Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda (drama, romcom)
6.5/10
I believe this movie can best be summed up by the phrase, "Huh. Well, that was neat." Truth be told, I've never found Woody Allen films to be among my favourites. Hell, most times I don't even find them tolerable. This movie is interesting, though.
The plot? Some friends are out to dinner, among them two polar-opposite writers. A friend tells a story about a girl, Melinda, and asks whether or not it is a comedy - Wallace Shawn's character's speciality - or a tragedy, preferred by Some Guy's character. Yeah, Some Guy. Didn't ring any bells. And he's no Wallace Shawn. Anyway, both men tell the story, but as a comedy and as a tragedy. We, the audience, get to watch their interpretations simultaneously.
As if that weren't potential for confusion enough, both stories feature Melinda (Radha Mitchell) as the main character. Yep, the same woman playing two roles, similar but completely different. Despite all that, I didn't get confused. Everything was easily placed into its respective storyline.
In the tragedy, Melinda drops in on old friends, both of whom are now married. She falls in love, only to have one of her friends have an affair with her new gentleman friend. Then she attempts to jump out a window, and that's that. Her gentleman friend is played by the ever charismatic Chiwetel Ejiofor (Love, Actually), and I must say I didn't recognize anyone else. Ah well. Ejiofor has a sweet name.
On the comedy end, Melinda drops in on some people she doesn't know after eating her weight in sleeping pills. They all become friends, because that's what you do when someone vomits on your carpet and might die any minute. They're both married couples, the main couple consisting of Some Lady and Hobie (Will Ferrell). Yeah, Hobie. He falls in love with Melinda and feels horrible about it. He goes to tell his wife that he loves someone else, and what do you know, the wife is in bed with Other Married Guy From Before! How perfectly convenient! Hobie is excited and calls Melinda, but she's just met some new beau, and he doesn't have the heart/balls to drop his bombshell. They hook up in the end. 'S'all good.
Both plots are interesting, and the actors do a good job, yet I can't help but feel something was missing. It wasn't that funny, and it wasn't that tragic, I suppose. I wanted to laugh outrageously and then have a good cry, but neither story was quite so theatrical. As it turns out, "realistic" isn't something I usually look for in movies. Who knew? I mean, my favourite movies usually involve zombies...
My verdict on this one is mixed, but I would recommend it to certain people. If you like Woody Allen, I'm sure you'll love this movie to pieces. If you liked the dichotomy of Love, Actually then you might also be interested. If multiple unrelated plots give you the heebie-jeebies, stay far far away.
Showing posts with label drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drama. Show all posts
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Funny People
Judd Apatow's Funny People (comedy, drama)
5/10
Otherwise known as a 'dramedy', Judd Apatow's newest film missed the mark for me. In the famous words of Joey Tribbiani, "You're so far past the [mark] that you can't even see the [mark]! The [mark] is a dot to you!" Okay, so maybe not quite the same words, but you get the idea. Just picture his delivery, except closer to unimpressed than furiously angry.
I think I would have given Funny People a higher score if Apatow had just stuck to one idea. But nOoo. He sashayed in to the genre of drama with all of the poise and grace of Fred Astaire if Fred Astaire had been born without feet. I'm sure that I'm making mountains of molehills, but it really does irk me when someone steps out of their comfort zone only to end up with mediocrity at best. In this case, Judd Apatow was pretty on the ball in the comedy area. He has a distinct style of writing that some people find piss-yourself hilarious. I understand the desire to explore, but at least do it right, man.
Jim Carrey decided to put on his serious face, and he whipped out Eternal Sunshine. Robin Williams did Good Will Hunting. Hell, even Steve Carrell and Will Farrell played fairly serious characters (in Little Miss Sunshine and Stranger than Fiction, respectively). Poor Judd. He put himself out there, and all that came of it was incredibly forgettable, with the exception of Seth Rogan's weight loss. Looking really good, dude. Props. Unfortunately, if the major thing I remembered about a movie is that a lead actor was looking healthy, maybe the plot could have used a little work, amirite?
I have to say, I had high hopes for this one. Seth Rogan, Adam Sandler, and that chubby guy from Superbad who was pretty funny. I'll admit, I don't exactly expect much from Sandler anymore. He could be my father and he's still making dick jokes. At least Seth Rogan and Chubby Guy are young-ish, so it doesn't sound quite so awkwardly paternal. Listening to Adam Sandler talk about someone else's penis was actually kind of funny, for whatever reason. But listening to him talk about his own, even in a self-depricating small-penis way, made me feel like I was eavesdropping on the wrong conversation at the doctor's office. Blech.
Seth Rogan. I'll admit that I really didn't want to find him amusing, since he does that thing where a group of (always male wtf) comedy actors all do the same movies. He's a decent actor, though, so I'm willing to forgive the fact that he's got a dick clique.
Who's that chubby guy? Jonah Hill? Dude, you have GOT to start making movies without actors in wang gangs. I had no idea what your name was, and I'm me. I'll sit through the entire credits list to see if I was right about recognizing an extra, but I didn't know your name.
Jason Schwartzman, I don't like you. I'm sorry. I don't know why.
5/10
Otherwise known as a 'dramedy', Judd Apatow's newest film missed the mark for me. In the famous words of Joey Tribbiani, "You're so far past the [mark] that you can't even see the [mark]! The [mark] is a dot to you!" Okay, so maybe not quite the same words, but you get the idea. Just picture his delivery, except closer to unimpressed than furiously angry.
I think I would have given Funny People a higher score if Apatow had just stuck to one idea. But nOoo. He sashayed in to the genre of drama with all of the poise and grace of Fred Astaire if Fred Astaire had been born without feet. I'm sure that I'm making mountains of molehills, but it really does irk me when someone steps out of their comfort zone only to end up with mediocrity at best. In this case, Judd Apatow was pretty on the ball in the comedy area. He has a distinct style of writing that some people find piss-yourself hilarious. I understand the desire to explore, but at least do it right, man.
Jim Carrey decided to put on his serious face, and he whipped out Eternal Sunshine. Robin Williams did Good Will Hunting. Hell, even Steve Carrell and Will Farrell played fairly serious characters (in Little Miss Sunshine and Stranger than Fiction, respectively). Poor Judd. He put himself out there, and all that came of it was incredibly forgettable, with the exception of Seth Rogan's weight loss. Looking really good, dude. Props. Unfortunately, if the major thing I remembered about a movie is that a lead actor was looking healthy, maybe the plot could have used a little work, amirite?
I have to say, I had high hopes for this one. Seth Rogan, Adam Sandler, and that chubby guy from Superbad who was pretty funny. I'll admit, I don't exactly expect much from Sandler anymore. He could be my father and he's still making dick jokes. At least Seth Rogan and Chubby Guy are young-ish, so it doesn't sound quite so awkwardly paternal. Listening to Adam Sandler talk about someone else's penis was actually kind of funny, for whatever reason. But listening to him talk about his own, even in a self-depricating small-penis way, made me feel like I was eavesdropping on the wrong conversation at the doctor's office. Blech.
Seth Rogan. I'll admit that I really didn't want to find him amusing, since he does that thing where a group of (always male wtf) comedy actors all do the same movies. He's a decent actor, though, so I'm willing to forgive the fact that he's got a dick clique.
Who's that chubby guy? Jonah Hill? Dude, you have GOT to start making movies without actors in wang gangs. I had no idea what your name was, and I'm me. I'll sit through the entire credits list to see if I was right about recognizing an extra, but I didn't know your name.
Jason Schwartzman, I don't like you. I'm sorry. I don't know why.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Tin Man
Nick Willing's Tin Man (drama, sci-fi, fantasy)
8.5 / 10
Okay, so this is technically a TV mini-series, but whatever. It was released on DVD. It's got three 1.5-hour chunks spanning two discs, so it's about the same length as your average Lord of the Rings movie. Zing! Plus, it's one of the coolest Wizard of Oz adaptions ever made, so it deserves praise and... praise.
The cast. The cast! Zooey Deschanel pops up again in my reviews. I swear, it's as though she has the sense to pick good movies, or something. Weird. As usual, she plays the cute, mostly-confused character surrounded by weirdos and/or in some odd situation. Like Elf, Hitchhiker's, The Happening... You get the idea, right? Zooey is a cutie-patootie, but methinks she needs to pull a Jim Carrey a la Eternal Sunshine and break free of her typecast. I will say that she makes a pretty good new-age Dorothy Gale, or "D.G.", though.
Alongside Ms. Adorablepants is the frickin' amazing Alan Cumming, better known for his role as Nightcrawler in the X-Men series. Did you know this guy is Scottish?! I've seen him in a handful of roles now with German, British and American accents, but the guy is from Scotland. Fan-freaking-tastic. I had no idea whatsoever. I figured the British wasn't real, but the American accent had me convinced. He's his usual awesome self, playing the reincarnation of the Scarecrow. And if you don't finish Tin Man loving him and his character, you have no heart. Segue!
Neal McDonough, who you've probably seen and forgotten about, played an itty-bitty role in Minority Report, and apparently showed up at some point during Star Trek: First Contact, but I only remember him in the former. Despite a long list of credentials, the poor guy is relegated to the "Oh Hey, That Guy" list. He plays our Tin Man, and is essentially the other protaganist alongside D.G. There's a lot of plot surrounding his family, and not nearly as much about the Scarecrow or the Lion. Segue!
Raoul Trujillo. Oh. My. God. If you haven't seen the film Frankenfish, ask me for my copy and you can borrow it. Watch it several times. It only gets better. B-grade monster movies make me so happy. Maybe you've seen him in something else, but I sure haven't. Raoul plays our Lion, though the story doesn't make him out to be as cowardly as his predecessor. And the other characters keep commenting on his so-called cowardice. But I didn't notice any. Seriously. Raoul is the man, and that's all I need to say.
The general idea of the story is the same. D.G. is plopped in the OZ, or the Outer Zone, and tries to figure out why she's there. However, they've added themselves a hell of a lot of side stories, like D.G.'s parents. Instead of a green-skinned ugly witch, we have the lovely Kathleen Robertson as Azkedellia, our evil witch of the West. Er, of the OZ. Whatever. The Wizard is instead The Mystic Man, and you'll pee yourself when you see what they've done with Toto.
So basically, the Scarecrow wants his brain back -- it was stolen by Azkadellia for reasons that, obviously, he can't remember. The Tin Man is an ex-cop who was forced to watch the baddies torture his family over and over. (Fun tidbit: In Tin Man, the term 'tin man' actually refers to OZ police officers.) Finally, the Lion is a telepathic -- yep -- lion-man who doesn't really have much motive to tag along in the story, but does anyway... because Raoul Trujillo is amazing, and the movie needed more of him. And last, but not least, D.G. is trying to stop Azkadellia from throwing the entire OZ into eternal darkness. You know, the usual. She's also trying to figure out why she feels as though she's been in the OZ before... Ooh, spooky.
If I haven't convinced you to watch this movie yet, I apologize. I'll start threatening next. Watch it. Seriously. This movie... sorry, TV mini-series, is well-written, the score is incredible, the characters are the same and yet completely different from the original film, Raoul Trujillo is in it... Sorry, I can't get past that. When I realized who he was, I almost had a fit in the middle of the computer lab. There are literally tears of glee in my eyes as I type this.
Watch it.
8.5 / 10
Okay, so this is technically a TV mini-series, but whatever. It was released on DVD. It's got three 1.5-hour chunks spanning two discs, so it's about the same length as your average Lord of the Rings movie. Zing! Plus, it's one of the coolest Wizard of Oz adaptions ever made, so it deserves praise and... praise.
The cast. The cast! Zooey Deschanel pops up again in my reviews. I swear, it's as though she has the sense to pick good movies, or something. Weird. As usual, she plays the cute, mostly-confused character surrounded by weirdos and/or in some odd situation. Like Elf, Hitchhiker's, The Happening... You get the idea, right? Zooey is a cutie-patootie, but methinks she needs to pull a Jim Carrey a la Eternal Sunshine and break free of her typecast. I will say that she makes a pretty good new-age Dorothy Gale, or "D.G.", though.
Alongside Ms. Adorablepants is the frickin' amazing Alan Cumming, better known for his role as Nightcrawler in the X-Men series. Did you know this guy is Scottish?! I've seen him in a handful of roles now with German, British and American accents, but the guy is from Scotland. Fan-freaking-tastic. I had no idea whatsoever. I figured the British wasn't real, but the American accent had me convinced. He's his usual awesome self, playing the reincarnation of the Scarecrow. And if you don't finish Tin Man loving him and his character, you have no heart. Segue!
Neal McDonough, who you've probably seen and forgotten about, played an itty-bitty role in Minority Report, and apparently showed up at some point during Star Trek: First Contact, but I only remember him in the former. Despite a long list of credentials, the poor guy is relegated to the "Oh Hey, That Guy" list. He plays our Tin Man, and is essentially the other protaganist alongside D.G. There's a lot of plot surrounding his family, and not nearly as much about the Scarecrow or the Lion. Segue!
Raoul Trujillo. Oh. My. God. If you haven't seen the film Frankenfish, ask me for my copy and you can borrow it. Watch it several times. It only gets better. B-grade monster movies make me so happy. Maybe you've seen him in something else, but I sure haven't. Raoul plays our Lion, though the story doesn't make him out to be as cowardly as his predecessor. And the other characters keep commenting on his so-called cowardice. But I didn't notice any. Seriously. Raoul is the man, and that's all I need to say.
The general idea of the story is the same. D.G. is plopped in the OZ, or the Outer Zone, and tries to figure out why she's there. However, they've added themselves a hell of a lot of side stories, like D.G.'s parents. Instead of a green-skinned ugly witch, we have the lovely Kathleen Robertson as Azkedellia, our evil witch of the West. Er, of the OZ. Whatever. The Wizard is instead The Mystic Man, and you'll pee yourself when you see what they've done with Toto.
So basically, the Scarecrow wants his brain back -- it was stolen by Azkadellia for reasons that, obviously, he can't remember. The Tin Man is an ex-cop who was forced to watch the baddies torture his family over and over. (Fun tidbit: In Tin Man, the term 'tin man' actually refers to OZ police officers.) Finally, the Lion is a telepathic -- yep -- lion-man who doesn't really have much motive to tag along in the story, but does anyway... because Raoul Trujillo is amazing, and the movie needed more of him. And last, but not least, D.G. is trying to stop Azkadellia from throwing the entire OZ into eternal darkness. You know, the usual. She's also trying to figure out why she feels as though she's been in the OZ before... Ooh, spooky.
If I haven't convinced you to watch this movie yet, I apologize. I'll start threatening next. Watch it. Seriously. This movie... sorry, TV mini-series, is well-written, the score is incredible, the characters are the same and yet completely different from the original film, Raoul Trujillo is in it... Sorry, I can't get past that. When I realized who he was, I almost had a fit in the middle of the computer lab. There are literally tears of glee in my eyes as I type this.
Watch it.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Night Listener
Patrick Stettner's The Night Listener (thriller, drama)
7.5 / 10
I struggled for a while trying to decide on a score for this movie, and I'm still not entirely sure if I've hit the mark. The Night Listener was definitely a good movie, but something about it made me feel it wasn't a great movie. Maybe I'll understand more as I go.
Yes, I talk about the plot, but I don't give anything away. Scout's honour.
Cast-wise, I don't think better actors could have been picked for these roles. Robin Williams, in one of his many "I swear I'm not just funny" films, plays Gabe Noone, a late-night radio show host. He tells stories about his life, often stretching the truth, and comes across a patch of writer's block. He is given a copy of a book written by a young boy named Pete, telling about the child's traumatic experiences at the hands of sexually abusive parents and friends. Pete is played by Rory Culkin -- yes, the younger brother of Macauley Culkin -- and does a damn fine job for a teenage actor. You may have seen the young lad in MNS's Signs.
Gabe starts talking to Pete on the phone after discovering that Pete has AIDS. Pete is his "biggest fan", and they develop a telephone friendship between Pete's visits to the hospital. Toni Collette plays Donna, Pete's adoptive mother. She plays Donna incredibly well, evoking the correct emotions from the audience at every point in the movie. Eventually, questions begin arising concerning Pete, as the book agent who provided Pete's story never actually met him, or his mother. Gabe's partner, Jess (played by the ever-charismatic Bobby Cannavale), begins doubting Donna and Pete's sincerity after the mother and son conveniently avoid meeting Gabe in person on a handful of occasions. Drama ensues.
Spoilery: One aspect of the movie that I particularly enjoyed involved the over-the-phone scenes with Pete and Donna. Because Gabe has no idea of what Donna looks like, she is portrayed as, presumably, what Gabe wants her to be. However, later in the movie, Gabe is confronted with the "real" Donna, and she isn't quite what he expected. Done spoiling.
The Night Listener title relates to the cinemetography, as well as the plot. Very many scenes took place at night, or in dark places, giving the movie a bit of a creepier feel than it would have in a bright, cheery, sun-filled environment. Plus, most of the daytime that the audience gets to see is cloudy and gray. Spooky! Or something.
For some reason, most reviews I've read of this movie focus on the fact that Robin Williams and Bobby Cannavale play -- gasp -- gay men. OH NOES. Okay, so maybe I'm more liberal than most reviewers, but I thought that it added depth to Gabe's relationship with Pete, since Bobby's character Jess was diagnosed with AIDS as well. We're told through dialogue that Gabe is the type to want to protect others, and that he did so with Jess; it's a nice touch to see him try to protect Pete. If there was any homosexual interaction between Gabe and Pete, I could understand reviewers pulling out their 'Marriage Is Sacred' signs and hopping around with their Bibles. But nope, it's platonic, and cute in a father-son way. Nice try, extremists.
Watch it. I have a copy, and you can borrow it. Seriously. It isn't scary, but it is creepy, and I like it.
7.5 / 10
I struggled for a while trying to decide on a score for this movie, and I'm still not entirely sure if I've hit the mark. The Night Listener was definitely a good movie, but something about it made me feel it wasn't a great movie. Maybe I'll understand more as I go.
Yes, I talk about the plot, but I don't give anything away. Scout's honour.
Cast-wise, I don't think better actors could have been picked for these roles. Robin Williams, in one of his many "I swear I'm not just funny" films, plays Gabe Noone, a late-night radio show host. He tells stories about his life, often stretching the truth, and comes across a patch of writer's block. He is given a copy of a book written by a young boy named Pete, telling about the child's traumatic experiences at the hands of sexually abusive parents and friends. Pete is played by Rory Culkin -- yes, the younger brother of Macauley Culkin -- and does a damn fine job for a teenage actor. You may have seen the young lad in MNS's Signs.
Gabe starts talking to Pete on the phone after discovering that Pete has AIDS. Pete is his "biggest fan", and they develop a telephone friendship between Pete's visits to the hospital. Toni Collette plays Donna, Pete's adoptive mother. She plays Donna incredibly well, evoking the correct emotions from the audience at every point in the movie. Eventually, questions begin arising concerning Pete, as the book agent who provided Pete's story never actually met him, or his mother. Gabe's partner, Jess (played by the ever-charismatic Bobby Cannavale), begins doubting Donna and Pete's sincerity after the mother and son conveniently avoid meeting Gabe in person on a handful of occasions. Drama ensues.
Spoilery: One aspect of the movie that I particularly enjoyed involved the over-the-phone scenes with Pete and Donna. Because Gabe has no idea of what Donna looks like, she is portrayed as, presumably, what Gabe wants her to be. However, later in the movie, Gabe is confronted with the "real" Donna, and she isn't quite what he expected. Done spoiling.
The Night Listener title relates to the cinemetography, as well as the plot. Very many scenes took place at night, or in dark places, giving the movie a bit of a creepier feel than it would have in a bright, cheery, sun-filled environment. Plus, most of the daytime that the audience gets to see is cloudy and gray. Spooky! Or something.
For some reason, most reviews I've read of this movie focus on the fact that Robin Williams and Bobby Cannavale play -- gasp -- gay men. OH NOES. Okay, so maybe I'm more liberal than most reviewers, but I thought that it added depth to Gabe's relationship with Pete, since Bobby's character Jess was diagnosed with AIDS as well. We're told through dialogue that Gabe is the type to want to protect others, and that he did so with Jess; it's a nice touch to see him try to protect Pete. If there was any homosexual interaction between Gabe and Pete, I could understand reviewers pulling out their 'Marriage Is Sacred' signs and hopping around with their Bibles. But nope, it's platonic, and cute in a father-son way. Nice try, extremists.
Watch it. I have a copy, and you can borrow it. Seriously. It isn't scary, but it is creepy, and I like it.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Happening
Told you I'd get it reviewed! But first, I have to come up with a system for grading said reviews. I was going to make something fancy involving marking schemes and rubrics, but I think I'll just give a movie a number and help you explain how I got there.
M. Night Shymalan's The Happening (thriller, horror, drama)
8.5 / 10
This movie got, and continues to get, a lot of flack from online movie reviews and the public in general. And I could not care less. I have been a fan of MNS's movies since I watched another of his unappreciated movies, The Village, at the drive-in. What the hell is wrong with The Happening?
Some reviews poo-poo the acting. Frankly, I think Mark Wahlberg did a half-decent job, considering that I have never seen him in a role that allowed me to take him seriously. I mean, come on! He's Marky Mark! Honestly, though, I thought he played the character well. I liked the character, and that's usually a good sign. John Leguizamo is an actor that reviewers loved to hate on, and again, I think he did alright. Maybe I'm a bit biased, since the first of his movies that I watched was Romeo + Juliet, and he was a total babe then. The man's been in every damn movie since the dawn of time, and he earns more money than you, so hush. Finally, there's almost nothing to say about Zooey Deschannel. She's always cute, but lacking in depth.
Story-wise, shut the hell up. I thought the plot was solid, and it sure had me interested from the beginning. I mean, when the action starts not even ten minutes in, you're never sure what you've gotten yourself in to. In this case, I got myself in to a movie that made a lot of sense, surprisingly enough.
Now, I'm going to talk a bit about the plot. If you know the basics of the movie, I won't be giving away any crucial information. However, I do reveal the cause of "the event" and if you would rather not know, skip the next paragraph.
Spoilers: The premise is simple: we pissed off Mother Nature. Our main character gives us enough knowledge to surmise the general plot when he mentions a nifty ability of the tobacco plant. Turns out, if the plant is being "attacked" by a certain species of catterpillar, the plant will release a chemical in to the air that tells nearby wasps where to find a nice, juicy catterpillar. It's a survival mechanism, and that's exactly what happens in The Happening. Plants all over north-eastern states in America decide that humans are big, planet-hogging jerks. Except, instead of plants signalling wasps to come munch us up, they release a neuro-toxin that effectively shuts off the human survival mechanism, and indeed seems as though it pushes it to the extreme opposite. Cue mass suicides. I guess MNS really wants us to cut back on the carbon emissions, or something. Done spoiling.
This is the first of MNS's movies to boast an MPAA rating of 'R', and deservedly so. If you can't handle gore, you won't want to watch this movie. In fact, you'll probably shut it off after the first ten minutes that I talked about earlier. As for the scariness factor, it gave me the willies, and I think I jumped once or twice. It wasn't anything that'll make you poop your pants, if you're old enough to be watching the movie in the first place.
Closing thoughts? If you don't like MNS, don't watch his friggin' movies. It's that simple. Didn't like The Village or Unbreakable? Don't bother with this one. You won't like it either. I found that a lot of his films were marketed poorly before theatrical release, such that they appeared to be of a completely different genre than they really were. This one was pretty spot on. If you're ambivalent to or a fan of M. Night Shymalan's films, you might get a kick out of The Happening. As always, with MNS, go in with an open mind, and you'll come out with a brain full of delightful MNS oddities.
M. Night Shymalan's The Happening (thriller, horror, drama)
8.5 / 10
This movie got, and continues to get, a lot of flack from online movie reviews and the public in general. And I could not care less. I have been a fan of MNS's movies since I watched another of his unappreciated movies, The Village, at the drive-in. What the hell is wrong with The Happening?
Some reviews poo-poo the acting. Frankly, I think Mark Wahlberg did a half-decent job, considering that I have never seen him in a role that allowed me to take him seriously. I mean, come on! He's Marky Mark! Honestly, though, I thought he played the character well. I liked the character, and that's usually a good sign. John Leguizamo is an actor that reviewers loved to hate on, and again, I think he did alright. Maybe I'm a bit biased, since the first of his movies that I watched was Romeo + Juliet, and he was a total babe then. The man's been in every damn movie since the dawn of time, and he earns more money than you, so hush. Finally, there's almost nothing to say about Zooey Deschannel. She's always cute, but lacking in depth.
Story-wise, shut the hell up. I thought the plot was solid, and it sure had me interested from the beginning. I mean, when the action starts not even ten minutes in, you're never sure what you've gotten yourself in to. In this case, I got myself in to a movie that made a lot of sense, surprisingly enough.
Now, I'm going to talk a bit about the plot. If you know the basics of the movie, I won't be giving away any crucial information. However, I do reveal the cause of "the event" and if you would rather not know, skip the next paragraph.
Spoilers: The premise is simple: we pissed off Mother Nature. Our main character gives us enough knowledge to surmise the general plot when he mentions a nifty ability of the tobacco plant. Turns out, if the plant is being "attacked" by a certain species of catterpillar, the plant will release a chemical in to the air that tells nearby wasps where to find a nice, juicy catterpillar. It's a survival mechanism, and that's exactly what happens in The Happening. Plants all over north-eastern states in America decide that humans are big, planet-hogging jerks. Except, instead of plants signalling wasps to come munch us up, they release a neuro-toxin that effectively shuts off the human survival mechanism, and indeed seems as though it pushes it to the extreme opposite. Cue mass suicides. I guess MNS really wants us to cut back on the carbon emissions, or something. Done spoiling.
This is the first of MNS's movies to boast an MPAA rating of 'R', and deservedly so. If you can't handle gore, you won't want to watch this movie. In fact, you'll probably shut it off after the first ten minutes that I talked about earlier. As for the scariness factor, it gave me the willies, and I think I jumped once or twice. It wasn't anything that'll make you poop your pants, if you're old enough to be watching the movie in the first place.
Closing thoughts? If you don't like MNS, don't watch his friggin' movies. It's that simple. Didn't like The Village or Unbreakable? Don't bother with this one. You won't like it either. I found that a lot of his films were marketed poorly before theatrical release, such that they appeared to be of a completely different genre than they really were. This one was pretty spot on. If you're ambivalent to or a fan of M. Night Shymalan's films, you might get a kick out of The Happening. As always, with MNS, go in with an open mind, and you'll come out with a brain full of delightful MNS oddities.
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