Page 11 / Wednesday, June 25, 2008
MOVIE REVIEW it-kit
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Pendulum
‘Happening' marks a promising breakthrough for slumping Shyamalan
Alexa Milan
Summer News Editor
The critical response to M. Night Shyamalan’s
films seems to have gotten increasingly more
negative with each movie he’s made. He peaked
early with the remarkable “The Sixth Sense”
and did well with the lesser-known and under-
appreciated “Unbreakable.” "Signs” and “The
Village" were so-so while “Lady in the Water" was
a complete disaster. But with “The Happening,"
Shyamalan shows promise once again, at least with
his directing if not his writing.
“The Happening" opens with a seemingly
normal day in Central Park: children running,
people walking their dogs, friends chatting on a
bench. But soon, people start forgetting things,
are unable to speak, walk backwards and are
ultimately driven to suicide. Suspecting that
terrorists have released a toxin into the city, people
are forced to evacuate.
Schoolteacher Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) and his
estranged wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) board a
train and escape to Pennsylvania, but the train
shuts down and they are stuck in the middle of
nowhere with their friend’s young daughter. As
people try to figure out where to go, they find
out that people are dying in smaller and smaller
populations. They also discover that whatever is
happening might not be because of terrorists at all.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.MOVIES.YAHOO.COM.
Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel star in Shyamalan’s
“The Happening," a film long on directing but short on
writing.
but the result of natural causes.
As more people start dying, Elliot and Alma
must figure out how to survive and avoid the
happening until it passes over.
The plot of “The Happening” is interesting and
well-crafted. Through his direction, Shyamalan is
able to instill the fear in his audience of trying to
survive something infinitely bigger than oneself.
It’s the film's dialogue that could use a little work.
At times, Wahiberg’s and Deschanel’s
performances feel sub-par, likely due to the stale
writing rather than their abilities as actors. They
have been continuously impressive with their
previous work, but even they can’t communicate
the story without the dialogue coming across as
forced.
Shyamalan’s direction barkens back to his work
in “The Sixth Sense.” Every shot has a Hitchcockian
vibe to it, frightening the viewer without throwing
around gratuitous amounts of gore. For the most
part, the suicides happen off camera, and it’s what
viewers don’t see that frightens them the most.
Bodies rain down from a rooftop but the
camera cuts away before the sound of a sickening
splat. A woman’s legs are in the frame as she
bends down, picks up a gun, pulls the trigger and
falls as a trail of blood oozes between the cracks
in the sidewalk. It is these wordless moments that
continue to frighten the audience numbers and
keep them in suspense.
Unfortunately Shyamalan’s promising directing
and his awkward writing don’t mesh, causing
“The Happening" to fall short of its potential. It
doesn’t come close to the brilliance of “The Sixth
Sense,” but it’s also a step above “The Village”
and far superior to “Lady in the Water." Though
Shyamalan’s had a bit of a slump since his
incredible thriller debut, “The Happening” shows
there is still hope for him as a director.
Sneak peek:
Fall 2008 cultural calendar
Every year Elon offers a wealth of interesting guest speakers
and entertaining arts events, and the upcoming school year is no
exception. Here are a few highlights from the Fall 2008 cultural
calendar.
Alexa Milan
Summer News Editor
PHOTO couFrrESY of www.g4tv.com
Joe Garden, a senior writer for “The Onion," will speak
about satire and parody on Oct. 29.
Charles Cook,
“Looking Ahead to
the 2008 Elections”
(Sept. 8):
Charles Cook is the founder
of The Cook Political Report,
an online newsletter that
analyzes presidential and
congressional elections and
campaigns. Known for his
non-partisan analysis, he
has been featured on CBS,
NBC, CNN and in the National
Journal.
ArcheDream for
Humankind (Sept. 11);
ArcheDream is a theater
troupe that uses dance,
pantomime, hand-painted
masks, puppetry and
ultraviolet light to tell stories
from African mythology
and other world cultures.
This event is part of the Elon
University Lyceum Series, and
tickets will be available Sept. 2.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
Author David McCullough will deliver the Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture on
Oct. 23 at Fa|l Convocation. ■ •
“Invisible Children:
Rough Cut”
documentary
screening (Sept. 11):
This documentary about
child soldiers, displaced,^
citizens and night comhwters
in Northern Uganda w^S^
filmed by Jason Russell,
Bobby Bailey and Laren ft)ole
in 2003, when they were in
their early 20s. Their trip to
Uganda spawned the non
profit organization Invi^le
Children. Elon's chaptrtM
sponsoring this event.?''"
Celtic Crossroads
(Oct. 1):
On their second U.S. tour,
this group of seven musicians
and two step dancers from
Ireland will play traditional
Irish music as well as a mix
of bluegrass, folk and jazz.
This event is part of the Elon
University Lyceum Series, and
tickets will be available Sept. 10.
Department of
Performing Arts
presents “Sweeney
Todd” (Starts Oct. 30);
Elon’s Department of
Performing Arts will perform
Stephen Sondheim’s musical
about a barber who was sent
to prison for a crime he did
not commit by a greedy judge
and returns to London seeking
murderous revenge. The
original Broadway production
won eight Tony Awards, and
last year it was made into a
film starring Johnny Depp and
Helena Bonham-Carter. Tickets
will be available Oct. 9.
Elon Common
Reading Lecture,
Jonathan Kozol
(Sept. 23);
Jonathan Kozol is an
author, national authority
on public education and
spokesperson for reform
in America’s public school
system. His book, “The Shame
of the Nation," which focuses
on conditions in inner city
public schools, is the Elon
Common Reading for 2008-09.
Fall Convocation,
David McCullough
(Oct. 23);
David McCullough is a
historic author and has won
two National Book Awards
and two Pulitzer Prizes. In
2006 he was also awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom,
the highest civilian award in
the United States. This event
is Elon’s Baird Pulitzer Prize
Lecture, and tickets will be
available Oct. 2.
WUl Read for Food
(Nov. 19);
In this annual event,
students, faculty and staff
will read selections from their
favorite writers in support of
the Alamance County Food
Bank. The event is sponsored
by the Arts and Letters
Learning Community, Elon
Volunteers! and the Kernodle
Center for Service Learning,
with support from the English
Department.
Jonathan Alter,
“Between the Lines;
Politics, Media and
Society” (Sept. 29);
Jonathan Alter is the
senior editor at Newsweek
and has written a column
for two decades focusing on
politics, media and social
and global issues. He is also a
contributing correspondent at
NBC News. The 2008 election
is the seventh election Alter
has covered for Newsweek.
Joe Garden,
“Inside The Onion’”
(Oct. 29);
Joe Garden is a senior
writer at “The Onion,” the
popular weekly print and
online newspaper that
provides a satirical take on
current events. Garden will
discuss satire and parody in
news coverage and the 2008
presidential election.
Holiday Celebration
with Luminaries
(Dec. 4);
Elon’s annual “Festival of
Holiday Lights" will feature
hundreds of luminaries,
carol singing, hot chocolate
and a visit from Santa Claus
as the campus is lit up for
the holidays. The event is
sponsored by the Truitt Center
for Religious and Spiritual
Life.