Quite an Incredible Film

The Incredible Hulk
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Paramount Pictures



I can hardly believe it. First, we were presented with the glory and wonder that is Iron Man on the silver screen (see my review here). Now, the second big superhero film has found its way to theatres and, although not quite as good as ol’ shell-head’s film, it is a damned fine addition to the list of great comic-to-screen movies.

This isn’t the first time the mean green machine has been committed to celluloid. The poorly reviewed and received Ang Lee interpretation of the character (Hulk, 2003) was cast aside for this new “reboot.” Frankly, I didn’t think it was all that bad, but recognized its over esoteric themes and heavy handed symbolism. Poor Eric Bana has been cast aside for A-lister Edward Norton who takes on the role of Bruce Banner, a scientist whose desire to help mankind compels him to use himself as a guinea pig. The end result - he turns into a giant green juggernaut whenever he gets angry.



No real hero would be complete without a significant other. This film gives us Liv Tyler as Dr. Betty Ross, Bruce’s main squeeze. She’s trying to help Bruce stay under the radar while he searches for a cure. Betty’s dad, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (played brilliantly by the amazing William Hurt) doesn’t feel that Bruce is good enough for his little girl, and unfortunately for them, he has the whole of the US Army on his side to support his point. All Banner and Betty have is Dr. Samuel Stern (Tim Blake Nelson), a colleague who is trying to find an answer to their problem.



Ok so, see if you can follow this. Bruce wants to get rid of the monster within him for a number of reasons. First off, it nearly killed Betty the first time he changed. Second, it’s a huge social crippler for him because if he gets too excited for any reason, he gets big, green, and starts hurling SUV’s all over the place. Third, he knows that General Ross wants to use The Hulk as a military weapon and, like any morally-bound scientist, Banner cannot let that happen.

So he’s on the lam and doing pretty well. Of course, if he’d managed to stay hidden then we wouldn’t have a movie so eventually he slips up and the government tracks him down. Not wanting to take any chances, they hire a team of top notch mercenaries led by super spy Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to take Banner down. Naturally, the whole thing goes to hell and the Hulk takes out everyone but Blonsky, who vows revenge.



Long story short (too late), Blonsky and Ross decide to try to make their own monster, creating The Abomination, a creature stronger and smarter than The Hulk. This culminates in an earth-shaking final battle, the likes of which have never been seen on film before.

It is notable to mention that there are a number of tributes to the original television series from the 70’s including the origin story, a cool cameo from Lou Ferrigno (who also provides The Hulk’s voice), and repeated use of “The Lonely Man” theme song. You remember it…whenever an episode of the TV show ended and the late great Bill Bixby would walk off alone, it played that simple piano tune. I felt goose bumps, folks, goose bumps. What an awesome blast from the past!



The film blends fine acting with pretty decent CGI to create an exciting and rich story. Norton is great as Banner and Tyler plays her role amply, but I think the real star performances in this film come from William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson, both of whom embrace their characters and add depth to otherwise shallow emotional pools. Between Nelson’s bug eyed enthusiasm and Hurt’s tooth grinding determination, I wasn’t sure who to cheer on. I think, in the end, I just cheered.

Let me drop a line to all my fanboy and fangirls out there. The final battle between The Hulk and The Abomination actually brought a tear to my eye because it was exactly what an old comic book geek like me has always wanted to see. In addition, without giving too much away, expect to see a plethora of in-references designed to make those in the know wiggle and giggle in their seats. These include allusions to Captain America, The Leader, S.H.I.E.L.D., The Super Soldier Program, and Doc Sampson. To top it all off, Robert Downey Jr. shows up as Tony Stark to make another inference that The Avengers film will soon be here.



The Incredible Hulk is a film for everyone, whether you are a comic book fan, a lover of the original television series, or just someone who loves action films. It’s accessible, exciting, and fun. I left the theatre smiling, and I saw a lot of others with the same satisfied grin heading out into the lobby after the credits had rolled. Make no mistake, it’s a popcorn movie and won’t challenge you emotionally or intellectually, but it will give you two hours of serious entertainment.

Two superhero films down and two home runs have been hit out of the park so far. We have a few more before this season is over. I hope that Hellboy 2, Hancock, and The Dark Knight know that they have some pretty big green metal shoes to fill.

The Incredible Hulk is now in theatres.

Bad Acting Prevents Much from Happening at the Theater

The Happening
20th Century Fox
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan



I am a huge M. Night Shyamalan fan. I've loved every movie he's released (since The Sixth Sense...I haven't gotten my hands on his earlier, less mainstream work...anyone know where I can get it?). Yes, that includes Unbreakable, his superhero movie, The Village, which no one appreciates since they couldn't get past the advertising, and, yes, even Lady in the Water, which is probably my favorite...maybe edged out by Sixth Sense. I've loved his vision since Haley Joel Osment told us he saw dead people; it continued through Mel Gibson's use of a carving knife to peer under a pantry door in Signs, past Bryce Dallas Howard reaching, trustingly, for Joaquin Phoenix's hand in The Village, and into the haunting score by James Newton Howard in Lady. I'm a dreamer, always have been, and the reason I love reading and film so much is because the best ones make you forget you're in a chair staring at words on a page or in a darkened theater with hundreds of people whose cell phones won't stop ringing. I love make-believe and it's one of the reasons I love Shyamalan's work so much...he makes you believe. Some critics have accused him of lying to his audience, and negatively. Isn't that the point? Don't we want to be lied to for a time? To escape the harshness of reality? I love the fantasy world and the supernatural and I am drawn to it in my leisure time. One of Shyamalan's greatest talents is getting his public (or at least, I can speak for myself) to believe every word, every character, every moment...and that's why I was so disappointed in The Happening.

The Happening begins with some of the most chilling scenes on film. The disaster movies of the '70s frightened me most because of their realism and, mainly, because of their panic scenes. I still feel sick when I see those kinds of scenes in ANY movie -- scenes where people trample each other to get out of a tight space; as a result, I'm slightly claustrophobic in crowds. What Shyamalan does in his film, however, is eliminate the panic. No one runs, no one screams...all you see are people frozen in place in a park. You watch as a girl observes her friend struggle to speak, then slowly bring a hairpin to her throat. You stand with a construction foreman who's witnessed a co-worker fall to his death and then stand agape as others follow from their lofty heights. You feel that same panic from the old disaster flicks like The Poseidon Adventure, or Earthquake, or The Towering Inferno, but no one's running or being trampled...they're all simply killing themselves.



Mark Wahlberg stars as Elliot Moore, a science teacher who wracks his brain to figure out what's going on in the northeastern states. His opening scenes in the classroom, to this particular teacher, are unrealistic -- he doesn't have the ease we do with our students and the students are FAR too attentive. :) The reality comes through when a female administrator comes through the door and he lurks about the room saying, "The Dark Lord...don't look into her eyes!" and the students chuckle with him...that particular moment strikes home. Forgive me my one moment of personalized criticism...I doubt any non-educator would notice much about the stagnancy of the classroom in this scene.

The teachers are gathered into the auditorium and are told by the principal, played far too briefly by Alan Ruck (Cameron from Ferris Bueller!), that strange things have happened in Central Park in NY and the students are being sent home. Moore and his good friend Julian (John Leguizamo) decide they want to gather in upstate NY, since the occurrences in the Park are suggested to be terrorist-related. Moore calls his wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel), and collects her on his way to the train station where they meet Julian and his daughter. There is a subplot here concerning Alma's dedication to their marriage and an animosity between her and Julian, as Julian is fiercely protective of Elliot's well-being. It's a nice depiction of friendship, but the storyline coupled with the acting falls flat.



After the train stalls out in a very small town in Pennsylvania, the group collects in a diner with other passengers who find out that similar "happenings" have occurred in Philidelphia - the city from which they've reccently fled - and other major cities. Everything is happening in city parks, however, and this adds to the mystery -- it's definitely not terrorism. The movie continues on, and eventually gives a source for these happenings, but that's only one part of the film.

The Happening also focuses on personal interaction, which is not uncommon at all for Shyamalan. His love for character study is apparent in all of his other films and is a big part of his script development. A lot of the story focuses on Elliot and Alma and their desperation to find a safe locale to ride out the storm, so to speak. They are joined by quite a few interesting characters, many of whom are far more enjoyable than our main protagonists, but are, sadly, easily expendable. The film is also about isolation, which is another interesting theme of Shyamalan's. Often, his characters are put into situations where they feel like the only people in the world - the outside is cut off from their lives and they are focused solely on themselves. The same thing happens here, and in much more dramatic and literal ways.

There are, however, huge issues with the movie. The acting is simply terrible, and extremely disappointing, considering the cast and writer (Shyamalan himself, again). Wahlberg's dialogue is forced and unrealistic - a scene in a field where he "realizes" there's a house nearby and calls everyone's attention to it is especially strange and unnatural. I've already mentioned his shortcomings as a realistic teacher, but he's no better with his wife, friend, or Julian's daughter. Jess, the young girl, is practically mute, and just comes off as a doll being dragged from place to place. However, she has much more screen talent than Deschanel does in this film. Alma is vapid, blank, and heartlessly selfish and you cheer Julian in an enraged moment where he snarls at her to "not take [his] daughter's hand unless [she] means it." These protagonists are not sympathetic, and are not realistic enough to gain our loyalty. Even the close of their story to us, which should be emotional in SOME way, seems contrived.

The Happening's ultimate resolution is, in some ways, a non-resolution, but not in the way you'd expect. Many people are trained to enter a Shyamalan film with the expectation that there's a trick ending. The truth, as evidenced by Lady in the Water, is that there need not be a trick to be very Shyamalan. That's not to say there's no trick here...but I reveal nothing. Never any spoilers from me! There is a message here, but it's marred by the hideous acting and the disappointing plotline. Unfortunately, as a fan, I've been let down by a favorite director, and I would skip this one if I were you; there's not much Happening here.


The Happening is now playing in theaters.

Lesson #1: Don't Answer the Door at 4AM

The Strangers
Directed by Bryan Bertino
Rogue Pictures



You would think the title of this review is a "duh" statement...something we with common sense would understand without having to be told. You would also think a movie connected with it would be terribly boring and insulting. The first statement, I would hope, is correct; the second is completely untrue. This simple directive is what came to me immediately when the characters Kristen and James (played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, respectively) heard a knock on the door of their out-of-the-way summer home in The Strangers. They had just returned to the house after a wedding reception and when the knock occurs, it's very late at night (or very early in the morning, as the case may be).

A girl stands on the darkened stoop and asks if a friend is home. She obviously has the wrong house and Kristen and Jimmy tell her so. She leaves, but also leaves us with a very uneasy feeling. Jimmy twists the lightbulb in the outside lamp (hrm....) and the two go back inside to iron out some things. Kristen finds she's out of cigarettes and Jimmy goes out to buy some more for her...at 4AM. Yeah -- just what I would do, but I guess I'm not as nice as this guy is.



This is where the movie kicks into gear. The house is eerily quiet and Kristen wanders around, waiting for Jimmy to return. From the photo above, you can see what kind of dramatic irony to which the audience is now exposed. The movie is full of this kind of show-the-audience-what-the-character-doesn't-know stuff and it's really hair-raising. The effectiveness of this movie comes from how realistic it truly is and the fact that you could be this person, standing in your kitchen, and while you're trying to talk to your significant other on a cell phone, a man in a sack mask is standing behind you.



As the trailer clearly shows, the man and two females spend the rest of the night tormenting Kristen and Jimmy. The beauty of this film is not in the special effects, or the overwhelming gore, or the huge star-studded cast....because it has NONE of this. This film is awesome simply because it lacks what so many horror movies are overloaded with nowadays. The Strangers is very basic and the most money spent on this film went to its not-so-A-list cast. The terror in this movie comes from the anticipation of the kill - if it ever comes. The suspense is high-level and there's a ton of it. You would expect a suspense-laden film to get old about halfway through, but this one never does. There are moments you think you see coming, but they're still agonizing when they do and/or shocking when they don't. You feel deeply for these characters and the fact that they are truly out in the middle of nowhere in a neighborhood that's deserted. Isolation is a terrible thing, especially at 4AM.



One of the most frightening lines in this film is "Dollface's" response to Kristen's question, "Why are you doing this?" : "Because you were home." It sends chills down my spine just thinking of it now. Director Bertino's first foray into film is a heck of an accomplishment, recalling the classic horror movies of the '70s -- When a Stranger Calls, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Last House on the Left -- movies in which characters are tortured for no other reason than they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The action in two of those aforementioned films happen in the home...the protagonists' homes. How many times have we rushed up the driveway, fumbled with our keys, opened and closed the door, locking it behind us before we breathed a sigh of relief and felt safe? Well, these films are telling us that even at home, we're in extreme danger. These are the kinds of horror movies we need more of -- the realistic, this-could-happen-to-me, I-don't-want-to-sleep-with-the-lights off kind. Keep it coming, Hollywood, and as for the rest of you...double-bolt your doors, keep the curtains drawn, and for Pete's sake....don't answer the door if someone knocks after 9PM.


The Strangers is playing now in theaters.