I’ve only seen Magnolia once, but I’m sure that next time I see it I will still laugh as much when I see the silhouettes falling down the curtains.
I heard the twist for the Sixth Sense on the radio before I saw it, and tho I was sorry it wouldn’t be surprised, I did enjoy watching to see how well it was set up - I wasn’t disappointed.
Luckily, no one spoiled No Way Out for me… hubby and I sat in the theater predicting the ending to one another, and we were both wrong… it was great!
and I try not to spoil for others… either with movies or with books. “Did you get to the part where he kills the puppy yet?” AAAAAAUUUGH!!!
I watched The Usual Suspects on video at my boyfriend’s bequest. He told me that I’d be blown away by the ending. Uh, NO. Saw it coming from the first. I mean, duh.
I saw The Crying Game right after it came out in the theatres, and thought it would be just another IRA movie. When I saw that penis, I nearly fell out of my chair. And don’t be discouraged if you haven’t seen it, see it anyway, it’s worth it. You may still not believe that Jaye Davidson is a man.
I saw Sixth Sense on video, and hadn’t heard anything about it (miracle), so I was totally surprized by the ending (I never figure out twists early, on my own).
Sometimes, a film is done so well that even if you know how it ends, it still works. No, not Titanic. I mean Apollo 13. I knew exactly what had happened and how it was going to turn out. I even knew some inside stuff (Jack Swigert’s sister was a client of mine). But I was still on the edge of my seat. Love Ron Howard.
I had Fight Club sort of ruined for me. My roommates had seen it the week before, and rented it the next week for all of us to watch. They were extremely excited, saying that the ending was amazing, but they weren’t going to say what it was.
But everytime there was a subliminal shot of Brad Pitt in the beginning, they would lean real close and compare notes. So I say, “So, Brad Pitt is actually Edward Norton? Thanks for ruining it.” To which they would defend themselves by saying they never said anything. No, you didn’t say anything, but you completely give away very subtle points that vaguely piece together later. Thanks a lot.
I was at the video store behind some guy who was buying the entire PBS series on “the Civil War”, as he left I whispered to the clerk “don’t tell him how it ends.”
Anyhow, didn’t appreciate the folks who told the ending to Basic Instinct, either.
I read some article about The Truman Show where someone involved in the making of the film was going on about how proud they were of the beginning, where at first it seems like Truman is just this regular guy but slowly it becomes obvious that something funny is going on. Well, duh. Everyone in the audience knew that the guy’s life was a TV show, that’s the whole premise of the movie!
The worst is when people start prattling on about a movie’s “surprise ending” right in front of you, then turn to you and ask what you thought about it. The conversation usually goes something like this (this is exactly how I found out about the ending to the movie):
THEM: So, what did you think about the ending of Sixth Sense, with Bruce Willis turning out to be dead and all?
ME: Well, I haven’t seen Sixth Sense yet, and had managed to keep myself from finding out the ending until now.
THEM: What?!?!? Why didn’t you say something?!? Why haven’t you seen it before now?!?
…etc. etc., as if it’s my fault I hadn’t seen the flick. Ah, well, I never get around to doing anything, so I guess it doesn’t matter in the long run.
I usually figure out the twist ending before they happen, with two notable exceptions:
Primal Fear (I just didn’t see it coming)
The Usual Suspects