Tuesday, 28 June 2016

The Happening (2008)

The Happening is an America sci-fiction thriller film released in June 10, 2008. It is written, directed and produced by M. Night Shyamalan; distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film is talk about a science teacher, his wife and his friend's daughter struggle to survive a plague that causes those infected to commit suicide. On starring, Mark Wahlberg cast Elliot Moore (the science teacher), Zooey Deschanel cast Alma Moore (science's wife), and Ashlyn Sanchez cast Jess (Julian's daughter). 






Plot

Elliot Moore is a high school science teacher who quizzes his class one day about an article in the New York Times. It's about the sudden, mysterious disappearance of bees. Yet again Nature is doing something inexplicable, and whatever science has to say about it will be, in the end, only a theory. Scientists will bring out more theories, but no explanations, when a more urgent dilemma hits the planet. It begins in Central Park. Suddenly and inexplicably, the behavior of everyone in the park changes in a most bizarre and horrible way. Soon, the strange behavior spreads throughout the city and beyond. Elliot, his wife, Alma, and Jess, the young daughter of a friend, will only have theories to guide them where to run and where to hide. But theories may not be enough.


Analysis 

The Happening is a postmodernism film as it is mixing fewer of genre in one, such as thriller, science fiction, road-trail journey and drama. A high school science teacher and his wife along with his friend and his friend's daughter. They get out of the city, inevitably get stuck in the middle of nowhere, the characters begin to do and say things which make no sense whatsoever and the whole movie falls apart as we watch people try to run away from the wind. 

Theme

Every M. Night Shyamalan movie also have presented a similar theme which are death and family. These not only presented in The Happening, it were also presented in others Shyamalan's film, such as Signs (2002), and The Village (2004). In Signs, the story is begin from a farmer family. One day, they found that fewer mysterious crop circle appear in their farm. While, they also notice that those mysterious crop circle are a signs of alien invasions. In the film, the death theme appear when the pets dog is trying to attack Bo and her brother Morgan forced to kill it. It is also appear when the beginning of film which a woman scream. In The Village, the story start from a family as well. The story is about a villages family and the creature live in the woods. The death theme was also appear in this film, such as a boy funeral, and murder cases happened in the village.  

Authorship

Authorship knows as the creativity and idea original from a personal. Authorship is important not only it is an intellectual property, it is also represent the original idea and thinking of the author as well. M. Night Shyamalan authorship was clearly presented on his film. He not only work as a director on the film, he also take the role of scriptwriter. Base on the story, idea, theme and directing style, those 3 films (Signs, The Village, The Happening) reflected the authorship of him clearly.

References

IMDb. (n.d.). The Happening (2008). Retrieved June 24, 2016, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0949731/

R. E. (n.d.). The Happening Movie Review & Film Summary (2008) | Roger Ebert. Retrieved June 24, 2016, from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-happening-2008



Monday, 20 June 2016

The Village (2004)

The Village is a America psychological thriller film written, produced, directed by M. Night Shyamalan and released in July 30, 2004. Starring by Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, and Joaquin Phoenix. The film is about a series of events tests the beliefs of a small isolated countryside village.



Plot

Covington is a 19th-century Pennsylvania village that is isolated from the rest of the world. The woods that surround the village are off limits to all the villagers because mysterious creatures live there. Many years earlier, the town elders and the creatures reached an understanding that the villagers would not go into the woods, and the creatures would not enter the village. A boundary was set up around the village, along with warnings on etiquette and colors to wear regarding keeping the creatures at bay.

But after one of the villagers, Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix), is injured, the blind daughter of the chief village Elder (Bryce Dallas Howard) is permitted to seek help in “the towns” by passing through the forest, where she learns the secret of where she actually lives.

Analysis

The Village have two themes which are death and family. Death and family often present in Shyamalan firm. In the Signs, the story start from a farmer's family, and many of people die in Alien attack incident. In the Village, a villager's, son were die in nameless disease. This show that both of the film were consist the same theme. Moreover, the camera angle and filming style were also similar. Long take, and controller mise-en-shot can find in both films like the scene when the protagonist fall into trouble. This make audience feel familiar with if they have watched both of the film. Another thing which is similar is the color tone of the film. Both of the film also have the unsaturated  color tone. This series of elements are authorship of the director M. Night Shymalan.



Opinion

In my opinion, I feel that The Village is good movie as it related with superstition. The villages fear to the creature as they are not dare to seeking out the truth, to find out what actual the creature is. If they can cross the woods with a big group of people, they sure will leave the village without harm by the creature.(as we know that the creature is cast by one of the mental ill villager)  This also show that people fear to something they unknown, and most of the people try to escape rather then face it. 

Reference  

IMDb. (n.d.). The Village (2004). Retrieved June 17, 2016, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368447/synopsis

M. Reynolds . (n.d.) M. Night Shyamalan Plot Twists, Ranked by Twistedness. Retrieved June 17, 2016, http://www.vulture.com/2015/09/m-night-shyamalan-plot-twists-ranked.html

Friday, 10 June 2016

Signs (2002)

Signs is an American science fiction thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan in 2002. This film produced by M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy and also Sam Mercer.  Starring by Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin.

The Signs movie.jpg   

Plot

The story start from a farmer Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) found a few of mysterious pattern, lines and circles in his corn farm. While he investigating the crop circle with the local law enforcement, Morgan is forced to kill one of the family dogs when it turns violent against him and her daughter Bo (Abigail Breslin). Graham found that all of the animals in town become aggressive. They hear reports of crop circles appearing around the globe, and there are reports of strange lights over Mexico. Later they found the farm and the house being watched by unknown creature. Moreover, they received unknown noise and signal form a baby talkie. Various of signs showing that something serious going to happen soon.

Analysis

Signs is sci-fiction thriller and drama's film. Science Fiction Thriller incorporates hypothetical, science-based themes into the plot of the film. Traditionally, a Science Fiction film will incorporate heroes, villains, unexplored locations, fantastical quests, and advanced technology. These elements can be used in a Science Fiction Thriller to create anticipation and suspense. Often, this sub-genre will explore the “future-gone-bad” theme, including plots that revolve around alien invasions, dystopian scenarios, and super-diseases. 

In the film, alien(sci-fiction) going to attack earth, some signs appear before this such as crop circle, animals turn aggressive, strange light over the sky, and unknown signal and noise. For horror/thriller, which are the scene Graham hear some unknown noise and seeing a green long leg in the corn farm at night and the scene which is aliens intend to enter Graham house. The directed style, filming's style and also the sound effect tends to bring tension and panic to the audience. 


Drama film is a genre that relies on the emotional and relational development of realistic characters. While Drama film relies heavily on this kind of development, dramatic themes play a large role in the plot as well. Often, these dramatic themes are taken from intense, real life issues. Whether heroes or heroines are facing a conflict from the outside or a conflict within themselves, Drama film aims to tell an honest story of human struggles. 

In Signs, Graham show that how he face the alien invasions incident and against them. As a human, he need to protect his mother land from outsider; as a father and older brother, he need to protect his children and also young brother. In the end, alien give up their invasion plan and leave the earth as their weakness(water) had been found by human.  

Style and Opinion

In Signs, the filming style keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. In the beginning, the alien only show some body parts(finger, leg), shadow and sound/noise. It play around with fear and mysterious sense to attract audience stay on their seats to keep watching. In my opinion, I feel that Signs is good movie as it relate imagination with reality(crop circle). Crop circle is a pattern created by flattening a crop, such as cereal and corn. It first recover by people in 1678 England, and the number substantially increased to current time. Although, some people admitted crop circle is created by them but still have many people believe in crop circle created by natural phenomena or alien.  


  

Reference

TSL. Thriller. (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/thriller

B. R. (n.d.). Crop Circles Explained. Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.livescience.com/26540-crop-circles.html

R. E. (n.d.). Signs Movie Review & Film Summary (2002) | Roger Ebert. Retrieved June 11, 2016, from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/signs-2002