Films with Twists I Guessed Long Before they Happened
Submitted by lbangs on Thu, 05/23/2002 - 08:56
Tags:
- The Usual Suspects (I saw this one coming about halfway through the film)
- The Sixth Sense (Believe it or not, I guessed this one from the trailer)
- Open Your Eyes (I thought I had this one down about halfway through; after a few more minutes, I realized where the director got the main character's name and knew I had it pegged)
- The Game (I got this one *really* early in the film)
- The Sting (I never had a doubt about this one, though I didn't guess the)Spoiler: Highlight to viewSalino hit 'man' twist...
Author Comments:
Any wonder why my wife makes me swear not to share my guesses with her during a film?
sixth sense from the trailer? dang you must be good. may i ask though 2 questions:
1) did you know there was going to be a twist before watchnig and you just guess what that twist was?
2) do you set out to find the twist?
No to both. I was watching the trailer before the film was even released. I leaned over and whispered to my wife... well, the twist. I said, "I bet you that..." I was right.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
What about a couple of more recent films :The Village and Million Dollar Baby (which I'm not sure contains a "twist," but many critics and articles keep using that word)?
Johnny Waco
I still haven't seen The Village (and probably will not). As for Baby, I'm not sure. I definitely thought of the 'twist' as a possiblity, but I didn't really see it happening when it did and affecting the rest of the film as it did. I'm not sure how to count that...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
You won't see The Village? I thought it was a well-done and entertaining film. Critics unfairly savaged it because they seemed to be so fixated on the damn idea of a "twist" again. Yes, there is one, but no, it is not the hinge of the movie. Great acting all around and interesting ideas. It's not a favorite movie, but honestly it pisses me off like I rarely get pissed off when I see critics giving it "F"s and 1 star out of 4. I can only conclude it is some sort of personal backlash against the director. Anyway, I understand if you don't want to see it, but I hope it's not because of the reviews. Trust me on this: they went overboard.
Johhny Waco
Hmmm. Well, I'll be honest. You are the first trusted soul who has suggested the film to me.
I don't know. I've had really bad luck with Shyamalan (I always have to look up the spelling on his name!) films in the past. How would you compare it to, say, Signs, a film I notoriously despise?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
If I was going to rate The Village, I'd give it a solid "B"--to me it held up to a rewatching, which is a mark fo it in my book. However, I would give Signs, a film you notoriously despise, a "B" also. So, hmmm...I'm guessing you wouldn't like it.
I don't know how you feel about his other films, but I don't care for either: Unbreakable gets a generous "C-", and The Sixth Sense a "C+". In general, I don't like films that depend too much on a twist because it ruins the film for future viewings. (Psycho being a major exception, since the entire film is so well done.)
Once again, though, I truly think the critics had a backlash bandwagon going on The Village, which doesn't make it a masterpiece, just an underrated film.
Johnny Waco
Perhaps, then, if I am feeling brave some day, I'll give it a go. I would be more courageous if it wasn't for my extremely negative reaction to his former film, but you never know...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Remember:
It's 'i' before 'e' and...
'shyamalan' after 'yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip mum-mum-mum-mum-mum-mum get a job.'
Let's play a game - how many Little Richard songs can you fit the man's name into?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Respect, respect, especially for The Usual Suspects! But as you saw it coming, what do you think of the movie then?
I really enjoyed the film, and still do when I catch it on TV. That's a good sign that the film is great and not just one big gimmick.
I'm sure the person I was with didn't appreciate me whispering my suspicions to her halfway through the film though... :)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Just a random tip: if you like films with twists, I recommend:
- The British TV show 'Jonathan Creek', might air on BBC America
- Every Jeffrey Archer short story
:)
Alas, I don't have cable, so BBC America is out, and my limited experience with Jeffrey Archer tells me I have read all of his work that I need to read.
Truth be told, though, I don't particularly like films with twists any more than I like films without twists. In fact, they rather get on my nerves lately, especially since so many films seem to have only the 'twist' to offer. Besides, as these lists show, I often guess them ahead of time anyway.
Thanks, though!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Ah well, win some lose some!
I do highly recommend Jonathan Creek as a series on a whole though, so if you ever get BBC America, perhaps check it out once or twice. :)
I promise to! I do tend to dig the BBC mysteries more than the American ones...
Again, thanks for the advice.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs