That sums up the big problem with Shyamalan in Slate's mind.
How dare he work outside the system! How dare he not "play ball" with the important people in Hollywood! How dare he want to live with his family in his own hometown rather than learn to live like the elite in LA!
He must be stopped I tell you!
BTW, the definition of "Blockbuster" is a movie which makes over $100 million. Here are the Box Office results of his (major) movies and why this Slate article is so full of crap.
1999 The Sixth Sense $293.5 million
2000 Unbreakable $95 million
2002 Signs $227.9 million
2004 The Village $50.8 million (opening weekend)
Unbreakable (undeniably his weakest film) was $5 million short of "Blockbuster" status. His other films are well beyond normal Blockbusters and will allow him to be the scourge of Slate for as long as Slate is around. In fact, he will be able to laugh about that long forgotten internet "magazine" decades before he retires in luxury from his non-Holloywood filmmaking.
>>>...,and what does M. Night do with his newfound power? He stays put in Philadelphia, refusing to move to L.A. and play ball.<<<
This statement alone shows the bias of so-called "critcs".
Barry Levinson did the same thing in Baltimore. He made his movies, Diner and Avalon, in his own neighborhood. In Providence, Frank Corrente and in Manhattan, Woody Allen.
All darlings of various film critcs. This is not a review, it is more of a personal attack on M. Night with some subtle bashing of religious/spirtual themed movies.
I am glad I read it, though, since I am now forewarned to aviod the one with Rosie O'Donnell in the starring role.