Category: Features

SplitS
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February 26, 2023

Split saw Shyamalan give James McAvoy the roles of a lifetime

McAvoy approaches the superpowered Kevin Wendell Crumb and his alters with care and empathy, overcoming sketchy psychology.
The VisitT
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February 26, 2023

The Visit was a Pennsylvania homecoming for M. Night Shyamalan

After a series of disappointments, Shyamalan went back to his beginnings with a PA-set thriller that is as concerned with its cameras as it is with its characters.
The Happening (20th Century Fox)T
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February 24, 2023

The Happening is a disaster worthy of love

Shyamalan’s eco-horror misfire almost ended his career, but 15 years later, the film comes off more as a goofy cult classic than box office bomb.
The Village (Touchstone Pictures)S
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February 24, 2023

Shyamalan struggles on the path to The Village

M. Night Shyamalan’s first big stumble has disappointing twists, but that was never its true problem.
Signs (Touchstone)S
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February 23, 2023

Signs and the Mediated Apocalypse

M. Night Shyamalan's alien invasion saga draws its power as much from the perception and presentation of the invasion as it does the event itself.
UnbreakableU
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February 13, 2023

Unbreakable remains a high point for Shyamalan and Bruce Willis

The first of M. Night Shyamalan's Eastrail 117 trilogy frustrates with its approach to superhero comics as a medium but excels in its drama-and-thrillcraft.
The Wedding SingerT
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February 13, 2023

The Wedding Singer at 25: one of the best rom-coms of the 90s still charms today

A look back at the sweet & quirky comedy that showed a different, far less obnoxious side of Adam Sandler.
FOTM: M. Night ShyamalanF
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February 6, 2023

Filmmaker of the Month: M. Night Shyamalan

The Spool's film-by-film exploration of intriguing directors returns with a journey across the career of Philadelphia's one-of-a-kind thrillmaster.
Wide AwakeW
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February 6, 2023

Wide Awake, M. Night Shyamalan slowly rises

Shyamalan's first theatrical release is far removed from his most famous work—but does contain seeds of the filmmaker he'd become.
Sundance 20231
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January 14, 2023

10 films we can’t wait to see at Sundance 2023

From anticipated followups by acclaimed filmmakers to exciting debuts by new voices, here's a shortlist of what to catch at this year's fest.