|
50 Must-See Movies Of 2002 SIGNS Starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin Director M. Night Shyamalan MUST SEE BECAUSE M Night Shyamalan is the cream of the crop. Little is known about the actual plot of Signs — on a family farm somewhere in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, mysterious crop circles start appearing — but what is clear is the pedigree. With the phenomenal success of The Sixth Sense and the underrated but equally thoughtful Unbreakable, writer-director Shyamalan has established a unique voice grounded in old-fashioned conceits — originality, strong characterisation, respect for the audience — but still capable of delivering enough novelty and sophistication to seem fresh. With Bruce Willis, Shyamalan has proved a genius in playing to an old action hero's strengths, and expect him to do the same here with Gibson. Disney may (or may not) be hyping the flick by planting fake crop circles in South Africa, but this will engross and engage without any publicity stunts. ETA: Sept 13. (...)
If everyone has as much fun watching Gregor Jordan's black comedy as Joaquin Phoenix did making it, Film Four will rest easy. Phoenix arrived two weeks early and refused to take the Christmas break: "I don't do holidays." Sadly for Film Four, who have high hopes for this international production, the cultural climate shift in America meant this "dark" Toronto favourite was pushed back to a tough July U.S. slot. Lucky us. ETA: summer |