I haven’t been posting for a little while because there hasn't been anything I’ve wanted to invest any interest in. However lately has been filled with a truckload of things:
First we have the sad passing of one of the movie greats:
A sad farewell to Paul Newman (1925 – 2008). There will never be another like him.
Empire Magazine’s Website has given up some interesting/bizarre treats such as:
Kenneth Brannegh to direct Thor! Read the crazy news here!
The New York Times prints a short and sweet article about Micheal Cera. Click here for something written better than my tripe!
The Green Lantern has been green lighted! Once again Empire give us the news here
I've spent this morning posting my opinions of many films up too, so have a gender!
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Review: The Happening
Year: 2008.
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Screenwriter: M Night Shyamalan
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
Midway through The Happening, while the main group are trying to escape the "happening" that is occurring in the film, they run past a sign of a model home which screams "YOU DESERVE THIS" at the top of the board it's printed on. Subtly...has never been M Night's thing. Yes basically if the "wind" decides to attack our brains and causes us to commit suicide we only have our self to blame. This is M Night Shyamalan we are talking about here. The mans smug ego allowed himself to play a Jesus-like character in his own film Lady in the Water. In that same film he unleashes an petty attack on film critics who may not like his films (cause that will warm them to you mate). In The Happening all of us are to blame for the world being shit and nature is gonna tear the audience a new one.
It's going to be be hard for this director to win people back to his camp after his last celluloid "disasters" but for me The Happening at times seemed a step in the right direction. Individual scenes reminded me of how competent he is as a filmmaker. Shyamalan has always been able to provide scenes that can unsettle and here is no exception. It's the simple things that freaked me out the most. People stopping and walking backwards, the babbling talk that stuttered out of the confused peoples mouths before taking their own life. it's these things that M Night is good at and here I saw glimpses of the man who wowed many with The Sixth Sense. It's a pity that those flourishes are quite brief. What's more upsetting is that these moments are undermined by the many negative points of the movie.
Many reviewers have mentioned the unintentionally comic death scenes that plague the film. i won't mention them here as they're detailed highly elsewhere. My issues with the film have more to do with the basic mechanics of the film. The film's leads are very weak in many aspect for example. Their reasons for estrangement are limp, the casting of Whalberg and Deschanel are extremely off and the acting is incredibly flat. It's hard to keep interested in the characters because of the lack attention the writer/director has placed with them.
Other problems include the extremely jarring moments of awkwardness that crops up constantly, usually after one of the extras finishes sprouting off some bad dialogue. Is Shyamalan trying to pass this off has tension? I hope not as the actors look quite embarrassed to be fair. At times the film has editing that makes student films look like masterpieces. In tightening those little moments in the films quieter moments, the film would probably feel less contrived.
What upsets me the most is that the films basic plot isn't that bad. This world is ever-evolving and the idea of nature fighting back is strangely becoming more and more plausible. As species die off and evolve, Shyamalan's film reminds us of how fragile our race really is...if only briefly. The Happening needed another few rewrites, some stronger actors and some tidying up in the editing room. After the Lady in the Water debacle, it seems that Shyamalan wouldn't listen to reason, even if you told him. That's a shame because his talent is slowly being consumed by his ego.
Note: Sorry for the piss poor review It's been a while.
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Screenwriter: M Night Shyamalan
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
Midway through The Happening, while the main group are trying to escape the "happening" that is occurring in the film, they run past a sign of a model home which screams "YOU DESERVE THIS" at the top of the board it's printed on. Subtly...has never been M Night's thing. Yes basically if the "wind" decides to attack our brains and causes us to commit suicide we only have our self to blame. This is M Night Shyamalan we are talking about here. The mans smug ego allowed himself to play a Jesus-like character in his own film Lady in the Water. In that same film he unleashes an petty attack on film critics who may not like his films (cause that will warm them to you mate). In The Happening all of us are to blame for the world being shit and nature is gonna tear the audience a new one.
It's going to be be hard for this director to win people back to his camp after his last celluloid "disasters" but for me The Happening at times seemed a step in the right direction. Individual scenes reminded me of how competent he is as a filmmaker. Shyamalan has always been able to provide scenes that can unsettle and here is no exception. It's the simple things that freaked me out the most. People stopping and walking backwards, the babbling talk that stuttered out of the confused peoples mouths before taking their own life. it's these things that M Night is good at and here I saw glimpses of the man who wowed many with The Sixth Sense. It's a pity that those flourishes are quite brief. What's more upsetting is that these moments are undermined by the many negative points of the movie.
Many reviewers have mentioned the unintentionally comic death scenes that plague the film. i won't mention them here as they're detailed highly elsewhere. My issues with the film have more to do with the basic mechanics of the film. The film's leads are very weak in many aspect for example. Their reasons for estrangement are limp, the casting of Whalberg and Deschanel are extremely off and the acting is incredibly flat. It's hard to keep interested in the characters because of the lack attention the writer/director has placed with them.
Other problems include the extremely jarring moments of awkwardness that crops up constantly, usually after one of the extras finishes sprouting off some bad dialogue. Is Shyamalan trying to pass this off has tension? I hope not as the actors look quite embarrassed to be fair. At times the film has editing that makes student films look like masterpieces. In tightening those little moments in the films quieter moments, the film would probably feel less contrived.
What upsets me the most is that the films basic plot isn't that bad. This world is ever-evolving and the idea of nature fighting back is strangely becoming more and more plausible. As species die off and evolve, Shyamalan's film reminds us of how fragile our race really is...if only briefly. The Happening needed another few rewrites, some stronger actors and some tidying up in the editing room. After the Lady in the Water debacle, it seems that Shyamalan wouldn't listen to reason, even if you told him. That's a shame because his talent is slowly being consumed by his ego.
Note: Sorry for the piss poor review It's been a while.
Review Round Up Part 2!
i like capsule reviews. It displays the lazier side of myself so here goes! For synopsis of the movies please click on the titles
Slumdog Millionaire: I got to see an early screening of this wonderful film (out next year i think) and thank god I did! Danny Boyle takes on Bollywood films by way of City of God and his own film Millions...and it works. Boyle directs this film with so colourful and vibrant that it's hard to ignore. Boyle captures the harsh reality of living in the Indian slum but delivers a beautiful and inspirational tale without being too sweet and sickly. Skins actor Dav Patel is phenomenal as the lead and is helped out by some great Bollywood talent. The must see, feel good film of this/next year.
Shanghai Kiss: I also managed to obtain a copy of this before it comes out in England (straight to video). While I can see why it's gone down that route it deserves more than the unnoticed release it's likely to get. Ken Leung and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere give off strong chemistry in a unconventional romantic comedy about cultural roots and finding yourself. While the film has some off moments (some of the film could have been cut), the comedy works, the performances are tight and film still manages to stay light and breezy despite some of the darker moments of it's cultural subplot.
WALL-E: I cannot agree that this is Pixar's best film as some of their earlier efforts are much easier to digest. However this is truly their most mature. The message is strong and at times off puting (we are fucking the earth up and we need to sort it) but Pixar's wonderful use of pop culture (note Metropolis and 2001) and storytelling ability shines through. To add to this WALL-E's titualr character has comic timing that rivals Chaplin himself. Not as re-watchable as Toy Story but definitely worth a few for "the little ones".
Awake: Predictable, Pedantic and Piss Poor. First time writer/director Joby Harold gives us a story which thinks it's smarter then it actually is. Any vigilant film viewer will see the plot twists coming a mile off while the film itself lacks tension and mood. The film is littered with character actors that look a little embarrassed, while the leads (Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba) should stick to looking pretty. Also for a film that's only 84 mins....why did it feel like 7 hours?
Semi-Pro: Like many Will Farrell comedies, the film is hit and miss. The story is nothing to write home about and the comedy is scatter shot. However...some of the comedy I still found to be laugh out load. This never reaches the heights of comedy that people found with Old School, Anchorman or even Taladgea Nights. With this said, it's ensemble cast and silly set pieces manage to keep this out of Kicking and Screaming territory.
Slumdog Millionaire: I got to see an early screening of this wonderful film (out next year i think) and thank god I did! Danny Boyle takes on Bollywood films by way of City of God and his own film Millions...and it works. Boyle directs this film with so colourful and vibrant that it's hard to ignore. Boyle captures the harsh reality of living in the Indian slum but delivers a beautiful and inspirational tale without being too sweet and sickly. Skins actor Dav Patel is phenomenal as the lead and is helped out by some great Bollywood talent. The must see, feel good film of this/next year.
Shanghai Kiss: I also managed to obtain a copy of this before it comes out in England (straight to video). While I can see why it's gone down that route it deserves more than the unnoticed release it's likely to get. Ken Leung and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere give off strong chemistry in a unconventional romantic comedy about cultural roots and finding yourself. While the film has some off moments (some of the film could have been cut), the comedy works, the performances are tight and film still manages to stay light and breezy despite some of the darker moments of it's cultural subplot.
WALL-E: I cannot agree that this is Pixar's best film as some of their earlier efforts are much easier to digest. However this is truly their most mature. The message is strong and at times off puting (we are fucking the earth up and we need to sort it) but Pixar's wonderful use of pop culture (note Metropolis and 2001) and storytelling ability shines through. To add to this WALL-E's titualr character has comic timing that rivals Chaplin himself. Not as re-watchable as Toy Story but definitely worth a few for "the little ones".
Awake: Predictable, Pedantic and Piss Poor. First time writer/director Joby Harold gives us a story which thinks it's smarter then it actually is. Any vigilant film viewer will see the plot twists coming a mile off while the film itself lacks tension and mood. The film is littered with character actors that look a little embarrassed, while the leads (Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba) should stick to looking pretty. Also for a film that's only 84 mins....why did it feel like 7 hours?
Semi-Pro: Like many Will Farrell comedies, the film is hit and miss. The story is nothing to write home about and the comedy is scatter shot. However...some of the comedy I still found to be laugh out load. This never reaches the heights of comedy that people found with Old School, Anchorman or even Taladgea Nights. With this said, it's ensemble cast and silly set pieces manage to keep this out of Kicking and Screaming territory.
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