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the good, the bad, and the ugly.
This article appeared in my local newspaper this morning.
With it came a list of five great movie endings. I put them at the end of the article.
Anyone got more great movie endings?
http://info.detnews.com/redesign/blo...TOKEN=90531955
Some final words
Is this the beginning of the end of endings?
Posted by Tom Long
Detroit News
Audiences who go see "No Country for Old Men" this weekend may feel a bit up in the air when it's over. The film's resolution (or resolutions, or lack thereof) has been the talk in critic's circles for months now.
It's hardly the only unorthodox conclusion in theaters these days. "Sleuth" drives madly toward... what? The student facing modern life's big dilemma in "Lions for Lambs" never quite offers up his answer.
Even something as mainstream as "Beowulf" lands on a question mark. And when "Margot at the Wedding" hits Detroit theaters in a few weeks, the questions will continue.
The essence of endings was debated mightily earlier this year when TV's "The Sopranos" abruptly cut to black with its last episode. The initial response was outrage from a lot of people who were looking for some kind of big moral statement, who were cheering for Tony Soprano's death or ruination.
But life does not come in a series of little boxes with bows tied on them. It goes on. The drama of existence does not end on a happily-ever-after or with a cleansing bloodbath or in a big rescue scene topped with a romantic kiss.
Characters end. The big story goes on.
What's true in reality, though, doesn't necessarily work in drama. Still, with the rise of long-form dramas -- sequels, TV serials -- the ongoing nature of existence, and the way that can be expressed, is being explored. The curtain doesn't rise and then fall in two hours. So the way the curtain falls may need to be different.
Or not. There are times when a lack of resolution feels right, there are times when it feels as if somebody's trying too hard to be different. Either way, it's an interesting development, reflecting our times and the way culture is changing.
For now, at least, when it comes to endings, it seems there is no final word.
Five Great Movie Endings:
"The Wizard Of Oz" (1939): And you, and you, and you were there, too! A classic bookend structure.
"Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" (1969): Newman and Redford, brave, foolish and cool for all eternity.
"Pulp Fiction" (1994): Hitmen John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson stroll out of a coffee house dressed as nerds- and one is already dead, since the end is actually the middle of the movie.
"The Sixth Sense" (1999): The best gotcha ending of the past three decades, at least.
"The Bourne Supremacy" (2004): A paranoid, watching-you moment so grand it resurfaces in the middle of "The Bourne Ultimatum."
the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Rocky II
Body Heat....
Loved seeing Kathleen Turner laying in that beach lounge looking a bit forlorn knowing she had framed William Hurt.
Tabu . . .
When that chick bangs her son thinkin it's her brother.
What, no love for The Sting?
It's a Wonderful Life needs some love, this time of year.
dumb and dumber
"Do you realize what you've done??!! Waiit waiittt!!
You'll have to excuse my friend... he's a little slow. The town is back that way."
"two lucky guys are gonna be spending the next several months with those girls"
"when are we gonna catch our big break?"
"I don't know, we'll just have to keep our eyes open."
"yep."
Rocky I II or IV.
Boogie Nights when Marky Mark pulls his big sexy prosthetic out.
Shawshank Redemption
Nobody's said Casablanca yet? really??
"We'll always have Paris"? no?
How about "Here's looking at you, kid"??... nothing?
Not even "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"??
The more memorable last scene in history doesn't even make this dude's list...
Last edited by MaNuMaNiAc; 12-14-2007 at 08:41 AM.
Usual Suspects? Best ending I've ever seen.
Karate Kid. The kick he delivered to that kid's face was priceless.
Or here is an alternate version. Funny .
It's not even just the ending, there are so many great lines in Casablanca.
What...No love for The Empire Strikes Back? "Luke, I am you father!"
seconded
O-VER-RATE-TED
The Mist has a GREAT ending IMO.
Casablanca
Rocky
The Bicycle Thief
The Seventh Seal
Little Miss Sunshine!
Signs
great, great movie!
Bridget Jones Diary......I was so glad when that damn movie ended.
Bridget Jones Diary 2.......I was so glad when that damn movie ended. My girl wanted to see it.
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