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Author Topic: Movie: The Happening  (Read 10053 times)

Wedge

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Movie: The Happening
« on: October 10, 2008, 09:23:53 PM »
Um... that has to be in the top five worst movies I have ever seen.  WTF?  The acting was horrible and the story was terribly weak.  Mark Wahlberg's character was a putz.

Old Lady, "Are you going to murder me in my sleep!?"

Wahlberg, "Whaaaat?  Noooooo!"

I laughed my butt of on that scene.
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Offline Veez

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #1 on: October 11, 2008, 05:03:59 AM »
I heard it was funny in a "laughing at it" sort of way.
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Offline Sylvas

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #2 on: October 11, 2008, 07:45:16 AM »
it's hilarious if you like laughing at bad b movies...i felt I was watching a screening for MST3K and I was supplying the commentary...
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Offline warzoneD

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #3 on: October 11, 2008, 10:43:56 AM »
Yet another in a long line of M Knight's "classics.:

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Offline Topkick

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #4 on: October 11, 2008, 10:55:06 AM »
Say what you want about Shama-lama-ding-dong, some of his earlier stuff was great.
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Wedge

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2008, 06:10:49 PM »
I agree TK... but this one was a rotten egg for certain...  :P  :-X
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Offline Nighthawk

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2008, 09:01:53 AM »
Ooooh. whatatwist!

Rotten egg for sure.... bad acting/bad story... But the main point of it is really good I think. The crappy movie aside, it's all about "what can happen if we don't stop destroying the world with our way of living." That's what I was thinking about when leaving the cinema. But as a Hollywood commercial movie, it didn't work. M Night should have done as John Carpenter in They Live instead.... I feel those movies are similar in many ways, since they both have a serious theme, but They Live were deliberately made over the top and funny. While 'The Happening'... well.. I feel the trailer was very misleading..

Some numbers.

The Happening (2008)
Budget:                    $60,000,000
Total US Gross            $64,506,874
International Gross    $98,762,187
Worldwide Gross       $163,269,061 (w00t? Tricky trailer bastrd! You fooled us all! :D)

They Live (1988)
Production Budget     $4,000,000
Total US Gross            $13,000,000

Looking at the results... I guess whatever people say how much the movie sucks, it's still a big success....  :( Why does mediocrity always sell?!?!
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Offline dmcgee1

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2008, 10:46:48 AM »
Quote from: Nighthawk on October 12, 2008, 09:01:53 AM

They Live (1988)
Production Budget     $4,000,000
Total US Gross            $13,000,000

Looking at the results... I guess whatever people say how much the movie sucks, it's still a big success....  :( Why does mediocrity always sell?!?!

Wait, are you saying that "They Live" was not a good movie???

"I have come to kick ass and chew bubblegum - and I am all out of bubblegum."

Classic.  Besides, John Carpenter rocks.  Few know that that movie was based off a short illustrated story in Heavy Metal.
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Offline Nighthawk

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2008, 12:39:59 PM »
No no. "Why do mediocrity always sell?" = The Happening.

'They Live' should be a movie shown in every school around the world. Then they should analyze it and make their own judgment of it. M. Night should rather have done like Carpenter I think.. It would have been received better if it was promoted and aimed more at an "Think Green" movie, rather than another scary M. Night thriller/horror, starring Marky Mark.

Regarding They Live. Carpenter actually had to scrape together the budget for it and really made it "on the cheap". But it is far superior to (in this case) The Happening. Meaning, you don't need a big beautiful looking movie (the happening) for it to be any good...

They Live is even better than the Evil Dead movies when it comes to the theme. 'Rise up, unite, stand ground and don't let anyone else control your life.' It's an important message. Though sawing off a possessed hand with a chainsaw comes to a close second! ;)
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Offline Veez

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #9 on: October 12, 2008, 04:03:24 PM »
Plus, They Live had one of the longest fistfights I have ever seen.  That alone makes it worth it.

The funny part is that Nighthawk is right-M. Knight, who needs to rediscover what he did originally to not suck-makes a profit and so the movie companies will still fund him.  When you consider all the directors that keep putting out crap and yet still make money I kinda root for the guy.  At least he is trying something other than rehashing the same drek (Posidon, The Omen Remake, etc., etc.).
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Offline Sylvas

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #10 on: October 12, 2008, 05:11:18 PM »
They Live...isn't that the movie with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper?...
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Offline Petru5

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #11 on: October 12, 2008, 08:14:30 PM »
Yes, it is.  Hell Comes to Frogtown (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093171/) is a personal fave of mine that he starred in.

They Live (actually titled "Eight O'Clock in the Morning") was what, 2-3 pages long?  The ending was totally different, too.  The fight with Keith David over trying to get him to wear the sunglasses was classic Carpenter  (and cheap to film)!
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Offline Nighthawk

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #12 on: October 12, 2008, 08:56:12 PM »
Quote from: Veez on October 12, 2008, 04:03:24 PM
Plus, They Live had one of the longest fistfights I have ever seen.  That alone makes it worth it.

 Haha. Yeah, that one took me by surprise. At the end you really can't help laughing. I read that Keith David and Roddy Piper choreographed the fight seen themselves in a month or something. And they wanted it to look as real as possible, so all their punches are real, except for the face and the cojones. Well... as real as you can get in wrestling of course. It was originally meant to be 2-3mins or something (citation needed...), but Carpenter was so impressed with the scene and chose to use everything.

What's good about Carpenter, is that he can do big commercial movies, as well as smaller flicks just because he's got a passion for it. I really need to check out the short story in Heavy Metal..

Yep... if you have a success time and time again, you will get confidence and money support. I thought this one was another nail in the coffin for M. Night, but as shockingly as it seem, it makes a bunch of money. I liked The Village and Lady In The Water, but I think they "bombed" at the box office compared to his earlier films. I too like the fact that he tries to make something different, but The Happening just didn't get me, except the metaphor of course. But if you have to bring in a metaphor after you've seen the movie. It's too weak..

But on a side note. I don't know if anyone here are into Cronenberg, if yes, sorry to be recommending something you already know. But that guy... he's made some pretty sick movies. For my part it's no "walk in the park" when putting on a Cronenberg movie, but you get something totally different. Since I saw 'The Brood' I've been a bit too scared of my Children Of Ilian actually, and really can't start painting them.. They make me think of that movie.. My views on Ilian changed alot to say the least.. Anyway, Cronenberg is a director who also knows how to do non-commercial and commercial. His best commercial one yet is 'The Dead Zone' imo, and the best Walken movie I've seen. Cronenberg ain't for the faint hearted and I recommend watching everything he's done. Blame Canada?  ::)
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Offline Melanieshaman

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #13 on: November 11, 2008, 03:03:38 PM »
ok maybe im not the brightest girl out there.. but i kinda liked the Happening... ya the story was kinda blah... but also a little intrieging I mean earth is ****ed at us and "getting revenge" heh don't mess with mother nature LMAO  yes the crazy old lady part seemed out of place and didn't fit the story... i wondered if maybe they went another direction with her it could have proven more interesting and less WTF!?

anyway, i like the idea of nature turning on us for essentially destroying it...being a tree hugger and all i liked the idea if not the best execution.

Melanie
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Offline joshuaslater

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Re: Movie: The Happening
« Reply #14 on: November 11, 2008, 03:41:20 PM »
I met Night.  My band played at a mid-shoot party out in Westchester PA some years back, and opened up for G. Love and Special Sauce.  Night was a nice enough guy, we got to see all kinds of movie stars, party and have a good time.

As for his films, I've never really dug them, but then I've only seen two of them. 

Shrug.
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