Starring: Jaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, William Hurt
Rated: PG-13 for a scene of violence and frightening situations
This review may contain minor spoilers. Read the following at your own risk.
A great misunderstanding is that M. Night Shyamalan makes “scary movies.” While there are certain startling elements in his stories, Shyamalan is more so like Hitchcock then Wes Craven; the jump scenes and spooky twists are just tools in telling his story. So, while most were complaining that they weren’t scared or surprised by The Village, they were missing how great the film truly was: Deakins breath-taking cinematography, Newton Howard’s eerily beautiful score, great performances from Bryce Howard and Adrien Brody, Shyamalan’s creative storytelling (such as not revealing who the main character is until half way through the movie), and the wonderful themes about how sin and suffering doesn’t stem from culture, money or technology, but from humanity. I can’t help but wonder if those who were “so wise” in predicting the twists ever noticed that the bad color in the village ran through the veins of man, or that “those we don’t speak of” were directly linked to sinful actions, mirroring the village's attempt at not discussing sin. Both metaphors of man’s rejection of his own sinfulness are combated by our heroes' selfless love and bravery that is so beautiful, it’s scary.
Lawrence of Arabia
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
Rated: PG
While not my favorite of epics, one can’t deny the beauty and intrigue of the classic film Lawrence of Arabia. While it breaks modern conventions of what a movie should be (4 hours long, little action, no love story, or women), Lawrence is a political and adventure story about one of the most controversial and mysterious men in Brittish history. A mysterious-yet-terrific performance by Peter O'Toole seals the greatness of this monumentally successful and wonderful movie.
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