Director's filmography includes hits, misfires and the misunderstood

Hailed by Newsweek in 2002 as "the next Spielberg," M. Night Shyamalan fell from his place as Hollywood's Golden Boy after he underwhelmed audiences with "The Village" and "Lady in the Water." It didn't help that Michael Bamberger's book "The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale" was released on the heels of "Lady," and called out Disney executives for not supporting his vision. "Lady" flopped, bringing in a meager $43 million, and audiences waited to see how Shyamalan would recover. Tomorrow, he returns to the formula that raked in the big bucks with "The Happening." Heavily touted in TV spots as Shyamalan's "first R-rated film," the new movie seems to be about Mark Wahlberg staring blankly into the distance and a lot of people dying. Obviously, no one can handle the gaze of Marky Mark. With the release of Shyamalan's latest, it's time to take a quick look back at what made him the filmmaker he is today. 'The Sixth Sense' Though Shyamalan had made two films prior ("Wide Awake" and "Praying With Anger"), "The Sixth Sense" put him on the map. Released the week after mega-hit "Runaway Bride" and during the expansion of "The Blair Witch Project," "The Sixth Sense" blew away studio expectations when it opened at No. 1 and stayed there for five weeks. The film's famed twist ending and strong performances from stars Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment kept the film in theaters for 40 weeks. Despite an onslaught of "I see dead people" parodies following the film's release, "The Sixth Sense" remains a strong thriller that still works. 'Unbreakable' To this day, "Unbreakable" remains Shyamalan's most misunderstood film. Touted as yet another thriller from the director, audiences instead were offered a superhero origin story. Though Samuel L. Jackson has Gumby hair and a fashion sense that would enrage Jerry Falwell, the film delivers a great story, solid acting and beautiful cinematography from Eduardo Serra. The text at the end makes the film seem a little "movie of the week," but it's slowly becoming a favorite among Shyamalan fans. 'Signs' Before the "sugar tits" scandal, Mel Gibson carried "Signs" on his burly Vatican I-loving back. Probably Night's funniest and most and human film, "Signs" scared over $200 million out of moviegoers' pockets. Taking a note from Spielberg, Night spent the majority of the film keeping the alien in the shadows. It isn't until the alien is fully shown, holding Rory Culkin in a manner that would have Chris Hansen itching for a Dateline special, that the ruse of fear is broken. When the alien turns out to be allergic to water (they must have realized they landed on the "blue planet"), all tension goes out the window. None of those factors, though, keep "Signs" from being an entertaining and sometimes moving sci-fi film. 'The Village' Again, suffering from a similar marketing problem that plagued "Unbreakable," "The Village" was aimed at the horror audience when, in reality, it's more of a period romance, if anything. To boot, Joaquin Phoenix isn't even the main character, as shown in trailers, but rather Bryce Dallas Howard. While elements of "The Village" work, the whole "it's set in modern times" is just too ridiculous to accept. While audiences still turned out for the film, it was a sign of something much worse on the horizon. 'Lady in the Water' Shyamalan's first film outside of the Disney production umbrella also is his worst. "Lady" did prove that even if Night makes a bad movie, it's still interesting to watch. The cast of characters, ranging from Freddy Rodriguez's half-buff (don't ask) tenant to Bob Balaban's film-hating film critic, is quirky and interesting but can also lead to groans, which is the case for the role Shyamalan gave to himself. He plays a writer whose book will, literally, change the world for the better. Way to stay humble, Shyamalan. As evidenced by box-office receipts, audiences just weren't in the mood for a fairy tale from Shyamalan.