The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan

[Anubis]

I saw the special last night with my brother, and that was some crazy stuff in there. He really wanted to keep his incident at the lake where he almost drowned as a kid secret. The fact that the house he lived in there (that he neglected in his bios) looks just like the Signs house was kind of creepy. Add in the ghost in the mirror when the guys were walking in the house and the crow that attacked them when they opened the door to the room with the mirror.

All kinds of stuff happens around this guy. Crows perching next to him and around him all the time outside, the kid in his drawing matching the 18-something news clipping, and matching the kid that was in the mirror in the house. Crazy stuff.

When the documenteror asked him at the end: "Your making movies are about your life", and he told him about the house, Shyamalan got mad. Not a shrugged off "you guys are joking with me" attitude, but striaght up mad. He leaned over, said "what are you guys doing" and the audio started having malfunctions as he stormed out.

It really was an engrossing viewing. There was a lot of evidence that there's more to this guy that it first seems, and dare I say it, looks like he's got kind of a sixth sense as well, inspiration for his movie. Dude was off in the woods talking "How are you doing" by himself and stuff. Hard to tell, but the guys raised the volume on that footage piece.

There was that picture at the bar with the ghostly blur behind him, andf the light flash on the side, ended up just like a pic in Sixth Sense.

I had just finished discussing this with my brother a few minutes before they mentioned something similar in the show, about how each of his movies has kind of a theme to them.

Sixth Sense - about the sixth sense

Unbreakable - finding out you have a gift and discovering how you are supposed to use it

Signs - faith, believing things happen for a reason

Village - apparently boundaries, and bad things can happen when you step out of them. This one's hard to tell without seeing the movie, but to relate they made a map of everywhere he's lived, everywhere he's shot films, and they are all in the philly area, within a certain radius. He literally does not step outside of his radius.

Shows like this are up to the viewer to decide on most of what they see for themselves wether it's valid or not, but these guys obviously found a really interesting character in Shyamalan. Even the cast members agreed about some odd occurrences.

If they give it again, and you haven't seen it, definately watch it. Anybody have any opinions on this show and it's content?

Edit - fixed a little spelling

Also, please don't let this detour into a religious topic, I know these can potentially derail and I don't want that here. Keep on this show and it's content please.

Edited July 20, 2004 by Anubis

[Blaine23]

The entire show was a hoax. They've already apologized for lying blatantly to try and drum up more hype.

Article about the "Buried Secret" hoax

All that being said, I recorded it on TiVo and I'll watch it when I get a chance. The thing is, I'm far less interested in M. Night as I am his movies. The guy really comes off like a pompous ass in interviews, commentary, etc. It's almost like I'd love to strap him to a chair and force him to watch the crappy Wide Awake starring Rosie O' Donnell and remind him that he's not always a "genius."

[Anubis]

Damn, they did a good job on the fake documentary then. There wasn't a hint that it was fake that I could see at the time. Add me to the list of conned. I do enjoy watching stuff like that though.

Here's the website on sci-fi about it. No mention of the fake yet.

Some of it looked too real. Here's the bar pic.

In retrospect now though The Village footage and hanging out at the new set does make more sense now. Bastards.

Still a good special though.

Edited July 20, 2004 by Anubis

[JsARCLIGHT]

I am not impressed with him... but the promise of his upcoming projects like: M. Night Shyamalan's Bath Robe, M. Night Shyamalan's Buick Dealership, M. Night Shyamalan's Comic Adaptation of his Adaptation of the Importance of Being Earnest, M. Night Shyamalan's Secret of Nimh, M. Night Shyamalan's Wristwatch of doom and the much anticipated M. Night Shyamalan's fall from grace and eventual bussing tables with the cast of Party of Five.

Sorry but to me M. Night Shyamalan = Pompous one note pony.

[mslz22]

I noticed in the first 10 minutes it was bogus, the scene where he is on the internet messageboard, the directors log on was KAHNMAN1, which is con-man 1

[Blaine23]

I noticed in the first 10 minutes it was bogus, the scene where he is on the internet messageboard, the directors log on was KAHNMAN1, which is con-man 1

Or he could just be a huge fan of Ricardo Montalbahn.

"You're going to have to come down here and get me, KAHN!"

[Californium]

Of course, the photo they didn't use because of red eye shows that it's the girl who is the "shaman," not M. Night. I hate it when they skew otherwise valid documentaries toward the conclusions they expect while throwing away contradicting evidence.

Also, I heard the interviewer guy got footage of M. Night transforming into a Zamboni when he thought he was alone in the woods, but that the footage mysteriously went to static in the editing room, and they didn't think a static filled screen with what sounded like an old-school Transformers sound effect would be too convincing. I have to agree with them there. Sure wish I could see that footage though.

[Ladic]

This Docu looked like marketing scheme from a mile away.

[Anubis]

It was 2 AM, maybe I was in a more gullible state of tiredness. I'll stick with that excuse

I do see several parts where it was obvious looking back though now. It's kind of funny actually how my brother and I were glued to it all serious.

Edited July 20, 2004 by Anubis

[Godzilla]

I always skip that kind of stupid crap. Something told me that this was crap from the beginning.

[Jolly Rogers]

I was watching The Grid instead of this blatant marketing tool. Kind of a cross between The Agency and 24 without too much of the soapy drama. Good stuff.

[eugimon]

I do like the new way companies are marketing stuff now... kinda like before Ring came out, people were passing out tapes of the footage from the ring and public events...

[VF-1Asupervalk]

at first i thought this was real until i thought about it and saw it a second time. since i fell for it it makes me a total loser but ya it was a joke

[eriku]

What, did everyone forget the Sci-Fi Channel's Blair Witch "documentary" already? Producers these days must really love the short attention span of this country.

[the white drew carey]

1) I like M. Night Shyamalan.

I don't think he's an ass, I think he's a funny guy who enjoys perpetuating ideas people have about him.

2) One trick pony?

It all chalks up to opinion of his movies. I think he's a 3-trick pony probably going on four come July 30th.

3) The whole show was a gag and Night was fully in on it.

The funniest part is where they interview Johnny Depp who was "supposed" to have been originally cast in Signs, but he backed out when Night required all this crazy stuff and secrecy in his contract, and then he gives examples of the answers he was supposed to give in interviews when asked about Night himself.

The next scene is an interview with Adrian Brody on the set of The Village and, right when he's asked about Night himself, he spouts off the two exact quotes that Depp just mentioned in the previous interview (all the while trying his damnedest to hide a smile).

Another funny part in the same interview with Adrian Brody is how the movie is so secret and he's bound by contract not to give anything away that when the producers of the doc ask him if his character has long or short hair, he replies that he can't answer that.

All in all, the show was goofy. At 3 hours with commercials, it was a lot longer than it should've been. But as a gag on himself, how people perceive him and a little bit of promotion for his new movie, I thought it was OK.

Edited July 20, 2004 by the white drew carey

[JsARCLIGHT]

2) One trick pony?

It all chalks up to opinion of his movies. I think he's a 3-trick pony probably going on four come July 30th.

Yes, he is a one trick pony. All he does are suspense movies with a horror feel and a twist at the end. He is the J.K. Rowling of the movie world, he can only do one thing and hollywood only wants him to do that one thing. Just like how people accuse Lucas of just doing star wars sci fi (even though the man has indy and american grafitti under his belt). If the man came out with a romantic comedy, war story, teen drama or a cops and robbers piece then we can talk. Until then all I see is one trick: writing slow suspense movies with a sh!t on the audience twist at the end... even though the "twists" in Unbreakable and Signs were dumb.

Edit: and before anyone can say it his first movie "Wide Awake" bombed (with a total US gross of only $305,704 I can name one theater run doccumentaries that beat that) and his writing credit on Stuart Little is in the capacity of adapting someone else's story. Come on Shamalamadingdong! Let's see a cop movie!

Edited July 21, 2004 by JsARCLIGHT

[Jolly Rogers]

even though the "twists" in Unbreakable and Signs were dumb.

There was a twist in Signs?! The only twist was what I felt in my stomach after finding out I wasted my 8 bucks and 2 hours of my life.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I also saw Signs in the theater and wanted to try and get my money back but the people I was with would not wait for me to yell at the ticket window people and threatened to leave me there. The twist was more of a long drawn out plot point rather than a crap in your popcorn twist like Sixth Sense.

... and just for the record to those who think I'm harshing on Shyamalan, I am but I'm not. He is falling into a rut in my eyes (and the eyes of many film critics) that I would like to see him get out of. I would like to see his take on something other than the same old spooky suspense movie.

[Solscud007]

I havent watched this and I already knew it was a big hoax.

[justvinnie]

Hehehe... my first thought when I saw the commercials for the "documentary" was wow "The Village" must suck already for them to try and market it like that... It was entertaining, but seriously who actually believes in ghosts???

vinnie

[the white drew carey]

Come on Shamalamadingdong! Let's see a cop movie!

Regardless of your opinion I find this statement rude, racist and fairly redneck.

I thought you were cooler than that, but I guess not.

[soze]

Come on Shamalamadingdong! Let's see a cop movie!

the Kevin and Bean show on 106.7 KROQ Los Angeles kept referring to him today as Shamalamadingdong.

[bsu legato]

By the way, at the end of the Village...

*SPOILER*

They discover that they've really been on Earth all along!!!

*SPOILER*

[JsARCLIGHT]

Come on Shamalamadingdong! Let's see a cop movie! 

the Kevin and Bean show on 106.7 KROQ Los Angeles kept referring to him today as Shamalamadingdong.

Obviously someone here gets the reference... because you know, making fun of someone's name is totally rude, offensive and racist. I guess some folks on this site don't watch much television or listen to the radio. So I guess Agent One and I should drop the line "Girly Men" from our vocabularies as well because it is offensive to gays and feminine men. I'm not racist, if I where racist then you would have read a racial slur and not a play on his name. So I guess all the guys that call me "Andy" instead of my normal last name Anderson are racist rednecks too? I'm trying to have fun on a web message board, not spread hate propaganda. These are the jokes people, laugh at them.

Edited July 21, 2004 by JsARCLIGHT

[Blaine23]

I gotta agree with JSA, I don't find his statement racist. A bit dumb, but that's normal, for my homey.

I have to respect anyone who defends himself in photo parady, though.

[EXO]

Hey JsArclight, you racist redneck bastard...

Why'd you photochop Shamalamadingdong in the bathroom handing out towels to white boys???

[rocco_77]

I knew it was fake in the first 10 minutes.... It was VERY lame, and I wonder what possessed the SciFi channel to air that garbage...

EDIT: I just posted my thoughts about the doc on M.Night... then I read about how someone got offended over a play on his name... Give me a break... Man, has everyone in America become a politically correct wuss with no sense of humor?

After all... You are the "White" Drew Carey... should some of us be offended by your screen name too? For being such an intelligent individual... I though YOU were cooler than that... guess not. Sorry for the rant, but I'm just really tired of all this over-sensitivity.

Edited July 21, 2004 by rocco_77