Look- I'm not a fan of this director. Lady in the Water was rather good. Some others weren't too dreadful. He inserts himself frequently into his own pictures-cameos. Whether it's an homage to Hitchcock or just a sense of undeserved pride,who cares? It's embarrassing. Boo. Hiss. I read the controversy about ethnic origin. I agreed.In this day and age,there is no excuse not to use the cast of the right ethnic type. It's OK to substitute a Korean martial artist for a Chinese one or a Japanese one (etc) especially for the little boy,but a Caucasian-no. My son was in martial arts for 10 years. There are many Karate and TKD and other studios all over the country with children who can act. I really thing film,even for children,should require some acting skills by the cast before they are hired. You can't just hire Jeff because your daughter has a crush on him,for example.
I was really looking forward to Dev Patel's next vehicle after Slumdog Millionaire but clearly ,giving him a cape with a hood and a burn scar and telling him to "act wounded,angry,unloved,and monosyllabic" was not useful. Patel is a mature actor and M Night made no use of him. Next to the little white kids parading around in costume, shorty trying to find something besides air and confessing he's a coward (why did I keep thinking of Kung-Fu Panda?) the absolute whipped cream and cherry on top of this sundae was Assif Mandvi.
Laugh or cry? Could you decide? I really couldn't. The dialog was so horrible. (Yes- everything IS the director's fault) But the minute Mandvi speaks,with that distinctive voice, you know it's him. Alright-fine. If he could act. But he can't He can only read lines. So whenever he speaks,you expect the punchline. Where's Jon Stewart? Is a Republican in the wings with a large cigar and a poster of Mao? Can it be any more sadly hilarious? He can't play a villain. But he's trying,I suppose,for a really nasty Asian used car salesman.
Directors in the good old days have re-shot half the film when they found the voice wasn't right,or a character died,or a test audience didn't respond well. I guess these days,you just puff out your chest and say,"screw the audience. I'm M Night Whats'it's."
I was really looking forward to Dev Patel's next vehicle after Slumdog Millionaire but clearly ,giving him a cape with a hood and a burn scar and telling him to "act wounded,angry,unloved,and monosyllabic" was not useful. Patel is a mature actor and M Night made no use of him. Next to the little white kids parading around in costume, shorty trying to find something besides air and confessing he's a coward (why did I keep thinking of Kung-Fu Panda?) the absolute whipped cream and cherry on top of this sundae was Assif Mandvi.
Laugh or cry? Could you decide? I really couldn't. The dialog was so horrible. (Yes- everything IS the director's fault) But the minute Mandvi speaks,with that distinctive voice, you know it's him. Alright-fine. If he could act. But he can't He can only read lines. So whenever he speaks,you expect the punchline. Where's Jon Stewart? Is a Republican in the wings with a large cigar and a poster of Mao? Can it be any more sadly hilarious? He can't play a villain. But he's trying,I suppose,for a really nasty Asian used car salesman.
Directors in the good old days have re-shot half the film when they found the voice wasn't right,or a character died,or a test audience didn't respond well. I guess these days,you just puff out your chest and say,"screw the audience. I'm M Night Whats'it's."
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