Signs

[Jellyneck]

Worst movie ever made - why do aliens travel across the galaxy to kidnap us (or eat us) when they must know that water's on the planet and they can't deal with it (or blood?). Why can't they spot cities and need crop circles to guide them. And as for the Mel Gibson and his faith and his wife's death - I mean.....

Orson Wells must be spinning in his grave

[trekgeezer]

This is a really tired subject . Signs is not about an alien invasion, it's about someone having their faith restored.  The alien invasion is just a backdrop.

So, the logic of the invasion is not the key to story. Nuff said. I am sure there is another old post around about this.

[The Burgomaster]

I thought it was about a piano player?  Oh . . . sorry . . . that was "Shine," not "Signs."

[Ash]

Despite its shortcomings, I do like this film but I agree with trek_geezer....this is a tired subject.

[AndyC]

The Burgomaster wrote:
> I thought it was about a piano player?  Oh . . . sorry . . .
> that was "Shine," not "Signs."

Oh man, that got my imagination going. Priest suffers a nervous breakdown when his wife is killed, and babbles incoherently for the rest of the movie as aliens invade. They could call it Shines!

[Susan]

trek_geezer wrote:

> This is a really tired subject . Signs is not about an alien
> invasion, it's about someone having their faith restored.  The
> alien invasion is just a backdrop.


Trek, just recently I was discussing this movie in passing with someone. they were completly shocked when I told them it wasn't about aliens. I guess it goes to show some people really DO go to the movies to turn off their brain, and take things too literally

[Susan]

trek_geezer wrote:

> This is a really tired subject . Signs is not about an alien
> invasion, it's about someone having their faith restored.  The
> alien invasion is just a backdrop.


Trek, just recently I was discussing this movie in passing with someone. they were completly shocked when I told them it wasn't about aliens. The movie wasn't called "Aliens", it was showing at least in this one man's life that the signs are always around him, everything is for a reason even the tragedies, blah blah blah. I guess it goes to show some people really DO go to the movies to turn off their brain, and take things too literally

[loyal1]

trek_geezer wrote

I guess it goes to show some people really DO go to
 the movies to turn off their brain, and take things too
 literally

I once took a Film and Society class back in the day, and we studied Invasion of the Body Snatchers...after I learned what the subtext was about "Your next!" :)
I never looked at any movie the same way again.  I must admit, I just thought it was a movie about aliens taking over the human race at the time....OK class, can anyone tell me the subtext of the story??? ;0)

[Susan]

Loyal..given the time period i'd have to guess Communism, McCarthyism, Commercialism

one of those ism's

[loyal1]

Haha...you get a gold star!  Communism is correct, and McCarthism definately falls into the same catagory...

[Kory]

Wow-  I'll have to watch it again!  Didn't so much guess that one while watching it before!

[JohnL]

>I once took a Film and Society class back in the day, and we studied Invasion of
>the Body Snatchers...after I learned what the subtext was about

I recall reading an article once where the author of the original story was quoted as saying that he got a kick out of all the critics claiming the movie represented the threat of communism. He said that he just wanted to write a creepy story about aliens taking over.

[loyal1]

Interesting...

That seems to happen quite often in any form of art...we all see some deeper meaning or very different meaning behind it than the creator intended.  However, in my experience, for I write philosophical free verse, I don't always think of a subtext before creating it...it is more a way that I discover something deeper or hidden within myself that I wasn't originally conscious of...a pretty illuminating experience.

But, yeah, he probably did want to just make a movie about aliens taking over...and society, given the times it endured, saw something more frightening and "alien" to them in the US (communism).  Either way...interesting discussion.

[Susan]

Pleasantville is another example of a movie that, suprisingly, alot of people i talked to didn't "get"

[loyal1]

Susan wrote:

> Pleasantville is another example of a movie that, suprisingly,
> alot of people i talked to didn't "get"

I thought the movie seemed pretty obvious on what it was about, but would like to hear your take and what alot of people originally thought it was about.