While Sex and the City has shaped up to be summer’s biggest surprise hit so far, it’s not getting much love from Screengrab readers. To wit: 60% of those polled stated that they would never see Sex and the City, “not even if you paid me.” The next highest vote-getter was “significant other dragged/will drag me”, and a whopping none of you chose “movie event of the summer!” As if the movie’s drop to #4 at the box office wasn’t indication enough, it appears that S&TC fervor has already peaked. Whether or not that’s a good thing I’ll let you decide.
This week brings the release of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, The Happening. Whether you’re a fan of Shyamalan’s work, it’s hard to deny that he’s made a dent in popular culture in the way few filmmakers do nowadays. Whether you think of him as the young tyro who turned a kid with a ghostly secret into the runaway success of The Sixth Sense, the filmmaker whose unique visual style is too often called upon to compensate for his overly gimmicky plots, or the tireless self-promoter whose ubiquity eventually began to eclipse his films, we’ve all got an opinion on the guy. Similarly, we’ve all got a favorite offering of his in the genre that made him famous, the thriller. So which Shyamalan suspense film is your favorite?
As always, comments like “never liked the guy,” “it all went downhill after Wide Awake,” “why didn’t you wait until The Happening came out in my opinion,” or any passionate defenses of Respect the Narf and Tame the Scrunt Lady in the Water are greatly appreciated.