Tuesday, October 3, 2017

movie talk updated

Argh, when I was listing Movies With Surprise Endings that Don't Work, I forgot to put in two of the most irritating examples I've come across. Supplemented, then, and I'm trying to be provocative, since many of these are well-loved movies:

1. Movies where the surprise ending comes out of left field and doesn't fit with anything that's been established earlier. Examples: The Empire Strikes Back, The Usual Suspects.

2. Movies where the writers deliberately mishandled the script to hide that in this story the surprise ending was not possible. Example: The Sixth Sense, Psycho.

3. Movies where the surprise ending depends on the manipulating characters having impossibly certain knowledge of exactly what other characters will do so as to fall into their plan. Example: Arlington Road. Also, season 2 of Orphan Black.

4. Movies where the surprise ending is just too stupid to be believed. Example: The Village, The Prestige.

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