Lady in the Water (2006)

9/23/06

On Thursday my evening class meet at a resturant down town, I belive it was called 'The Peir'. We held class in a basement dinning room, the whole thing was painted white, including most of the furnishings, though there was a small amount of black and blue to prevent eye strain. It was a weird place, a cross between a spread in an interior decorating magazine, and David Lynch (or possibly Stanley Kubrick). Anyway after class I went to see a movie at the cheap theater. I saw Shyamalans latest, and ultimetly weakest picture, Lady in the Water.

Inspired by an east-asain bedtime story about a sea nymph like creature called a Narf, this movie finds one (Bryce Dallas Howard) living in the pool of a Philly area apartment complex, with an important mission to accomplish. The Ho-hum first half, and indeed the whole movie is really saved by Paul Giamatti's performance as the complexes sad-eyed super. It wasn't until the 'shower translation scene' that I felt fully commited to the movie. Most similar to Signs out of any of Shyamalans work, it explores mostly familour territory. The movies message is about everyone finding there purpose in life, and here it is told through the efforts of a large group of likable, ethnicaly diverse characters, trying to do a good deed, and help the Narf get home. Simplistic maybe, but it did make me feel good. Six Feet Under's Freddy Rodriquez has a small role as a man exercising only one half of his body.