From imdb.com, 6/23/06, " A new book, The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale, due to be published on July 20, will describe director M. Night Shyamalan's conflict with Disney studio executives and his decision to leave the company that had produced his successfully thrillers, beginning with 1999's The Sixth Sense, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Friday). The book, by Sports Illustrated writer Michael Bamberger, is reportedly particularly tough on Disney production President Nina Jacobson, quoting Shyamalan as saying that he "had witnessed the decay of her creative vision right before his own wide-open eyes." Later Shyamalan says that over the years, he had concluded that Disney "no longer valued individualism ... no longer valued fighters." Eventually he left the studio after Jacobson and others assailed his script for Lady in the Water, which was eventually produced by Warner Bros. and is due to be released on July 21."

Perhaps it's just me. I loved Sixth Sense. Certain parts were predictable, but overall it was really good. Of course, I really like Bruce Willis, Toni Collette is pretty good, and that damn Haley Joel Osment kid is always so good. Plus he gets props just for giving one of the New Kids on the Block a job. God knows those guys need it.

Unbreakable was not nearly as good. In fact, it sucked. But I chalked it up to casting Samuel L. Jackson in a role that made him weak. You don't take the original bad@ss and give him a weakness. You put him with some snakes on a plane and then watch him kick some butt. Snake butt. I was willing to give him another chance. The premise had potential, but the ending was totally predictable, and the plot was slow.

And then there was Signs. Ok, this one, not even the trailer looked scary. I know a lot of people were scared by it. Frankly, those people are dorks. But I saw it anyway. Not in the theatre. And despite a very healthy lust for Joaquin Phoenix at the time, that film was beyond the level of suck that Unbreakable achieved. I mean, my beloved film professor taught us that stories are supposed to have a beginning, middle, and an end. Wait. No. Actually, my third grade teacher taught us that when we had to write a 100 word story on that lined paper that had room for a picture at the top. Where was the story in Signs? Mel Gibson has corn. Boy, there is a lot of corn. Some jerk is squishing parts of the corn flat. But there's still a lot of corn. His brother and kids get scared and put on aluminium hats, although they look like they might do that on a regular basis anyway. *SPOILER AHEAD* Aliens come and they kill them with water. 'Cause the aliens are smart enough to build rockets to get here, but they didn't see all the freakin' water?!? Anyway, Mel Gibson can farm his corn in peace.

After Signs was The Village. I really wanted to like this one again. Again, the Joaquin Phoenix thing. It looked like it might be scary. But the spoiler lovin' girl I am, I went online and found out the plot. I knew it was going to achieve a new level of suckitude. It did. Adrien Brody was good as always, BUT JUST BARELY! And Brenden Gleeson can do no wrong.

Now, The Lady in the Water is coming out. The preview consisted of Paul Giamatti cleaning a lot of stuff and standing around looking pensive. At the end, he sees something in the swimming pool. As soon as I saw that the preview itself wasn't going anywhere, I leaned over to my husband and said, "Shyamala-ma-ding-dong." He replied, "Yep." I gotta remember to tell my husband not to talk so much during movies. It's not polite. Anyway, I predict another Signs.

Even his commercial was awful. There were people in a restaurant who were your average Denny's customer. Ok, maybe that was just the group I hung out with at Denny's.

And now, there is being published a scathing tell-all book that trashes Disney for bailing on him. Straight up, dude, you had one good idea. That idea had to have made you a lot of money in royalties and whatnot. Please, and I beg you for all mankind here, do not inflict another film on us. Certainly don't blame Disney. I'd rope you in too! Well, actually, roping you in isn't so much the right idea. I'd take your vague outline of a plot in three sentences or fewer. And then I'd let Andrew Kevin Walker write it, and Gore Verbinski direct it. Tom Cruise would star opposite some 20 year old girl he hasn't recruited or pissed off by trying to recruit.