Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Happening

When I read that M. Night Shyamalan was coming out with another film, I sighed in disgust. The only film I loved by him at that point had been The Sixth Sense. I really liked The Village as well, but I did not really care for his other films.

So naturally when I heard about The Happening, I was hopeful, yet reluctant. But when I went to see this movie last month, I was pleasantly surprised. The Happening is now my favorite film by Night (what his friends call him. :-)

Mark Wahlberg and John Leguizamo star in this film. There are a few points in the movie where the moral of the story gets a little preachy, but overall, I loved it. :-)

If you haven't seen this film yet, you should. It was exciting to watch. It had gore, drama, suspense, etc.

***Spoiler Alert***

I got that Mark Wahlberg and his wife, played by Zooey Deschanel, were having marital problems, but it was never fully fleshed out. An affair was hinted at, but I wanted to know fo sure. Why mention it if you don't plan to elaborate on it? Especially since it seemed to add to the drama of their rocky relationship.


Have you already seen this film? If so, what do you think about it?
In any case, I recommend that you see this film. It offers social commentary, and I find that refreshing. Thanks for this film, M. Night Shyamalan. :-)

22 comments:

Heff said...

You know, when you type in "***Spoiler Alert***" it really leaves no choice but to read it, lol.

laughingwolf said...

anything with wahberg in it makes me gag, sorry :(

laughingwolf said...

wahlberg! grrrrrrrrr

Charles Gramlich said...

I plan to see this so I skipped the spoiler alert section. It certainly looked interesting to me, but I've been disappointed in Night's movies before too and was holding off.

Tatiana Caldwell said...

I should have known not to trust the critics on a Night movie. They said this movie was terrible. But they also said the same about The Village which I really liked.

I will give it a go ...

Don said...

I haven't seen this film, but it definitely sounds like a story that I would love to check out. I too am a big fan of The Sixth Sense. So much in fact that I have actually sat down and read the screenplay.

Tyhitia Green said...

Heff,
I know, but I don't usually read after it says spoiler if it's something I'm really interested in. :-)

Laughing Wolf,
I haven't taken Wahlberg seriously since he lead Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. His so-called "rap" days...lol. ;-)

Charles,
Exactly. You may like this one. :-)

T.,
Tell Slaus to take you to see it. :-)

Don,
You read the screenplay? Cool. I've read a few, including Carrie. :-)

Naomi said...

I'm really not a fan of this guy's films. I don't think they're anywhere near as clever and shocking as he thinks they are. Unbreakable was saved by Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson, but Sixth Sense and the Village are just appallingly bad.

Gwyneth Bolton said...

I haven't seen the film yet. but I will check it out now on the strength of your suggestion... ;-) I, like you, have not really felt Night (I guess I'll be a friend now too LOL) since Sixth Sense . I sort of like Unbreakable but that's only because I have a thing for super heroes... He lost me with the alien film starring Mel Gibson. I don't even remember the name. All I know is I haven't seen another one of his films since then. I'll check this one out. But expect your phone to ring if I don't like it. LOL.

Gwyneth

laughingwolf said...

that's when he turned me off too, t....

Cate Gardner said...

Yeah, I'm not a fan of M. Night Shyamalan, but I really like the sound of this movie. Maybe I'll give him one more chance.

Lana Gramlich said...

Thanks for the info! After "Signs" I became quite dubious of M. Night's works, myself.

laughingwolf said...

zadie signs $ half-million contract for her new book:

WGBH Forum Network

Black Writers:
Zadie Smith, novelist, fellow, Radcliffe Institute
Caryl Phillips, novelist, professor, Columbia

Authors Zadie Smith, White Teeth and The Autograph Man, and Caryl Phillips, The Final Passage, Crossing the River, and Cambridge will read from their work.

At age 14, Sadie Smith changed her name to Zadie, and in 2000, as a 21-year-old Cambridge University graduate, published her first novel, White Teeth.

In her second novel, The Autograph Man, Smith dissects both celebrity culture and mystic Judaism.

Smith has now turned to nonfiction, spending a few years stateside as a fellow at Radcliffe College's Bunting Institute.

She is at work on a book of essays, The Morality of the Novel, in which she considers a selection of 20th-Century writers through the lens of moral philosophy.

Caryl Phillips was born in St. Kitts on 13 March 1958, and moved to England after just one year.

There he took an honors BA at Oxford and began his writing career.

Currently, he lives in Amherst, where he serves as writer in residence.

Phillips was recently appointed as chief editor of the Faber and Faber Caribbean writers' series.

Watch ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre's two-part adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth, on WGBH Channels 2 and 44.


A Harvard Du Bois Institute
Wednesday, 12 February 2003
Harvard University, Barker Center

Darius T. Williams said...

Okay - well this looks like something I'm gonna need to check out!

dejanae said...

since u said it was good
ima check for it
i was reall tempted to read the spoiler tho

writtenwyrdd said...

I'll hve to check it out. It hasn't come to our small burg yet, and may not. I loved Sixth Sense, found Signs massively silly, loved Unbreakable, and stopped seeing M. Night movies because he hadn't gotten lightning in a bottle after Sixth Sense...although I wanted to see Lady in the Water or whatever that last was called. it, too, did not arrive in our small burg!

Tyhitia Green said...

Naomi,
Unbreakable sucked for me...lol. ;-)

Gwyneth,
Go see it! You'll love it! :-)

Laughing Wolf,
He got on everyone's nerves with the rapping. That's when he was introduced into entertainment. His brother (Donnie-New Kids on the Block) helped him get onto the scene. He's not doing badly for someone who dropped out in the 10the grade.

Catherine,
He did something different with this one. Plus, it was his first 'R' rated film. :-)

Lana,
Signs was laughable to me. ;-)

Darius,
Check it out--especially since you don't normally do horror. :-)

Dejanae,
You'll like it. ;-)

Written,
Hm. Sounds like you may have to rent it. Or go out of town. :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm glad I read the spoiler alert because I won't go see it because of that. Really wasn't interested from the get go, but I don't like being brought in and then left hanging.

Now the Sixth Sense...good stuff.

Carleen Brice said...

Good to know!

Tyhitia Green said...

Jewells,
It's still worth seeing. :-)

Carleen,
It was good. :-)

David L. McAfee said...

Actually, Heather and I hated this movie. Personal tatses, I guess.

Tyhitia Green said...

I know people who liked it and some who didn't. It is personal taste. Night did go over the top with explaining why this was occurring, but I like it. ;-)