Posted June 16, 200817 yr http://images.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2008/06/13/happening/story.jpg Right, I'm doing my usual double-bill at the Cineworld tomorrow cos it's my day off, going to see the new Hulk film, but I want to know people's opinions on "The Happening" if they've seen it... Now, I'm really in two minds about Shyamalan.... I thought his first two films (Sixth Sense and Unbreakable) to be very interesing spins on their respective genres (Horror and Super Heroes), both had quite awesome twists (Particularly "Unbreakeable", you could more-or-less figure out the twist in "Sixth Sense", but the heart of the film was always really the relationship between the young lad and Bruce Willis' character...) and were generally well handled..... Then, I dunno, he just seemed to jump the shark totally - "Signs" was good for about the first hour, then became silly (I mean, aliens invading a planet which is two-thirds water and being defeated by, erm, water, which acted more-or-less like Krytonite on Superman...), Same goes for "The Village", although that took less than an hour to start becoming silly, and the "twist" just seemed absolutely ridiculous and incredibly forced and illogical, almost insulting to the intelligence in many ways.... Lady In The Water I just couldn't be arsed with to be honest..... So, how is "The Happening"..? Is it a return to form in the Sixth Sense/Unbreakable way, or is it just another example of a once interesting director circling the drain....? Opinions, thoughts... No spoilers please.....
June 16, 200817 yr I havent seen it but i have not read a good thing about it, from what ive heard it is utter rubbish, i think Shyamalan has lost his touch, for instance that 'Lady In The Water' film that was complete $h!t.
June 17, 200817 yr I've just about given up on him. =/ The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable were great. I especially loved the symbolism/use of color in Unbreakable. Don't even get me started on his recent movies... I still firmly believe he has the power to make another great movie, but it just seems like we'll be waiting a while.
June 17, 200817 yr Well this film had major potential but it just lets itself down. I was really looking forward to this, but I left the cinema feeling disappointed? That's probably the right word to use. I'm fans of both the two lead actors and I think they give good performances but the script is just well, BLEUH. It just totally lets itself down. I still think Shyamalan is a good director and writer but this film just all seemed a bit rushed if you know what I mean? He obviously had a good idea with what is "Tha Happening" but just what is "happening" is never fully justified and that's what I think lets the film down.
June 17, 200817 yr It's interesting. I prefered Sixth Sense however. Edited June 17, 200817 yr by Dan.
June 18, 200817 yr Author Well this film had major potential but it just lets itself down. I was really looking forward to this, but I left the cinema feeling disappointed? That's probably the right word to use. I'm fans of both the two lead actors and I think they give good performances but the script is just well, BLEUH. It just totally lets itself down. I still think Shyamalan is a good director and writer but this film just all seemed a bit rushed if you know what I mean? He obviously had a good idea with what is "Tha Happening" but just what is "happening" is never fully justified and that's what I think lets the film down. Well, I left the cinema frankly just thinking "What the fukk was THAT????". Yeah, he had good actors in this film, and then just seemed to tell them "hey, guys forget all about the proper acting stuff and just spend the whole film with blank, wide-eyed expressions and stare into space for no particular reason.. And say every line of dialogue in this weird sort of bemused register which sounds really false and forced..." Mark Wahlberg gives what has to be the WORST performance I have seen him give in a film, same for John Leguizamo.... Not their faults, they're hardly given anything to work with here.... I almost p!ssed myself laughing when he said the lines "Can this really be happening..?" and "There are things in nature that we just can't explain...". I half-expected the word "Grasshopper" to be added to that second line...... There was the seed of a good idea here, the first 10 minutes or so is pretty damn good, but Shyamalan just wastes it.. He tries to be all "surreal" at times, but hasn't got the stones of a David Lynch to pull it off....
June 18, 200817 yr Well, I left the cinema frankly just thinking "What the fukk was THAT????". Yeah, he had good actors in this film, and then just seemed to tell them "hey, guys forget all about the proper acting stuff and just spend the whole film with blank, wide-eyed expressions and stare into space for no particular reason.. And say every line of dialogue in this weird sort of bemused register which sounds really false and forced..." Mark Wahlberg gives what has to be the WORST performance I have seen him give in a film, same for John Leguizamo.... Not their faults, they're hardly given anything to work with here.... I almost p!ssed myself laughing when he said the lines "Can this really be happening..?" and "There are things in nature that we just can't explain...". I half-expected the word "Grasshopper" to be added to that second line...... Even with a cineworld card think I'm not gonna bother with this - read the review and it they were all a bit meh - with yeah the perf of Mark Wahlberg supposed to be so bad that the only way up from here might be as support act to NKOTB (tho I guess this would only happen in like a mad fantasy episode of Entourage :lol: :lol: ) obv gonna be as much as a waste of time as the lady in the water and i guess in that time i could listen to my Paste Magazine album sample #43 (featuring She & Him) or get round to watching Saw IV while me dad's out http://images.publicradio.org/content/2008/02/28/20080228_she__him_33.jpg
June 18, 200817 yr I heard this movie was c**p.My cousin saw it two days ago. She said the whole premise of the movie was terrible. I still want to see it but I'll wait till it comes out on video.
June 19, 200817 yr Author I still want to see it but I'll wait till it comes out on video. Yeah, I mean if you aint got a cinema with an Unlimited pay monthly card in your area, then just fukk it, don't waste your money on this tripe..... Frankly, I'd advise you to download it for free rather than even waste cash renting it from the video/DVD shop......
June 19, 200817 yr Yeah, I mean if you aint got a cinema with an Unlimited pay monthly card in your area, then just fukk it, don't waste your money on this tripe..... Frankly, I'd advise you to download it for free rather than even waste cash renting it from the video/DVD shop...... but then again its probs the type of dvd that will end up in hmv for £3 - and maybe it might be more heathier spending that much money on that than a pint of Stella at Weatherspoons - then again maybe not - tho you might be better seeing if Borders have got their dvd sale on at the time as normally the selection is slightly better than Van Wilder 2: Rise Of Taj that hmv will try to flog
June 19, 200817 yr I didn't like the film particularly. I enjoyed the concept behind it but it was really let down on the acting.
June 19, 200817 yr I hate to say this, but this film is utter cack, the only films I liked from this director was The Sixth Sense and Signs
June 20, 200817 yr I hate to say this, but this film is utter cack, the only films I liked from this director was The Sixth Sense and Signs nah Unbreakable was better than signs as signs had the water thing...:lol: and at least Unbreakable had a good spin on comic book sf ideology
June 21, 200817 yr Well, I left the cinema frankly just thinking "What the fukk was THAT????". Yeah, he had good actors in this film, and then just seemed to tell them "hey, guys forget all about the proper acting stuff and just spend the whole film with blank, wide-eyed expressions and stare into space for no particular reason.. And say every line of dialogue in this weird sort of bemused register which sounds really false and forced..." Mark Wahlberg gives what has to be the WORST performance I have seen him give in a film, same for John Leguizamo.... Not their faults, they're hardly given anything to work with here.... I almost p!ssed myself laughing when he said the lines "Can this really be happening..?" and "There are things in nature that we just can't explain...". I half-expected the word "Grasshopper" to be added to that second line...... There was the seed of a good idea here, the first 10 minutes or so is pretty damn good, but Shyamalan just wastes it.. He tries to be all "surreal" at times, but hasn't got the stones of a David Lynch to pull it off.... Took the words right out of my mouth.
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