Review: The Sixth Sense (1999)

October 2010

Halloween Pick of the Week: The Sixth Sense
By: Emily Morgan

In 1999, director M. Night Shyamalan had a breakthrough success with the release of his third feature, The Sixth Sense. The movie, a supernatural drama starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, and Olivia Williams, grossed over $670 million worldwide and earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Shyamalan), Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Osment), and Best Supporting Actress (Collette). The praise was well-deserved. The picture is a well-crafted piece of cinema that does what so many modern horror films forget to do: develop characters that we care about, making their vulnerability or endangerment all the more frightening. Also, the atmosphere created by Shyamalan is pitch-perfect, eerie and cool throughout, thanks to the use of a simple score, autumn setting, and rather dark camera work. The real topper here is the acting. The leads – particularly Osment and Collette – are wonderful, portraying every emotion genuinely, making the individuals they play seem quite real. All of these components combine to make a staggering piece of art that still stands as M. Night Shyamalan’s best work and a masterpiece of the paranormal genre. A+

Oh snap!

Lars von Trier, director of such films as Dancer in the Dark and Antichrist was banned from Cannes after making Nazi jokes yesterday.

(Scroll up for article.)

100 Greatest Artists of All-Time (100-91)

It seems like I finished this list forever ago, but it was only some months ago. It was a great experience. I was forced to research and listen to artists that I never really had before. Some I liked and some I would be happy never to hear again. Now, I will articulate my thoughts - if I have any - on the artists deemed the greatest.

100. Louis Armstrong 99. Weezer 98. Boston 97. King Crimson 96. Oasis 95. Tom Waits 94. Billy Joel 93. Little Richard 92. Public Enemy 91. Green Day

The first ten; it is a group of artists that I only have a superficial familiarity with. Louis Armstrong, I know is a great trumpet player. King Crimson was an experimental band. Tom Waits has a... unique singing voice. Other than snippets like these, I know little about the aforementioned musicians.

I suppose I would agree with inclusion of most of these people on the list. Boston and King Crimson seem a bit questionable. When compared to the other names on here, their influence is just not as great. I will say that "More than a Feeling" is an extremely catchy tune and that the videos I found of King Crimson were quite entertaining.

There was much outcry over the placement of Mr. Billy Joel. Personally, I agree that "94" is too low a spot for the Piano Man. Even if you don't like him, can you really say that he has not been a prominent figure in the music industry for a significant span of time? I would say that spot in the Top 50 would be much more appropriate for someone with his longevity and popularity.

My favorites from this section are the '90s rock bands: Weezer, Oasis, and Green Day. Weezer is just so much fun and their earlier stuff is great, even if they have yet to match their 90s heights, quality-wise. Oasis hooked me, and many others, I suspect, with "Wonderwall" and I've been a fan ever since. Green Day would probably be a band I just like if it weren't for American Idiot, an album I love all-around - the sentiment, the spunk, the catchy tunes, everything.

Just for fun, my favorite songs by each artist:
100. Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World
99. Weezer - Say It Ain't So/Island in the Sun
98. Boston - More Than a Feeling
97. King Crimson - ???????????? (I'm still so unfamiliar with them.)
96. Oasis - Wonderwall
95. Tom Waits - I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You
94. Billy Joel - Vienna
93. Little Richard - Tutti Frutti?
92. Public Enemy - Fight the Power
91. Green Day - American Idiot

I'm baaaaaaaaaack!

School's out!