u šumi, u ŠUMI... [aka THE VILLAGE]

[Ghoul]

nakon kinematografskog orgazma that was SIGNS, evo prve reakcije na super-tajni skript za novu Shyamalanovu ejakulaciju [pardon my French ]

Written by M. Night Shyamalan

Draft date: Unknown


Spoilers abound so proceed with caution. And don't fret, I won't blow the staple Shyamalan "surprise" mass audiences have come to expect from him.


Well, a draft of his fourth big-budget directorial effort, The Woods (hmm, I wonder if the trailers will say "The Fourth Film By M. Night Shyamalan"?) has landed on my coffin lid and seeing as it was just too enticing to ignore (not to mention it's "creatures" were shrouded in secrecy, I just had to know what they were) I flipped the cover open to page one and didn't stop until I was finished 125 (!) pages later.


Truthfully, I now wish I had turned my back on temptation.


Of Shyamalan's parables, The Woods might just be one script that's best left unread, a hazy blueprint that only its creator can decipher as something thoroughly engaging and frightening. It's his most original concept to date, however, one that's weak-kneed in the execution department.


The basic gist we've all read in the trades and on the web are quite accurate: a village of simple folk, encompassed by your standard fairytale and highly feared thick "woods," play out their simple lives knowing there are "mythical creatures" living in the forest. Their relationship with these creatures is not a nurturing one, nor are their lives stricken with constant fear of the beasts. Apparently there's a mutual understanding: the creatures (or "Those We Don't Speak Of" [ili, THOSE WHO WALK BEHIND THE ROWS... ]) do not wander into the village therefore its residents are not allowed to trespass into the woods. In case there is a breach of this pact, such as a creature being spotted in the village, a bell is rung and the villagers, in a rather somnambulistic fashion, retreat to their cabins and journey down underground for safety. This sequence, which we envision in the first fifteen pages, sparked a similar image in my mind: the innocently ignorant Eloi, upon hearing the siren, form a single line to meet a certain cannibalistic doom at the hands of the Morlocks.


Anyhow, the peaceful existence of the villagers is broken when small dead animals are being found around town skinned of all their fur. This naturally raises concern in the village elders and schoolteacher Edward Walker who, as more carcasses are discovered, try to investigate why the creatures are upsetting the balance that was established some time ago. Thrown in for good measure, there's further mystery to be found in some "black boxes" that reside in every villager's cabin.


Notably, this is probably Shyamalan's first film where he hones in on a strong romantic angle – a love triangle amongst a stoic, quiet young man named Lucius, his blind gal pal   , Ivy, who "senses" the color aura of those around her (I was always waiting for someone to put this in a movie, my wife has that same ability – freaks me out), and     a retarded kid [VEC SAM SE PITAO GDE JE RETARD!] who gets all giddy when the wails of the creatures is carried on the wind and heard throughout the village.


What's the twist? You dog, do you think I'm really going to tell you? Rather than utilize one quick jab-to-the-gut surprise, M. Night settles for a trio of twists and turns in the last twenty pages that you'll either see coming a mile away or you won't. I couldn't help but see shades of Brotherhood of the Wolf and the obscure 1988 flick The Navigator as I closed in on the final page but, for what it's worth, the conclusion doesn't help at all the fact that The Woods is pretty   stale    [CAN IT BE?] as it comes. Other than the predominant, hippie "love is everything" theme     , Shyamalan skips down the subtextual trail taking stabs at humanity's greed and other unhealthy pitfalls. But let me stop there because further discussion will only have me slip up and blow the ending so I'll just lay it out real easy-like: this is the farthest thing you're going to get from a horror film. Yes, there are one or two unnerving minutes that M. Night knows will be the theatrical trailer's money-shots, yet, the film all amounts to – as I said earlier – a nifty idea that could stand for a few more passes. It's a skeleton of something that could be memorable, terrifying, and heart wrenching. This is a script that feels rushed (perhaps by Disney's anxiousness?), premature. The first of the third-act twists is a cop-out and a stark reflection that M. Night should have let his creative juices stew a bit longer before taking The Woods off the fire.

[cunt wait cunt wait cunt wait...]

[taurus-jor]

Politi benzinom i spaliti pre no shto neko otkupi ili ulozi pare.

[Truba]

i ja se priključujem (mada nemam pojma o čemu se radi ali slijepo slijedim drugove)

[Ghoul]

slijepo slijedim drugove)

Komi, bar od tebe sam ocekivao da mi cestitas Praznik Rada! Zar ne znas da ameri danas slave Labour Day?

[taurus-jor]

Komunjaro, jesi li čitao Radoja Domanovića?

[Truba]

slijepo slijedim drugove)

Komi, bar od tebe sam ocekivao da mi cestitas Praznik Rada! Zar ne znas da ameri danas slave Labour Day?

ma ne gledam vijesti
ali načuo sam nešto

nisam čitao tog Homanovića

[Ghoul]

nisam čitao tog Homanovića

trebalo bi!