Sunday, August 1, 2004

RULE 4: EBERT ISN'T ALWAYS RIGHT: In spite of Roger Ebert's review, I did venture forth to see "The Village" this afternoon, and I'm almost 180 degrees removed from Ebert. Yes, the "what is going on" explanation is a tad disappointing and anti-climactic. (In fact, I'd guessed most of that part of the secret from the trailer.) Yes, Adrien Brody is miscast and largely wasted in his part, as is Sigourney Weaver. Yes, the period dialogue is stilted, especially from William Hurt (though there's a reason for that). But for the first time in Shymalan's movies, it's not the "What" that really matters, but the "Why." I don't feel comfortable sharing more here for fear of spoiling (and I will not be the first to spoil in the comments)--though this is a movie that can't be spoiled with a simple sentence like "Bruce Willis is really dead," the less you know going in, the better. I will say this--ultimately, I think "The Village" has some interesting things to say about American politics and culture, and both sides of the debate will find evidence to support their position in the film. I reccomend seeing it so you can make up your own mind. Also, Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron's daughter) is amazing--I'm thankful we didn't have to see Kirsten Dunst in the part--and it's very nice to see Judy Greer getting a serious role rather than her standard comic second-banana part.

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