The end, end, end...
"Now students: On the second time through the music, make sure you take the coda."
"Teacher Jones?"
"Yes student Johnson?"
"I don't really feel like the coda belongs. It wraps everything up too nicely on that dum dum dum hit. I prefer the decrescendo after the first verse."
"Student Johnson?"
"Yes, madame sir?"
"Shut your f888ing face. The public wants to know that the song is over, so we're going to tell them, gods damnet! F888 you! F5 refresh!"
**************
Man, schools today are tense, eh? Coincidentally, though, this little peak into our nation's pedagogy parallels my feelings on codas in pop culture. I'm the student in the metaphor, of course, my future potential far outshining my teacher's (as I have yet to discover the meaninglessness of my existense). I don't have any teen angst, either, cuz I'm in band. I listen to classical emo, where chivalry still portends success, lo the years I must suffer to gain your father's approval, and so on...
The Happening
Here's a minor, script design spoiler that you can probably guess having read this far: The Happening has a coda. X months later we get some resolution that is, in my honest/humble/horny opinion, completely superfluous. I was interested in what was happening, when it happened. I don't really care what will happen in the future, if it isn't absolutely relevant to the core of the story I've been told. I'm already losing interest in cinema because I'm dissatisfied by the condensed nature of the medium, knowing that a resolution to all problems will likely be delivered to me within a couple of hours. Making this weakness even more obvious by delivering the resolution on a platter is slightly nauseating, especially when the platter's covered with mayonnaise! Weird!
Our nation's finest actors?
(Real spoilers hereafter for the movies that aren't The Happening)
I Am Legend
The same story goes for I Am Legend, with the coda even more obstructed by the question: How did the lady and her kid get out of Will Smith's zombovampire-infected house? The "happy ending" is arrived at without answering this crucial question, making the platter even more mayonnaise-covered. The movie works hard to create an intriguing, scary, possible (?) environment, only to take that all away in the end by essentially fast-forwarding to an alternate, fairy tale world where "everything is better." I didn't want to know that everything was better. That uncertainty was what made the movie interesting in the first place.
There Will Be Blood
(Disclaimer: Jigsaw ordered me to deconstruct this film that "stole my *cough* catchphrase." I will now be killed for revealing his hand in this, but know that I did it for you, Meredith! You always told me to be more honest! Now, perhaps you will love me, if only for... the moment before.... I... glug glug glug....)
The milkshake seems to have developed into this film's iconic legacy, but, on a lot of levels, I would rather never have gone there. I didn't need to know that the son was going to marry that girl, or that Daniel Plainview would completely lose his way. No, it might not have made storytelling sense to have had any of these most revealing of moments exist earlier in the film; however, I don't really think the story needed these ends. The characters were developing well enough in the direction they ultimately headed, so leave me with some ambiguity and spare me the old person makeup I so despise in every movie not titled Mrs. Doubtfire.
28 Days Later
I know there is an epic Blogulator argument to be had with this film's two main endings (not the bicycle halluconegenic one), and I am throwing my hat in the second ring, with the ending that didn't originally feature in American theaters. I couldn't care less at this point whether our hero died or not. I just didn't want to be shot another 28 days into the future to be delivered another hopeful ending. I think the Chris of this blog would say something about the "hopeful" ending actually being more depressing, in that it revealed the conceit of the characters' isolationism. That's all fine and good, but surely the film could have done that without jumping ahead in time. I'm being nitpicky (for the purpose of justifying my thesis), yet so much happens in the couple of days we witness; who knows what could occur in the time we miss? End the story at the end of the story, which, in my mind, is oft ill-served when extended beyond the primary timeframe.
*********
This issue is by no means a case of Western exceptionalism, with most of the anime I've watched dedicating a few minutes at the end of the series to explain how everything turned out. Nevertheless, Japanese food doesn't taste good soaked in mayonnaise either.
When I leave my seat, I want to feel like I just climbed down from a tower upon which I'd observed some incredible event. I don't want the tower razed beneath me as a ghost carries me into the future to assure me that I can drive home knowing all that will be. I don't want to be God.
If things have to be tied up, then do so via an amateur surfing/singing contest. Blue Crush and Crossroads can teach good movies a thing or two.
Our nation's finest actors!
"Teacher Jones?"
"Yes student Johnson?"
"I don't really feel like the coda belongs. It wraps everything up too nicely on that dum dum dum hit. I prefer the decrescendo after the first verse."
"Student Johnson?"
"Yes, madame sir?"
"Shut your f888ing face. The public wants to know that the song is over, so we're going to tell them, gods damnet! F888 you! F5 refresh!"
**************
Man, schools today are tense, eh? Coincidentally, though, this little peak into our nation's pedagogy parallels my feelings on codas in pop culture. I'm the student in the metaphor, of course, my future potential far outshining my teacher's (as I have yet to discover the meaninglessness of my existense). I don't have any teen angst, either, cuz I'm in band. I listen to classical emo, where chivalry still portends success, lo the years I must suffer to gain your father's approval, and so on...
The Happening
Here's a minor, script design spoiler that you can probably guess having read this far: The Happening has a coda. X months later we get some resolution that is, in my honest/humble/horny opinion, completely superfluous. I was interested in what was happening, when it happened. I don't really care what will happen in the future, if it isn't absolutely relevant to the core of the story I've been told. I'm already losing interest in cinema because I'm dissatisfied by the condensed nature of the medium, knowing that a resolution to all problems will likely be delivered to me within a couple of hours. Making this weakness even more obvious by delivering the resolution on a platter is slightly nauseating, especially when the platter's covered with mayonnaise! Weird!
Our nation's finest actors?I Am Legend
The same story goes for I Am Legend, with the coda even more obstructed by the question: How did the lady and her kid get out of Will Smith's zombovampire-infected house? The "happy ending" is arrived at without answering this crucial question, making the platter even more mayonnaise-covered. The movie works hard to create an intriguing, scary, possible (?) environment, only to take that all away in the end by essentially fast-forwarding to an alternate, fairy tale world where "everything is better." I didn't want to know that everything was better. That uncertainty was what made the movie interesting in the first place.
There Will Be Blood
(Disclaimer: Jigsaw ordered me to deconstruct this film that "stole my *cough* catchphrase." I will now be killed for revealing his hand in this, but know that I did it for you, Meredith! You always told me to be more honest! Now, perhaps you will love me, if only for... the moment before.... I... glug glug glug....)
The milkshake seems to have developed into this film's iconic legacy, but, on a lot of levels, I would rather never have gone there. I didn't need to know that the son was going to marry that girl, or that Daniel Plainview would completely lose his way. No, it might not have made storytelling sense to have had any of these most revealing of moments exist earlier in the film; however, I don't really think the story needed these ends. The characters were developing well enough in the direction they ultimately headed, so leave me with some ambiguity and spare me the old person makeup I so despise in every movie not titled Mrs. Doubtfire.
28 Days Later
I know there is an epic Blogulator argument to be had with this film's two main endings (not the bicycle halluconegenic one), and I am throwing my hat in the second ring, with the ending that didn't originally feature in American theaters. I couldn't care less at this point whether our hero died or not. I just didn't want to be shot another 28 days into the future to be delivered another hopeful ending. I think the Chris of this blog would say something about the "hopeful" ending actually being more depressing, in that it revealed the conceit of the characters' isolationism. That's all fine and good, but surely the film could have done that without jumping ahead in time. I'm being nitpicky (for the purpose of justifying my thesis), yet so much happens in the couple of days we witness; who knows what could occur in the time we miss? End the story at the end of the story, which, in my mind, is oft ill-served when extended beyond the primary timeframe.
*********
This issue is by no means a case of Western exceptionalism, with most of the anime I've watched dedicating a few minutes at the end of the series to explain how everything turned out. Nevertheless, Japanese food doesn't taste good soaked in mayonnaise either.
When I leave my seat, I want to feel like I just climbed down from a tower upon which I'd observed some incredible event. I don't want the tower razed beneath me as a ghost carries me into the future to assure me that I can drive home knowing all that will be. I don't want to be God.
If things have to be tied up, then do so via an amateur surfing/singing contest. Blue Crush and Crossroads can teach good movies a thing or two.
Our nation's finest actors!Labels: DoktorPeace, Movies
This entry was posted by DoktorPeace, on
Tuesday, June 17, 2008.
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Wow it took a lot for me not to read your paragraph on The Happening. When are we going to get around to seeing this movie, Qualler et al? Never?
I agree 100% on I Am Legend. If you haven't seen the alternate ending floating around on the Internoob, I suggest looking for it.
Obviously I agree with you on the other two. Here's my argument for Blood (as you've heard mine for 28 Days many a bonfire-lit night under the stars): If the movie had ended ambiguously, it would have completely clashed with who Daniel Plainview was. For such a determined, clear-cut, and menacing figure, he needed to have finality to his epic battle with Eli. As did we the audience, as we were going on the ride with Plainview, not with Eli, the story, or the setting. Letting this conflict go unresolved (which I, like you, often much prefer) would have been the easy way out WITHOUT adding anything to the film. Unlike 28 Days where there is a distinct time period we're following, or I Am Legend, where there WAS a character we were following that they decided to forget about and lamely honor with a voiceover as the fair tale ending comes to fruition, the final scene of Blood is yet another period in Plainview's life, as we have been following him for years since his first travails in the world of oil, and we DON'T have an unnecessary coda where we're at Eli's funeral with a smirking Plainview or something that truly IS unnecessary. Plainview slowly loses his mind throughout the film, and something has to be a result of that, and thus we have the bowling alley denouement - the ultimate 7-10 split KNOCKED OUTTA THA PARK.
Seriously though, that alternate 28 Days ending is soooo trashy and hasty.
Psst... you're probably right on with Blood, here. I just have an aversion to movies that jump through time so much. The ending is probably not so much a coda as it is an ending.
Ah well. Jigsaw made me do it. Oh yeah, I think I'm dead because of that or something.
Glug.
Speaking of 7-10 splits, I totally had a dream last night where I invented a new kind of bowling so as to avoid the 7-10 split, using two bowling balls. I also had a dream last night that I was sharing a dorm room with Paal and Joe and they were totally excited to get bunk beds together, and then I realized I had a condo too, but instead of being like "Why did I get a dorm room?" I was like "Sweet! I have two homes now!" But I digress...
I disliked the I Am Legend ending a lot (I thought the whole movie went to crap when the other people showed up), but I disliked the alternate ending (the one not in theaters) even more. The entire movie I was hoping the zombies weren't going to turn out to be "people too" or whatever.
I think the movie should have ended with Legend, still alone, sitting at that desk with his dog's corpse next to him while the sun set. Ah, well. Maybe that's how Hancock will end.
if you like movies that just end and leave you hanging, you should watch john carpenter's 'the thing'. it's this early 80's horror movie that totally just ends at the right point. it also has kurt russell in it and wilford brimley. infinite points!
personally, i don't care too much either way on how movies end. usually the ending doesn't ruin a movie for me but rather the entire film leading up to that ending. if the bulk of the film itself hasn't impressed me, the ending isn't likely to change anything.
Dave, if you read the book (which is pretty awesome), then the alternate I Am Legend ending makes a lot of sense. These people aren't monsters, they're people with a terrible disease, so of course we should see it from a differing perspective rather than Will Smith being the almighty good guy and they're evil and that's that. That's boring. It's still doesn't make the movie good (I thought it started sucking when the woman and child showed up as well), but I think it's a whole hell of a lot better than the happily ever after.
Sean, you are so right about The Thing. What a movie! What happened to John Carpenter? Oh yeah, now he's directing an episode of Fear Itself. So sad.
I totally agree that a good ending doesn't save a bad movie, but I do think a bad ending can pretty much ruin an otherwise good movie, a la I Am Legend. I love the first 2 acts of it (minus the terrible CGI), but then it just goes in the complete opposite direction of everything that was interesting about the story in the first place.
we should see the happening soon. maybe next week. i'll have my people call you.
I don't know if a bad ending ruins a movie for me, so much as it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and constantly requires me to say "I liked it except for the ending," which takes a lot of energee. I'm remembering now that I did say this after Blood, and that I thought the jumping ahead in time was the easy way out. Maybe I do still have an argument in me somewhere in the future.
By the way, I've also come to the decision that I liked the ending of The Village. Any takers?
Sorry, Doktor, you saying that you liked the ending of The Village to certain members of The Blogulator (i.e. Chris and Brigitte) is akin to giving everybody ice cream and telling them to stay home from work. They loved it! Me, I am not the biggest Shymalan fan, but I do appreciate how he is always pretentious enough to show up with wise words in all of his movies, and the end of The Village probably ranks as my favorite of his pretentiously showing up in his own movie moment.
Now, if you were to say that you think The Wire is overrated, then we'd be having a fight.
Cool! Like mint chocolate chip!
I don't think I just came to that Village decision so much as I never had the confidence to voice it before. Now that I've experienced an erection, though, everything is different.
The first time is always the most special, isn't it, Doktor?
Oh yeah, THE VILLAGE. It really is like a guardian angel has gracefully set his/her wings upon the nape of my neck whenever someone comes out of the closet and realizes how amazing that movie is. Whenever I ask people how they think it should have ended, they don't have any better ideas. Ever since Lady in the Water (and Signs even), I've felt odd about being in the minority of Shyamalan defenders, but now, Doktor, I feel soooo strong.
the village is genius. one of my favorite movies of all time. definitely. welcome to the club, doktor.
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