The Happening

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Saw "The Happening" earlier today. What a crock of pooe! This has to be one of the top contenders for "Turkey of the Year". I had given that honor to KofCS so far. Shyamelon's career is on a downward spiral. Couldn't he direct something like "Mamma Mia" which will be a rip-roaring success??

how can you be trusted? KOTCS isn't the worst film or Turkey of the year, neither is it the best.

[Hitch 57]

I can see all those Razzie nominations now

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I know the film will bad, I always knew it would be. But I'll see it anyway, cause I like M. Night Shyamalan. It does seem like he's hitting rock bottom, which is sad, because he's a great filmmaker.

[ChuckM 1]

I just got back from the film. I don't feel like trying to figure out what should or shouldn't be a spoiler, so I'm just putting the rest of the post as one.

Overall, the movie was awesome! Shyamalan still hasn't let us down. Unlike most of his movies though, the action starts immediately. No character introduction or anything. Just straight into people dying. And yeah, that R rating was only for all the violence. What was amazing, was how he managed to artistically depict these gruesome deaths and make you cringe about as bad as in the best horror movie, but he did so without actually showing that much blood and gore directly.

My complaints with the film were that for one, it was a bit too environmentally aimed, which just annoyed me. Worse yet, there was no amazing twist at the end. That's the main thing I look forward to in all his movies, and it just wasn't there. No surprise ending at all. The movie just finished. It was quite disappointing.

But the overall movie was just so amazingly well done, I'll let that slide.

He really put some great little touches in there though. This may sound weird, but the single part of the movie that really did it for me was her reaction near the end when she found out she was pregnant. I don't know what it was about that scene, hardly anything really happened, but she just pulled it off so believably. Every tiny expression on her face and in her body language made you really believe that she actually was pregnant, and actually had just found out and was telling her husband.

I don't know, just something about it...

As for the score, I was really disapointed when I listened to it by itself, but it is EXCELLENT in the movie. And the Credits piece is really good as well.

Anywho. Watch it. I'll give it a solid A-.

Edit: I had avoided reading any of this thread before now. WOW, you guys are really negative about this movie. Come on, it was pretty good.

[indy4 155]

I know the film will bad, I always knew it would be. But I'll see it anyway, cause I like M. Night Shyamalan. It does seem like he's hitting rock bottom, which is sad, because he's a great filmmaker.

I thought you like all of Night's films?

Anyways, I just got back from seeing it. It was great! Here's my review, in spoiler bars:

The cinematography was great. The scene with the people jumping off buildlings and the scene with the police man commiting suicide was brilliantly shot. He is really one of the most talented directors alive when it comes to cinematography.

The acting was good at some times, bad at other. The whole scene with the bees seemed very stage, due to both the dialouge and the acting. But others times it was really good.

The plot was great, I love Night's idea. The twist was not as twisty as the past films, but it was still great. And I loved the message, as well.

And I loved the music. The part with Mrs. Jones and the window sounded like something from Signs. And there was a gorgeous theme.

My complaints with the film were that for one, it was a bit too environmentally aimed, which just annoyed me.

Why? I see nothing wrong with sending a message against the threat of Global Warming.

Worse yet, there was no amazing twist at the end. That's the main thing I look forward to in all his movies, and it just wasn't there. No surprise ending at all. The movie just finished. It was quite disappointing.

I think there was a twist. It was the fact that it was all starting again, but in a different country now. Not quite as twisty as the other films, mainly because this idea was brought up by the news person before the very end, but still good.

But I agree, I'll give it an A-.

My ranking of the Night films:

1. Signs

2. Unbreakable

3. The Sixth Sense

4. The Happening

5. The Village

6. Lady in the Water

I've got to pick up the soundtrack soon.

EDIT: Anybody else catch that mistake while they were eating dinner with Mrs. Jones? You could see the microphone at the top of the screen for a moment.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

No Bryant it costs 11 bucks for matinee prices for the two of us. I was going to pay for one movie and just stay in and go see the other, but Dave wont go for that, so we'll fork up the 22 bucks, that way we see both the Hulk and the Happening on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Roger Ebert gave the Happening 3 out of 4 stars, and the Hulk 2.5 stars.

He is a voice I trust, I don't always agree with, but I like his style.

Oh, okay, I gotcha. That's a lot more reasonable.

I saw Ebert's review, which I mostly agree with. It surprised me, though, as his one-star review of The Village -- one of my favorite movies of the last decade -- struck me as being about as off-base as it could possibly be.

I'm like you, though; I don't always agree with the guy, but I have a deep respect for him, and enjoy his work. I'd love to get some of his books at some point.

Anybody else catch that mistake while they were eating dinner with Mrs. Jones? You could see the microphone at the top of the screen for a moment.

That's not a mistake, that's a projection problem.

Without going into too much detail, there are two different ascept ratios for films: the industry terms are "flat" (which is variable, buts ranges from 1.66:1 to 1.85:1) and "scope" (which is roughly 2.35:1). Using Spielberg as an example, Saving Private Ryan is flat, and Raiders of the Lost Ark is scope.

Anyways, flat movies are frequently filmed with excess image at the top and bottom, which is supposed to be eleminated from sight by aperture plates and masking. If the equipment or operation is at fault, however, this excess image can be mistakenly projected. It's actually a pretty common f--kup at the theatre level, because many projectionists either don't know or don't care what they're doing.

So this is a problem that cannot and should not be laid at the feet of M. Night.

Aren't you gald I'm here to tell you these things?

I'm glad to see that a few other people have liked the movie.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I know the film will bad, I always knew it would be. But I'll see it anyway, cause I like M. Night Shyamalan. It does seem like he's hitting rock bottom, which is sad, because he's a great filmmaker.

I thought you like all of Night's films?

I do, I love all of them. However, I'd say about 90% of the people who saw Lady In The Water, hate it. And now all the bad reviews The Happening is getting, I don't think the people will give him another shot to redeem himself. I'm sure I would like The Happening, because I'm in love with Zooey Deschanel, but Whalberg's acting looked terrible from the first trailer.

So he's hitting rock bottom in a career sense, I'm still a huge fan because I see Signs as an essentially flawless movie. My favorites are:

1. Signs

2. The Sixth Sense

3. The Village

4. Lady In The Water

5. Unbreakable

The Happening would probably fall either above or below Lady In The Water.

[ChuckM 1]

Why? I see nothing wrong with sending a message against the threat of Global Warming.

Because everything I've seen about global warming tells me it's a complete load of garbage. It nothing but a political trick. But that's not really a topic for this forum.

I think there was a twist. It was the fact that it was all starting again, but in a different country now. Not quite as twisty as the other films, mainly because this idea was brought up by the news person before the very end, but still good.

Well, I guess maybe I wasn't supposed to think that that was what was going to happen after seeing the first preview then.

[Neimoidian 14]

Saw "The Happening" earlier today. What a crock of pooe! This has to be one of the top contenders for "Turkey of the Year". I (...)

Unfortunatelly I am so disappointed with the movie. I haven't seen Lady in the Water, so I cannot compare these two, but it definitely wasn't what I hoped for.

The cinematography and the music were great. The concept of the movie was interesting, the point is that it was porely executed. There were some great Shyamalan moments in the movie, that's for sure, but they were lost in the cringe-inducing dialogues, weak storyline and even weaker finale...

[Red 75]

I know the film will bad, I always knew it would be.

How's that?

[indy4 155]

Why? I see nothing wrong with sending a message against the threat of Global Warming.

Because everything I've seen about global warming tells me it's a complete load of garbage. It nothing but a political trick. But that's not really a topic for this forum.

You are joking?

[igger6 894]

My name is igger6, and I am a recovering Shyamalanaholic.

I used to praise this guy to high heaven. I loved (still love) Sixth Sense, I forgave Unbreakable, I loved (still like) Signs, and I found bits and pieces of The Village to be decent. (As someone noted, you've got to hang your disbelief from a bungee cord on that one.) But I sensed the downward trend, and as soon as I saw the laughable hagiography that accompanied Lady in the Water's release, I saw Shyamalan for what he is: a talented writer and filmmaker with a few good ideas (and perhaps many more) who is so drunk on his own Messiah complex that he gets in his own way.

As far back as Signs, he lobbed thinly-veiled insults at audiences who didn't "get" (read: "like") Unbreakable. He found himself a pointlessly prominent, distracting role in The Village. He apparently cast himself as the literary savior of the world in Lady, which I admittedly haven't seen and won't criticize. Now, he's showing his, um, trademark humility in discussing The Last Airbender:

M. Night Shyamalan has finished his script for The Last Airbender, the live action movie based on Nickelodeon's epic cartoon, Avatar — and he's told Paramount and Nickelodeon that he thought they had a new Star Wars on their hands....Shyamalan wants to create, as he called it, religion around this movie similar to the religion that inspired him from other films. "Star Wars had religion and I mean that," explained Night. "Something that connects us with these stories which is what they had in the Star Wars and the first Matrix. Those movies caused religions to happen."

Fantastic. Now he's not just Jesus Christ; he's St. Paul as well. Somebody give this guy a wedgie.

[ChuckM 1]

Why? I see nothing wrong with sending a message against the threat of Global Warming.

Because everything I've seen about global warming tells me it's a complete load of garbage. It nothing but a political trick. But that's not really a topic for this forum.

You are joking?

Absolutely not! The concept is laughable. Find and watch the documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle." And no, that documentary is not the reason I believe that, but it does highlight a good deal of the reasons why.

[Hitch 57]

I know the film will bad, I always knew it would be.

How's that?

He has the sixth sense which is unbreakable by the lady in the water with the village signs.

[indy4 155]

Why? I see nothing wrong with sending a message against the threat of Global Warming.

Because everything I've seen about global warming tells me it's a complete load of garbage. It nothing but a political trick. But that's not really a topic for this forum.

You are joking?

Absolutely not! The concept is laughable. Find and watch the documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle." And no, that documentary is not the reason I believe that, but it does highlight a good deal of the reasons why.

I can't belive that people actually believe that crap.

I suppose you think Neil Armstrong never went to the Moon?

[Quintus 5,399]

Probably.

You conspiracy theorists are all the same, always over-speculating for all the wrong reasons.

[ChuckM 1]

I can't believe that people actually believe that crap.

I suppose you think Neil Armstrong never went to the Moon?

No, I fully believe that the moon landing was real. Global Warming is just a bunch of liberal nonsense.

Believe me, I'm not nearly the only one that believes that. I'm honestly surprised more people don't. There are very few people I know personally who do believe in global warming.

Think about this. Not too long ago ALL the scientists were warning us about global cooling, now it's suddenly reversed? Right. Give it another decade or so and it will reverse again.

I'm not posting about this again. I don't want to hijack the thread. If anyone really cares to ague it, feel free to PM me.

[Vaderbait1 1]

I don't really buy into global warming.

And no, it's not because I'm a nut.

But look at me. I'm your average guy. I'm well aware of things happening in the world, but weather was never my scene.

So put yourself in my shoes. Here is a politician (not a scientist) pushing an agenda that I see repeatedly doubted by scientists, and I read that much of what he based his argument on has been proven false or misleading, and I look outside and see that it is colder than usual, not warmer, and that even when the temperature is warmer than usual, it's still not near highs recorded over a hundred years ago.

Combine that with my knowledge of the little ice age and other warming spells in world history NOT related to man, and you get a skeptic, I guess.

I also find it fishy that people get so defensive over global warming. I'm sick fo the term denier, for one. I'm tired of it being shoved down my throat. And I'm tired of it being treated like it's been proven. It may very well be proven in the future, but when the issue is as divided as it is, no one in their right mind can say it's been settled either way.

It's been too short of a time span, there's been too little evidence that I've seen, and way too much doubt by respectable scientists to convince a weather neophyte.

Maybe I should clarify: Global warming does exist, as does global cooling. I doubt whether or not they are man-made, and so I doubt if handcuffing our economies and making people feel guilty enough to give you money or vote you into office is a smart move at this point.

And this is coming from someone who LOVES the outdoors.

EDIT: Just to keep this on track as best I can while maintaining my rant:

Movies with messages are fine with me. I can always ignore them if I don't But has the message of this movie been overstated a little? I know some people, reviewers especially, tend to seize on things and exaggerate them.

[Demodex 557]

Global warming is real. Deny it all you want if it makes you feel less guilty for how our species is screwing up the planet.

[indy4 155]

*sigh*

Demodex is correct. You can all hide behind your theories that go against almost every scientific test, but in the end, it is an excuse to make you not feel guilty about destroying Earth.

But I'm going to stop posting about this now.

[Ollie 1,059]

Yes all of you please do stop.

[Vaderbait1 1]

Yes, I do so much to screw up this planet. I drive a tiny Honda, never leave lights on, don't litter....what else am I supposed to do? Like I said, temperatures change, and all this evidence that you cite...well....I could say it's equally ignorant to ignore the tons of evidence to the contrary that has been floating aroudn out there. As well as the trend that now a majority of scientists published in scientific journals disagree with their original (most of them used to push global warming) theses...

But yes, my ignorance makes it easier for me to sleep at night. And if anyuone could please tell me what giving money to carbon credit companies is going to do to slow global warming, I'd appreciate it.

[Hitch 57]

Now if we can stop all those bovine animals from crapping on the ground!!!

[ChuckM 1]

*sigh*

So who all has seen the Happening today? Any one else actually like it?

[Hitch 57]

You'll find very few who will like it. Even Alma thought it was crap and she's seen a lot of mine

[ChuckM 1]

Um, ok then.

So as for all his movies I've seen here's how I'd place them in my favorites:

Unbreakable (None of his others have even come close yet)

The Village

Signs

The Happening

The Sixth Sense

Lady in the Water (My least favorite of his, but still a good movie, IMO)

[publicist 4,643]

'The Happening' may not be a very good movie, but considering the trailers i had to endure before this movie started i'm inclined to say the movie isn't nearly as bad as a lot of the vitriol spilled over it.

The characters are not well drawn but the rest was ok enough for what it was.

[Red 75]

The reviews I've read have been very polarized. Some liked it (Richard Roeper to name one) while others think it's one of the worst movies of the year.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I don't understand anyone here could say the Happening is better than the Sixth Sense. On no level is that even a justifiable statement.

The Happening has things that I liked, its often horrific, but it does feature the worst dialogue, and acting of any MNS film.

Marky Mark is abysmal, and the women who played his wife is just plain awful. Betty Buckley was just bizarre in a role I think was truncated.

The death sequences were tremendously staged, and the last scene in Paris is very good. At best this is a c- or a d+

It felt like it was a Twilight Zone episode, and a mediocre one at that.

[ChuckM 1]

I've never really been a big fan of the sixth sense. It's a good film, but not really all that great. Honestly, the first time I watched it I was bored. Lady in the Water was a much more entertaining film, I only put it lower because of it's absurdity.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Perhaps, but on a technical level the Happening is simply less.

[ChuckM 1]

That could well be, but I base my ratings on my overall opinion, not on technicalities.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

still you can't deny that its a much worse acted film. There will be no acting awards or nominations afforded this film, except the Razzies.

[ChuckM 1]

Not as good as the 6th sense in that area? Sure. But it wasn't at all bad. There were several sections (such as mentioned in my initial post) that were brilliantly done.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

I can't believe that people actually believe that crap.

I suppose you think Neil Armstrong never went to the Moon?

No, I fully believe that the moon landing was real. Global Warming is just a bunch of liberal nonsense.

To quote this man, "global warming is just a theory....like evolution and the metric system"

[Vaderbait1 1]

I can't believe that people actually believe that crap.

I suppose you think Neil Armstrong never went to the Moon?

No, I fully believe that the moon landing was real. Global Warming is just a bunch of liberal nonsense.

To quote this man, "global warming is just a theory....like evolution and the metric system"

Well, all except for the fact that there is a large base of evidence saying that man-made global warming is a hoax, just like many popular doomsday theories over the years. Evolution doesn't have a scientifically based opposition. So comparing them is...well...misleading? But that's what the Doomsdayers use best.

[ChuckM 1]

To quote this man, "global warming is just a theory....like evolution and the metric system"

Well, I don't believe in evolution either, so that really doesn't help your point.

Sorry, I know I said I was done, but I just had to reply to that.

[indy4 155]

I'm not even going to attempt to fight this one.

[Red 75]

*Sigh*

[Koray Savas 2,251]

O.K. So I saw The Happening. Now this review is coming from a big M. Night Shyamalan fan, keep that in mind.

The Happening (*1/2/****)

I'll start off by saying the strong points the film had: the story, Zooey Deschanel, cinematagrophy, and score.

The story is actually extremely frightening and very good. If people just started committing suicide, I would freak! I liked the whole environmental approach and when you understand the deeper meaning of the story, it is pretty good. I didn't pick up until afterwards that the whole movie was saying: respect and love one another, work together, and be cooperative and supportive. The whole virus did not affect those that fit those qualities. Elliot and Alma were never in real danger. For example, when the 2 groups were walking across the open meadow, the first became affected because they were arguing and fighting. In the tractor sequence, the people were bashing on the doors, trying to get into the model house, instead of remaining calm and working together. The story is excellent and sends a deeper message, but it was executed poorly, and therefore a bad film was made.

Zooey Deschanel was decent in her role, with her opening scene and closing scene being her strong points. She's a terrific actress and is great in everything she's in. The opening sequence is visually great, and so are other scenes throughout the film, most notably in the final sequences. The score is also amazingly too good for the film, which was seen with Lady In The Water. It fit very well towards the end when the danger theme started to kick in, but it was maybe a little too subtle at some points. A much better listen on its own.

Now the weak points: dialogue, acting, direction.

The dialogue is incredibly bad. I don't know how you go from something like Signs and The Sixth Sense to this. The script was written with Mark Whalberg in mind, yet this is undoubtably the worst film he's ever done. His furrowed brow and facial expression is essentially the same throughout the entire movie. Also, lines parts such as: "We lost contact." - "With whom?!?!" - "Everyone." - "You can't just leave us here!!!" and "JEEERRRYYYY!!!" The movie had its funny parts, which Shyamalan started back with Signs, except in this movie the serious parts are funny. One part I couldn't help to laugh at was when everyone was watching the zoo incident on that lady's iPhone. First of all, it would have worked if the guy just walked into the pen and the tigers attacked him, but waving his arms around as bait just looked stupid. Second, and most retarded, was the lady's reaction when they ripped off his arms: "What kind of terrorists are they??!!" Are you f-cking kidding me? Did that look like a terrorist attack? So yeah, dialogue and acting were crap.

Direction - this includes pacing, the whole flow and feel of the movie. This 90 minute film felt at least 120 minutes long. The scenes felt incredibly stretched out. Just the whole pacing and flow was off-beat, thus the story and characters weren't well or fully developed.

I went in with a clean slate, ignoring any and all opinions and reviews I've heard and read. It still came out bad. Overall, Shyamalan had a great story, but his writing abilities may have decreased over the years. I believe if he cleaned up the errors, polished a great final draft, The Green Effect would have been a magnificent film.

[publicist 4,643]

I didn't pick up until afterwards that the whole movie was saying: respect and love one another, work together, and be cooperative and supportive. The whole virus did not affect those that fit those qualities. Elliot and Alma were never in real danger.

If you would think this idea further, it's reactionary poo of the highest order. Stay for yourself, leave others behind. Ayn Rand could've written this. And it makes no sense, since the main protagonists of this film are dysfunctional retards for 90% of the movie who quarrel on the oh-so-dangerous meadows about...a fling? A supposed one? And nobody in this group of people has a healthier relationship?? And for this they survive? And doesn't the film say they survive because the phenomenon ended?

Shymalayan has a lot to answer for.

[A24 4,356]

I'll start off by saying the strong points the film had: the story, Zooey Deschanel, cinematagrophy, and score.

The story is actually extremely frightening and very good. If people just started committing suicide, I would freak!

Now the weak points: dialogue, acting, direction.

A very important weak point would be if Shyamalan should fail to make us believe in this rather dubious premise. Judging from my experience with The Village, I don't think I will buy this one either.

Alex

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I won't be as kind as your Koray about Zooey Deschanel who I thought was terrible too. Her bug eyed performance was hit and miss, she was good at the end. I disagree that they were never in danger, of course they were, they were arguing as much as anyone to start the movie.

The movie would have ended better if it ended at her delivery, and the wind blows and her baby wraps the imbilical cord around its neck. That would have been a bit of shock, implausible, but memorable.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I didn't pick up until afterwards that the whole movie was saying: respect and love one another, work together, and be cooperative and supportive. The whole virus did not affect those that fit those qualities. Elliot and Alma were never in real danger.

If you would think this idea further, it's reactionary poo of the highest order. Stay for yourself, leave others behind. Ayn Rand could've written this. And it makes no sense, since the main protagonists of this film are dysfunctional retards for 90% of the movie who quarrel on the oh-so-dangerous meadows about...a fling? A supposed one? And nobody in this group of people has a healthier relationship?? And for this they survive? And doesn't the film say they survive because the phenomenon ended?

Shymalayan has a lot to answer for.

Elliot says the event must have ended before they went outside, but that's not the reason. Mrs. Jones was affected because she a mean old bich. He was clearly outside watching her as she began walking backwards, technically he should have gotten it too. Also, the 2 kids who tried to break into the boarded up house. Elliot was trying to remain calm and solve the problem peacefully why they were breaking in. They got blown away with shotguns. Yes, they weren't killed by the happening itself, but it follows the same lines.

As for Elliot and Alma - Joe - they were only arguing at the beginning in the train station really.

[ChuckM 1]

So what about Elliot's friend (I forget his name)? He was deliberately traveling into the danger to save his wife, and he was being helpful to the people he was with, trying to comfort and distract them. If anyone deserved to live it would have been him.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

O.K. So there's a problem. Shyamalan screwed up what could have been a better film. Also, John Liguezamo was in the front seat, and 2 people flew out when the car crashed. Explain that. I could argue that he left his daughter, and that's something no father would do (I imagine).

This is without a doubt his worst film.

[Bowie 45]

M. Night Shyamalan's Guide to Twist Endings

The Sixth Sense: "Oh my God! I'm really a ghost!" (Anagnorisis)

Unbreakable: "Oh my God! I'm really a superhero!" (Anagnorisis)

Signs: "Oh my God! I'm really blessed!" (Peripeteia, Flashback)

The Village: "Oh my God! I'm really old-fashioned!" (Simulated Reality)

Lady in the Water: "Oh my God! I'm really Christ-like!" (Anagnorisis)

The Happening: "Oh my God! I'm really an environmental virus (sort of)!" (Poetic Justice)

So who's up for coming up with our own M. Night "Twilight Zone" Shyamalan plot+twist kernels? Lol -- can be serious, can be parody, or like Shyamalan's films, both.

_______________: "Oh my God! I'm really _____________!" (Explanation optional.)

1) Ghosting: "Oh my God! I'm really a clone!" (Anagnorisis... Guy figures out someone is impersonating him, only to realise at the end that he himself is the impostor, some innocent man's degenerate clone. PS, "ghosting" is a type of identity theft, leading audiences to think the twist will involve ghosts somehow.)

2) Recollections: "Oh my God! I'm really getting younger!" (Anagnorisis, Flashback, Red Herring Reverse Chronology... Guy experiences more and more vivid flashback hallucinations of past memories, which eventually turn out to be real, i.e., he is actually getting younger by the day (reverse senescence), and his 'current' age is in reality a mere flashback hallucination to when he was older, a side-effect of a scientist's experiment, or something or other lol.)

3) Death From the Inside: "Oh my God! I'm really the grim reaper!" (Anagnorisis, Flashback. Woman's close friends and family begin being killed off one by one, she suspects her husband, but when he is killed, it becomes apparent that -- because for some reason she is actually an ideal host for the phenomenon -- the woman has become an 'inadvertent grim reaper,' someone with divine powers of unintentionally setting up events or objects that bring about the death of those who do wrong... only in this case, the wrongdoing of her family is simply that having to stay at home and look after her family is preventing her from doing God's dirty work, so they must die. Some of the final scenes include flashback explanations of what she "accidentally" did to cause the deaths of her loved ones. I suppose this is more of a Greek Tragedy as she would probably kill herself at the end to save her child or something.)

[Saxbabe 28]

Okay...might as well add a bit to this..saw it on Friday. Koray is pretty on target, there was much good and bad. But I will say that when I went by Wal*Mart afterwards I found myself looking askance at the Garden Center.

***SPOILER WARNING***

Some parts really were frightening the further they got into the mess, and those moments when obviously the toxin had got a hold of somebody and you were waiting to see what way they'd choose to off themselves. We did finally get a real horror movie from Night, there were fairly gruesome deaths, and I think he was at his directorial best in some of these scenes - the bodies falling off the building, the scene in the street where people keep using the policeman's gun, the soldier's death in the field...the crazy Mrs. Jones was seriously creepy.

Best acting in this film by far would go to John Leguziamo for my money, we just didn't get enough of him. I can't help but think the characters of Elliot and Alma were meant to be tongue in cheek at many instances, I think Night was actually going for a good deal of corniness in this movie. I remember he talked about being heavily influenced by Invasion of the Body Snatchers for this one. I know that whether he intended to or not, he got a good deal of laughs from the audience at my screening. Like when the bodies started falling, and the whole scene with the construction workers, which was actually pretty funny.

Other funny moments, the greenhouse guy who talks to his plants, Elliot talking to the plastic plant (hilarious!) and the climax when Alma is asking him what to do and he screams "Why can't I just have a SECOND?!"

See, I think Elliot and Alma were purposely drawn a bit caricaturish, upper side anal yuppies with "relationship problems" to show how they would crack when their world was turned upside down. And to show they were much braver and more mature than they realized (taking on the little girl). At least that seemed to be what Night was going for. There was a lot of cringworthy dialogue, but the actors did well with what they were given. The dumb soldier character TOTALLY got on my nerves though!

I think the whole Mrs. Jones sequence was Night at his best however, I wanted there to be more to that, he made me want to know what her story was...very mysterious, creepy, yet intriguing. The music was really, really good for those scenes as well! It actually makes me wonder if Night wouldn't do better to contract his focus and do an interior drama/mystery/thriller, I think that suits his talents much better.

The ending: it was what I expected. But it was kind of flat for some reason. I think it would have actually been more poetic if after walking out Elliot, Alma, the girl would have been affected and just would've walked over to something like, a pond, on the property and just drowned. Horrible, I know. But everything seemed too wrapped up and cliched as it was. The political message came off trite and preachy - I didn't get global warming though, I got environmental pollutants as cause (hence it starting in NYC in Central Park, and spreading over Northeast. Which also fits with Paris being next destination.)

The music: Another very good score from JNH and this collaboration. The Main Titles reminded me of Signs the way they meshed with the visuals and timed. There are many nice moments in the score, lots of subtle well-crafted writing. The cello lines often reminded me of The Village.

Go see if you want to experience kind of a longer Twilight Zone/Tales from the Darkside sort of film with some fluffy dialogue and science but a few genuine scares and a good score. And only if you really have nothing else to spend 15 bucks on.

Ranking for me:

1. Signs

2. Unbreakable

3. The Village

4. The Sixth Sense

5. The Happening

6. Lady in the Water

-Greta

[King Mark 3,631]

*sigh*

So who all has seen the Happening today? Any one else actually like it?

Yes,I saw it and I enjoyed it. Not nearly as bad as the venom critics are throwing at it. No big scares but still felt uneasy most of the film,which I guess it was supposed to do. So as a thriller it kind of worked.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yes it is.