Monday Movie Meme - On Surprise Endings...

New-to-me bloggers, The Bumbles, host this pretty cool meme about movies!

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

This week's movie topic is all about Surprise Endings...

I LOVE surprise endings, and I think it takes a truly great moviemaker / screenwriter to pull them off well. Here are some of my favorite surprise-twisted movies:

The Prestige starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johannson.

Alfred Borden and Robert Angier battle each other over the secrets of the magician they both aspire to be. Stalking one another, spying on and stealing tricks of the trade, both men grow to hate the man they used to be partners with and hope to outdo the dazzling prestige of the other. Directed by Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan, this is a deceptively period movie with sharp twists and turns, stunning effects, and an-out-of-nowhere ending that's totally killer...

Armagaeddon, starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Oscar Wilson, and Will Patton.

I cry every time I watch this movie! A Texas-sized meteor is hurtling towards Earth, and the best space teams on the globe are at a loss on how to save us from total annhilation. Leave it to Bruce Willis and his oil-rig team to save the day (and provide a load of laughs, gut-wrenching family moments, and proof that there are real life, everyday heroes all around us)! My absolute favorite Willis film, with absolutely spectacular performances by an all-star cast!

The Sixth Sense also starring Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, and a very, very young Haley Joel Osment!

This one's directed by my absolute favorite director, M. Night Shyamalan, and the one that put him on the map. Psychiatrist Malcolm Crowe meets an all-new type of subject when confronted with the demons of young Cole Sear, a boy who claims to see dead people. The ending just simply comes out of nowhere, and leaves you absolutely stunned...and blindsighted! It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay, if that tells you anything!

Witness for the Prosecution starring Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich.

It might be old, but it's a surprise ending that was even kept secret from the Queen of England!

Based on the book and play by Agatha Christie, Witness for the Prosecution tells the story of a man accused of thrid-degree murder, and the main witness who could get him sentenced to death: his own wife! Stellar performances by both Power and Dietrich, and probably THE surprise ending to beat all surprise endings. It's pretty incredible! It seems so obvious once you know...but you'll have no idea on your first viewing.

These may not be "scary" surprise endings, but they definitely leave you agape. These are the kinds of movies that you don't want to spoil!