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Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, Betty Buckley.

Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan seems to have unfortunately become the Hollywood version of a brilliant rookie of the year winner, who slips into obscure mediocrity after. The Sixth Sense, his early masterpiece shot him to a level of prominence that he has been sadly unable to maintain. The Happening is ironically titled, since after the big hook at the beginning and some early developments, nothing happens. Shyamalan, who showed the courage to make a subtle, slow-paced film with Unbreakable, which I enjoyed a great deal, takes that tact here, as well, but he just does not give us enough. We learn little more about the either the phenomenon, or the characters that it is affecting after the first half hour. The story premise is imaginative, but seems like it was not sufficiently developed. The acting is pretty good, but sometimes the script has character actions that seem silly and forced, as it limps along to a fizzle of an ending.

Mark Wahlberg is Elliott, a calm, NYC high school teacher, who finds himself fleeing the Big Apple after people start dying (or killing themselves to be more accurate) in Central Park, and the strange psychological phenomenon starts popping up all over the city. He is accompanied by his wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel), his friend, Julian (John Leguizamo), and Julian’s 8 year old daughter (how many times are we told that she‘s only 8?), Jess. As they and masses of others try to escape the city, they learn that the strange, lethal event is popping up all over the American northeast. What can they do? Where can they go? What is causing this?

The Happening has a great premise that seems like it was never properly finished, and a hasty script that feels lazy and slow, take what had the promise to be an interesting movie and turn it into a napping opportunity for insomniacs. There is an admirable theme of environmental respect, but its just not enough. We want something to happen, to watch this imaginative scenario unfold and be filled with dread, or wonder, or something. I guess I did get filled with wonder. I left wondering how a half-finished movie like this gets made.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn, Spencer Treat Clark

M. Night Shyamalan burst into the blazing light of movie stardom with his magnificent 1999 thriller, Sixth Sense. Shyamalan’s follow up to that monster hit was this patient, almost plodding, dramatic mystery with a subtle comic book story, and an anti-climatic, but clever ending, that may people found too slow and dark. Shyamalan chooses a dark style with muted colors (even more so than in Sixth Sense) and unusual camera angles to tell this story that seems to have polarized opinions into love it or hate it camps. I love it and still consider to be Shyamalan’s second best work.

Bruce Willis is David Dunn, a subdued stadium security guard with a twelve year old son and marital problems when he finds himself as the unharmed survivor of a massive train wreck. An unfazed David takes this in stride, but soon finds himself approached by an injury prone comic book art dealer named Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) who thinks that David may be the unbreakable opposite to his own incredibly brittle physique. Price keeps popping up with questions to test his theory, as David begins to learn more about himself.

Unbreakable has an original and intriguing story, but many will find the dark lighting and drab colors combines with the low moving script to create an experience akin to a high school history class with soft lighting and a pillow. Shyamalan obviously intended to provide contrast in the same manner as he used red in Sixth Sense, but it’s overdone here and won’t be to everyone’s taste. If, however, you appreciate an understated subtlety that has become increasingly rare in today’s flashy and loud Hollywood features, then Unbreakable will mark a welcome relief.

Director: Renny Harlin

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, Eva Mendes, Keke Palmer, Luis Guzman

Director Renny Harlin takes a shot at a cop conspiracy mystery, with mediocre results. The story is engaging but too familiar, and is filled with Hollywood stereotypes. Harlin shows some style with a dark film that could have used a distinctive setting, or more original characters to lift it out of a dusty, obscure spot on the video store shelf.

Samuel L. Jackson is Tom, an ex-cop struggling with past tragedy who now runs a death scene cleaning business, while raising his teenage daughter, played by Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee). Soon, Tom finds himself embroiled in mysterious conspiracy of crooked cops.

The story of The Cleaner plays out like a weaker version of Mystic River or Gone Baby Gone, so fans of those films may find this acceptable as a rental choice, as long as their expectations are not too high.

The Cleaner - movie quotes:
“Most people don’t know this, but when someone dies in your house, and leaves a mess, it’s up to the family to clean it up.”
Movie lines from The Cleaner

Director: Paul Schrader

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Ned Beatty, Mary Beth Hurt, Lily Tomlin

Taxi Driver writer Paul Schrader wrote and direct this slow, dreary blueblood mystery. It sounds like it will be similar to Schrader’s 80’s Richard Gere hit, American Gigolo, but there aren’t that many similarities left by the end. The story here is mildly compelling and is helped along by wonderful performances by the veteran cast, but the end result just isn’t engaging enough to recommend it over other entertaining choices.

Woody Harrelson is Carter Page III, a member of the upper crust Washington society who seems to specialize in being the gay friend of middle-aged rich women. Life is a comfortable blend of parties, cards and gossip until he helps a friend avoid involvement with the police following the death of her secret married lover, and soon Carter finds himself getting in deeper and deeper.

Mystery fans may consider The Walker to be a worthy waste of a couple of hours, but most will be checking their watch half way through. No real flaws, except a story that moves too slowly and characters that are not interesting enough to make us care about the conclusion.

Director: Gregory Hoblit

Starring: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, Mary Beth Hurt

Director Gregory Hoblit (Fracture, Primal Fear) has turned out far better projects than this formula cop film about the hunt for yet another serial killer. It aspires to the legacy of Silence of the Lambs and the Saw series, but lacks the intriguing characters and relentless tension of more successful films of this genre. The story shows a little imagination and has a 21st century angle with some kind of message about the dangers of internet voyeurism and media responsibility, the execution of this timely message however, is mediocre.

Diane Lane is FBI agent Jennifer Marsh, who, like every other cop in movies, struggles with balancing the job with her personal life. She has been widowed and is trying to raise her 8 year old daughter with the help of her mother, played by Mary Beth Hurt whose role mostly consists of shaking her head alot. On the job, Jen chases internet criminals and this field gets alot more tense when a ridiculously capable techno villain kidnaps a man and sets up a website where each visit brings the victim closer to death in a grisly manner.

Untraceable is a mix of the tension of the Silence of The Lambs, and the sadism of Saw with some Youtube and Myspace mixed in. The end result however, is a little disappointing and is only likely to be a good choice for easily-pleased fans of the suspense/horror category.

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona

Starring: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep,

Pan’s Labyrinth producer Guillermo Del Torro is behind the scenes for this familiar subtitled suspense film about a spooky old mansion with secrets in its past. There are enough original ideas in the moody feature to keep things fresh and Juan Antonio Bayona adeptly handles the directorial helm, though he doesn’t manage to build up much tension and the dark Peter Pan story isn’t always easy to follow.

Belen Rueda is an orphan named Laura who is pulled from her friends to be adopted as a young girl. Years later, an adult Laura returns to the orphanage with her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cayo), and adopted son, Simon (Roger Princep) with the plan of turning the old building into a home for special needs children. All seems fine until young Simon begins to have involved relationships with imaginary friends and starts to act out, before vanishing. Time passes, but Laura and Carlos, along with authorities, are unable to find him, but find a deepening mystery about the house.

Not as impressive as Del Torro’s Oscar winning Pan’s Labyrinth from a couple years back, but this is still a well made film with another dark fairy tale theme, and a clever story that could have used a little more punch, but should still please smart horror fans.

title - movie quotes:
Movie lines from title

Director: Carter Smith

Starring: Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Laura Ramsey, Joe Anderson

Novice director Carter Smith (Bugcrush) turns out an entertaining little suspense film based upon Scott B. Smith’s novel, and screenplay. This is the first screen work for Scott B. Smith since he turned his earlier novel, A Simple Plan into a script, as well. There is some strong tension here and the performances by the young, but experienced cast is impressive. The script is a little heavy on the gore and light on action, but mounting tension still keeps the viewer in the story, aided by likable and natural characters that will be easy for the film’s target audience of teens and twenty-somethings to identify with.

Two young couples are enjoying a leisurely beach and bar vacation in Mexico when they decide to have a little adventure, after meeting a friendly German tourist, Mathias (Joe Anderson from Across The Universe). Mathias is planning to head out the next day to join his brother in visiting an unknown ruins site. Enticed by seeing history that is unspoiled by tour buses and white-legged seniors, Jeff, Eric, Amy and Stacy (Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Laura Ramsey) decide to join him, though a hung over Amy does so only reluctantly. After something of a trek, marred only by the ominous loss of a hat, they reach the impressive site. Unfortunately, some unfriendly locals show up and soon people are screaming, crying and dying. But why?

The Ruins was a better film than I expected it to be, mainly because of the character development which, though still lacking, is still far better than the complete absence of any development, which is common in features of this genre. The group is in a tough situation and I would have liked to see more about conflict within the group under this kind of pressure. Some more action would be welcome, too, but this is still an enjoyable suspense film that illustrates why you should always stick to resort approved excursions only.

Director: Pete Travis

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Bruce McGill, Edgar Ramirez, Said Taghmaoui, Ayelet Zurer, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Eduardo Noriega

Novice director Pete Travis’ inaugural big screen effort is a surprisingly taut action effort that manages to juggle lots of characters, and a complex plot, in a reasonably efficient manner. This is no small feat, even for a seasoned director, so Travis may be a guy to watch. The characters are soundly developed, considering their numbers and the acting is also commendable, though, Quaid overacts in the lead role. The intriguing story uses a modified Rashomon narrative style, which focuses on five characters’ differing perceptions of events during the same time period. This style kept me riveted to the unfolding story, though some character actions didn’t always make sense (especially at the end) and this puts a strain on the film’s credibility, but it is an action movie, so I won’t judge that too harshly. The movie flies back and forth at a lightning pace, as you would expect with this story style, with each character adding something to the viewer’s understanding of the events. The action scenes are chaotically filmed in the now-familiar, close-up style and are a little difficult to follow, but are not overdone, which is always a pleasant surprise. The end result, here, is an enjoyable action picture.

Dennis Quaid is Thomas Barnes, a Secret Service hero, who returns to duty, just in time to join the detail guarding the president (played by William Hurt) during a political, anti-terrorist rally in Spain. Security threats cause a last minute decision to replace the president with a double (has this ever happened?), which is probably good, since the double is shot as soon as he steps up to speak. Explosions, confusion and panic follow, and poor Mr. Barnes has a rocky return to active duty. A Spanish police officer, a visiting American tourist (Forest Whitaker), several Secret Service agents and others all have a different take on the events and this original method of unfolding the story is effective. My attention was riveted, and only an ending that could stand improvement kept this movie from getting a higher rating. Ask yourself this: Why is this guy suddenly worried about killing someone?

Vantage Point is a satisfying, fast-paced action film that will please fans of the genre, while providing a pleasant surprise to those with low expectations. Denzel Washington’s Deja Vu from last year, had a similar pace and cleverly stretched plotline, though similarities end there. Imagine In The Line of Fire, if it were sped up and told in a twenty minute time frame, and you will have some idea of what to expect here.

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Michael Caine, Jude Law,

Director Kenneth Branagh, best known for his Shakespearean projects, adapts another stage play to the screen, with this remake of a 1972 mystery feature. Branagh makes effective use of unusual camera angles, moody lighting, and colors while the top-notch performers masterfully deliver their dialog that is as clever as one would expect from a theatrical conversion. The Harold Pinter, classic-style mystery keeps the viewer wondering right to the end. The first twist comes before the film even begins, with the casting of Michael Caine, who played the younger man in the original 1972 motion picture, and accepted the role of the mature man in this 21st century edition, while Jude Law steps into Caine’s previous role.

Jude Law is Milo Tindle, who is visiting the wealthy husband of his lover, to ask him to grant her a divorce. Instead of a quick agreement, the two men verbally spar, until Wyke (Michael Caine) offers Milo a chance to make some money that will allow him to support his new, money-draining woman. A deal is struck, but that is just the beginning. The twists soon begin and just don’t stop, though they are overdone and will put off some viewers.

Fine acting aficionados, and fans of old-fashioned, not-over-until-its-over, mysteries, will appreciate this visually stylish and twist-filled actor’s workshop. It starts out stronger than it finishes, but is still enjoyable. I have never seen the original film, though I’m told that it compares poorly (when isn’t the original better?). I can’t make comparisons, myself, but I did find this rendition to be entertaining, though the first half is noticeably stronger than the second.

Director: David Moreau, Xavier Palud

Starring: Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey, Rachel Ticotin, Fernanda Romero

The Eye is a re-make (some might say ‘rip-off) of a popular Chinese film called Jian Gui, and as far as these global remakes, go, this one isn’t too bad. Writer Sebastien Gutierrez moves the story along sparingly and spends most of his screen time trying to scare viewers with sudden, jump-out shocks and disturbing images. It is a simple film, but is fairly well handled by dual directors, David Moreau and Xavier Palud. The loose script pulls together in the last half hour for a decent ending.

Jessica Alba is Sydney Wells, a concert violinist who is happy, popular and productive, despite being blind since she was five. That soon changes, however, when she receives an eye transplant and regains her vision. She doesn’t get any time to enjoy her newly-revived sense, however, since almost immediately she begins to have hallucinations, that grow in frequency and intensity (What kind of story would it be, if they went away?). To rid herself of these relentless episodes, she soon feels that she has to find out the story behind the donor of her eyes.

This isn’t a bad suspense film and is a less effective cross of Sixth Sense and The Ring. Those that can look past the fact that it is a re-make, will find a mediocre, but enjoyable thriller that mananges to create some tension, but still lacks in story and character. What was it called again?