The Happening, WALL-E, Sophie’s Choice
Happening, The (2008)
[ 2 stars out of 4 ]
People have extremely high expectations from M. Night Shyamalan’s films and I wish they would just give him a break. Sure, “The Village” was not as good as “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and “Signs,” but it’s not completely horrible. “Lady in the Water” was a complete mess and I agree with the majority. But I happen to think that “The Happening” isn’t that bad. When things get scary, they really do get intense; that’s when I really get to see where (or from whom) Shayamalan gets his style of direction. Several examples of chilling scenes include people falling from the sky and the strict old lady near the climax of the picture. I must say that I’m really disappointed with the acting here. Even Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel couldn’t save this by their acting alone. They either overact or underact during the key moments and it was so frustrating because I wanted to see more of their reactions so that I would truly get to know the characters they were playing. As for the ending, it was too abrupt and needed a more in-depth explanation. Otherwise, this film really did have the potential to be truly great. If Shayamalan had taken more time to edit, rewrite and reshoot some scenes, this would have been a terrifying moviegoing experience (in a good way instead of otherwise).
WALL-E
[ 4 stars out of 4 ]
Unsurprisingly, I’m impressed with WALL-E in so many levels. I think out of all the Pixar films released to date, this is the most atmospheric: from the post-apocalyptic Earth where WALL-E is sent to deal with waste to outer space where WALL-E discovers what he was meant for. The environs reminded me of the ravaged London from “28 Days Later” to the deserted New York City in “I Am Legend.” Despite the eye-candy visuals for children, there were many layers to this film for adults. For instance, there were comments about the way we push our environment to its limits, our neglect for our physical bodies due to recent developments in technology, our eating habits, and our proclivity (whether we are aware or not) toward hiding behind anything that’s available so we wouldn’t have to deal with reality. All of those were dealt with humor… but if one really looks closely, “WALL-E” really does have important messages that we shouldn’t ever forget. Loneliness and finding love are other themes that are tackled masterfully between WALL-E and EVE. Those themes culminated during the last few scenes of the movie which, I must admit, had major tearjerker moments. Even though WALL-E and EVE were robots, it’s hard not to feel for their struggle because love is universal. Although this works as a modern silent film, this also works as a fusion between animation and live-action. Those techniques are uncommon in modern cinema but they are so masterfully sewn into the story to the point where it is genius. Lastly, references like tape recorders, sporks, iPods, and Windows can be found throughout and they are hilarious. This film is definitely worth seeing in theaters and buying on DVD because it deserves multiple viewings for offering a simple but timeless story.
Sophie’s Choice
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]
The set-up between the three leads–Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol–somewhat reminded me of “The Dreamers” minus the sexual acts. “Sophie’s Choice” is more about secrets and the emotions that go along with them. Even though it’s about two and a half hours long, it managed to keep my interest because I had a feeling that there’s something more about the three characters. As the story unfolded, we find out that two of the three are not who they seem. I think the best scenes are the flashbacks in sepia, back when Streep’s character was going through the Nazi occupation. Her struggle was heartbreaking and it explains why she eventually became so vulnerable and dependent in Kline’s character. The “choice” scenes was nothing short of devastating. I think Streep deserved her Oscar win because I forgot that she was playing a character; throughout the movie, I found myself thinking that Sophie is just another person telling her story. Nonetheless, the film would have been less satisfying without the talent of Kline and MacNicol which met Streep’s greatness. The last few scenes are melancholy but they feel so right. I don’t recommend this to casual moviegoers because they may grew restless. But I definitely recommend this to people that love films, especially those that are fond of drama and storytelling.
