Category Archives: Plot Twist

2012, Clever Plot, Complicated, Crime, Gangs, Imperfect, Mayhem, Plot Twist, Sci-Fi, Violent

Looper (2012)

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From NetFlix:

In the year 2042, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a Looper, a hired assassin for the mob who kills people sent from the future. But what will he do when the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination?

Bruce Willis should not attempt to cry in a film. In a B-film this is probably not the end of the world. In no way does Joseph Gordon-Levitt suggest a young Bruce Willis. Never mind the acting.

“Looper” tells a potentially complicated story about time-travel, although it lets its narrator looper explain slowly and carefully what looping is all about. If you need help with the details you could read the Wikipedia explanation.

What adds interest to the film is not so much two instances of the same person trying to kill each other, but the human interest involving Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) the narrator: Is his life really pointless? Will he find love?

For me the most fascinating part involved Sara and her son Cid. Pierce Gagnon is one of the best child actors I have ever seen. IMDB does not give his age. At times I could not believe that so seemingly young a child could express so much in a role. His vacillations between rage and a childlike composure were something to watch.

Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the plot.

2011, Clever Plot, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Explicit sex, FBI, Made For TV, Mental Illness, Military, Nudity, Plot Twist, PTSD, Sex Scenes, Spy Theme, Suspense, Torture, Wonderful acting

Homeland (2011)

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From NetFlix:

When Sgt. Nicholas Brody, an American prisoner of war, returns home after eight years of captivity, frantic CIA agent Carrie Anderson suspects the Marine of having been turned into an Al Qaeda terrorist in this espionage drama from Showtime.

At the urging of a neighbor, I have started watching season 1 of “Homeland”. For months the title sat at the top of my NetFlix queue before it finally arrived. This TV series deserves to be so popular.

Part terrorist film, part treatment of family problems of a Marine returning from Afghanistan, this film is hard to stop watching. Acting is excellent. Expect a lot of surprise twists.

If Claire Danes (who plays Carrie Mathison) was not well known before this TV series, she will certainly make her mark with this work. She plays an FBI agent looking for a terrorist while taking medicine to combat her manic depression.

Damian Lewis (who plays Nicholas Brody) is actually British. His American accent is flawless. You might remember him as Soames Forsyte in the British TV series “The Forsyte Saga”.

Morena Baccarin (who plays the wife Jessica Brody) first came to my attention as the alien queen of the remake of the TV series “V”.

Currently only season 1 is available on DVD because season 2 is now playing. Because the story is so intriguing you won’t forget season 1 while you wait for season 2.

DON’T MISS THIS TV SERIES!

2011, Acceptable Trash, B-movie, Frenetic, Horror, Imperfect, Mayhem, Mediocre, Occasional gore, Plot Twist, Satirical ultra-violence, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Unusual, Violent, Zombies

The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

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From NetFlix:

In this twisted thriller from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, five friends arrive at a secluded cabin with clear instructions for their anticipated mountain getaway. But when the rigid rules are broken, punishment is swift — and everyone will pay. Kristen Connolly, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth and Brian J. White star with Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford in this surprising spin on a classic horror setup.

At some point while watching this acceptable piece of horror trash you will probably wake up and say “This is really stupid”. But hold on … Granted that I do not watch many horror films, as in “seen one, seen all of them”, this almost-stinker is probably one of the most original horror flicks I have seen. Following the usual script of “a bunch of friends travel together to a secluded location when all of a sudden …” in fact ALL OF A SUDDEN the film takes an unexpected turn which caused me to say “Wait a minute: is this really a horror film or some sort of a satiric prank?” Lo and behold there stand Richard Jenkins (the father ghost in “Six Feet Under”) and Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman in “The West Wing”) in a different setting. You will spend the rest of the film trying to figure out what is happening. Along the way you get to see the usual assemblage of zombies, slashers, creepy monsters, nightmares come to life, etc. That part (the ghoul parade) is the ho-hum part. Rather the interesting part is the juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate story threads. In addition, the dialog is tongue-in-cheek and sometimes funny.

Sigourney Weaver must really need the money. Her walk-on towards the end of the story is ludicrous. In fact, the hypothesis of the entire film is ludicrous. Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford must also be desperate for acting work. Chris Hemsworth plays Chris Hemsworth.

Because I am retired, I can waste the time watching this silly but somehow intriguing farce. Can you afford to waste your time?

2011, Car Chase, Clever Plot, Complicated, Conspiracy, Crime, Frenetic, Love Story, Norwegian, Nudity, Occasional gore, Plot Twist, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent

Headhunters (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Living way beyond his means, corporate recruiter Roger Brown steals rare artwork to maintain his lavish lifestyle. But when he plans to boost an especially valuable painting, he targets a man who has headhunting skills of a different variety.

Hold onto your seats because this plot twists and turns like an angry alligator. From one minute to the next you will be surprised by all the unexpected, and usually violent, events.

In Norwegian with subtitles, even though the actors are Norwegian, still there is a surprise in store. Just how the names of the actors are pronounced is beyond me. Aksel Hennie as Roger Brown and Synnøve Macody Lund as his drop-dead beautiful wife Diana were excellent actors that I have never seen before. However, I kept staring at Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays the villain Clas Greve and wondering where had I ever seen this Norwegian actor. Surprise … he played Jaime Lannister in the TV series “Game of Thrones” (which you should NOT miss!) where he seemed to speak perfect English.

Much of the plot has Roger Brown running for his life from one horrible experience to another. But his ingenuity is remarkable.

Expect an incredibly satisfying ending. But you have to also expect unending suspense.

2002, Crime, Frenetic, Mediocre, Plot Twist, Satirical ultra-violence, Vulgar

The Hard Word (2002)

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From NetFlix:

Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton and Damien Richardson play three brothers — Dale, Shane and Mal — who are out on bail and awaiting trial for armed robbery when they decide to attempt one more massive heist before they’re hauled off to jail. To top it off, their criminal lawyer (Robert Taylor) is sleeping with Dale’s wife (Rachel Griffiths). Oh, what a tangled web they weave — but will everything unravel?

By “satiric violence” I refer to films like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). This current film is nowhere near as violent (but people do get shot). As just another “major heist goes wrong” film, there is nothing special here. However, there are funny unexpected little bits here and there. Think of the film as part of a Guy Pearce festival.

Just OK, but fun enough.

2009, Basically Sad, Crime, Detective, Imperfect, Italian, Love Story, Nudity, Plot Twist, Quiet, Sex Scenes

The Double Hour (2009)

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From NetFlix:

In the wrong place at the wrong time, Sonia takes a bullet to the head during an art robbery. She survives, but later finds herself haunted by visions. Her mysterious past, meanwhile, comes to light under the watchful eye of a suspicious policeman.

Unfortunately the plot of this Italian film (with non-optional subtitles) is somewhat flawed. Sonia’s double life does not really work or even matter to the film except in some trivial details. For the following reasons this film might be worth viewing:

  • There are some surprise plot twists.
  • All the actors do a good job at their craft.
  • Ambivalence and an underlying sadness lend some urgency to the plot.
  • Listening to an easy Italian is fun.

Nothing special, but I enjoyed the film.

2011, Dark, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Kidnapping, Medical Theme, Mostly About Sex, Not Recommended, Nudity, Plot Twist, Rape, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Spanish, Unusual, Violent

The Skin I Live In (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Brilliant plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard seeks to overcome the grief of his late wife’s disfigurement in a fiery car crash by inventing skin that’s impervious to injury. But his experiments on a living woman hasten his descent into madness.

Only Almodóvar could dream up such a weird film. Of course, sexual ambiguity is his specialty. An aging Antonio Banderas plays a somewhat expressionless jack-of-all-trades surgeon who does creepy things with his scalpel. Half way through the story there is a plot twist that I did not expect. This twist (a bit tough to experience) changes whatever you thought you understood. For me the ending was like a METRO bus that just came to the end of the line, i.e. it just stopped.

Expect to see two rapes, much nudity, and a story that is not for everyone.

2011, DO NOT MISS, Grim, Plot Twist, Suspense, Violent, Wonderful acting

Retreat (2011)

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From NetFlix:

While visiting a remote island, a couple (Cillian Murphy & Thandie Newton) encounters a man (Jamie Bell)– who apparently washed up there — claiming a lethal virus has spread through Europe. The couple must decide whether to trust the stranger and figure out how to survive.

If you can stand the harsh and raw suspense, this film is dynamite. Not only is the acting superb but the plot keeps twisting. Cillian Murphy was the Timekeeper in In Time (2011). Thandie Newton was Makemba ‘Kem’ Likasu in the TV series “ER”.

Today I read an article in the New York Times bemoaning the fact that none of our new lineup of male film stars seem to last. Jamie Bell (who was “Billy Elliot”) did an excellent job in this film. Let’s hope that his career lasts.

Expect a really rough journey and if you can stand it, DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!

2011, Mediocre, Mystery Film, Plot Twist, Psychological Thriller, Supernatural, Suspense, Violent

Dream House (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Daniel Craig plays Will Atenton, a successful businessman who forsakes New York City for the rural pleasures of New England, only to discover that the tranquil abode he’s moved into was the scene of an as-yet-unsolved multiple homicide. Drawn reluctantly into the mystery surrounding the tragic events, Will and his wife (Rachel Weisz) soon begin finding plenty of reasons to worry about their own safety in this psychological thriller.

Another haunted house film ? Not really. In fact the plot twist here is clever and unexpected. Unfortunately the details at the end are easy to miss. For help in this respect see the Wikipedia plot summary. Also our hero gets some ghostly help that just seems like cheating.

Give it a “B”. There are better films out there.

2010, Arabic, Complicated, Could Be Hard To Watch, French, Grim, Plot Twist, Prison, Rape, Redemption, Slow, Violent, War

Incendies (2010)

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From NetFlix:

When their mother’s will implores them to deliver letters to the father they thought was dead and a brother they never knew about, twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) journey to the Middle East and attempt to reconstruct their family’s hidden history. Adapted from a Wajdi Mouawad play, director Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated drama flashes back to intense scenes set during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s.

Yet another film that is hard to watch, “Incendies” dramatically is better than The Whistleblower (2010). Just be aware that the pace of the film is very slow.

In a certain sense the film involves solving a mystery in which two twins after the death of their mother are asked in her will to find their father and a brother that they had never heard of up to the mother’s death.

Languages are French and Arabic with (subtitles) because the action takes place during the incredibly confusing 1970 Lebanon civil war. If you are confused by the end of the film, try reading the Wikipedia summary which for me explained things I had missed (especially towards the end of the film). You may be surprised by the final piece in the puzzle.

Although this is a brutal film, it is not as explicit as The Whistleblower (2010).

For me watching this film was well worth the patience required.