famous last words

What's the Last Thing You'd Say if M. Night Shyamalan Killed You Off?

From last week's revelations about his new "90-minute paranoia film" The Happening to his latest disclosure to USA Today that the movie is "terrifying," M. Night Shyamalan is full of surprises for the first time in years, The concept, that is — not necessarily the execution. And as usual, his enticements have us asking all kinds of questions from the womb-like remove of our Manoj-free sanctum:

"It is an extremely scary movie. This is meant to scare you," the Indian-born director told reporters Monday. ... Mark Wahlberg plays a schoolteacher on the run from a natural disaster that threatens the entire world.

More »

just asking

Is 20th Century Fox Already Cooling On M. Night Shyamalan's 'The Happening'?

There are two ways of looking at 20th Century Fox's decision not to air an ad for The Happening during the Super Bowl last night (Ed. Note: teaser trailer removed by the request of 20th Century Fox). The first is that the company made a financially savvy decision by choosing not to blow $2.7 million on a thirty-second advertisement (like all those other studios did). The other is that the studio is feeling a bit gunshy on the financial prospects of Night's first film since the unmitigated disaster that was Lady In The Water. And as for which theory we think holds more water? We're going with the latter.

More »

trade round-up

Trade Round-Up: Next Steps For Ri Schroder

· M. Night Shyamalan tells exhibitors at the ShowEast conference that collapsing traditional distribution windows is "the worst idea I have ever heard. Then, in a stunning coda that reversed everything his audience thought to be true, he revealed that they were in fact at ShoWest all along. [Variety]
· Sam Mendes acceptance speech for his director of the year award at the Hollywood Film Festival is the height of humility and graciousness: "I'm very fond of giving awards to movies you've never seen. To those of you who've seen the movie, thank you very much. To those of you who haven't it's perfect." [Variety]
· Sony slips into the red, largely in part to well-deservedly ignored crapola like Stealth. Amy Pascal stands soaked in the metaphorical rain, praying a Spidey-in-shining-spandex will lower himself to her upside-down and slip her the profitable tongue. [Variety]
· Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball sets up another drama at HBO based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series of novels, about a world where vampires and humans co-exist. Gee, yet another entertainment industry related show on HBO. Quel surprise. [Variety]
· Lifetime's Strong Medicine kicks the bucket. Rick Schroder thinks about next steps, starting with further shortening his name to Ri.' [THR]