M KNIGHT's The Happening

john you like it when the cop kills him self then the taxi driver then hot lady number 30 kills her self with the gun?

The best part was john L. the rest is garbage pal kids.
 
CallaghanFilms said:
Spoilers (as if that matters anymore)

For myself, the total horribleness of this cluster-poo poo film is summed up just before the (yeah right) "big climax".
Keep in mind this is after:
A) Most of the Northeastern population has died horrible deaths.
B) It has been "determined" that the virus is created by plants and carried on the wind like so many spores,
C) The protags are hunkered down in a house owned by a crazy lady they don't trust.
D) Zooey and the little girl go play willy-nilly in the old "ex-slave hideout" without a care in the world...giggling like school girls in fact.

Also keep in mind this bit of dialogue is delivered through one of those playground "talking pipes" we used to play with (it just as well could have been two tin cans and a string)...

(A menacing wind picks up)
Mark Wahlberg: "Alma close the doors and the windows!"
Zooey Deschanel: Why?



That's right, Zooey...why?
Why indeed.



:thumbdown:thumbdown
Click to expand...

ah challi lol. I'm glad you agree is sucks.
 
i rented it today.

it was hilariously bad. it's one of those films that you can enjoy because the plot is so preposterous.
 
this could have ended so quickly if this had happened.

Wahlberg talks to the plants.

"Sup plants? You making deadly spores? I'm Max Payne. Say hi to your mother for me."


Boom. End of the movie. Could have saved us SOOOO much time.
 
Yikes! Bad film. I love M Knights work, but this one just plain stunk.


I wish I had the money the investors sunk into this abomination and could give it to one of the folks here to make a film.
 
pathfinder said:
If one of us in here pitched the same story to a Hollywood exec. some where, he would laugh out loud at us all the way to the parking lot and tell us to go back to film school...lol. Okay...maybe not that bad but M Knight's shining armor is slowly dimming. At least in my book.
Click to expand...

yeah.. that's why he had to get india producers to back half the money.
 
he is not arrogant. he's actually very humble and friendly and good-natured. people like him and like working with him. his team is loyal because he fosters a family-like atmosphere on his sets.

what people often construe as arrogance is simply a sincere belief in what he is doing and confidence in his ideas. and that is an admirable trait in any filmmaker.
 
Zak Forsman said:
he is not arrogant. he's actually very humble and friendly and good-natured. people like him and like working with him. his team is loyal because he fosters a family-like atmosphere on his sets.

what people often construe as arrogance is simply a sincere belief in what he is doing and confidence in his ideas. and that is an admirable trait in any filmmaker.
Click to expand...

I'm with you, Zak. He's an acquired taste and the people that do not like his work tend to get real angry , bitter and at times jealous about it. It's a strange phenomenon why people hate him so much. He's a real nice guy and a superb writer/diirector.

The Happening was my least favorite of his work, but I really enjoy all his films, even the ones that tanked. One thing you know you will get whether you like it or not, is something original. That's a huge accomplishment in this town, considering studios like to churn out sure-thing regurgitated crap.
 
Just saw this. I have liked M. Nights films, my favourite being Unbreakable, then The Sixth Sense. After reading the reviews here I was expecting something really terrible.

I didn't think this was terrible. I've seen some terrible films this year, and this doesn't fall into that category. The initial idea was pretty cool, I think. I don't know about the plants but the people dropping off and no-one knowing what it was, was a good start. There were definitely some good moments, I liked some of the scenes.

I didn't really cringe or laugh at anything but there were definitely some moments where I felt it had missed the mark. I wasn't surprised at anything, I didn't learn anything, I didn't really feel like much was going on here - but stylistically, I think the film delivered. I liked the sombre tone of the film.

I think this film actually proves that M. Night is a pretty decent director - I could imagine this being absolutely atrocious in the hands of someone else. Having said all that, I don't think I will be seeing this again.

I thought James Newton Howards score was interesting, some cool bits, I liked the solo cello and the little piano motif. Not much to work with, anyway, so a stand out score wasn't really expected here.

As for the acting, I'm not sure really what to think. Mark Wahlbergs performance wasn't terrible I didn't think. Sure it wasn't amazing but some of those lines would be weak in the hands of anyone. I've never really been a fan of him as an actor, though. As for "Alma", Zooey Deschanel's character, I didn't really know what I was supposed to think. What's her deal? The performance was strange. I have seen her in films and liked her performance before, but I'm not sure she suited this role. Either that or I just didn't like the character.

Aside from the bad reviews I've read, there's been lots of talk of "Oh, you don't understand, M. Night deliberately did this, and that" but I don't think so. Why would you deliberately make a mediocre film, unless it was some sort of stylistic choice with a reasonable motive (Like Death Proof, for example, which got pretty decent reviews).

I'll be very interested to see what M. Night does next. I still have respect for the guy, afterall, he's living my dream. His worst screenplays are still better than my best, at this stage in my life. So respect, and let's have his next film!

Chris
 
It's funny you mention the whole "it was supposed to be that way" thing Chris. I watched the BTS of the film today and in there Night says "I wanted to make the best B-Movie you've ever seen."

Curious...
 
KyleProhaska said:
It's funny you mention the whole "it was supposed to be that way" thing Chris. I watched the BTS of the film today and in there Night says "I wanted to make the best B-Movie you've ever seen."

Curious...
Click to expand...


I think THE MIST delivered a killer B + / A - film as a comparison.

I also like Chris's spin on Night's film; I more or less agree. Then again, I'm a cinema whore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top