The Happening - (it's never happening, but talk about it if you want)

[wakefresh 689]

I love how this movie just keeps popping up in the forums! If they ever release a ep about this movie, it will be LEGEND!

[rcavanah 21]

While I get that, it bugs me when people associated with something that's been ripped on for years don't have the sense of humor to let it go, especially when it's primarily COMEDIANS (you know, people that are renowned for having a sense of humor) that the show seems to deal with. It'd be one thing if a person that the hosts were friends with had gone off and tried something really different, tried really hard, and was really passionate about something and it failed terribly, like if it ended up being a well-meaning dramatic film about a sensitive subject that just wasn't any good and wasn't particularly that person's fault. Not only do we not expect them to go after something like that, but we surely don't expect them to drag the poor friend out and say "So, what the fuck were you thinking?". "The Happening" is not that kind of movie, and again, we're not asking them to take their friends to task for something that had so many things wrong with it, maybe the least of which was their involvement. We just want them to make fun of the fucking movie already, regardless of who the guest is or if we ever get the straight story on why it seems to be untouchable, because this movie deserves an episode. Hell, make it your first ever PREMIUM episode if you want. We'll be there!

 

I do get what you're saying, but I guess it just strikes me as a bit old-fashioned to demand entertainment at all costs. Yes, the movie was just a failure in entertainment, which doesn't seem like a big deal to us. However, you also have to put yourself in their shoes and figure, well, for us it's just entertainment, but for them it's life, and it is personal (no matter how many times you say it's not malicious and that it shouldn't be taken personally). I mean, for all we know, it's not Zooey Deschanel who can't let it go... maybe she just thinks that M. Night Shyamalan is a nice, sincere guy, and maybe she knows something about the way he's reacted to all the criticism of his work over the years, and she doesn't wanna be party to that if at all possible. It's pretty complex.

 

I mean, say you had a friend who made an attempt at a creative project that was received really badly, and they went into a deep depression. Maybe it even made money, but they wound up hurt by the response regardless. Sure, you'd try to help that friend learn to laugh about the experience and lighten up, but what if your friend couldn't do that? If you knew that was the case, you'd probably feel pretty icky if you saw someone making a further spectacle out of it, and you'd probably say something. You'd also probably think they were major dickwads if they ignored you. And if you didn't feel that way, wouldn't you at least feel a little guilty that it didn't make you feel bad? I dunno. Not saying that's the situation, but just saying there's a lot we don't know.

 

But I guess the thing I'm hearing here that I really don't like is the attitude that there's some virtue in making fun of stuff. From any remotely reasonable standpoint: Come on. There's not. To me, getting to make fun of stuff made by other human beings is a privilege, not a right, and episodes should primarily be directed at movies that are either (1) made by fundamentally flawed people with too much ego to see that they've made a piece of crap, (2) poorly-produced money grabs, (3) massacred by the studio, or (4) technically bad, but celebrated for their insanity.

 

In a way, I actually disagree with the fact that After Earth was used for an episode as well. Seeing M. Night Shyamalan get crucified for his past few movies and then keep coming back, no longer putting his name on stuff but still getting up and trying to make movies... it just makes me feel gross, because the guy loves movies. He's not just some floater director who gets offered a pile of money to make a remake of an adaptation of a remake and says, "Hell yeah dog, sign me up!" I think there's a line there, determined by basic human sincerity.

 

Let me just say this: All I know is, if I were famous and made a critical failure that was met with the same kind of vitriol that M. Night is met with, I'd kill myself immediately. Even if something like HDTGM came along, which isn't as malicious as the internet in general and can be quite celebratory, it wouldn't really matter at that point.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

In a way, I actually disagree with the fact that After Earth was used for an episode as well. Seeing M. Night Shyamalan get crucified for his past few movies and then keep coming back, no longer putting his name on stuff but still getting up and trying to make movies... it just makes me feel gross, because the guy loves movies. He's not just some floater director who gets offered a pile of money to make a remake of an adaptation of a remake and says, "Hell yeah dog, sign me up!" I think there's a line there, determined by basic human sincerity.

 

Let me just say this: All I know is, if I were famous and made a critical failure that was met with the same kind of vitriol that M. Night is met with, I'd kill myself immediately. Even if something like HDTGM came along, which isn't as malicious as the internet in general and can be quite celebratory, it wouldn't really matter at that point.

You are a very generous person and I agree with your sentiments. As far as putting creative work out, I think having a certain shield or thick skin is simply necessary -- no matter how objectively good something is, there's always going to be someone talking trash. I think Citizen Kane is a overrated, boring piece of shit. If you actually would commit suicide because of a bad review or some good-hearted mockery, then you shouldn't make your creativity for public consumption.

 

Take something like The Room. It was very obviously intended to be a serious drama, made by a man who had no business acting, writing, or directing a film. It was widely derided and laughed about, but then slowly became a cult phenomenon. Tommy Wiseau saw what was going on and rolled with it. Yeah, it probably stung a bit, maybe a lot, who knows -- but he was able to see that many people were enjoying his movie, not necessarily as intended, but it was being seen and is still being screened around the country.

 

So while I definitely appreciate your angle, I think I lean more towards PlanB's argument that you responded to.

[rcavanah 21]

I can appreciate that. Heh, as long as we're thinking twice about it and all putting ourselves in each others' shoes, using some degree of basic human decency, then I can't say there's anything wrong. It's really just the entitlement to critique without that sort of consideration, particularly of the overblown hateful internet commenter variety, that gets under my skin these days. And of course, having never really put anything out there myself, I'd also concede that perhaps I'd feel suitably vindicated by the minority who did appreciate what I made, enough to ignore the negative responses.

 

But in this case, I guess I'd just find it hard to make this movie a priority if there was any sort of on-the-nose "Yeah, please don't do that" kinda conversation. On the other hand, if it's just an assumption that somebody would tell somebody, then yeah, F that noise. But that's the whole thing; we don't know precisely what kinda interaction lead to this choice.

[Blueman29X 72]

 

I do get what you're saying, but I guess it just strikes me as a bit old-fashioned to demand entertainment at all costs. Yes, the movie was just a failure in entertainment, which doesn't seem like a big deal to us. However, you also have to put yourself in their shoes and figure, well, for us it's just entertainment, but for them it's life, and it is personal (no matter how many times you say it's not malicious and that it shouldn't be taken personally). I mean, for all we know, it's not Zooey Deschanel who can't let it go... maybe she just thinks that M. Night Shyamalan is a nice, sincere guy, and maybe she knows something about the way he's reacted to all the criticism of his work over the years, and she doesn't wanna be party to that if at all possible. It's pretty complex.

 

I mean, say you had a friend who made an attempt at a creative project that was received really badly, and they went into a deep depression. Maybe it even made money, but they wound up hurt by the response regardless. Sure, you'd try to help that friend learn to laugh about the experience and lighten up, but what if your friend couldn't do that? If you knew that was the case, you'd probably feel pretty icky if you saw someone making a further spectacle out of it, and you'd probably say something. You'd also probably think they were major dickwads if they ignored you. And if you didn't feel that way, wouldn't you at least feel a little guilty that it didn't make you feel bad? I dunno. Not saying that's the situation, but just saying there's a lot we don't know.

 

But I guess the thing I'm hearing here that I really don't like is the attitude that there's some virtue in making fun of stuff. From any remotely reasonable standpoint: Come on. There's not. To me, getting to make fun of stuff made by other human beings is a privilege, not a right, and episodes should primarily be directed at movies that are either (1) made by fundamentally flawed people with too much ego to see that they've made a piece of crap, (2) poorly-produced money grabs, (3) massacred by the studio, or (4) technically bad, but celebrated for their insanity.

 

In a way, I actually disagree with the fact that After Earth was used for an episode as well. Seeing M. Night Shyamalan get crucified for his past few movies and then keep coming back, no longer putting his name on stuff but still getting up and trying to make movies... it just makes me feel gross, because the guy loves movies. He's not just some floater director who gets offered a pile of money to make a remake of an adaptation of a remake and says, "Hell yeah dog, sign me up!" I think there's a line there, determined by basic human sincerity.

 

Let me just say this: All I know is, if I were famous and made a critical failure that was met with the same kind of vitriol that M. Night is met with, I'd kill myself immediately. Even if something like HDTGM came along, which isn't as malicious as the internet in general and can be quite celebratory, it wouldn't really matter at that point.

 

I really think Scheer puts it best:

We're not saying that we're better than anyone involved in these movies. We're just saying that this shit needs to be discussed.

 

That to me sums up The Happening really well. Personally, I don't have any problems with making fun of M. Night, but I guess that's because I don't really see him as someone who especially loves movies. Lady in the Water was sort of the last straw for me. At that point, I came to the conclusion that he was really in it for himself. It's totally fine if you disagree though. It's not like anyone really knows what goes on in his head.

 

On the matter of doing movies that were made with a lot of heart and passion, I don't really feel that guilty. I understand that some people put a lot of effort into their movies, but if HDTGM gave a pardon to every movie like that, the show probably wouldn't exist. In every project, there are always people who really believe in their movie. And even so, covering a movie on the podcast isn't really condemning them, nor is it condemning the movie itself. Movies occasionally just don't work for whatever reason, and I think that's okay. Failure can be beautiful sometimes, and I really appreciate how the podcast does its best to celebrate that!

 

I want to sincerely thank you for taking the time to post this. It's really refreshing to get a different perspective every once and a while!

[rcavanah 21]

Hey, I appreciate the appreciation! Heheh, that's not the standard response in most corners of the internet.

 

And I totally get that I'm probably not the standard listener in this respect, but I only point it out because I'm sure these are all things Paul, June, and Jason have thought about more and more over the course of the show, and though everybody lands in a different spot on the matter, I doubt anyone would deny that there's a bit of a wearing-down and changing of perspective that naturally occurs as the show marches on. Heh, I'm sure we can all agree it's better that they consider their steps than turn into a mindless content steamroller (even just for the sake of of keeping the quality of their commentary fresh, which they totally have).

[imhatch 271]

Hah, you mentioned somewhere else that you're gonna start listening to Go Bayside, and that's a topic that comes up frequently. Most of the actors from Saved By The Bell are pretty good natured about, y'know, a silly show they were on over 20 years ago. Except for Dustin "Screech" Diamond, even though he's (ostensibly) a stand up comedian now. He's the one that is apparently a jerk about it and won't do reunions or answer interview questions.

 

Incidentally, Go Bayside is a great podcast that would appeal to a wide swath of HDTGM listeners. It's essentially the same format, just smaller and shorter, and focused on Saved By The Bell. You'd think it'd get boring, but with new guests every week (including some Earwolf favorites like Howard Kremer) it's pretty fun.

thank you for this post, friend

[DanAuletta 0]

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO THIS MOVIE. "Just when you thought there couldn't be anymore evil that could be invented." I live in Princeton, NJ, and NO ONE calls it "The Town of Princeton" every time they address it in a sentence.

[seanotron 2307]

STOP TRYING TO CAUSE TROUBLE HAPPENING THREAD!

[PhillipMedoc 648]

This seems appropriate, somehow:

 

[jarrycanada 2483]

I think honey in the horn is more approprate:

 

[inactiveuser501 168]

How Did This Get Made? M. Night wanted to play a prank on Internet Commentators and recruited Zooey Deschanel for the most roundabout plan ever.

[jarrycanada 2483]

Don't worry everyone they've got top men working on this episode right now, top men!

 

[Wien 401]

Ironically titled, since this episode ain't Happening.

[inactiveuser501 168]

Motion to re-name this forum "The Not-Happening".

[jarrycanada 2483]

You would pull your hair out every time some Newbie joined the group and created a new thread. it would be a on going problem, down the line. Paul should just make this into a ongoing joke. Like Jimmy Kimmel does with Matt Damon. each week he could promise that "the happening" is going to be featured this week, on HDTGM, then the episode never gets deliver for some crazy reason. Or they could use it to raise money for this episode. say once we hit the million dollar mark will do this movie. name your price paul,everyone has a price. They would never see a million dollars so that's the joke.

[tehjeff 15]

I just watched The Happening last night.

 

And I was so excited to come to the forum and add to/begin the discussion (I figured there was already a thread but you never know).

 

And now I am sad.

 

After reading through this thread.

 

Because Christmas wasn't just canceled.

 

It never existed.

[Shannon 2953]

Changed the thread title because LOL5EVR

[VinsanityV22 500]

If they ever do this - or any Wahlberg movie, for that matter - they better get "Mark Wahlberg" as their guest to explain himself!

 

Also -- completely unrelated -- the comedian Dan Van Kirk should be a guest on HDTGM sometime regardless of movie. Sklarbro County needs to give him some time off to do other shows some time!

[Lando 2019]

Don't worry everyone they've got top men working on this episode right now, top men!

 

 

Damnit what movie is this from? I know I've seen it and it's driving me nuts trying to figure it out.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

 

 

Damnit what movie is this from? I know I've seen it and it's driving me nuts trying to figure it out.

Raiders?

[jarrycanada 2483]

 

Damnit what movie is this from? I know I've seen it and it's driving me nuts trying to figure it out.

Lando, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!! lol

 

-----------------------

as far as Shannon goes by changing the name of the topic. this tunes for you girl!.

Far From Over-Frank Stallone

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwyLOkbO5nw

[Lando 2019]

I had a mega brain fart moment. It was like when you can't recall your mom's name or your own phone number and it was just as maddening. South Park kept coming to mind, but I couldn't remember what they were parodying.

[Snake 165]

If you want the crew to do a movie, the trick is to:

 

1.) start a thread on the message board

 

2.) hope it gets a lot of comments

 

3.) realize that the message board has no impact on whether they pick a movie or not

 

4.) figure out who the guest is ahead of time

 

5.) bribe them to ask Paul to do the movie for their ep

 

I think if you follow those steps, you should be good to go!

[jarrycanada 2483]

Snake Lee you should do a ehow video on this topic.