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5 Comments »

5 Responses to “The Happening: Community Review #10”

1. on 14 Jun 2008 at 8:17 pm   Bruce

   Ok, I’ll start. Zooey Deschanel has really, really blue eyes! And John Leguizamo has not been this good since Moulin Rouge. M. Night says to enjoy it as a B movie. Already he’s conceding too much. Here’s how it is a B movie–dialogue that seems to be said not for the sake of moving the story along but to move the camera to some other character; a bit overboard use of radios, tvs, cellphones to “explain” what is “happening”; interesting “high concept” but deliberate low-fi, low-budget techniques, not quite grindhouse, but somehow drawing attention to themselves.

   I have not mentioned Mark Wahlberg yet. He’s a high school science teacher who acts like one. Given his performance in The Departed, he really had to dial down on this one. Was he having fun?

   Anyway, it looks like everyone in Philadelphia tends to be a nervous wreck whether people are dying in Central Park, NY or not. There are some scary images, and some scary scenes. I somehow missed M. Night’s cameo, unless playing an unseen Joey on a cell-phone call counts. Compared to Signs, Unbreakable, or The Village this is a C+. Compared to Lady in the Water, it’s a B+.

   We went out and bought a pseudoacacia tree today, you know, to protect us in case, uhh, you know, something happens.

2. on 15 Jun 2008 at 5:41 am   Justin

   It opened in Nairobi. Hopefully it stays around a week for me to catch it when I get back?

   That and Hulk opened up. I for one think the idea of Hulk in general is pretty stupid (like Ben Stiller in Mystery Men – “My super power is I get really angry!”).

   And I obviously hate CGI mixed with humans for the most part, so the big Hulk vs. Hulk 2.0 cartoon fight in the trailer leaves me feeling this could be worse than Ang Lee’s Hulk who could jump 403 miles in the air across the desert.

   It’s see those or Sex in the City, what do you think?

   That being said, I only read Ebert’s review of Happening, and I’ll probably be okay with it.

   Can I say one thing first though?

   PLANT INVASION WILL BE IN JANUARY – Didn’t I write that song/concept in AFRICA in like 1999!!!!!!!!!! So tired of people stealing my ideas…

3. on 21 Jun 2008 at 12:51 pm   Mary

   So what did you think Justin?

4. on 22 Jun 2008 at 2:24 pm   Justin

   Effective, scary scenes, disturbing, freaky. But as far as anything “happening” in this movie – I guess not too much.

   I could see the line/theme from the Village “all nature bows to love” or whatever line William Hurt says. I appreciate the sentiment here towards the end but it’s kinda cheeseball.

   Zooey D is cute and all, but Wahlberg is hamming it up here or something. He is constantly in that “inquiring-suggestion-question” voice that he does, kinda higher pitched and wanting to know something, you know what I mean?

   I laughed a lot, I like M Night’s touches of humor here and there (plastic plant, hot dogs).

   I’m not sure where I stand between this and Lady in the Water. In both films I was entertained and wanting to know what would happen next, and I still love M Nights pacing and atmosphere creation and eerie presentation no matter if the movie isn’t his most quality story.

   For what it is, a “B-movie” – it works, and I accept it into the M Night library. He is just great at creating an atmosphere of creepiness and I look forward to that each time.

   I give it a C+/B- region of a rating. I still find myself expecting more, though.

5. on 03 Jul 2008 at 2:55 am   mary

   I give it a solid B, b/c it was classic M. Night, suspenseful, somewhat slow but interesting, although disturbing. Not for the weak of stomach, but yet somehow acceptable, just the right amount of pacing and intensity in “those” scenes (rated R).

   Enjoyable 1 time for sure, preferably in theater, and preferably not on DVD during an Alaskan summer night – too much sunshine at night for a thriller, hee, hee. It was intended to thrill you know See it, just to see it!