Collin R. Skocik

Today I saw M. Night Shyamalan's latest film, Lady in the Water, and on the distant off-chance that Mr. Shyamalan happens across this blog, I would like to appeal to you, sir, Keep It Up! I'm dismayed by the surprisingly large number of detractors who say you've lost your touch, that The Sixth Sense was your only good film, that you've come to depend too much on surprise endings -- to them I say CRAP! The Village is quite easily one of the smartest movies I've ever seen, and I found Lady in the Water to be profoundly moving and I can't wait to see it again. Sure, Signs and Unbreakable weren't quite my cup of tea, but I still appreciated the genuineness and the creative spirit behind them. And Mr. Shyamalan, that's what you have that almost no other filmmakers of today have: genuineness. Please don't let the critics and the naysayers beat you down. Keep making films that you believe in, because even if they're not the blockbuster megahits of today, they are the films that will be remembered. And they will find their own audience. Maybe not the popcorn-munching morons who feast themselves on adrenaline-driven drivel that the big studios shove down our throats every opening weekend, but instead you'll find -- if you haven't already -- a permanent following of quiet and thoughtful people who will see your films without knowing a thing about them, as indeed I did with Lady in the Water, simply because they know that you'll deliver. And yes, I went into The Village with certain expectations which were not fulfilled -- but I was able to shift gears and appreciate what you were doing, and I came out all the richer for it. You made me think. My wife and I talked about the movie for the rest of the day. I went into Lady in the Water expecting another The Village, and once again had to shift mental gears completely. Fine. It was an exhilarating movie.

So please, Mr. Shyamalan, stay the course. Even if no one knows it now, you will be remembered as one of the cinema greats. I'm already comparing you to Stanley Kubrick, I kid you not. Just remember Bob Balaban's delightful Critic From Hell and think of him every time someone says something negative about one of your movies.