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The Happening (2008)
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All reviews for The Happening
The best and the rest in 2008 m ...
by
usesoap
in
usesoap Blog
disliked it.
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"Make no mistake, 2008 was the year of the woman. From politics to multiplex, they were the most newsworthy. At the box office, week after week brought about stories about how, mother of all shockers, women enjoy going to the movies too. From summer “event movies” (usually an exclusive boys tree house where "No Gurlz Allowd"), to record-breaking such as best opening for a female director, women were the new black at the box office. In 2008: Twilight was the highest-grossing film opening by a female director (at $70 million); It received the second-largest advanced ticket sales, trailing only The Dark Knight; Sex and the City was the best opening ever for an R-rated comedy; The SATC gals also debuted as the fifth best R-rated film of all time; The film also bested Mission Impossible as the best debut of a film based on a TV show. Now, perhaps next year we can do the same with good movies. Sex in the City was the female equivalent of Iron Man, replacing magical gad ... "
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5 Directors, 5 Achilles Heels
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SpoutBlog
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SpoutBlog on spout.com
hasn't rated it.
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"While watching Zack and Miri Make a Porno, it is possible to occasionally forget that you are watching a Kevin Smith movie. Mainly because he doesn’t show up in the film, a rare and appreciated move for the guy who has played “Silent Bob” in 6 out of the 8 theatrical releases he’s directed. Then there’s the cast that is involved, which makes Z&M seem like the offspring of Judd Apatow and John Waters. But there are a number of things that do make it clearly a Smith joint, such as the obligatory employment of Jason Mewes — in the role he was born to play, even moreso than “Jay” — and the potentially pitying use of Jeff Anderson, who may have been the only actor to agree to receiving that accidental Hot Carl. And then there’s the most recognizable element: Smith’s inability let the poop jokes go in order to concentrate on his characters, and the relationships between them. It’s the filmmaker’s Achilles heel, and it’s one of five we at SpoutBlog have noticed are holding back the esteem ... "
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What a bad movie
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owtkast
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owtkast Blog
disliked it.
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"God forbid the 1 hour of unshown footage featured on the dvd is as bad as the rest of this movie. I mean M. Night can only take stupidity so far in movies. Uwe Boll is one that needs to quit, I was hoping M. Night was better but it's not looking like it. Its amazing to his credit how he convinces great actors to do horrible scripts. "
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The Happening
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atacta
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atacta Blog
disliked it.
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"1. Worst direction in the performance of extras – many instances of smiling children at the time of worst peril.2. Worst moment in film history– Wahlberg singing the Doobie Brothers’ Black Water.3. Worst diffusing comic banter of any disaster film ever made.4. Second Worst moment film history– Wahlberg’s conversation with the plant.5. Best looking leads (Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel) who maintain fine apparel and pristine makeup throughout the calamity.6. Most disinteresting and superficial insertion of marital problems in a complete failed attempt at story narrative.7. The worst case of “I cannot believe what I am watching here” ever.8. Worst case of counting down the minutes to the end of the film.9. Worst line ever written – “there is something 'exorcisty' about her.”10. Poor Betty Buckley – she seems to be an underused actress and is pretty jolting in her brief appearance.11. 1:16 – wo ... "
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An incredible waste of TIME!!!
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Indie
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Indie Blog
disliked it.
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"I have to admit that I was once taken in by M. Night. I loved watching the dead people, the crop circles, and even gave the amish village a chance. I now actually dislike M. Night after watching this film, and I am surprised anyone in Hollywood would fund or produce something directed by him again. Shyamalan has become a one trick pony. For all of this movies desperate attempts to round out a character and all of its inexplicably spooky atmosphere, it's still about the twist. AND what a lame twist. (please excuse the use of an incomplete sentence. I may have went to M. Night's school of painfully awkward dialogue.) The actors (and I do LOVE one- Zooey Dashcanel) are phoning it in. I don't think that they have a clue as to what is going on, or even what their next line is. They may have been completely sickened by what could only be described as complete black hole of futility while making this movie (and I use the term -movie- loosely here). Nothing they could have done w ... "
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The Happening (2008, USA, M. Ni ...
by
CinemaRian
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CinemaRian Blog
hasn't rated it.
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"I'm sorry, I can't help myself: what happens in this movie is lame. The Happening is an improvement over The Village and Lady in the Water, but I think we can all understand that's damningly faint praise. M. Night Shyamalan was once a director of promise, but all of his films, even his good ones, all suffer from the same flaw- they all are a lot dumber than they think they are. Even his best film, Signs, is built around a premise that doesn't stand up to serious thought- as many have pointed out, why would aliens who can be killed by water choose to invade a planet that 2/3 water? And if they did, wouldn't they begin their conquest in the desert, not in Pennsylvania, where it rains a lot? The director is best at establishing an eerie mood and tone to his films, which is often shattered when the characters begin to open their mouths, because his characterization and dialogue suck too (except in Signs, where it was okay). Really, Shyamalan would be a great director for the silent era ... "
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So Bad, I Felt Morally Obligate ...
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frank_reed
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frank_reed Blog
disliked it.
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"From the concept, to the dialogue, to the characters, to the execution -- this film was unbearably bad. For my full "review" see a parody I produced that pretty much says it all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =hx16epbyj9g For best results, view high-quality version . . . "
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Highly Dissapointed, as Expected
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kizmar
in
iBlog
disliked it.
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"After his last few films, I'm not sure why I expected The Happening to be any different. It was a huge pile of crap. Great mystery with a huge let down at the end. On top of his normal pile of crap ending: the lines were corney, and the acting was horrible. I can't even warrent writing more about this movie as I've already wasted enough of my life on it by watching it. "
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"More like The Crappening" - A ...
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laylor
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laylor Blog
liked it.
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"I have to say that this is a really bad, bad movie BUT I enjoyed it. It was hilarious, unintentionally I'm guessing. Everything from the dialogue to Mark Walhberg's tortured perfomance had me laughing. There are quite a few quotable lines from this movie: "She's going to the town of Princeton" = hilarious! Poor Zooey Deschanel is just drowning in this movie, as well. I have never seen such bad acting from her and it was slightly depressing. The deaths are kind of cool, considering the rest of the story is so silly people killing themselves is the main thing you have to look forward to. I kept wondering: What will he think of next?! It's pretty creative. I'm not going to get into it but there is a scene with two lions that is just ridiculous. It's cool and gratuitous (which is fun) but it's so awkwardly presented (seemingly tacked on only to assure an R rating) that I just had to laugh. People running away from the wind does not inspire dread but confused glances and giggles. Almost ... "
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Weekend at Bodega Bay
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SkyPilot
in
SkyPilot Blog
is neutral about it.
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"SPOILER ALERT: Don't read if you want to see Magnolia. The most surprising aspect of this movie is how long it takes for the birds to attack. When they finally do, it feels like they're interrupting a movie that would've been perfectly good without them, a complex and suspenseful screwball comedy. Ultimately the thrills of the second act fall short, and not because of cheesy effects. Hitchcock and co. are remarkably resourceful within their technical limitations. No, what makes it fall short is that birds just aren't that scary. M. Knight Shyamalan cites this movie as inspiration for The Happening. There's a thematic connection, but structure-wise a film that's far closer is From Dusk Till Dawn. Both films deliver in the first act and drop the ball when the tone switches. (And Shyamalan's film is inept but comical all the way through.) I think I would like this movie more if it were called Weekend at Bodega Bay; calling the film The Birds is like referring to Magnolia as The Frogs. "
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