Hollywood. And that's exciting."
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