Editing M. Night Shyamalan (section)

==Pop culture and racism==
After the release of ''The Happening'', ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s [[Kim Newman]] questioned, "Can it be a kind of racism that the Indian-born, Philadelphia-raised auteur is hammered for his apparent character (or funny name) rather more than, say, Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee?"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jun/16/secondopinionthehappening|title=Second opinion: The Happening|first=Kim|last=Newman|date=June 16, 2008|website=Theguardian.com|access-date=August 3, 2020|archive-date=March 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317112605/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jun/16/secondopinionthehappening|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) also discussed the impact of racism on Shyamalan's career, pointing to frequent mispronunciations of his last name.<ref name="auto1"/> By 2017, ''[[Vice Media|Vice]]'' said that "[[Shama Lama Ding Dong|Shamalamadingdong]]" had become the "agreed-upon mockery of his name".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-a-twist-m-night-shyamalan-doesnt-deserve-to-be-a-running-joke/?/|title=What a Twist: M. Night Shyamalan Doesn't Deserve to be a Running Joke|website=Vice.com|date=May 16, 2017|access-date=July 30, 2020|archive-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925163515/https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/kb4kwv/what-a-twist-m-night-shyamalan-doesnt-deserve-to-be-a-running-joke|url-status=live}}</ref>

BFI asked if critical attacks are the result of egotistical statements on Shyamalan's part. They question whether his strong statements of self-assurance coupled with the remarkable success of ''The Sixth Sense'' set up a fall from grace which was soon realized when a run of very successful films (''The Sixth Sense'', ''Unbreakable'', ''Signs'' and ''The Village'') seemingly collapsed with a string of critical failures (''Lady in the Water'', ''The Happening'', ''The Last Airbender'', and ''After Earth'').<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/lost-spirit-m-night-shyamalan|title=Lost spirit: M. Night Shyamalan &#124; Sight & Sound|website=British Film Institute|date=November 30, 2016|access-date=October 14, 2023|archive-date=October 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026201922/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/lost-spirit-m-night-shyamalan|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, Tim Greiving of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' said that "his confidence was interpreted as arrogance by some, especially after he cast himself in ''Lady in the Water'' as a brilliant writer whose book is prophesied as a world-saver." Greiving continued, "Howard, who expressed pride in him for forging ahead despite his turn among critics, noted how rare it was for such a young filmmaker to write, direct and produce original material. He wondered whether that placed a bigger target on his back, as his reputation for doggedness was perpetuated within the industry and reinforced by critics."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/twenty-years-after-the-sixth-sense-m-night-shyamalan-hasnt-given-up-on-twist-endings/2019/01/16/068144be-15c5-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |title=Twenty years after 'The Sixth Sense,' M. Night Shyamalan hasn't given up on twist endings |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Grieving |first=Tim |date=January 17, 2019 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=February 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203215523/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/twenty-years-after-the-sixth-sense-m-night-shyamalan-hasnt-given-up-on-twist-endings/2019/01/16/068144be-15c5-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>