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Reviews
The Happening (2008)
Yet another thumbs down
It wasn't that long ago that I thought M. Night Shyamalan was a genius. However after Lady in the Water and The Happening, I now believe he is a talented filmmaker who caught lightning in a bottle early in his career. Perhaps it is time that M. Night Shyamalan rethinks the notion that he can write, produce, direct and still deliver a quality film every two years. His work is starting to like it has been rushed out the door without fulfilling its potential.
The Village, Lady in the Water, and The Happening all had a workable concept at the core. In all three cases the actors delivered. However at the end of the day it was the writing that brought the films down. It is time that M. Night Shyamalan either quits rushing his half developed ideas into production or brings in someone to help complete his stories.
While watching Lady in the Water, I felt like the actors were improvising at times and making the story up as they went along. I believe this is a result of M. Night Shyamalan making the story up as he went along. The good news is that The Happening is a much better product than Lady in the Water. However, the thoughtful writing that made Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs so enjoyable has all but left the building. The frustrating thing about The Happening is that you get a briefly glimpse of the magic that made M. Night Shyamalan's earlier films so enjoyable. However the magic quickly fizzles. The Happening is simply a compelling idea that fails to play out.
Sad to say it, but I have absolutely no reason to recommend this film.
The Football Factory (2004)
Disappointing
I stumbled upon the television series: The Real Football Factories. I quickly became a fan of the show and Danny Dyer's personality and narrative skills. Upon researching who Danny Dyer was, I was excited to discover that a Football Factory film had been made and he was the star. Living in America, I knew nothing about the film or its director Nick Love. The synopsis of the movie immediately reminded me of the concept behind Green Street Hooligans, a film I thoroughly enjoyed. Therefore when I finally sat down to watch The Football Factory, I did so with a level of expectation that had already been set by Green Street. Unfortunately, The Football Factory fell well short.
The story is totally undeveloped and lacks any kind of complexity. Throughout the entire movie the character's only means of interacting with each other are by drinking, using drugs, or fighting. After a while this simply becomes annoying... as do the characters. The only exception to this is the grandfather but one has to wonder why he was even included in the movie. He had absolutely no influence on the story and could have been written out all together with no consequence.
The only positive comments I have about this movie are that Frank Harper, Tamer Hassan, and Danny Dyer turn in quality performances. However, this alone is not enough to save the film. By the end of the movie I didn't care who lived and who died. This is a problem since at some point during a film your average movie goer generally finds themselves identifying with someone on the screen or their cause. While watching The Football Factory, I simply felt like I was stuck in a room with a bunch of obnoxious drunks who deserved to have the sh*t kicked out of them.
Skip this one.
Cão Sem Dono (2007)
Great acting, but the film is sunk by a terrible story telling technique...
Brazil has produced some strong efforts on the cinema front as of late. I am a semi-fluent Portuguese speaker who enjoys watching a lot of Brazilian Cinema to enhance my understanding of the language and culture.
With that being said, this movie bored me to tears. The technique used to tell the "story" makes this feel more like voyeurism than a film. I felt like I was trapped in a room with the most boring person in Brazil. It seems like most of the movie consists of countless minutes of uncomfortable silence and worthless dialog that has nothing to do with the story. Therefore it drags and seems much longer than it actually is.
The director intentionally wanted us to feel like we were sitting in the corner quietly observing. Therefore, there is a total lack of any kind of a soundtrack. In my opinion this really brings the film down. I feel that the director totally dropped the ball by choosing to deliver the story in this manner. This technique may have worked with colorful characters and colorful story. However, we get neither in this film.
The best thing I can say is that the actors did their part. However, superb acting is not enough to save this bore-fest. We could have also done without the horrendous, off key, bedroom singing performance by Marcela.