I don't know that I'd accuse Signs of excessive cleverness (where were the smart aliens to corrall the invading ones back to the short mothership?), but I too am a bit weary of the Ta Da! school of filmmaking.
Xander: Look who's got a bad case of Dark Prince envy. Dracula: Leave us. Xander: No, we're not going to "Leabbb you." And where'd you get that accent, Sesame Street? "One, Two, Three - three victims! Maw ha ha!"
'Lessons'
Buffista Movies 4: Straight to Video
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Matt the Bruins fan - Mar 18, 2005 11:23:28 am PST #339 of 10002
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
erikaj - Mar 18, 2005 11:26:21 am PST #340 of 10002
Always Anti-fascist!
I would love to see that catch on. "Actually, it's one of the few high points in the Ta Da! trend of the early years of the century."
Jessica - Mar 18, 2005 11:33:01 am PST #341 of 10002
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?
I too am a bit weary of the Ta Da! school of filmmaking.
Yes, this. Revealing something in the last ten minutes of the film that causes the audience to re-evaluate what they've seen in interesting ways that hold up on rewatch is good. (Fight Club, The Usual Suspects.)
Revealing something in the last ten minutes because you want the audience to go "OMGWTF!?!?!!!" while easier, is getting almost as old and tired as ironic self-awareness.
Sean K - Mar 18, 2005 11:43:03 am PST #342 of 10002
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty
Revealing something in the last ten minutes because you want the audience to go "OMGWTF!?!?!!!" while easier, is getting almost as old and tired as ironic self-awareness.
"New things make people feel scared. And smart things make people feel stupid."
t /Fry
Matt the Bruins fan - Mar 18, 2005 11:51:17 am PST #343 of 10002
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
The Sixth Sense's twist held up for me because you could go back and watch knowing the twist and the movie was still interesting.
Sean K - Mar 18, 2005 11:52:47 am PST #344 of 10002
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty
I'd totally guessed the twist to Sixth Sense from the previews, and knew I was right when Bruce Willis got shot ten minutes in. I still enjoyed the movie.
§ ita § - Mar 18, 2005 1:21:11 pm PST #345 of 10002
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I think if you don't know the twist to Sixth Sense but care to be unspoiled, you should leave the internet. Now. Quickly! What are you looking at? Why are you still here? Shoo!
X3 character spoilers -- I'm very hurt that Bacic won't be Beast, and intrigued by possible casting choices for Angel.
I also think that whitefont is excessive for the above paragraph, but just in case.
Jesse - Mar 18, 2005 1:25:37 pm PST #346 of 10002
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
But whitefont is so fun!
Aims - Mar 18, 2005 1:27:13 pm PST #347 of 10002
Shit's all sorts of different now.
Ok, but what about Colossus??? He isn't listed in IMDb.
brenda m - Mar 18, 2005 1:29:42 pm PST #348 of 10002
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there
Lately I've begun to feel that the twists in most movies are too clever, and become uterly implausible. In fact, I think Hollywood has become over reliant on twists and reversals.
And not just Hollywood. I stopped watching L&O around the time the commercials started talking about "The Law And Order Twist!" When the whole rest of the movie is set-up for a reaction-shot after The Twist, you've lost me.
The reason things like Usual Suspects work for me is that the twist isn't just a gotcha - it makes you go back and look at everything in a different way, and once you do that, you see how B follows from A, but also how you got sidelined into thinking that C was the thing all along.