[spoilers request] Who is "Keyser Soze"?

[barsoomcore]

You want to know a secret?
Most everyone else does NOT watch those movies with all their antennae up to try and glean every scrap of information they can for the sole purpose of mulling it over and trying to guess the ending before the ending is revealed.

Hey reap, want to know a secret? Most everyone else does NOT undergo a prefrontal lobotomy before they enter a movie theatre. Writers need to keep that in mind.

If I guess the ending of a story before I reach the ending, it's not MY fault -- it's the WRITER's fault. It's called, "Being a poor writer." Part of being a good story-teller is keeping the audience in the dark just the right amount, and revealing information just at the right moment. Something the writer of, say, Identity, was not very good at.

A little less undeserving condescension, please, sir. First, prove your superiority. Then flaunt it.

 

[Piratecat]

You bring up an excellent point. I love good screenwriters, such as the guy who wrote and directed Memento (who is also directing Batman 5); now there was a movie that kept me guessing and made me think. If I go see a "suspense" flick and get sloppy plotting, it's just going to really irritate me.

 

[barsoomcore]

Yeah, I came out of Momento going, "Now, did that ACTUALLY make sense? And if it did, was it ACTUALLY clever?" and then realised that just by making me have that thought, he'd pulled it off. Curse him.

 

[Berandor]

I figured out Identity's ending before I even saw the movie (and I haven't yet)
As soon as the reviews talked about the surprising ending, I thought, "What would be the most suprising and audience-cheating ending possible?", got the answer, and was sure, "Yeah, that's it."
So when a friend of mine went into the movie, and came out telling me about the great ending, I simply asked,

Spoiler

"It's all in the mind of one person?"

And when I later saw adaptation, it all made sense...

Usual Suspects is a good enought film that it kept me partly guessing and partly not wanting to guess, so it worked.

 

[Mog Elffoe]

Part of the problem with films like these is that you'll read reviews, or hear people say things like, "You'll never figure out the ending of this one!" I remember phrases like this going in to movies and will often try to figure out what's what. It turns into a challenge.

Because someone had told me it was impossible to figure out who Keyser Soze was I went into The Usual Suspects already thinking to myself, "Okay, now which one of these guys could it be?" Likewise, I was able to figure out who Tyler Durden was before he was even introduced in Fight Club because of the tagline "Who is Tyler Durden" that was played in all of the Fight Club commercials.

I went to see The Sixth Sense opening night and had heard nothing about it beforehand. The end of that movie surprised me, which was a lot of fun.

When you already know that there's a twist, or a surprise ending it tends to actually strip the twist or surprise from the movie. A movie that can truly blindside me and give me a surprise is a real pleasure.

 

[kingpaul]

Actually, quite a few of us were blindsided by it, thanks.

Count me in this group...I didn't see it coming and was floored when it ended. Great movie. My tapes getting worn out, will probably have to buy it on DVD.

 

[kingpaul]

Don't bother watching the movie and going thru the ups and downs of the characters - just cut right to the chase and spoil the ending - that way, you're 'better' than everyone else. Props to your massive brains!

*chuckle* This is actually one of the reasons my dad, at least by what he says, didn't watch Titanic...the boat sinks, end of story.

 

[Sirius_Black]

The Usual Suspects twist I did not see. The Sixth Sense twist I did see coming. Why? Because I had read reviews and heard friends talk about a surprise ending they didn't see coming. Thus, when I looked at the film, my observational skills were on high power and I quickly picked up what the twist ended up being.

Still, I in no way felt as if I enjoyed the movie any less. Both of the above films are really well done and feature vastly superior writing than most films that come out.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Ha! I'm more pathetic than any of you. I figured out Sixth Sense's surprise ending without ever having seen the movie. I haven't even seen anything more than the trailer.

Spoiler

It just screams "Jacob's Ladder"

 

[ASH]

Nope I pretty much figure out the ending to a movie before the end..I can not say that I did for fight club, but that was because a freind told me the ending before I ever saw the movie...
The Cigarette was a big clue to me as well...


It actually makes the movie better for me. I usually only consiously try to do it at movies that would be considered to be Thrillers, or suspence flicks.
I have an overactive imagination and if I am not trying to give the movie some logic, well, it will scare the hell out of me. I dont like slasher, or horror flicks if there is no logic, or mystery involved for me to focus on.

I have opted to not see a lot of them for that very reason.