> I would love to see more movies that leave
> me shocked at the end because, God forbid,
> the movie wasn't predictable.

Now I would have to take issue with that. Not that I like predictability or any such nonsense; I just would prefer that, in the movies I go to see, the good guys win the day. I saw "Fallen" awhile back, and I must admit that the ending was a serious letdown and greatly diminished my enjoyment of the movie. The reason for this is that I don't watch movies to get depressed. Please; if I wanted to watch a pathetic loser who fails to reach his goals and all that rot, I'd rent a mirror. They're cheaper anyway.

When I watch movies, yes, I do like to be surprised. But I also expect (and want) a resolution that leaves me feeling satisfied and generally good about mankind. This differs from literature primarily in the manner in which I look at it; popular movies (we're not talking "Apocalypse Now" or "Citizen Kane" here, but pop flicks like the aforementioned "Fallen") I tend to view as a distraction, much like reading a pop novella or some such. I watch them as an "escape;" they serve as a way for me to get away from my own troubles and enter another world briefly. And when I enter that other world, I want it to be a place in which hope triumphs and good, as I said, carries the day.

On the other hand, movies like "Apocalypse Now" and "Citizen Kane" compare more to classic literary works like "For Whom the Bell Tolls" or "1984" (and, needless to say, "Heart of Darkness") in that I wouldn't read them to escape, I would read them for the experience of reading such a profound, classic work. Therefore, I am not averse to their having less-than-cheery endings.

I guess my point is that there are two distinct types of movies. Since your post referrs to the majority of movies (or whatnot), I can only assume that you are speaking of pop movies. And, no, I don't want more of them where the good guys lose out and the bad guys win.

Dar "War is Peace / Freedom is Slavery / Ignorance is Strength" ien