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Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 7:12 am
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:33 pm
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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:14 pm
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I actually enjoyed this movie, which makes me one of only two people in the entire world who probably do, the other being Roger Ebert. I think for a Shyamalan film, it's a decent attempt at film making. Sure, it's not perfect, but in a summer full of big action blockbusters, The Happening is a quiet, thoughtful meditation on the environment. We tend to use the movie's realism as a qualitative analysis, but we also tend to forget that not all movies strive for realism. I think Shymalan was striving more for an amalgamation of expressive and narrative forms. For a movie like this, the narrative is not the most important aspect, but rather, it is the message. This film probably would have worked better under different hands, but you have to give it to Shymalan for not giving us his trademark twist ending. He's maturing as a film maker, and I believe that this imperfect movie is a sign that he might be able to return to this roots.
So, basically, as a form of narrative fiction, the film fails; it's poorly put together, poorly directed, and poorly acted (though, I have a soft spot for Zooey Deschanel). But as a form of expressive film making, it quietly succeeds. The landscape is gorgeous to look at, and the images of the suicidal are haunting and eerie.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:20 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:27 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:58 am
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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:08 pm
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