Movie and Television Reviews

Since studio marketing departments prominently feature the name "M. Night Shyamalan" in every one of his movies' advertising campaigns, I suppose that people associate him with quality cinema. But, honestly: Is "From the maker of Lady in the Water..." supposed to inspire confidence? It's my firm belief that my fellow movie fans will eventually see that the director has no clothes- that M. Night Shyamalan is the behind-the-camera equivalent of Ben Affleck and Kevin Costner: Somebody responsible for one great project and then a stream of mediocrity. M. Night is Steven Spielberg had Spielberg followed up Jaws with the Police Academy series.

Jaws (30th Anniversary Edition)

The Postman

Daredevil (Director's Cut)

Police Academy - The Complete Collection

The Happening is Shyamalan's latest. Characteristic of Shyamalan, except for Sixth Sense, The Happening is an interesting concept wrapped in a poor movie. In The Happening's case, the concept of interest is a botanical conspiracy. Plants, according to the expert conveniently located in the small town where the protagonist goes to hide, can agree with each other to release deadly pollen.

Lady in the Water (Full Screen Edition)

The Sixth Sense (Collector's Edition Series)

So, can this semi-interesting premise hold the film up? Well, fortunately, there isn't much to hold. Out of options and frustrated with the stonewalling humans (With their moss to the wall, if you prefer.), the trees agree to go bio- they release a toxin that first makes people walk backwards and then kill themselves. Sorry, before walking backwards, people babble incoherently. Pay attention because the bio-babble is hard to tell apart from the regular dialog.

From there, The Happening is basically War of the Worlds with plants. A guy, Elliot Moore (Marky Mark), with a marital problem goes on the run to avoid the unstoppable and little understood foe. Being a cool high school teacher, he deduces that the trees hate a crowd. He splits apart from a larger group and runs until he finds a crazy old woman in a house. He gets split up from his wife.

War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)

You Gotta Believe

The crazy lady is the best part of the movie, as it creates the most tension. In fact, the movie probably would have been better had the couple just stumbled upon the crazy lady after a picnic and then tried to get away from her. The rest is borderline preposterous. Lowlights include kids getting shot by Waco compound rejects and the many ways in which people desperate to kill themselves, do. There's some cringy child-consoling involving a mood ring.

The special effects are cutting edge. Directors must have used some huge wind machines.

Message/Politcs:

I think the plants are mad because we use nuclear power (The next "happening" is in the very nuclear France. M. Night drives this point home via a television interview with a scientist a la every bio-hazard movie ever made (The latest one I've seen being I am Legend.).

I Am Legend (Widescreen Single-Disc Edition)

M. Night drove the eco-point home so beautifully that I just left my car in the parking lot and walked home to limit my carbon footprint.

Calling Bill Donohue! The crazy lady is Catholic. But, she's also the least polluting of the bunch- she doesn't even have electricity (Neither would you if M. Night had his way.).

Bonus "Happenings":

Diana Ross and the two resentful ones:

Marvin Gaye, What's Happening, Brother.

What's Happening:

Scott McLellan, What Happened:

What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception by Scott McClellan

Tags: best shyamalan movies, shamalam movies