There Shall Be No Night

I recently saw Lady In The Water, a disastrous miscalculation by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (though Nina Jacobson, the Disney exec who turned it down, was the one who got cashiered).

Night is coming off four hits (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village) but I can't say I think much of his work. I like his directing style, where he often holds the shot so we can watch the actors act, but I'm not as big a fan of his writing.

Still, I'll give the guy credit. He has a vision and he's willing to stick to it, even fight for it. In a town where most of the films are sequels or remakes or based on proven properties, he's willing to try something different. That's what the critics always say they want (until they get it).

Some are suggesting Shyamalan try something different--a big-budget spectacle with someone else's script, even a James Bond or superhero film. I say stick to it, Night. Better to fail gloriously than succeed at something plenty of others can do.