Horrific, humorous, hopeful

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2002)

I just saw the new M. Night Shyamalan movie, "Signs" last night. I thought it was a very interesting study of a Pennsylvania farm family encountering the mystery behind the circle formations in their cornfields. The casting of Mel Gibson and company was perfect. The director used the minimalist approach to achieve maximum impact, with obvious homage to Hitchcock and Spielberg. Technical aspects of the movie, especially the sound editing, original score, cinematography, and film editing, were on target and may get Oscar nominations. Above all, the director's skill in combining horror, suspense, humor and hope is amazing. My only wish is that after "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," and now "Signs," Mr. Shyamalan will now turn his attention toward material not dealing with the supernatural for a change. Variety is the spice of life, and I feel that M. Night is now ready to really flex his muscles and show us another side of his personality, since hints of it came through in "Signs," namely, his ability to make us laugh and look forward to a brighter day. I give this film 8/10.