Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando were in the same movie together

Signs (2002, M. Night Shyamalan) was enough for me. I’d had it with Shyamalan. At the time I concluded that it was merely a Twilight Zone plot that could’ve been told in 20 minutes so why would I be expected to sit through an entire movie for? The Village (2004) and Lady in the Water (2006) were proof beyond a reasonable doubt. But then there was Split (2016), which led me to give the dude another chance. I caught up on all I’d missed: Unbreakable (2000) was my own fault for not having watched sooner, and probably Shyamalan’s best; and others I don’t feel worth mentioning. Still nothing.

      But then yet again I found myself compelled to return to that style of his one day when I gave Servant on Apple TV+ a shot in 2021. Maybe it was the casting, the atmosphere, the premise, the domestic gothic foundation, or some wonderful blend of it all, but I reinvested my esteem in the Shyamalan style. I learned that what once initially provided my basis for faulting his movies—over-stretched Twilight Zone plots—is now the very thing I enjoy most about them. Because after all, who says that has to be a bad thing? And obviously in addition to the Twilight Zone riffs, there’s his trademark dysfunctional wounded families, children featured in main roles, traumatic backstories, twist endings, and mix of sci-fi and horror. 

     The canon should be The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water, The Happening (2008), and Old (2021).

 

As much as I would love Old were it simply a horror movie about a group of seemingly healthy, young, fit tourists plagued by a mysterious onset of hyper-advanced aging they’re powerless against, Old is more than that. 

     Along with The Happening and Servant, beyond their cool Twilight Zone vibe, Old has that ominous wtf tension built in. And considering how seldom a movie can be this disturbing, dark, and weird while still being PG-13 only speaks to its effectiveness of tone. What’s brilliant about Old is that it takes this group of people who seem harmless, or normal, maybe even good, and by subjecting them to be crushed with their own inescapable mortalities by aging years in minutes, succeeds in revealing hidden truths about themselves. Or it could be said that the narrative pits what we know or think about each other based on knowing someone for a short time vs. a lifetime. It’s that contrast that’s intriguing. 

 

07/24/2021 AMC North Dekalb Mall 16

Decatur, GA

DCP