The Happening (M. Night Shyamalan, 2008)

[moviscop]

I have to say Zucker's Top Secret takes the cake.

[jbeall]

I have to say Zucker's Top Secret takes the cake.

Hells yeah!! Easily my fave Zucker Bros. film (although I like the Airplane! movies and Kentucky Fried Movie very much).

[tavernier]

Can we get back to trashing Mr. M. Night, please?

[wattsup32]

Can we get back to trashing Mr. M. Night, please?

yes. yes we can. i saw it tonight. i went in expecting to hate it. in fact, it was kind of a joke between the gf and i that we were even seeing it at all. turns out, i didn't hate it. i couldn't even muster enough interest or emotion for it to hate it.

we have this scale, the gf and i, that is always running. it is essentially a scale of the best and worst movies we have seen together. by now, we pretty much only concentrate on the films we have seen together. this one ranked 2nd worst for us. it was bottomed only be the live action underdog (the joke about him buying the "superfluous bottle of cough syrup" was what kept it from the bottom. i should mention, we have a 4 year old and see every kids movie, so this has beaten out shit like alvin and the chipmunks for worst movie.

i read the NYT review after i saw the film (i never read the reviews before. i even try not to see trailers first) and i think people who give him very little credit as a filmmaker still give him far too much credit. i'd say his best, without a doubt, is lady in the water. i know i am in the minority for that opinion.

for all the shit he gets for twist endings, and i hate his twist endings, this movie sorely needed one.

[a.khan]

... if anyone actually gives him money to make another movie.

Clearly, you haven't seen this then.

[moviscop]

... if anyone actually gives him money to make another movie.

Clearly, you haven't seen this then.

shit.

[Zumpano]

... if anyone actually gives him money to make another movie.

Clearly, you haven't seen this then.

Whoa...a trilogy?

[jesus the mexican boi]

I had to get my car serviced and there was a theater next door and it was the only thing showing in the timeframe so I bought a ticket to "The Happening."

I want my 90 minutes back. Absolutely execrable. The worst movie I have ever seen in a theater.

[domino harvey]

Are there crazy bloggers trying to sell people on this movie like there are for Speed Racer? he asks, dreading the answer.

[flyonthewall2983]

I knew better awhile ago, but I always keep picturing you as a woman.

[Cde.]

Are there crazy bloggers trying to sell people on this movie like there are for Speed Racer? he asks, dreading the answer.

Have you seen Speed Racer?

[Barmy]

I'm working on a thesis explicating the influence of Godard's Dziga-Vertov period on the themes of divine immanence and premillenarianism present in The Happening, but I won't be able to finish it until I have a chance to watch my Pravda DVD.

[tavernier]

You will, of course, be mentioning Speed Racer in that context also, correct?

[Barmy]

How could anyone work Godard references into a discussion of a cartoon targeted at 4-year olds?

[tavernier]

Now you're referring to The Happening, right?

[Cde.]

I love it how Barmy seemed way more interested in Speed Racer before it became apparent people on this forum (gasp!) liked the movie!

[Antoine Doinel]

I saw this tonight and it's not the utter piece of crap that people have been happily going over (even though most people haven't seen the film). Is a great film? No. A good film? Nope. But I'd rather sit through this again than the utterly dismal My Blueberry Nights. The entire sequence about "the keys" and "opening doors" is as ridiculous as the acting in this film. And yes, the acting is atrocious and I think that is the big failing of the film. I don't think the premise is really the issue, because I don't think it's that outrageous. Yes, some of the new age mumbo jumbo about auras is a bit much, but the base principal about our interaction with the environment around is isn't so off base. But the acting, for the most part, is. Curiously though, when the film gets to the secondary plot, there are some individual scenes that really worked for me, particularly Leguizamo's last big scene in the film. It actually points to MNS being a really effective dramatic director if he ever decides to let go of his Hitchcock/Twilight Zone thing. The other problem is that the premise has been deadened by the simple fact we live this shit in the news every day. We've almost been desensitized to it. If the film had been released thirty years ago as nuclear power etc had started to roll out, perhaps the effect would've been better.

If the film is worth anything, it's the multiple shots of Zooey's absolutely gorgeous eyes.

[jesus the mexican boi]

Sorry, no. It's an utter piece of crap.

[Murdoch]

I will never understand why anyone likes Zooey Deschanel.

[domino harvey]

[sidehacker]

I like you 'cause I can say what's on my mind.

[Murdoch]

That picture kinda makes me want to see the Happening. Wait...dammit!

[sidehacker]

You can say what's on your mind.

[Floyd]

I somehow was tricked into seeing this with a drive in movie triple feature where this was the closing movie. It did give me more laughs then Forgetting Sarah Marshall which preceded it so I suppose that is a plus. I wasn't quite drunk enough though to not feel like it could be awarded as the worst ever. The editing, the direction, the acting and well everything is just so unbelievably bad that it is somewhat awe inspiring. There is a silly premise here which could maybe be executed as a bad student film that students could uncomfortably giggle at for 5 minutes. I've sat through plenty of those. M. Night somehow finds a way to drag this thing to 80. A drinking game might be fitting for this movie. Like for every bad Wahlberg dub. Not for every uncomfortable close up then bad cut as that would mean death.

I can't totally dismiss it because it does provide some laughs and plenty of how the fuck did this thing get released moments. If it didn't get so tedious after 30 minutes I'd say definitely watch it for some amusement. Not just the brow but it is shocking how big the nostrils are of Wahlberg.

[Gary Tooze]

I watched it last night and liked it - as I do with all Shyamalan films I see. His stories have a kind of organic simplicity to them and always remind me of an extended version of the old Twilight Zone TV show. I never have high expectations - usually thanks to all the negative critiques of his films. I especially thought Signs was a lot like a TZ episode. A lot of disappointment in his work seems to stem from 'expectations'. I think a lot of critics compare his work to standard genre films, and miss the underlying message(s).

The 'bash' on Unbreakable was it didn't have *enough* of a Shyamalan twist. It was about acceptance of your place in this world. Signs wasn't so much about an alien invasion but about family, retrieving trust (and faith). Where The Village was a political observation on the foibles of avoiding common sense and becoming a 'gated community'. Lady in the Water wasn't about mermaids and evil wolf-like creatures but about loss, acceptance and the value of community.

The biggest mistake is how they try to market his films - then viewers expectations are usually dashed. The tried to sell The Village like a Blair Witch Project - no wonder fans were scratching their heads.

Anyway, I like his work and hope he continues. I'd like see The Happening again to judge it in comparison to his other films. Right now - I agree - it appears, to me, to be weaker.... and I'm unsure of some of the editing. I'll watch again when it comes on DVD.

Cheers,
Gary