The Happening: What Happened ?

20th Century Fox

Official Site: TheHappeningMovie.Com
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Writer: M Night Shyamalan
Producer: M Night Shyamalan

Starring: Mark Wahlberg as Elliot Moore, Zooey Deschanel as Alma Moore, John Leguizamo as Julian, and Ashlyn Sanchez as Jess (IMDb). Rated-R.

In the middle of the busy working day of New York, something strange begins to occur, people are killing themselves for no apparent reason. At first it was believed to be some sort of terrorists attack, but the incident was too wide spread, and it was deemed unlikely. So what was causing the happening?

Shyamalan is great at creating suspense, and there is plenty of it in this film. The cold and blunt style of the film is very engaging, and it has you wondering what in the world is going on? There are some incredible scenes in this film that are shocking, and unexpected. What was thoroughly well crafted was the sense of desperation the characters felt as they were in absolute ignorance as to what was causing the happening. 

Another interesting aspect of the film was the group dynamic, and it reminded me of the same sort of group dynamic that is usually found in Steven King films where there are a variety characters trying to manage in very strange, and pernicious circumstances.

The story was very interesting up until the end. The film had an ending that did not provide sufficient closure, but admittedly, it did provide somewhat of an explanation, that was still enveloped in a mystery that longed for a revelation, but disappointingly and perhaps deliberately did not. 

I enjoyed this film, but I did not walk out of the theater feeling it was an amazing story like Lady In the Water. Metacritic indicated the film received generally bad reviews, and according to Movies.com, the fans gave it a C+, and the critics gave it a C-, I will side with neither and grade it a C. Stay Tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.

The Incredible Hulk: Hulk Smash

Official Site: Incrediblehulk.marvel.com
Director: Louis Leterrier
Writer(s): Zak Penn, and Edward Norton
Producer(s): Avi Arad, Kevin Faige, and Gale Anne Hurd

Starring: Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns, Ty Burrell as Dr. Samson, and Lou Ferrigno as Voice of the Incredible Hulk/Security Guard(IMDb). Rated PG-13.

Well we all know the story of Bruce Banner's quest to control the raging green monster within. His quest takes him to Brazil as a result of a gamma experiment gone absolutely terrible. Banner does not wish to control his condition; he simply wants to get rid of it. And while he isolated himself in obscurity in an impoverished neighborhood in Brazil, the army was still looking for him, and a minor accident in a bottling factory led the army to his location.

Truthfully, this film had me more curious than excited. As I began to watch the film, I did not know if I should set my expectations high or low. The first Hulk release had me really excited, and my excitement transformed into disappointment. The sequel however was not disappointing at all, and the Hulk was a force for goodness and not just a green mass of aimless anger. The Hulk wanted to protect us from Abomination; the Hulk was one of the good guys.

With mind blowing action sequences, the sequel was far more entertaining. Furthermore, the movie did not lag, therefore the pace of the film was just right. The appearance of the Hulk was more believable than its predecessor. This Hulk was ripped, and its musculature was well detailed. One interesting detail about the film was the stretchy pants. Apparently, that was an effort to solve the mystery of how the Hulk managed to keep his pants on. The script was not extraordinary but it was sufficient for what the film intended. This was a really good action movie. Metacritic.com indicated this film received favorable reviews, and Rottentomatoes.com granted the film 90 fresh tomatoes to 50 rotten ones thus far. According to Movies.com, the fans gave it a B+, and the critics gave it a B. I will side with the fans and grade it a B+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.

You Don't Mess With The Zohan: Humus

Official Site: www.youdontmesswiththezohan.com
Director: Denis Dugan
Writer(s): Adam Sandler and Robert Smigel
Producer(s): Jack Giarraputo and Adam Sandler

Starring: Adam Sandler as Zohan, John Toturro as The Phantom, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Dalia, Nick Swarsdon as Michael, Lainie Kazan as Gail, Ido Mosseri as Oorie, and Rob Schneider as Salim (IMDb). Rated PG-13.

The amazing and incredible Zohan grew tired of being the go to guy for the Israeli army, and he wanted to cut and style hair, an ambition prompted by an outdated Paul Mitchell hair style catalog. During a fight with his arch nemesis "The Phantom", Zohan pretended he was killed and managed to make his way to the United States under a very unusual, but funny name. As Zohan's popularity grew as a hair stylist, someone from his past, a cab driver, recognizes him, and that is when the trouble began.

This film is so stupid you have to laugh. Adam Sandler takes corny to a new level by catching a fish in his ass crack. Admittedly that was funny and absolutely original. It's uncertain if Zohan will become a fixture of pop culture like Dr. Evil. Irrespective, Zohan is still an unforgettable character that's "silky smooth", and innocently irreverent.

Comedic timing did not seem to be a focal point, but rather, the film focused on providing out this world scenes that include delightfully exaggerated comedic sequences, that were not based on timing, but were very entertaining, and flat out funny. The film flowed nicely, but the the film was not intensely funny. It was simply funny and definitely worth seeing. The shock value alone from some of the scenes certainly makes this film an unforgettable comedy. According to Movies.com, the fans gave it a B+, and the critics gave it a C. I will side with neither and grade it a B-. Stay tuned Movieporium.blogspot.com.

Sex and The City: I Love to Color

Official Site: SexAndTheCityMovie.Com
Director: Michael Patrick King
Writer: Candace Bushnell, and Michael Patrick King
Producer(s): Eric M. Cyphers, Michael Patrick King, John P. Melfi, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Darren Starr.

Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, Chris Noth as Mr. Big, Jennifer Hudson as Louise, David Eigenberg as Steve Brady, Evan Handler as Harry Goldenblatt, and Jason Lewis as Jerry"Smith" Harold (IMDb). Rated-R.

The fabulous four are on the big screen dealing with life and relationships in the "Big Apple." All four have great careers but three of the four do not have great relationships to match their great careers. True to the television series, the movie retains the great writing that outlines the troubles these women encounter in their relationships.

At some point the film seems to denunciate marriage, and portray it as an enterprise that is bound for failure. From another angle, the point that comes across is, marriage is best experienced as a celebration of the emotional bond people have in amatory relationships rather than the experience of marriage itself. Aside from the perspectives provided on marriage, forgiveness was also a focus of the film.

The writing was witty; the women acted great as usual, and the on screen chemistry was well represented. The performance that stood out the most was Cattrall's. For some reason, she is the one I remembered the most. Sex and The City has always essentially been about friendship and relationships, and keeping in line with tradition the film did not disappoint. There is something absolutely refreshing about seeing women speak frankly about sex, love, and life. According to Movies.com the fans gave it a B, and the critics gave it a B-. I will side with neither and grade it a B+. Stay tuned Movieporium.blogspot.com.

The Strangers: Knock, Knock

Official Site: TheStrangers.net
Director: Bryan Bertino
Writer: Bryan Bertino
Producer: Doug Davison, Nathan Kahane, and Roy Lee.

Starring: Liv Tyler as Kristen Mckay, Scott Speedman as James Hoyt, Gemma Ward as Dollface, Kip Weeks as Man in the Mask, Laura Margolis as Pin-up-Girl, and Glenn Howerton as Mike(IMDb). Rated-R.

James and Kristen travel off to a family vacation home to discuss the current status of their relationship. At 4 o'clock in the morning a girl knocks on the door asking for a strange girl. James and Kristen answer the door, and explain to her that she has the wrong house. Moments later when James goes out for a drive, the same girl comes back but she brings the others with her to horrify the couple.

This film absolutely met my expectations in a gratifying manner. What I expected from this film was for the suspense to be driven mainly by the use of the surroundings such as the dark corners of the house, and the creepy disposition of the woods. Also, the sentinel and mysterious nature of the masked characters very much added to the suspsense of the film. The most frightening aspect of the film was the fact that, it was based on actual events. Being that it was based on true events, as I watched the film I asked myself, what would I have done?

The film certainly does not introduce anything new to suspenseful film making as the use of surroundings to add suspense has been done before, but this film was entertaining, and furthermore it was incredibly creepy. The tone of the film was amazing; the element of fright was well conveyed. On another note, this film could have been shorter, but seemingly the film was lengthened on account of the masked killers toying with the couple, and that could be perceived as pretentious but it did provide insight into the diabolical nature of the killers. According to Movies.com the fans gave it a B, and the critics gave it a B-. I will side with the critics and grade a B-, but truthfully this film fits somewhere between a B- and a C+. Metacritic indicated this film received mixed reviews, but it was not a bad film at all. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.