Hey folks, Harry here with the next major, oh my god I can't wait to see it, movies of the summer. Unfortunately, I'm likely to be in China when the press screenings happen... and when it opens, so I'm not likely to give you an early look at what I think of this till sometime after the ninth of August. So, till then, here's Capone with the latest from Shyamalan...

Hey, Harry. Capone in Chicago here. It's been several hours since I sat through a screening for local Disney execs of M. Night Shyamalan's latest work SIGNS, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the film was about or even how to discuss it. Like his last two films (THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE), SIGNS is probably better left undiscussed prior to watching it. But boy oh boy, once you've seen it, you may have trouble shutting up about it. Unlike Shyamalan's previous films, there is no surprise ending, which is not to say you'll see the climax coming at all. The film is part awesome "X-Files" episode, part "War of the Worlds," part b-movie, part comedy, part "Waltons" episode. Yet M. Night knows how to masterfully blend these elements into a lovely, cohesive sci-fi chamber piece, set largely in one gothic Pennsylvania farm house.

Mel Gibson plays a man suffering, a recently widowed reverend who has left his preaching behind since a one-in-a-million freak accident killed his wife and left him a single parent with two small children (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin). (Those of you familiar with Shyamalan's work should recognize the actor playing the man who is responsible for the wife's death.) Gibson is a man who has lost his faith and gets very upset at anyone who still calls him "father." The movie gets going almost immediately as Gibson wakes suddenly one morning to the distant sound of his children screaming. He and his live-in brother (the quiet force known as Joaquin Phoenix) run through the surrounding corn fields where they find the children on the edge of a series of enormous crop circles. Shortly thereafter, the family sees on television that all channels are breaking in with stories about similarly patterned circles have been made throughout India. In the next few days, hundreds of such circles pop up all over the world and strange sightings of dark creatures and strange lights become a regular part of the news. Gibson and family start spotting at least one such presence creeping around their property. These are some truly scary moments. Gibson entering his darkened corn fields armed with nothing but a flash light is terrifying.

I hesitate to tell you too much more of the plot. You can probably tell from commercials and trailers you've seen that aliens are a part of the story of SIGNS, but perhaps not in the way you believe. Much like a film like the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, the family home is both a fortress and prison. When they want to feel safe, they turn off the menacing news reports on TV., but their curiosity gets the best of them and every report is worse than the last. But SIGNS isn't just about u.f.o.'s. Gibson's character was a man of faith, and ultimately it may be his faith that saves his family. Those going into SIGNS thinking this is a sci-fi action adventure extravaganza will be sorely disappointed. This is a film about and inspiring thought. It is a film that exists in a sea of tension, and it almost never lets up. To cut through the tension, there are these bizarre (bordering on out-of-place) comic scenes between Gibson and his children or Gibson and his brother, many of which involve their attempts at preparing for alien visitors.

The foremost thought that went through my head as soon as SIGNS was over was, "What's the catch?" Despite its hints that all may not be as it seems, the fact is pretty much everything is as it seems. Nothing is predictable, but there are no hidden meanings or messages here. The daughter on more than one occasion says after some traumatic event or other, "I dreamed this would happen." The son stumbles across a book on aliens at the local bookstore that seems to predict much of what the aliens do. Do either of these coincidences pay off? Not really. Nor do they have to for the film to be as good as it is. While not a great work, SIGNS is extremely well made by a man who knows how to keep us practically obsessed with his story. Shyamalan weaves his magic and sucks us right in. His film endings (surprise twists or not) are always an emotional release, and SIGNS is no exception. Go for the science fiction, stay for the human drama and skilled filmmaking.

Capone

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