CHUD.com Community › Forums › THE MAIN SEWER › Movie Miscellany › The Endings Thread
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

The Endings Thread - Page 2

post #51 of 121
8/12/08 at 4:36pm
Yeah, regardless of the transition, the idea is that Ryan (as we learn later) is standing in front of Miller's headstone, and therefore remembering Miller's story.
Reply
post #52 of 121
8/12/08 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
Yeah, regardless of the transition, the idea is that Ryan (as we learn later) is standing in front of Miller's headstone, and therefore remembering Miller's story.
Thank you. It seemed to me that the things they shared, however brief, affected Ryan for decades to come, hence his whole asking his wife if he did, indeed, 'earn this' life.
Reply
post #53 of 121
8/12/08 at 4:39pm
Hmm... Okay. I admit it's been years since I've seen the movie. But you do have a point about the film not being that directly misleading. I'll have to watch it again.

But (and I don't mean to sound like Devin -- wink, wink) it still doesn't excuse the general clunkiness of the framing device in general and the fact that the movie doesn't need it to be effective. And I still think that it shouldn't be Damon's flashback.
Reply
post #54 of 121
8/12/08 at 4:43pm
I'd like Ryan's finale just that much more if it didn't feature that awful morphing shot. What, nobody had the guts to remind Spielberg that Cameron used the same trick (and better) one year earlier?
Reply
post #55 of 121
8/12/08 at 5:03pm
Switching topics a little bit, but another ending shot that sums up the entire point of the movie: Broken Flowers. The hurt in Murray's eyes in the last shot says everything the movie had been leading up to, and is probably one of my favorite shots this decade.
Reply
post #56 of 121
8/12/08 at 10:53pm
I liked the ending to Save the Green Planet!, the guy was right and aliens blew up the world. Though I think it could have worked just as well with the boss getting into the police car and driving off. Either way the ending would have been dark, except one would have been more over the top.

Also, worth noting are the end credits, which I think were very nice.
Reply
post #57 of 121
8/12/08 at 11:31pm
I dig the "What happens next?" exit at the end of THE TRUMAN SHOW (also kinda seen 2 years later in CAST AWAY)...

And the WTF? ending at the close of PHANTASM.
Reply
post #58 of 121
8/12/08 at 11:43pm
I kind of like the unresolved ending of Laurel Canyon. Christian Bale's relationship with his mother is still estranged, and now so is his relationship with his wife. She didn't cheat on him, but things are awkward, not wrapped up in a tidy package, and it has the feel of real life, with its ongoing problems. I like the way it ends on Bale, alone in the swimming pool, just not knowing what the fuck he is going to do.
Reply
post #59 of 121
8/12/08 at 11:47pm
Jacob's Ladder. A quiet and peaceful ending that has such a LARGE impact. Also, Soylent Green.

Also the already mentioned Invasion Of The Body Snatchers '78, The Thing, Escape From New York.
Reply
post #60 of 121
8/12/08 at 11:54pm
Has anyone mentioned Heat? Or THX 1138? Both sublime endings.
Reply
post #61 of 121
8/13/08 at 12:08am

Heat

Seconding Heat. Swipe: The interesting way McCauley's "promise" actually plays out - he does hesitate! And that shot of Pacino and De Niro holding hands as Bobby expires.... One of my favorites.

Can't believe I actually invisitexted that. If you haven't seen that movie by now, you don't belong in this website, let alone this thread.

I'd also like to throw a shout out for An American Werewolf in London. That last shot with the crying and the abrupt cut to credits and the Be-Bop version of Blue Moon. I always feel like I just got punched in the gut. In a good way.

But, that's a personal bias. It's my favorite movie of all time.
Reply
post #62 of 121
8/13/08 at 12:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erix View Post
I'd also like to throw a shout out for An American Werewolf in London. That last shot with the crying and the abrupt cut to credits and the Be-Bop version of Blue Moon. I always feel like I just got punched in the gut. In a good way.

But, that's a personal bias. It's my favorite movie of all time.
This is the ending that prompted the thing I wrote that prompted the thread. I am becoming increasingly fond of this ending.
Reply
post #63 of 121
8/13/08 at 12:16am
Doo-wop, not Be-bop.
Reply
post #64 of 121
8/13/08 at 12:16am
Heat's ending is made all the more better by the wonderful/iconic use of "God Moving Over The Face of the Waters."

I'm going to be controversial here and say that while I love the movie to death -- it's in my top 5 of all time -- the Great Train Robbery shot at the very end of Goodfellas always kind of bugged me. I love the use of it as punctuation, as an end to the story, but I think the ending just before that, with Hill's reaction to suburbia, is beyond perfect. That may be one of those that I'm just weird about, though.
Reply
post #65 of 121
8/13/08 at 12:17am
Thread Starter 
I've always been pretty ambivalent about that. If you're any kind of film person, it's pretty cheesy.
Reply
post #66 of 121
8/13/08 at 12:29am
Hammerhead. Thanx for the correction, I do believe you're right.

I'm glad I'm not alone with the American Werewolf admiration.
Reply
post #67 of 121
8/13/08 at 4:05am

The Quiet Earth

Speaking of "What the hell happens now?" endings, this is one of my favorites. Besides the dramatic impact, it's an incredibly arresting visual, with some great music backing it up.
Reply
post #68 of 121
8/13/08 at 4:28am
The Quiet Earth and Save the Green Planet mentions made me want to think up a few more. Really good choices.

There's always the Carrie, one last scare ending. A lot of films have used that one, memorably Candy Man.

Cronenberg always knew how to end a film abruptly. The Fly and Videodrome are good examples of that.
Reply
post #69 of 121
8/13/08 at 4:42am
Interestingly, Cronenberg deleted filmed final scenes from The Fly, Videodrome and The Dead Zone before release.
Reply
post #70 of 121
8/13/08 at 5:15am
When I was younger, the endings of Cronenberg films kind of annoyed me. They felt abrupt and unfinished. Now, I find that I really appreciate his refusal to keep going once the story is over. Films with unnecessary epilogues are now the ones that get on my nerves.

Yes, Return of the King, that was aimed at you.
Reply
post #71 of 121
8/13/08 at 9:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg David View Post
When I was younger, the endings of Cronenberg films kind of annoyed me. They felt abrupt and unfinished. Now, I find that I really appreciate his refusal to keep going once the story is over. Films with unnecessary epilogues are now the ones that get on my nerves.

Yes, Return of the King, that was aimed at you.
Wait, you mean we aren't past the point where people are still bitching about the end of ROTK and everyone realizes at long last that the Ring being destroyed is NOT the ultimate point of these films and would be far too abrupt to pay off everything that happens within the course of a 10 hour trilogy but that it's okay to say that you weren't connected enough to the characters to feel engaged by everything that happens after Mount Doom but one must also realize that that's their own connection to the material making the endings "too much" and not the fault of the film/Tolkien/Peter Jackson?

Oh.
Reply
post #72 of 121
8/13/08 at 9:48am
In recent times the ending that stuck most with me was the ending to United 93.

There is no twist to it, no revelation, just the matter of fact crash of the plane. I love that it is basicly shown from the perspective of the people inside the plane and it just recaptures the last view from the cockpit before the crash.

Though we all know how this movie is going to end it still captivated me to the point where I was rooting for the passengers to succeed. Greengrass did a near perfect job with his documentary style to approach that subject. And the matter of fact ending without pathos stuck with me for days. Though while I view this movie in highest regards I have no intention to view it again soon, just because it is so emotionally draining.
Reply
post #73 of 121
8/13/08 at 12:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gabe Powers View Post
Cronenberg always knew how to end a film abruptly. The Fly and Videodrome are good examples of that.
I know a lot of people who complain about the ending of A History of Violence. "So, are they gonna get divorced or stay together?" I have the urge to smack them every time I hear that.
Reply
post #74 of 121
8/13/08 at 2:03pm

A History of Violence

I absolutely love the quiet ending. And I love how it sells the theme that violence has a way of permeating so conclusively, that things, once fucked, can never be unfucked, and yet, there is a tiny, tiny glimmer of hope. And yet there isn't.

God damn, I love that film. What's Cronenberg doing next?

ETA:

Quote:
I know a lot of people who complain about the ending of A History of Violence. "So, are they gonna get divorced or stay together?" I have the urge to smack them every time I hear that.
Snap.
Reply
post #75 of 121
8/13/08 at 2:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Clark View Post
I know a lot of people who complain about the ending of A History of Violence. "So, are they gonna get divorced or stay together?" I have the urge to smack them every time I hear that.
Hahaha... now that's funny.


On the Private Ryan talk, it's my favorite film and the only film where I cried in the first five minutes. The whole opening sequence with grandpa Ryan walking to the Normandy graveyard got to me. My grandfather served in WW2 and it just reminded me of him and his service (which was pretty crazy).

I do think the morph shot is out of place, but I liked the fact that he asked his wife if he was a good man. It brings the film together IMO and it shows that Miller and co's sacrifice was worth it in the end. I never heard of the flag shot theory, but that's an interesting take on it. I think that Ryan "earned it" though.


On the overall topic, I'm gonna throw out Shawshank here. I absolutely love the ending. Everyone evil gets their comeuppance and the anchor of the film, Red, relives the plight of Brooks. I think one of the greatest scenes in film history is Red's walk to Andy's secret place. The music, the overall feel, and the way Red's lips quiver like he's about to cry when he reads Andy's letter.
Reply
post #76 of 121
8/13/08 at 2:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Muharulz View Post
I'm gonna throw out Shawshank here. I absolutely love the ending. Everyone evil gets their comeuppance and the anchor of the film, Red, relives the plight of Brooks. I think one of the greatest scenes in film history is Red's walk to Andy's secret place. The music, the overall feel, and the way Red's lips quiver like he's about to cry when he reads Andy's letter.
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

I cry like a bitch every time. The scene where he gets to the beach. And Tim Robbins looks at him... And they smile... And he begins to walk over... And Thomas Newman's beautiful score....

There, now you've done it. I'm blubbering like an imbecile just thinking about it.
Reply
post #77 of 121
8/13/08 at 2:41pm
Surprised it took so long to get to Shawshank. Great ending. Also surprisingly unmentioned: Empire Strikes Back. But we all know that.

I've always had an opinion about the brackets on Saving Private Ryan. I think there's no need for them, obviously, but the only really harmful thing is that it's Damon and not Ed Burns. If Spielberg really needed the epilogue it should have been Burns coming to Tom Hanks's grave and telling him exactly what Private Ryan did with his life-his job, how many kids he had, etc.-then I think the audience is crying, not just reeling from the last half hour.

Iron Man aside, the last movie ending that knocked me on my ass was There Will be Blood.
Reply
post #78 of 121
8/13/08 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arjen Rudd View Post
Iron Man aside, the last movie ending that knocked me on my ass was There Will be Blood.
PT Anderson is a genius when it comes to endings. Not only that... The final shots to all his films are absolute perfection and always charged with meaning.

Hard Eight. Boogie Nights. MAGNOLIA (especially)

Punch Drunk Love.

And There Will Be Blood probably trumps them all... Not only a great ending, but one of the best closing lines in history.
Reply
post #79 of 121
8/13/08 at 3:08pm
"I hope." Great call on Shawshank.
Reply
post #80 of 121
8/13/08 at 7:53pm
I'm actually one of a small group of people (and I know there's other members on the boards because we've talked about this before) that love the final shot but actually think the movie would've been just as good ending with Freeman riding the bus at the end without the scene on the beach. It's a difference of how much frosting you want on an already fantastic cake but it's worth noting.

Praise to whoever pointed out A History of Violence.

I don't believe anybody's brought up No Country for Old Men.

Two horror ones that haven't been pointed out: The original Omen and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Both absolutely fantastic final shots. I don't particularly care for TCM but the Leatherface dance is nightmarish.
Reply
post #81 of 121
8/13/08 at 8:01pm
As far as horror films are concerned, I think Inside had one of the most hauntingly beautiful closing shots in recent memory.
Reply
post #82 of 121
8/13/08 at 8:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakespeare View Post
I'm actually one of a small group of people (and I know there's other members on the boards because we've talked about this before) that love the final shot but actually think the movie would've been just as good ending with Freeman riding the bus at the end without the scene on the beach. It's a difference of how much frosting you want on an already fantastic cake but it's worth noting.
That's how the Stephen King story ends. It works fine. I believe Darabont's reasoning for the coda was that his entire approach to the film was the liberating power of hope, and he wanted to reward Andy and Red in a tangible way. Personally, I think it's one of the rare instances where the more ambiguous ending is the weaker version. It also plays nice with the ending of The Mist, which is great in it's own right. Hey, Darabont took two ambiguous Stephen King novella endings and made them explicit and improved both. I never thought of that.
Reply
post #83 of 121
8/13/08 at 8:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Brasky View Post
As far as horror films are concerned, I think Inside had one of the most hauntingly beautiful closing shots in recent memory.

Word. So disturbing and yet kind of moving as well.
Reply
post #84 of 121
8/13/08 at 8:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arjen Rudd View Post
That's how the Stephen King story ends. It works fine. I believe Darabont's reasoning for the coda was that his entire approach to the film was the liberating power of hope, and he wanted to reward Andy and Red in a tangible way. Personally, I think it's one of the rare instances where the more ambiguous ending is the weaker version. It also plays nice with the ending of The Mist, which is great in it's own right. Hey, Darabont took two ambiguous Stephen King novella endings and made them explicit and improved both. I never thought of that.
I certainly see what you're saying, like I said, it's not that I dislike the ending as it stands at all, I just think the hope message plays well enough with the ambiguity.
Reply
post #85 of 121
8/13/08 at 8:35pm
The 70's was like the decade of great endings. A few that come to mind:

McCabe & Mrs. Miller

Parallax View

One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest

the Deer Hunter
Reply
post #86 of 121
8/13/08 at 8:55pm
"Aliens." The flick has two climaxes and zero framing devices.
Reply
post #87 of 121
8/13/08 at 9:32pm
The Searchers, man. John Wayne standing awkwardly in that door frame tells you everything about that character.
Reply
post #88 of 121
8/13/08 at 9:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Clark View Post
I especially love Two Towers' ending, not just for the semi-sinister cliffhanger ("This way, Hobbits! Follow meeeee..."), but for the forboding shot of the border to Mordor that closes the film. It really shows you that for all their tribulations, the hard part is still around the corner.
I loved it because I remembered the end of Fellowship and how far away they were compared to this final shot. Seeing them that close made me gasp with anticipation.
Reply
post #89 of 121
8/13/08 at 9:40pm
Finding Neverland also has a beautiful final shot of Depp and little Freddie Highmore fading away, but the umbrella and hat remaining on the bench.
Reply
post #90 of 121
8/13/08 at 10:04pm
Sideways.

It left me wanting more. I could watch ten sequels about Miles as long as they were done as well as that movie.
Reply
post #91 of 121
8/13/08 at 10:15pm
Ran -- The blind man standing on the edge of the cliff, alone, a step away from disaster.

The Hudsucker Proxy -- "An' that's the story of how Norville Barnes climbed away up to the forty-fourth floor of the Hudsucker Buildin' an' then fell all the way down, but didn't quite squish hisself. Ya know, they say there was a man who jumped from the forty-fifth floor... but that's another story." This paired with the shot of the frisbee flying out the window and then panning up to the clock, it's magic.
Reply
post #92 of 121
8/13/08 at 10:24pm
Doesn't get any more perfect than COOL HAND LUKE.
Reply
post #93 of 121
8/13/08 at 11:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Muharulz View Post
Sideways.

It left me wanting more. I could watch ten sequels about Miles as long as they were done as well as that movie.
Lead me to the page where I can sign the Franchise petition.

Shit: Give me Sideways - The Series. With the same core cast. A weekly on HBO. I'll collect the entire series box set before it even exists.

But speaking of Alexander Payne and his endings, am I the only one whose adam's apple grew the size of a ripe Granny Smith during the last seconds of About Schmidt?
Reply
post #94 of 121
8/14/08 at 12:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erix View Post
But speaking of Alexander Payne and his endings, am I the only one whose adam's apple grew the size of a ripe Granny Smith during the last seconds of About Schmidt?
Too little too late for me. After the crushing depression of the rest of that movie, the ending just made me numb with crushing ennui.
Reply
post #95 of 121
8/14/08 at 9:01am
Not sure if it was previously mentioned, but The Thing has a rather fucking brilliant ending. The uncertainty of both men (and the viewer), yet the tense camaraderie... Perfect ending.
Reply
post #96 of 121
8/14/08 at 1:19pm
I'll call out Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.


It's ambiguous that you don't know what will happen to Jeff and Sen. Paine, but at the same time it brings some closure to the film as the bad guys go down in flames.
Reply
post #97 of 121
8/14/08 at 1:32pm

The Conversation

I will always love the way that film ends; I love the fact that he deconstructs the apartment, and then sits in a corner, playing the sax, while we're treated to a panorama of his destroyed apartment. Genius.
Reply
post #98 of 121
8/14/08 at 2:11pm
The Departed's ending was a recent favorite of mine. Always puts a smile on my face. The last shot is a little much, but the scene itself is great.
Reply
post #99 of 121
8/14/08 at 2:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin Clark View Post
Wait, you mean we aren't past the point where people are still bitching about the end of ROTK and everyone realizes at long last that the Ring being destroyed is NOT the ultimate point of these films and would be far too abrupt to pay off everything that happens within the course of a 10 hour trilogy but that it's okay to say that you weren't connected enough to the characters to feel engaged by everything that happens after Mount Doom but one must also realize that that's their own connection to the material making the endings "too much" and not the fault of the film/Tolkien/Peter Jackson?

Oh.
Yes, and all that makes it fascinating to sit through. Justify it all you like; it's still stupefyingly dull. It was put in there for the hardcore fanboys...you know, the same ones who all got their individual credits in the Extended Editions DVD...the rest of us were just expected to shut up and endure it.
Reply
post #100 of 121
8/14/08 at 2:54pm
I don't see Primal Fear on here anywhere. Great ending. Spiderman also had a really good ending.

Agree with the Haute Tension sentiments up there. Great movie with a terrible ending.

I thought The Bone Collector was a decent enough movie until the end. Once you find out who the killer is, (and then he gets a beat down from paraplegic Denzel) it ruins the whole thing. With that ending, it's one of the worst movies ever.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Movie Miscellany
CHUD.com Community › Forums › THE MAIN SEWER › Movie Miscellany › The Endings Thread