endings that throw away movies' accomplishments

SPOILER ALERT for crybabies--since we're discussing endings, we're going to give away what happens in movies. no whining.

***Actually, in a small adendum to my last post, that whole Vader getting off the table and screaming "Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!" has GOT to be one of the worst moments in film history. I know, I know, the movie's not exactly goin' for an Oscar, but really. I get embarassed whenever that shot/scene comes on***


When I saw that in the theater, I was embarrassed for Lucas.

If I ever see it again, I'll just be embarrassed for myself. For watching it again. There is simply no excuse. Not even a morbid car crash rubber-necking kind of excuse.

Everyone wanted Tom Cruise to die....;)

I thought the ending of The Two Towers played like a documenatry, sigh.

The Goonies had a nice first half, but the second was an over the top cartoon.

[:.(] ok, which face denotes whining?

genfizzy,

have you seen both the theatrical and director's cuts of "amadeus"? i like both...i can't decide which one is my preferred version.

speaking of bad endings for horror movies...how about "psycho"? that exposition was horrendous.

eddie

Add "The Village" to that list of bad endings. ;)

I really hated the ending of Saw. I know so many people thought it was genius, but when a horror film makes you laugh, it's a pretty bad sign. Then again, I don't really respect the rest of the movie to consider it a damaging trait.

I've always noticed that horror films have the worst endings, because what we're really entertained by is the premise, and then the director has no where to go. At least, that seems to be a modern horror film trait. I would have to admit that I enjoyed the premise of Saw, but the execution was piss poor.

I'm afraid to see Hostel, The Descent, etc., which I guess is the point, being scared of something?


Hendrix,

You know, the first time I watched Amadeus, it felt incomplete to me and I wasn't left with any real emotion for or against the characters. I could never figure out why, but the second time I watched it, it became one of my favorite films. I seem to like any movie that feels like a stage play, anachronisms and all. Plus, F. Murray Abraham is so brilliant in this film. I loved the makeup, it was probably the only time I've ever "believed" in prosthetics!

My head spins when I think of a high def transfer of that film, not the the dvd is bad, but it looks rather flat in all of the opera house scenes, and that's where it needs to shine.

Ben Hur needs to be released too, that would kick ass.

Twister kind of sucks, but like you, I'll have to buy it.

There's really no big deal on the "lower audio" [about -10db I think] of LAST SAMURAI... you just increase your amp's volume a little more to compensate. Otherwise the disc mastering is flawless.

Yeah, most of the current HD DVD selection I consider only as "rentals" for now, until prices are lowered, and discounted furthur (as seen with mainstream standard DVD titles) - like annual "Christmas time" low prices.

As of right now, I'm primarily a renter, and own only 2 HD DVDs - THE LAST SAMURAI and THE PERFECT STORM - and am interested in buying the U2: RATTLE AND HUM disc soon [much improved audio of the standard DVD release, according to reviews].

Since I am a fan of historical themes, I hope to purchase more HD DVD titles in this regard (like the two I own above). That's why I'm hoping Warner also releases AMADEUS within the next year (among their many titles).

Of course, I'll pick up some fluff action titles as well - TWISTER, TERMINATOR 3, BATMAN BEGINS, THE MATRIX, others etc, as they get released. And I'm enouraged that HD DVD prices are already starting to fall - Amazon has most of them at $19.95.

-Love Hendrix!

my friend chris long just saw "the descent", and he e-mailed me about how disappointed he was with the movie's turn towards the "supernatural" after a superb first half that dealt with the realistic dangers of being trapped in an unknown cave.

i e-mailed him back with some of my own discontentments.

"war of the worlds" (spielberg, 2005)--after a gut-wrenching, terrifying ordeal, we get a long, boring sequence with a bug-eyed tim robbins talking nonsense and a hide-from-the-aliens set piece that basically has spielberg copying himself without developing something new. for kickers, we get a happy ending with everyone in tom cruise's family surviving the alien invasion.

"the last samurai" (zwick)--the movie is a loving glorification of the samurai ideal, and it really has all the elements needed to be one of the all-time greats. however, all of this is chucked in the gutter when tom cruise survives a hail of gunfire. this sucks for two reasons: 1) it's not plausible, 2) this negates the whole point of the samurais' resistance, which wasn't to win a war but to commit suicide doing what they were trained to do.