Jun 12 2008Shyamalan: "'The Happening' is Totally Meant to be Kind of Bad. Did I Not Mention That?'

I gotta say I'm not thrilled about this film, B-movie status or otherwise. What most bothers me is I saw a television spot for it, involved people becoming mindless zombie-ish things and then they all lined up and jumped off a building....and realized there was an episode of Doctor Who with that precise scene and story a few seasons ago -__-

This film was horrible.... nothing more to say about that.

Ah yes, but you'll take those advertising dollars from the annyoing drop down ad on the top of the site...

This is the absolute stupidest summary I've ever read for anything... in recent memory, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0949731/synopsis

The earth is trying to kill off humans using plant spores?! Well, I guess it is a B movie after all.

Can this one hit wonder stop writing movies. He can direct and that's it.

How do people keep going to these things? I walked out of 'signs' knowing full well that this guy was a total fucking joke. The cryptic message from your dead wife was that hitting things in the fucking head with a baseball bat hurts them? Thats not a twist ending. Thats a plot written by a hyperactive 5 year old. with brain damage.

The fact people were stupid enough to fall for it again for the village and Lady in the water is surprising. Between his track record and the advance bad press, if this one does well we should all just drink bleach and call it a twist ending.

Heh, good point, Snoodle. So, Who Fest at my place the night this movie premieres? I'll supply the beer!

There may have been a Doctor Who episode like that a couple seasons ago, but let me out-dork you, Snoodle: there was an X-Files Episode like the Happening in Season 1. In that episode, a computer virus was making every electronic device the the city (including microwave ovens, which I'm not sure would be affected by computer viruses) convince people to commit violent acts. Of course, I think it might have been against others rather than themselves, or maybe both . . .

I'm relatively certain that between The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The X-Files, and Buffy, there have been at least 20 hours of television detailing one character's ability to see dead people. And another 20 where it turns out that the main character has been dead the whole time.

Anyway, I think the point is that Shyamalan is a hack who steals from awesome sci fi shows. Where's this beer?

Here's a spoiler, the twist is that it is a piece of shit.

Oh, M. Night...
When will you realise that your hackneyed eco-political horse hootie is going to get your children beaten up at school?

I guess I'm coming into a minority - I like M. Night movies - have seen them all ( I own Signs and will probably have to watch it again soon) and will continue to see them.

In the near future, I'll apparently either be renting them from Netflix to watch in the privacy of my home or never mentioning to anyone where I was for 2.5 hours that day!

Kind of like how I only listen to Dwight in my truck..

He peaked at the Sixth Sense

M. Night doesn't always hit the mark-Lady in the Water is probably the prime example. He does have a gift for story telling--and for capturing some beautiful moments on film. The Village, if watched again with an open mind, is not only a lovely scored movie but it has some great moments too. Think of Ivy's hand reaching out into the darkness and Lucas taking it as they run into the house. My favorite is when they sit on the porch and she asks if he'll dance with her on their wedding day. It really is a quite movie that should have been marketed differently.
Signs is another example of a movie that really isn't about Aliens. It's about regaining faith. If you watch it again, not expecting blood/slasher thinking, you will see a great performance from M. Gibson as a man who has lost his faith and is struggling to find his way in the world without it. Aliens are just a side note.

Unbreakable is another example about a man's journey in finding out who he really is and how once he does this his relationship with his family is altered.
It also has some wonderful moments.

If you don't go in expecting that twist that was set up in The Sixth Sense, then you might find a story with rich layers of meaning.

Just my humble opinion.

Yeah but the point of a twist is too not see it coming right? Otherwise it won't have its effect.
So, either Shyamalan is munching of people's stupidity, or he just doesnt have anything else to offer.

@ Pat

I bow before your geek knowledge ;)

@ Lisa

You're on :o!! I'll bring the cookies.

@ Oscar

Two hit wonder, Unbreakable was really good also.

Kim: It isn't so much the anticipation of The Twist that ruins M Night's movies. It's the promotion and hype of The Twist. I loved Signs. I loved The Village. I watched Lady in the Water knowing what I was getting into. But hyping up a movie as "the first time I'm really trying to scare people" (which is total malarky in the first place) and then - three days before it comes out - saying, "I hope people see it for what I intended it to be - a really fun B movie" just doesn't wash with me.
And except for Paul Giamatti, Lady in the Water was ass.

Snoodle and Pat, dont forget that Stephen King wrote Needful Things way before either Dr.Who or X-Files thought of doing anything like this. This movie has a really bad idea and just drags it on. The writing in this was horrid, even for a B-Movie. (Girls jumps out window "Are you there, I hear wind from the outside") Like you would hear wind on the inside, unless she had just put her head in a fan or something... Bunch of people killing themselves and repeating themselves before they kill themselves... Straight out of The Dr. Who episode where the Library (The forest that was used to make the books) starts causing people to die and once they have, they repeat the very last thing they said over and over... Hrmmm sounds like a movie called The Happening