The All-Time 50 BEST MOVIE ENDINGS
After watching THE DEPARTED
for the 2nd time last night,
I'm convinced that it will knock off
at least one of the movies listed here:
50 BEST MOVIE ENDINGS OF ALL TIME
I'm glad that www.filmcritic.com
has BEFORE SUNSET at #20,
which has possibly the most romantic crazy=in-love
and definitely the sweetest & sexiest
ending of any movie in the past 20 or so years!!
Here are some of my other favorites from the list:
50. The Blair Witch Project (1999) - The movie isn't particularly scary... at least until the last two minutes, which take the tension level from 10 to 100 at an exponential pace. The final seconds -- wherein a member of the cast is spotted, back turned and facing a corner, as an unseen spirit does away with the remaining member of the crew, who's been filming all of this in a panic-stricken run through an abandoned house -- rank as some of the most terrifying moments ever put to film. It gives me chills just to write about it. -CN
37. Rocky (1976) - As Bill Conte's score soars in the background, a bloodied Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and a hatless Adrian (Talia Shire) finally proclaim their love for one another. And in the distant background, a ring announcer tells a frenzied crowd that our hero has actually lost the fight that held us captive for an entire final act. In one dramatic move, two shy nobodies find their hearts and nothing else matters. -NS
21. The Usual Suspects (1995) - For two hours, Kevin Spacey's spineless Verbal plays helpless lamb being lured to Chazz Palminteri's slaughter. But with the drop of a coffee cup, and the shaking off of a limp, the true identity of a criminal mastermind is revealed. -SO
20. Before Sunset (2004) - Cooler than pre-Scientology Isaac Hayes in Antarctica eating popsicles and drinking iced coffee, Julie Delpy dances and sings Nina Simone in front of Ethan Hawke and croons, sexy as they come, "Baby, you're gonna miss that plane." Delpy has never been given enough time on screen to fully capture audience appeal, but in this moment, she has it over any hip chick this side of Santa Monica. -CC
17. Planet of the Apes (1968) - Charlton Heston (as a lost astronaut) spends most of this modern classic convincing a dominant ape race that man can indeed communicate and reason. And while there's plenty of irony and social commentary there, co-writer Rod Serling's trademark storytelling really surfaces in the final scene. As a cowboy of sorts, a half-naked Heston grabs his woman and rides his horse into unknown territory... but quickly finds that many have been there before him. In an ending worthy of the greatest Twilight Zone zingers, Lady Liberty's head and torch emerge from the sand. And Heston drops to his knees and damns us all to hell. We got it coming. -NS
16. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Lethal fight scenes, great dialogue ("I love you." "I know."), a traitorous Billy Dee Williams, and the biggest paternal twist in sci-fi history. And then the final shocker: Han Solo is still frozen, and he's not getting out 'til the next movie! What!? Empire turned George Lucas' universe on its ear, raising his franchise's bar to a height no Star Wars sequel or prequel managed to touch. -SO
4. Casablanca (1942) - "Louis, I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" and one of the best movie endings – so good it was recycled as the ending of at least one great film, Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam . Like the rest of Casablanca, the last scene is now the stuff of cliché, but that's because there are so many dang quotable lines. -DB
They just don't make movies like this one anymore!!
for the 2nd time last night,
I'm convinced that it will knock off
at least one of the movies listed here:
50 BEST MOVIE ENDINGS OF ALL TIME
I'm glad that www.filmcritic.com
has BEFORE SUNSET at #20,
which has possibly the most romantic crazy=in-love
and definitely the sweetest & sexiest
ending of any movie in the past 20 or so years!!
Here are some of my other favorites from the list:
50. The Blair Witch Project (1999) - The movie isn't particularly scary... at least until the last two minutes, which take the tension level from 10 to 100 at an exponential pace. The final seconds -- wherein a member of the cast is spotted, back turned and facing a corner, as an unseen spirit does away with the remaining member of the crew, who's been filming all of this in a panic-stricken run through an abandoned house -- rank as some of the most terrifying moments ever put to film. It gives me chills just to write about it. -CN
37. Rocky (1976) - As Bill Conte's score soars in the background, a bloodied Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and a hatless Adrian (Talia Shire) finally proclaim their love for one another. And in the distant background, a ring announcer tells a frenzied crowd that our hero has actually lost the fight that held us captive for an entire final act. In one dramatic move, two shy nobodies find their hearts and nothing else matters. -NS
21. The Usual Suspects (1995) - For two hours, Kevin Spacey's spineless Verbal plays helpless lamb being lured to Chazz Palminteri's slaughter. But with the drop of a coffee cup, and the shaking off of a limp, the true identity of a criminal mastermind is revealed. -SO
20. Before Sunset (2004) - Cooler than pre-Scientology Isaac Hayes in Antarctica eating popsicles and drinking iced coffee, Julie Delpy dances and sings Nina Simone in front of Ethan Hawke and croons, sexy as they come, "Baby, you're gonna miss that plane." Delpy has never been given enough time on screen to fully capture audience appeal, but in this moment, she has it over any hip chick this side of Santa Monica. -CC
17. Planet of the Apes (1968) - Charlton Heston (as a lost astronaut) spends most of this modern classic convincing a dominant ape race that man can indeed communicate and reason. And while there's plenty of irony and social commentary there, co-writer Rod Serling's trademark storytelling really surfaces in the final scene. As a cowboy of sorts, a half-naked Heston grabs his woman and rides his horse into unknown territory... but quickly finds that many have been there before him. In an ending worthy of the greatest Twilight Zone zingers, Lady Liberty's head and torch emerge from the sand. And Heston drops to his knees and damns us all to hell. We got it coming. -NS
16. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Lethal fight scenes, great dialogue ("I love you." "I know."), a traitorous Billy Dee Williams, and the biggest paternal twist in sci-fi history. And then the final shocker: Han Solo is still frozen, and he's not getting out 'til the next movie! What!? Empire turned George Lucas' universe on its ear, raising his franchise's bar to a height no Star Wars sequel or prequel managed to touch. -SO
4. Casablanca (1942) - "Louis, I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" and one of the best movie endings – so good it was recycled as the ending of at least one great film, Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam . Like the rest of Casablanca, the last scene is now the stuff of cliché, but that's because there are so many dang quotable lines. -DB
They just don't make movies like this one anymore!!
posted by spanx at 12:48 PM
1 Comments:
I think the Usual Suspects just might be the best one on the whole list .. I have to admit, the first time I watched it, I just didn't buy it .. I had to watch it all again, knowing what Verbal was adding up in his ming the whole time, and than it worked just perfectly
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