The Happening

[thepaulo]

This is something I'm definitely going to want to write about after seeing it. I know M. Knight is controversial and generates a lot of love and a lot of hate.
There really is a lot to write about so I hope to squeeze this into a slot in my tight schedule.

[Chigworthy]

I hope to squeeze this into a slot in my tight...

Ew.

[Furtherman]

The Happening thread already happened. (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=69722&highlight=Happening)

[thepaulo]

M. Night Shyamalen is crazy. He's also a genius but he is definately is crazy. We can start with meglomania and a persecution complex for starters. But it looks like his persecution complex is rooted in reality since he is in the middle of a major backlash. To a certain degree he has brought this on himself by seeking the media spotlight. His last film Lady in the Water was promoted by a full lenght book that detailed how some people in the industry were out to get him. The film before that (The Village) was promoted with an extensive interview with late Joel Segal that was broadcasted in theaters. His current film is trumpeted as being his first R-rated film. These oddities of hucksterism aside, I think M. Night makes good films. So why are the critics piling on right now? Probably a distaste for hubris and ego-mania but if that's the case I find M. Night's hubris pretty benign. None of this matters to me if I like the movies and I like the movies. None of this would get me all steamed up if the movie landscape was an orchard full of succulent and luscious fruit but it is not. Most of what is given to us by Hollywood is gruel hurled from a caldron. Hollywood product has become so ubiquitously vacuous and banal that it has beaten us all into acceptance. It is above all insincere product. This is where another of M. Night mental illnesses come into play. He has a messianic complex. M.Night has a sincere desire to save us all. He truly and passionately believes in what he is doing.
Another problem seems to be that his writing stretches the limits of credibility....what...hello? He's a fantasy writer. All he has ever written deals with the supernatural in some form or another. Maybe the fact that his fantasy is so grounded in reality that some people might question if M. Night actually believes this stuff. But most of us have no problem with a guy who grows three times his size when he gets excited and shrinks back when he calms down. The only thing the Incredible Hulk resembles in actual reality is a penis. We like our stupid stuff without arty pretensions. Don't get me wrong. I don't think M. Night is an Ingmar bergman or something but he is enormously talented. He is easily as talented as Quentin Tarentino or David mamet but neither of those guys had to deal with a major backlash even though they are just as ripe for it.
The Happening has an outlandish premise but remember this is fantasy. It's an allegory for Christ's sake that brushes on our fears of terrorism and eco-disaster. Mark Wahlberg is hardly my favorite actor but he's good here as a man wildly in love with a less than perfect spouse played by Zooey Deschanel.
The critics clearly don't plan on letting up on M.Night until he delivers some safe Hollywood product or at the very least a sequel to the Sixth Sense. Are all his movie perfect? of course not but that doesn'y mean that I want him to make The Sixth Sense II:Wide Awake in the Afterlife. Perhaps the critics won't be satisfied untill he kills himself like the mass suicides in The Happening. After all, it's well established he's mentally unstable.
I may be in the minority but I applaud him now and would like to see him continue to fight windmills like some modern day Don Quioxte. I applaud him and just because I'm in the minority doesn't mean I'm wrong. 78 out 100

[Sheeplovr]

there wasnt a review here at all for the moive just the director i dont get it paul

where is the part about killer plants?

[thepaulo]

Go see the movie....I ain't telling you about the killer plants.

[foodcourtdruide]

M. Night Shyamalen is crazy. He's also a genius but he is definately is crazy. We can start with meglomania and a persecution complex for starters. But it looks like his persecution complex is rooted in reality since he is in the middle of a major backlash. To a certain degree he has brought this on himself by seeking the media spotlight. His last film Lady in the Water was promoted by a full lenght book that detailed how some people in the industry were out to get him. The film before that (The Village) was promoted with an extensive interview with late Joel Segal that was broadcasted in theaters. His current film is trumpeted as being his first R-rated film. These oddities of hucksterism aside, I think M. Night makes good films. So why are the critics piling on right now? Probably a distaste for hubris and ego-mania but if that's the case I find M. Night's hubris pretty benign. None of this matters to me if I like the movies and I like the movies. None of this would get me all steamed up if the movie landscape was an orchard full of succulent and luscious fruit but it is not. Most of what is given to us by Hollywood is gruel hurled from a caldron. Hollywood product has become so ubiquitously vacuous and banal that it has beaten us all into acceptance. It is above all insincere product. This is where another of M. Night mental illnesses come into play. He has a messianic complex. M.Night has a sincere desire to save us all. He truly and passionately believes in what he is doing.
Another problem seems to be that his writing stretches the limits of credibility....what...hello? He's a fantasy writer. All he has ever written deals with the supernatural in some form or another. Maybe the fact that his fantasy is so grounded in reality that some people might question if M. Night actually believes this stuff. But most of us have no problem with a guy who grows three times his size when he gets excited and shrinks back when he calms down. The only thing the Incredible Hulk resembles in actual reality is a penis. We like our stupid stuff without arty pretensions. Don't get me wrong. I don't think M. Night is an Ingmar bergman or something but he is enormously talented. He is easily as talented as Quentin Tarentino or David mamet but neither of those guys had to deal with a major backlash even though they are just as ripe for it.
The Happening has an outlandish premise but remember this is fantasy. It's an allegory for Christ's sake that brushes on our fears of terrorism and eco-disaster. Mark Wahlberg is hardly my favorite actor but he's good here as a man wildly in love with a less than perfect spouse played by Zooey Deschanel.
The critics clearly don't plan on letting up on M.Night until he delivers some safe Hollywood product or at the very least a sequel to the Sixth Sense. Are all his movie perfect? of course not but that doesn'y mean that I want him to make The Sixth Sense II:Wide Awake in the Afterlife. Perhaps the critics won't be satisfied untill he kills himself like the mass suicides in The Happening. After all, it's well established he's mentally unstable.
I may be in the minority but I applaud him now and would like to see him continue to fight windmills like some modern day Don Quioxte. I applaud him and just because I'm in the minority doesn't mean I'm wrong. 78 out 100

This is a great commentary Paul, and I agree with you about M Night. As much as everyone screams that they want something different, as soon as something goes against the grain we either scream for conformity or completely ignore it. M Night's movies definitely aren't perfect, but they are DIFFERENT. I'm just happy a mainstream director is challenging audiences instead of putting out the same mundane bullshit. I'd rather watch The Happening than IronCloverHulkMan.

[JerseyRich]

This is a great commentary Paul, and I agree with you about M Night. As much as everyone screams that they want something different, as soon as something goes against the grain we either scream for conformity or completely ignore it. M Night's movies definitely aren't perfect, but they are DIFFERENT. I'm just happy a mainstream director is challenging audiences instead of putting out the same mundane bullshit. I'd rather watch The Happening than IronCloverHulkMan.

IronCloverHulkMan!

That's a Superpopcorn movie if I've ever heard one!

[KnoxHarrington]

IronCloverHulkMan!

That's a Superpopcorn movie if I've ever heard one!

There have been several shitty movies lately that people have tried to defend based on the fact that they're "creative". One that springs to mind is the utter clusterfuck "Southland Tales". Don't let disgust for the horseshit Hollywood pumps out set your standards aside.

Shamalyan is a hack. This movie sucks. There may be a backlash against him, but that doesn't mean that Attack Of The Killer Begonias isn't shit.

[foodcourtdruide]

There have been several shitty movies lately that people have tried to defend based on the fact that they're "creative". One that springs to mind is the utter clusterfuck "Southland Tales". Don't let disgust for the horseshit Hollywood pumps out set your standards aside.

Shamalyan is a hack. This movie sucks. There may be a backlash against him, but that doesn't mean that Attack Of The Killer Begonias isn't shit.

I agree and disagree. I think we shouldn't just say, "this is creative, so it's ok if it's shit!", but at the same time I definitely give leeway to those who attempt to be creative. I don't think M Night is a hack. I think his movies have progressively gotten worse, but I loved Unbreakable and enjoyed The Village and Signs. He's had some great performances from some really good actors, and I give him credit for that and I also enjoy his directing style. I think he's great at building suspense.

Because of that, I will give his new movie more leeway than a Michael Bay film, however if it's shit, then it's shit and I'll call it for what it is.

[thepaulo]

It's just an old style gang bang.
Go Gang Bang Adam Sandler or Michael Bay or (list is endless of no name hacks) or that cosmic void that directed the Strangers.

[patsopinion]

are we defending the director or looking at the movie and judging it by itself

i heard it was awful
will not see

[thepaulo]

the movie's okay and overall I'd say it belongs in the top 20% percentile for the year....really the critics are attacking the director...the movie is secondary....a lot of the critical comments amount to drivel....I'm really not trying to make a big case for the movie but simply put things in perspective. There is a lot, lot, lot, lot of crap out there. The Happening no way deserves this treatment while the real garbage gets a pass.The Hulk by comparison is a rudimentary bore.

[fezident]

It was a middle of the road "good" movie.
The audience was engaged the entire time. Laughing and gasping at all the right spots. I think people are expecting some kinda huge oh-my-f'ing-god ending and, because this movie ends with a whimper, they feel cheated.

If ya ask me... people expectations were a little too high for THE HAPPENING. It's good... not great... but by no means " a total let-down".

[Epschtein]

i dont know where this movie stands compared to ALL other movies made this year, decade, century, nor do i care. i just care if i enjoy it and feel like it was worth the money.

it wasnt, it was quite awful. i didnt find it creative at all, i thought it was actually very lame and cliche in its approach to conveying emotion, and the dialog was awful. the music was lame and cheesy. i have really enjoyed mark wahlberg in other things, he is awful here. and his wife is dreadful, but the kid and the way m. night tried to use her may be the absolute worst part of the whole thing. it was like something a high school student would write.

this is low quality writing and directing here, im shocked to hear anyone think otherwise. (not that im some genius critic, just that i thought the movies failings were significant and extremely obvious)

[CHUCKWAGONCOOK]

I hung around a while and watched the credits roll
I thought for sure with the global warming TWIST
Al Gore's name would pop up as producer.

[Annie Waits]

i dont know where this movie stands compared to ALL other movies made this year, decade, century, nor do i care. i just care if i enjoy it and feel like it was worth the money.

it wasnt, it was quite awful. i didnt find it creative at all, i thought it was actually very lame and cliche in its approach to conveying emotion, and the dialog was awful. the music was lame and cheesy. i have really enjoyed mark wahlberg in other things, he is awful here. and his wife is dreadful, but the kid and the way m. night tried to use her may be the absolute worst part of the whole thing. it was like something a high school student would write.

this is low quality writing and directing here, im shocked to hear anyone think otherwise. (not that im some genius critic, just that i thought the movies failings were significant and extremely obvious)

I hear ya!
I didn't like it...it's just a little better than the NYC monster movie though...

[Chigworthy]

I haven't seen it, but last night a commercial was quoting reviewers who loved it, and some dickface said simply, "Something wicked this way comes....." So I'm assuming the level of originality and quality you can find in a Ray Bradbury story will also be found in this movie.

[Furtherman]

The Happening thread already happened. (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=69722&highlight=Happening)

Hey mods.... can we merge these two threads?

[thepaulo]

again, I respectfully disagree with mr. B.

[OGC]

...There really is a lot to write about so I hope to squeeze this into a slot in my tight schedule.

Nothing beats having a tight slot on your schedule. Good going Paulo.

[thepaulo]

...and it is a little better than the NYC monster movie.

[Bowel]

He is easily as talented as Quentin Tarentino or David mamet but neither of those guys had to deal with a major backlash even though they are just as ripe for it.



I don't think that you could say that M. Night is equally talented as Mamet or Tarentino.


Both Tarentino and Mamet rely heavily on dialogue whereas M. Night films are mostly about plot twists.

[KnoxHarrington]

I don't think that you could say that M. Night is equally talented as Mamet or Tarentino.


Both Tarentino and Mamet rely heavily on dialogue whereas M. Night films are mostly about plot twists.

And it's hard to say that Tarantino hasn't had a "backlash". Did you see the reaction to "Grindhouse"? Or even, in a way, to "Kill Bill"?

Mamet isn't quite high-profile enough for a backlash.

[thepaulo]

Tarentino has gotten some shit here and there from some people but nothing close to a major backlash....and this is despite the fact that his personality verges on being annoying(I hear verges might be an understatement).
You are probably right that Mamet never attained the status of a media celebrity and therefore doesn't qualify for an official backlash.

[donnie_darko]

i saw a boom microphone at least six times during this movie.

not just a glimpse, i mean it was in frame for entire scenes

how exactly does that happen? and why has no one else mentioned it?

[thepaulo]

some prints include things that are suppose to blocked off by the theater....but it happens...which scene?

[donnie_darko]

the first time (i think) was when they were in the demo house sitting at the table talking.

the next time was when they were at the house where the kids ended up getting shot.

also remember seeing it while they were eating with the recluse lady......(at which point i was expecting to find the sci-fi twist to the movie)

the thing was i could see even more of the microphone off camera....so the theatre was obviously aware of it...but didn't compensate enough.

added to the amateur feel of the movie i suppose.

[fezident]

i saw a boom microphone at least six times during this movie.

not just a glimpse, i mean it was in frame for entire scenes

how exactly does that happen? and why has no one else mentioned it?

Cropping the image is the projectionists job. He is SUPPOSED to tweak the image so, you don't see objects that are intended to be off-camera. (such as mics, lights, wires, and... genitalia.)

[TheMojoPin]

This movie is dumber than Dan Marino holding the ball on a field goal attempt.

[DiabloSammich]

Cropping the image is the projectionists job. He is SUPPOSED to tweak the image so, you don't see objects that are intended to be off-camera. (such as mics, lights, wires, and... genitalia.)



Seriously?

You mean the multi-million dollar studios send out the movie with these issues and rely on the minimum wage stoner in the booth to make sure there are no mistakes?

Odd.

[TheMojoPin]

Seriously?

You mean the multi-million dollar studios send out the movie with these issues and rely on the minimum wage stoner in the booth to make sure there are no mistakes?

Odd.

Yessir. It's always been that way.

[KnoxHarrington]

Yessir. It's always been that way.

Was it up to the projectionist to adjust the film to correct the horrible performances and ludicrous plot holes as well?

[TheMojoPin]

Was it up to the projectionist to adjust the film to correct the horrible performances and ludicrous plot holes as well?

It was his job to bravely destroy all copies of the film before ayone could see them. EPIC FAIL.

[KnoxHarrington]

You should see the IMDB message boards for this turd. It's a small (and probably smaller than it was a few months ago) group of Auteur Douchebag's fans trying to defend this movie against people pointing out the many, many flaws in it. It's kind of sad, really.

[donnie_darko]

"she's going to the town of princeton"

that's all i gotta say.

[thepaulo]

Films like The Happening and Indiana Jones 4 do not deserve the kind of criticism that some people are hurling at them. They are simply honest efforts to entertain. The Happening is just a simple fantasy film and Indy 4 just an attempt to give some people a chance to relive good times. They are not aggressively toxic like Speed Racer or hopelessly bland and corporate like Get Smart.

[MisterSmith]

It was a middle of the road "good" movie.
The audience was engaged the entire time. Laughing and gasping at all the right spots. I think people are expecting some kinda huge oh-my-f'ing-god ending and, because this movie ends with a whimper, they feel cheated.

If ya ask me... people expectations were a little too high for THE HAPPENING. It's good... not great... but by no means " a total let-down".

I think that is a pretty good summation of how I feel. It wasn't a great movie, but it was a good movie (as long as you didn't try to take it too seriously).

[Gerald]

The over-the-top hate for The Happening might be more of a referendum on the disdain people have for Night as opposed to the movie itself. To me it seemed like a rough outline of an intriguing concept that could've made for a good doomsday thriller with the aid of a little script polish, perhaps by an outside influence brought in to evaluate the material with fresh eyes.

Oh, and Paul O., Indy 4 was a bad movie relative to the others in the series and the visually transcendent Speed Racer (aka the Blade Runner of kids' movies) is the third best movie of the year behind Redbelt and In Bruges.

[thepaulo]

As visually imaginative as Speed Racer seems.....It was the most physically unpleasant experience I had in a theater this year.

[thepaulo]

As visually imaginative as Speed Racer seems.....It was the most physically unpleasant experience I had in a theater this year....
and my little rant above was about how the critical response was driven by an almost primal hatred for the man not the movie.
and Indy 1 is the best...everyone can agree on that...after that...does it really matter?

[fezident]

Seriously?

You mean the multi-million dollar studios send out the movie with these issues and rely on the minimum wage stoner in the booth to make sure there are no mistakes?

Odd.

Yes. That was the very basis for the Projectionists Union strike/walkout/dispute back in the 1990ies.

[IamFogHat]

My chick and I just got back from this piece of shit and we both can't believe how bad the acting was, despite how bad everyone had said, it still is just incomprehensible.
And to nitpick, why didn't Marky Mark go to work to teach on the day the schools opened after three months?

[sailor]

just saw this today. i enjoyed it, but will agree some of the performances were spotty. there's no way this film deserves the scorn that's been hurled at it. night definitely gets special treatment from critics. also, what movies of his have a "twist" ending? yes he has a few, but i'd only say 3 myself. people need to let go that all his movies are aboot twists (and for his own good i hope he stays away from them for good).

and i'm glad there are two happening threads. :tongue:

[Friday]

i just watched it and i have to say that i fully enjoyed it.
it has to be said that by listening to RnF I was expecting crap but it wasn't crap.
it was an entertaining film with an environmental message.
and at a good time, too... when so many corporations are going GREEN.

the actors were good... there were a few scenes here and there that were blaah... but overall i think the movie was a good one. and there was no radical 'Twist' here... just a bunch of pissed off plants finally saying Fuck You to the humans who have screwed them over for ages!

[chocolatetown]

if john lake-wi-zom-o driving into a tree is "going green" then fill up my reusable grocery bag with boca burgers and let's share a paperless magazine near one of those twisty light bulbs

[thepaulo]

i just watched it and i have to say that i fully enjoyed it.
it has to be said that by listening to RnF I was expecting crap but it wasn't crap.
it was an entertaining film with an environmental message.
and at a good time, too... when so many corporations are going GREEN.

the actors were good... there were a few scenes here and there that were blaah... but overall i think the movie was a good one. and there was no radical 'Twist' here... just a bunch of pissed off plants finally saying Fuck You to the humans who have screwed them over for ages!

you are a very brave woman to put forth such an opinion at this juncture....i applaude you.
:clap:

[Evolved]

I just watched this movie and I agree with what these two have to say. It's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

Also, hearing it talked about on the show and now seeing the movie it would appear that some people didn't grasp what was going on or at the very least weren't paying attention to the story.


just saw this today. i enjoyed it, but will agree some of the performances were spotty. there's no way this film deserves the scorn that's been hurled at it. night definitely gets special treatment from critics. also, what movies of his have a "twist" ending? yes he has a few, but i'd only say 3 myself. people need to let go that all his movies are aboot twists (and for his own good i hope he stays away from them for good).

and i'm glad there are two happening threads. :tongue:

i just watched it and i have to say that i fully enjoyed it.
it has to be said that by listening to RnF I was expecting crap but it wasn't crap.
it was an entertaining film with an environmental message.
and at a good time, too... when so many corporations are going GREEN.

the actors were good... there were a few scenes here and there that were blaah... but overall i think the movie was a good one. and there was no radical 'Twist' here... just a bunch of pissed off plants finally saying Fuck You to the humans who have screwed them over for ages!