*** Official THE HAPPENING Discussion Thread - Page 5

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Instead of throwing insults, I'd like to hear why some of the negative reviews here are negative. Is it because of what caused the suicides? Did you want something bigger than the plants? Wouldn't it have been too silly had it really been the terrorists that caused the outbreak?

My quick little review:



Shyamalan's latest has people on the East Coast killing themselves for no apparent reason. No one knows why the suicides are taking place but rumor has it that the only way to remain safe is trying to reach a safe zone further out west. Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel play a couple trying to figure out what to do. This certainly isn't a major film or a good one for that matter but I think it's a minor comeback for the director after the horrid The Village and Lady in the Water. I'm not going to ruin what is causing the "happening" but I'm sure some are going to be left with a major disappointment but I didn't mind it too bad. I liked the way the director handled the last days of man theory and for the most part I think he has made a quiet little film that is probably going to draw a lot of heat because it isn't loud and explosive and it doesn't contain anything large. This comes off like an old "B" movie from the 1950's that warns people about their actions and what could come if they don't take advice from those who know about the subject matter. With the secret of the film, it never really causes too much panic with the viewer, which I think is the film's major problem. With the last days of man theory the viewer needs to be on the edge of their seat throughout the entire film and that doesn't really happen. The suicide scenes early on are quite disturbing but they never really draw you into the film as much as they need to. Another problem with the film is the performance by Deschanel, which is downright horrible. At times I just had to laugh at some of her actions and sadly she's in the film all the time. Wahlberg comes off fairly good, although it's hard believing him in the role of a science teacher. John Leguizama has a small role as well but doesn't add too much to the film. In the end, I doubt very many are going to enjoy this film and I'm sure I'll be in the minority. It's not a great movie and it's not a good one but it is mildly entertaining and the director's handling of the material is interesting.


Again, I understand that the majority of people won't like the film but if anyone says this is the worst movie they've ever seen then they are quite lucky or perhaps I just watch too many movies.

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While I agree with some of his points.. his thoughts that the hermit woman was a poor character is off base. In fact, she was the most interesting character in the movie. This is a movie with some very bad stuff in it but some really good effective scenes that are overlooked.

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There is a review thread.

Personally, I hated the performances. If not for them, the movie would have still been bland for me but I disliked the performances so much that I ended up really disliking the entire movie. I'm sure the actors gave the performances that Shyamalan wanted (and just hoped for the best) but I don't understand why he decided it was a good idea to get those performances from his actors. I know he was going for a B movie vibe but almost every other aspect of the movie doesn't come off as a B movie so it just made the performances stand out like a sore thumb.

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I thought Wahlberg did what he could with the role but he's "too tough" to be playing a science teacher IMO. I thought the woman was downright horrid and no one else really stood out for me. With that said, this really did remind me of a Roger Corman like "B" movie where our minds tell us one thing is going on but then it turns out to be something else and something less than what we might have hoped for. I wasn't sure if the anger thrown at this film was like the anger thrown at THE VILLAGE in that people didn't like what the cause was. The bad acting is typical (in a way) for stuff like this.

As I said, I didn't even like the movie enough to recommend it but some of the hatred I'm seeing thrown at the movie kinda leaves me scratching my head. Perhaps it's just this guys movies that people get so upset about? The hatred towards this movie is the same I hold for THE VILLAGE.

I don't think this is a good film but I found it to be a decent comeback after the previous two films to where I'd go and see what he does next. Had this one bombed with me then I would have turned my back on him.

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But she's so darn cute (or, at least she was in HHGTTG).

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I fell in love with Zooey in Almost Famous. Wow...and my crush was further cemented seeing her as the charming & sweet teacher in Bridge to Terabithia.

She's different looking and truthfully didn't find her as attractive in THappening as usual but she's still a cutie. And those eyes. Those will stop traffic.

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Compared to the old hermit in the film she was.

Sorry, her performance was so bad that whatever she looks like really doesn't matter to me. I haven't seen her in enough films to say she's a horrible actress so I guess the directing could have been making her do what she did.

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Zoey Deschanel is a fine actress with genuine range, displayed not just in Almost Famous but in smaller films like Winter Passing and All the Real Girls. She grew up in the movie business, being the daughter of a respected cinematographer (Caleb) and an actress (Mary Jo, best known for Twin Peaks).

Whatever one may think of her performance in The Happening -- and I happen to think it fit the film -- it's deliberate and not a result of poor craft on the actor's part.

M.

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I'm not sure Michael. ALMOST FAMOUS is my pick for the best film of the decade so far but I can't say she really jumped out at me, although I'll pay more attention to her when I watch it again.

The scene that sticks in my mind is when Wahlberg gets home after leaving the school and she's turning the television off and then gives him a look as if he was some sort of monster. The look on her face and her body movements just made me laugh and this scene really ruined my thoughts of her for the rest of the film in terms of acting. I was also really bugged by all the scenes with Joey calling on the cell. Her reactions were too over the top for me but if this is what the director wanted from her then I won't blame her but she will still get labeled with a "bad performance".

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I liked this movie more than I thought I would. I'm not sure I would call it a bad movie, but having said that I do think it had some bad performances. I guess I would say I liked the movie in spite of Wahlberg and Deschanel, both of whom I usually enjoy. I do put a lot of blame on MNS since the script was not strong IMO and because if he wanted a different performance he would have taken steps to get it.

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Michael,
Did you like this film, I'm asking because I respect your opinion and might catch it anyway despite the negative reviews?

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Not the worst film I have ever seen, but a huge disappointment none the less. I have enjoyed all of Shyamalan's films so far, though Lady In The Water had its problems.

This film felt like Shyamalan had some good ideas but couldn't string them together into an effective story. That was my main problem with the film - there were some really effective moments, but as a whole it just didn't work at all.

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Her first CU actually scared me a bit (more than most of the film) because of how dang big her eyes are. They just don't seem normal and that shot exaggerated them.

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This review sums it.

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I liked it for what it was: a B movie with some nicely creepy moments. The performances struck me as appropriately broad for the genre. And as for people acting "dumb" -- what the heck, I've given up taking such criticisms seriously. Being smarter than the characters is one of the privileges of being an audience member. In real life I see people acting dumb all around me on a daily basis, and I'm sure people routinely think the same of me. So when people in movies do things that are stupid or ill-considered or "oh no, don't do that!", I just accept it and let the events unfold.

It's certainly not the best of Shyamalan's films, but I found it much more watchable than Lady in the Water and far less annoying than The Village simply because it didn't try to engage in any narrative trickery and therefore didn't fall flat (as I thought The Village did).

I'd say it sums what's wrong with the critic more than what's wrong with the movie.

M.

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Thank you and based on Shyamalan's comments from the last week making a good "B" movie was his goal with this title.





Crawdaddy

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I agree. Another "witty and clever" movie-rant from the net... Gotta love those..

One interview here:
Interview: M. Night Shyamalan - Cinematical

"The only things that have ever hurt my movies is their expectations. There's nothing I can do about that."

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I expect competent writing, acting and directing - apparently that set the bar too high for Happening.

I wanted to like it. I wanted to like all of MNS's last three flicks. Unfortunately, they were all varying levels of bad, and Happening is the worst of the bunch. Never thought I'd say that after Lady in the Water, but geez, was this an incompetent, amateurish, idiotic movie.

The dude with the tigers is easily the best unintentionally funny scene I've seen in a looong time...

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Seriously? I thought it was campy and silly...

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I thought the Psycho riff/ripoff (and it is blatant) pretty damn effective. If Night had chosen to make a film at that level of tension, he might have had another "Signs" (in terms of boxoffice).

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(Betty Buckley moment) ..and I thought that it was kinda creepy, well executed and pleasantly "confusing" scene" (meaning, that Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) .

Again, people saw this one scene alone very differently. It´s M. Night again..

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I brought this up a few pages back and it got lost in the shuffle. Just wondering if anyone else thought the same thing?

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That makes sense to me.

I think the bigger question is if it 'happened' there once, why the hell would they move back there at all?

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I finally got around to seeing this on DVD and I have to say -- this movie is almost shockingly bad.

And this is coming from someone who even enjoyed "Lady In The Water" to a reasonable extent.

The narrative just meanders aimlessly all over the place, and the casting is terrible. It's hard not to laugh at a lot of Mark Wahlberg's line readings and he's completely not believable as a school teacher (Paul Giamatti from LitW would've been much better for this role).

The romantic leads also have zero chemistry whatsoever between them and the much balley-hooed R-rated death scenes are quite honestly gratuitous and feel a bit cheap.

The cinematography and the oddly bright look of the entire film is bland too, at least LitW and The Village were interesting to look at visually.

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Well, watching The Happening on Blu-ray after letting it sit on the shelf for a long time taught me one thing. Never let critical reviews sway me. I'm a big M. Night fan but I still listened to the non-hype and avoided this one. On a rainy Wednesday afternoon in March I finally screened it in my HT and was pleasantly surprised. I have to side with the silent minority who absolutely loved this film. No, it wasn't a summer blockbluster type of thing but it held my interest from start to finish. Well crafted, well acted, thoughtful and much, much better than I had expected. I guess I have to thank the panners for making my day with this one.

from this old timer.

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maybe u just had an extremely low expectation so that when u finally caught it post hype u felt it was decent?

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I couldn't agree more, RAF. I thought it was a very good film. Criminally underrated. I'll never understand why so many people are down on M. Night Shyamalan, who I like to call my Savior of Modern Horror. I've only seen SIGNS, THE SIXTH SENSE (both exceptional) and THE VILLAGE (decent enough) but I love the way the man relies on tension and fear, trying to make you think a bit when telling a story, without blowing it up into mind-numbing action and special effects overkill. I am especially surprised when it's purists like me, who usually prefer the older styles of the genre and science fiction stories of the Twilight Zone variety, who are first in line to pounce. I just don't get that. The man is good at what he does (though I admittedly have yet to see LADY IN THE WATER, and I have trepidations reserved for when I do get to it).

This is a scary concept that works, though I'm a sucker for desperate end-of-the-world movies of this type which leave us no sure-footed understanding or way to escape the horror. The only things I could find mildly lacking here was that Wahlberg isn't a great actor, and he wouldn't be my prime choice for a film like this. Zooey Deschanel leaves something to be desired as well, but the events that are going on around these two are suspenseful, intriguing and frightening enough that it doesn't interfere with the intense experience. Some of the kill scenes are properly disturbing, and I liked the ominous music score. There are a few silly lines now and then ("cheese and crackers!"), but this is a quibble. I very much enjoyed Betty Buckley's eccentric old lady character, and she was also an asset to the film. John Leguizamo touched a nerve in his part as a loving father/husband, and good friend of Wahlberg's.

M. Night is a master horror/sci-fi filmmaker, and we need more of him and his work, especially in this present day and age of mindless cookie cutter genre films that rely on an over-abundance of CGI and chess piece characters. I am completely baffled as to why there's such an outcry against his movies after THE SIXTH SENSE.

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While I didn't like The Happening, I do agree with that. And I probably said it before in the thread but I'm happy that some people did like this movie because Shyamalan is a master and I continue to look forward to his next movie (even if I didn't like The Lady In The Water or The Happening).

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M. Knight thinks he's a master, he wants to be a master but he lacks the modesty IMO.

Masters don't know they're masters and the moment they do realize it and say "hey, I can make any ridiculous film that I want and people will love me and it." it ceases to be genius and becomes pretentious, M. Knight has fallen victim to this.

My problem with him is he seems to have bought into his own hype and now tries too hard to fill his films with overly philosophical themes. He comes up with what is essentially silly premises but to him they are immensely meaningful and deep when most of the time they just come off laughable.

And The Village is in a league all it's own, it's rare that film struck me so negatively that it actually made me angry lol. Lastly, how exactly does one go about outrunning wind? I would love to know because I walk a lot and it would be nice if I could stay ahead of it like Wahlberg and Co. did.