The Directors' Wall

Continuing our way through Francis Coppola’s work as a writer for hire, Bryan and A.J. march through the epic length movie of the liberation of Paris, Is Paris Burning? Writing Is Paris Burning? was a frustrating experience for Coppola who had to deal with the demands of studio executives and an intrusive Charles de Gaulle. The result was a mediocre epic movie of an important historical event. We...

After parting ways with Roger Corman, Francis Coppola became a writer for hire working on several projects that ultimately wouldn’t get made or he wouldn’t get official credit for. One that did get made and he did get credit for was the failed Natalie Wood comeback vehicle This Property is Condemned. Despite a great cast including Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Charles Bronson, Robert Blake, and Ma...

Still working for Roger Corman, Francis Ford Coppola writes and directs his first film not cobbled together from other films: Dementia 13 (1963). This low budget horror film was meant to cash in on the success of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) but still satisfy the exploitation movie market. A.J. and Bryan discuss what sets Dementia 13 apart from other low budget horror films, wonder why rich pe...

…And we’re back! After a longer than expected hiatus, Bryan and A.J. return to the discuss the early work Francis Ford Coppola did for legendary B-movie king Roger Corman. Coppola was still attending UCLA when he became Corman’s “ace assistant” doing various jobs on different movies including even writing and directing low budget horror movies. Coppola rewrote the screenplay for The Haunted Palace...

Now that we’ve watched all the Shyamalan movies there are to watch, we begin working our way through another filmmaker: Francis Ford Coppola. To start discussing Francis Ford Coppola’s filmography we have to go to the exploitation drive-in. Long, long before The Godfather and just as he was finishing UCLA’s film program, Francis Ford Coppola began his career in the exploitation film genre. For our...

Do not adjust your podcast dials, this is the podcast you’re looking for! The M. Night Shift is now…(drum roll)…The Director’s Wall. The hosts are the same but the filmmaker under review will change next episode, but first there is the little matter of M. Night Shyamalan’s superhero crossover film Glass (2019). Glass is a sequel to both Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2017) pitting Unbreakable’s her...

…And we’re back! Shyamalan recently admitted to doing a rewrite for She’s All That, so we’re duty bound to review the 90’s teen rom-com. We speculate on what Shyamalan contributed to the script, are impressed by the pretty impressive cast, and wonder if She’s All That and Buffy the Vampire Slayer take place in the same cinematic universe. Tangents include listing all the great movies of 1999, Gene...

It’s our (not really) final episode! At last we review Shyamalan’s most recent horror hit, Split (2017) and look as his career as a whole. We marvel at James McAvoy’s skill as an actor, notice the return of interesting camera movements to Shyamalan’s movie, and speculate on the plot of the upcoming Split sequel. We end by each naming our favorite and least favorite Shyamalan films. Then put on our...

For the shortest month of the year we bring you a special double episode and review Wayward Pines and The Visit. Our discussion of Wayward Pines quickly turns into a conversation about Freejack, Robot Jox, and Stuart Gordon. Though Shyamalan only directed the pilot of the short lived Fox series, we discuss the first 5 episodes and the big twist of the series. Then we delve into Shyamalan's "comeba...

We finally arrive at After Earth (2013) the would-be summer blockbuster created by Will Smith as a star vehicle for his son Jaden Smith, also... it was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. We try to figure out what "ghosting" is, talk about the weird but not too weird animals that populate future earth, and wonder if this is Shyamalan's least creative film. Tangents include: praise for Robocop, a minor...

Just in time for Christmas we watch the big budget box office flop, The Last Airbender. Shyamalan’s attempt at a studio franchise did not go well. The movie was universally panned, earned Golden Razzie awards, and made many appearances on “worst of the year” lists. It probably didn’t help that this big studio movie was a watered down version of a much loved animated series. We ponder the state of...

Apologies for the delay, but we're back to discuss the first (and only) entry of The Night Chronicles: Devil. M. Night Shyamalan decided to take a step back and provide a story and produce but give the writing and directing reins to other filmmakers. We speculate on the reasons why The Night Chronicles never made it past its first entry, A.J. shares his spooky elevator experience, and we wonder if...

We're back and just in time for Shocktober! This time we watched Shyamalan's environmental horror film, The Happening (2008). Though this movie turned a profit at the box office, it was universally panned and derided by audiences and critics alike. We delve into the casting, dialogue, shaky premise, and unfortunate lack of thrills in what is meant to be a shocking, thrilling movie. Tangents includ...

In between Lady in the Water (2006) and The Happening (2008) M. Night Shyamalan made a special guest appearance in season 4 episode 4 of the HBO original series Entourage. We talk about Shyamalan's acting and willingness to have fun with his public persona. Since Entourage is a half hour show, we end up taking many tangents, as you may have guessed. Tangents include: the CD-ROM movie encyclopedia...

After a longer than usual break we return to review Shyamalan's bedtime story/fantasy Lady in the Water, which was not well received by critics or audiences and became Shyamalan's first major studio movie to lost money at the box office. We touch on the book chronicling the making of the film, The Man Who Heard Voices by Michael Bamberger and also discuss Shyamalan's American Express commercial. T...

M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, released in the summer of 2004, made over $100 million at the box office, but still fell flat with audiences and critics and inspired one of Roger Ebert's most notorious 1-star reviews. We discuss the elements of the movie we liked, and then delve into the problems, plot holes, and twists. Tangents include A.J.'s days at the Tower Records classical department, mem...

Before finding our way to The Village, we take a detour to uncover The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan. Directed by Oscar nominated documentarian Nathaniel Kahn, The Buried Secret was a "documentary" intended to promote and create excitement around Shyamalan's soon to be released film The Village. This fake documentary, or mockumentary, is an odd assortment of obviously staged interviews, appa...

Signs (2002) was marketed as "M. Night Shyamalan's Signs" making him one of a handful of filmmakers that have had their names put above the title of a movie. Signs received polarizing reactions from critics and audiences alike, but went on to make over $200 million at the box office. Bryan and A.J. delve into the plot (spoilers ensue), the unlikely weakness of the aliens, fan theories, theology, C...

Unbreakable (2000) was highly anticipated and released in theaters just a year after M. Night Shyamalan's break out hit, The Sixth Sense. Usually director names don't figure largely into a film's marketing, but Unbreakable was sold to audiences as Shyamalan's next movie. Though it did not achieve the same rare popularity as The Sixth Sense, it still grossed over $200 million at the box office. We...

Apologies in advance for techincal difficulties we experienced with our microphone while dealing with the acoustics of a new recording space and recovering from colds. We say we're going to discuss the career of M. Night Shyamalan, and we meant it, which means we had to watch Stuart Little, written but not directed by Shyamalan. We overanalyze the world of Stuart Little, talk about its impressive...

The Sixth Sense (1999) was a critical and box office hit that became a phenomenon and made M. Night Shyamalan a household name-- a rare accomplishment for any filmmaker. This movie became a cultural touchstone and went on to earn 6 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director & Original Screenplay (Shyamalan), Supporting Actor (Haley Joel Osment), Supporting Actress (Toni Collette), and Edi...

Wide Awake (1998), Shyamalan's sophomore film is, naturally, our sophomore episode and we make minor history by being the first people to rent Wide Awake from Vulcan Video. Though Wide Awake takes us to the suburbs of Philadelphia the themes remain the same as in Shyamalan's India set debut, Praying with Anger: faith, doubt, and searching for God. The DVD contained no trailers or special features...

We begin our podcast with an appropriate twist! M. Night Shyamalan's first film is not The Sixth Sense, as many thought, but 1992's Praying with Anger. Shyamalan writes, directs, and stars in this truly independent film made in the midst of the indie film boom of the late 1980's/early 1990's. Bryan & A.J. also briefly review the trailers included on the VHS tape of Praying with Anger and give thei...