Signs

I just got back from seeing Signs and I totally dug it totally. I saw it in one of those really good movie theaters too with the big screen and excellent sound. I totally dug that too. The seats were comfy. This boyfriend and girlfriend got in a fight next to me. I couldn't figure out what the were arguing about but she got up and left before the previews started. The boyfriend just sat there with the 'I'm not chasing after her thing.'  I was kind of psyched because the seat next to me was now empty so I could move my legs around more and stuff. She came back and sat down five minutes into the movie and they didn't say a word to each other. 

Anyway the movie starts up with cool giant sized credits set to sneaky thril thrill sneaky sneak thrill scare music. I liked them. Within ten minutes I had some immediate problems with this flick. I didn't like Mel Gibson. He played a farmer/reverend and I wanted someone different. I don't know who but he was so... Mel Gibson. That soon went away and I accepted him. I still think he might have been miscast. The movie also had Joaquin Phoenix who was good and it had some little girl who was cute and it had a Culkin. I was a little creeped out by the Culkin because he was so Culkiny. I've never seen a family that has such similar kids. Makes you think there's some Culkin factory somewhere. But he was good too.

Also in the beginning the dialogue seemed a little clunky for the first ten minutes or so and the whole movie started to feel very 'scripted'. But around the fifteen minute mark something changed and the movie started to grow on me and it didn't stop growing. It started with little touches of creepy weirdness and shock seconds. (a shock second is like that 'shut the medicine cabinet door and there is someone in the mirror over your shoulder covered in blood and holding a knife.' it comes with music to give you a jolt. a 'shock second' is a term I made up just now.) This movie had alot of shock seconds and most of them worked on me.

Anyway the movie goes through the motions to put the pieces together. It becomes apparent what the 'signs' are for the crop circles and the personal stuff based around this one family. It all worked. I was riveted. Fascinated. I've been reading how they've been calling M. Night "the next Spielberg" and I think that's wrong. I don't like comparisons. He is who he is. And right now he's the best storyteller out there.

Three Good Things About This Movie
- It had some truly scary moments and I liked that cause I like scary.
- It had funny.
- The movie had excellent sounds. Scraping. Clicking. Whumps and thumps.

Three Bad Things About This Movie
- It was a little too clean.
- The media coverage in the film could have been higher impact and more realistic.
- The faith thing was heavy handed. Blah blah blahy.

Bottom line is this is a great story told very well. You can compare the movie to Hitchcock stuff or Spielberg stuff easily. But it's not neither really. It's an M. Night movie and that guy is an undeniably, brilliantly talented mofo just rubbing it in all our faces.