Episode 4: Stuart Little (1999)

Apologies in advance for technical 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 mean it, which means we had to watch Stuart Little, written but not directed by Shyamalan. We overanalyze the world of Stuart Little, marvel at its impressive cast, and ponder its incredibly large budget. Tangents this episode include current "live action" Disney movies, the upcoming children's movie Rock Dog, and we touch briefly on Shyamalan's recent box office hit, Split. This month's Shyamalan scotch was: Grant's.

Episode 3: The Sixth Sense (1999)

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 the earn 6 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director & Original Screenplay (Shyamalan), Supporting Actor (Haley Joel Osment), Supporting Actress (Toni Collette), and Editing (Andrew Mondshein). Before diving into The Sixth Sense we relive the summer of 1999 by talking about the trailers included on the DVD. Naturally we discuss the big twist which leads us to talk about other movies with twists (The Crying Game, The Usual Suspects, Identity). Given the significance of the color red in the movie, this episode's scotch was Johnnie Walker Red.

Episode 2: Wide Awake (1998)

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 for Bryan and A.J. to talk about, but we do give our thoughts on this episode's Shyamalan scotch: Black Scott.

Episode 1: Praying with Anger (1992)

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 their thoughts on this episode's Shyamalan scotch: Cutty Sark