Entertainment For Lively Minds
Best and Worst - Twists
Posted by Carl Parker on 8 February 2010 - 7:35pm.
Spoiler alert: If you haven't seen the Best & Worst lists in the new issue and you worry about knowing them in advance, come back later.
The Sopranos - the twist surely is that we, the viewers have been assassinated. We suddenly find everything black. All the references and hints - the man who went to the toilet; the orange juice earlier; the "communion" of eating the onion rings, Tony and Pussy's discussion way back about when you get whacked, it all goes black.
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I recall seeing that theory somewhere,
might even have been in The Word.
I'm not claiming authorship
I just think it is the best and most coherent of the various explanations I've come across for the end of The Sopranos.
Sorry Carl,
I wasn't suggesting you were claiming it.
Ok
Thanks for clearing that up.
Seen It Here First!
"Whacked Audience" theory was posted on this website > 2 years ago:
www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/final-episode-sopranos
Glad to see it is gaining some recognition now!
Can I also say...
... I disagree about No Country For Old Men. Mainly because its not a twist (hitman gets target?).
The whole point about Chigurh is that he's less of a hitman, more of an unstoppable force of nature (like death). It doesn't matter how he gets Moss, he just will.
As for the car crash, don't forget that Chigurh's preferred method of killing leaves no evidence. On this occasion there's a chance that someone, a witness, anyone could link him to a killing (Moss's wife) if they think quickly enough. They don't, which matches the "am I too old or is the world too violent" theme which permeates the film.
Word people, WRONGITY WRONG!
it was the mexicans what done it
i agree with everything you said here Ganglesprocket - except for the fact that Chigurh doesn't get Moss - he's mown down by the mexicans. I had to watch a couple of times (then read the book) to realise this.
Dallas
I thought the 'Bobby in the shower dream' ruse was wonderful at the time, and even now its gotta be on The Best side of the page for kitsch value alone.
The Prestige
Christopher Nolan film from a couple of years ago has one of my favourite twists of all time. I thought of all sorts of things while I was trying to work it out, but the eventual twist (and twist upon twist afterwards) really took me by surprise.
Coachspotters,
Nerdotrons and sci-fi-loving chewing gum collectors everywhere will be gobsmacked that anyone could leave the last episode of the third season of "Lost" out of the "best" list. The flashback that was really a flashforward? No-one's ever done that before.
Day Of The Jackal...
.... when the police think that CHArles CALthorpe (CHACAL, see? Pay attention at the back please) is the Killer, codename Jackal....then at the very end when they are turning over Calthorpes flat, Charlie Boy walks in... they got the right man, but by targetting the wrong one! There the film ends, no explanation. Quite brilliant.
I disagree
with a few of the 'worst' ones but thats the point I guess.
I thought the end to Life On Mars was perfect, completely in keeping with what had gone on before and the use of Bowie's title track as Sam took his last leap was incredibly moving.
If you want a shit twist then look at the USA remake of LOM - the whole series was a blip in an AR programme caused my a meteor shower, Gene Hunt is his dad, the female copper is the ships computer, other coppers are his fellow astronauts and they are onboard the first manned mission to, yes, you guessed it, Mars!
Also thought the fake regeneration in Dr Who did exactly what it set out to do, create a cliffhanger that would have the nerds and non nerds talking and guessing til next week. Don't say a little bit of you wondered if they had cast a new Doctor in total secrecy. Alternatively everyone knew that the Master was coming back for weeks before it happened.
Life On Mars
I hated the end of LOM, though I'd be hard-pressed to call it a twist, just a poor ending that short-changed the character and the audience - I genuinely felt conned, just an opinion of course!
And the US ending had an extra element, inasmuch as the mission to Mars was to search for martian genetic material, a "gene hunt" if you will... still tenuous, but it was cancelled suddenly and this was their way of tailing it off.
No Way Out
A forgotten but very fine Kev Costner thriller from the late 80's had the most fantastic twist. And also a really good bit where Kev and Sean Young get up to rudies in the back of a limo.
This was a good Kevin Costner film...
... (something of a rarity) - Gene Hackman was in it as well - can't recall the twist but remember the rudies.
Just No Way
I thought that twist was absolutely rubbish. I thought the film was OK without being great, but that the twist was just an attempt to get people walking out going "Wow, what an end". Instead I left thinking "Pah, pish and twaddle".
Maybe...
...that's why I can't remember it.
I'll refresh your memory as regards the other bit.
Kev and Sean in the limo. Which I post not for tittilatory purposes but because, er, um, there's a really good soundtrack to it. Yes. That's it. The soundtrack. Especially the bit where he's taking her stockings off. That's a really good soundtrack bit.
Thanks Len!
As far as soundtracks go, it's one of the best I've seen.
I was wondering about The Others.
It's based on The Turn of the Screw, as is The Innocents. But is the twist unique to The Others or does it also occur elsewhere? All I can remember of The Innocents is the hedges at the end...
The Others
I think the twist is unique. I think Turn of the Screw and The Innocents ends with the funeral of one of the main characters so he's definitely not a ghost up to that point.
Olly Moss has the last word on twists...
Rosebud
Citizen Kane was spoiled for me by a Peanuts strip. When I finally saw the movie I got unreasonably angry at Charles Shulz. Spoilers should be a choice.