Pop quiz!

Mar. 26th, 2014 09:20 pm
theweaselking: (Default)
[personal profile] theweaselking
Best movie to walk into blind, knowing nothing about the premises or the plot. You're permitted to understand and recognise genre tropes, but you should NOT know any specific things, including what genre the movie is, before you sit down in a dark room with popcorn to watch it.

My contribution: Dark City.

Yours?

(Of course, you should not explain WHY your movie is The Best Movie To Walk Into Blind. That would kinda defeat the purpose.)

Second-order question: What if you're allowed knowledge of previous movies in the series or by the same director, but must walk in blind to the current iteration? For that, I suggest T2: Judgement Day.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 01:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] metahacker.livejournal.com
The Wizard Of Oz. (My mother, seeing it in its first run, cried bitter tears when first seeing it because it was one of those stupid movies still in _black and white_...)

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 02:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] theweaselking.livejournal.com
I suspect that one may be more context-dependent than others. BUT OKAY!

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Date: 2014-03-27 02:22 am (UTC)
frith: Cosgrove/Onuki (anime retelling) (Twilight Sparkle season 2)
From: [personal profile] frith
That happened to me once. The movie was Across the Universe. It was glorious. Still a-glow, I made this post in tribute, which I kept stickied (via dating it forward) at the top of my journal for quite a long time.

I walked in to the movie only knowing this: the title and that it was in English, in an area where seeing a movie in English is a rare event. And it turned out to be a really, really good movie.

So why was walking in on this movie blind was a good thing? Because I had no expectations and no preconceptions, either of which may have discouraged me from bothering to go see it at all.

For the second order question: rejected. If I know a movie is a sequel to something I've seen and remember, or if I have an idea of the type of product to expect from a director, I am not walking in blind to see that movie. That is not much different from going to see the Lego movie after seeing a few ten second clips and a few blogs from people claiming to have enjoyed it.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 02:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] theweaselking.livejournal.com
The second-order question is predicated on the sequel being a trick or a change from the original, or blowing away a major point of backstory. T2, my example, works VERY HARD to prevent you from knowing which time traveller is the good one - up until the moment Arnie grabs John Connor and shields him with his body, there's no indication (outside the fucking trailer) that the roles of assassin and bodyguard have been reversed from the first movie.

Another one, to a smaller degree: "No, Luke. *I* am your father."

It's about movies where there's a surprise, best experienced blind, either predicated on what you know in advance or surprising *even though* you know what you know in advance.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 03:12 am (UTC)
frith: Cosgrove/Onuki (anime retelling) (Rainbow Dash evasive)
From: [personal profile] frith
2nd order question: That's how I approach any movie or t.v. episode I've decided I want to see. For instance, MLP:FIM is rife with leaks, trailers and spoilers galore. I do my best to avoid them. Just the title, genre and which character is starring in almost too much info, in just about anything. If I say: Die Hard X, Bruce Willis, cruise ship, you have pretty much all need to guess the plot. There are going to be terrorists, Bruce Willis is going to crawl through ducts, insults will be traded.

... I'm trying to think of a sequel that has no bearing at all on what occurred before... Maybe Highlander? Pitch Black? Aliens?
Edited Date: 2014-03-27 03:18 am (UTC)

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-29 07:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] torrain.livejournal.com
Hallowe'en 3: Season of the Witch.

Also Phantasmagoria 2, moving to video games.

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Date: 2014-03-29 12:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lafinjack.livejournal.com
...there's no indication (outside the fucking trailer) that the roles of assassin and bodyguard have been reversed from the first movie.

Hmm, I never thought about it like that. That definitely makes it more interesting.

I also wish they hadn't cut this part:

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 02:40 am (UTC)
ext_22548: (rogue)
From: [identity profile] cmattg.livejournal.com
You're cheating by suggesting T2; that movie deliberately subverts expectations that will be raised by knowledge of the first movie.

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Date: 2014-03-27 02:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] theweaselking.livejournal.com
... and then fails them IN THE TRAILER.

Holy crap, I hate that trailer.

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Date: 2014-03-27 02:42 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] theweaselking.livejournal.com
I kinda want to suggest The Matrix.

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Date: 2014-03-27 02:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jagash.livejournal.com
I kinda want to second that suggestion.

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Date: 2014-03-27 08:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thornae.livejournal.com
Allow me then to inform you that you are correct, because I did. (Although, as with Wizard of Oz, context is somewhat important).


There were a bunch of us in town for a wedding - mostly geeky, gothy sorts. We had an afternoon free, and someone said "Hey, let's go see that new Keanu movie - the costumes look pretty slick."
And so off we went, in our Docs and trenchcoats full of high-tech devices, knowing nothing more than that the poster was pretty cool.

Turned out that a bunch of other geeky gothy types in town had all had the same idea, so it was pretty much a cinema full of the ideal target audience, most of whom were coming to it with no expectations. At the end, when Neo does the jump inside Smith and explodes him, someone yelled out "Telefrag!" and the enitre theatre exploded with laughter.

One of my friends was even carrying a Nokia 8110 (which doesn't actually pop open like the one in the movie does, although Nokia fixed that in the 7110, which was my favourite phone ever).

It remains the best cinema viewing experience I have ever had.

(And stands in stark contrast to the viewing of Star Wars Episode 1, which was pretty much the opposite. Such high expectations. So very, very let down.)


Also, as a footnote, most of us had seen Dark City, and later on during coffee discussion, someone said "That was the film that Dark City wanted to be." I like Dark City, but I kinda agree.
Edited Date: 2014-03-27 08:57 am (UTC)

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-29 12:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dominitus.livejournal.com
That was my first thought. After I saw it, and then realised a good friend of mine had never seen it, I made sure I shielded him from any spoilers, then took him to see it. It was towards the end of its run and the cinema was practically empty except for us. It was a fantastic experience.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 08:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aeduna.livejournal.com
I approve of Dark City.

Not sure I can pick the best one.... but I sort of want to pick one with a twist (What a twist!) ... Options would include

12 monkeys
Sixth Sense - I actually went in with no idea what it was about, and quite enjoyed it.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 01:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dionysus1999.livejournal.com
I second Sixth Sense. I was lucky enough to avoid spoilers. Was not expecting to even like the movie.

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Date: 2014-03-27 08:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] trail-of-fire.livejournal.com
The first time I watched Dark City I missed the first 5 minutes where they explain what's going on; I started when he wakes up in the bathtub.

This made the entire movie exponentially better.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 09:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thornae.livejournal.com
Okay, so a few suggestions of my own.

Fight Club.

Children of Men.

Being John Malkovitch.


And, for "knowledge of previous movies by same director," Brazil.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 09:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] harvey-rrit.livejournal.com
Wow. It's hard to compete with Dark City.

So I'll just say Unbreakable.

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Date: 2014-03-27 03:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chrisrw109.livejournal.com
Dammit! That was going to be my second choice. Unbreakable was one of M. Night's best flicks. Anyone know why he stopped making movies after that?

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Date: 2014-03-27 06:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] harvey-rrit.livejournal.com
He didn't. Unfortunately, one was Signs, which was weak, one was The Village, which was lame, and one was Lady In The Water, which was too intelligent for the critics to understand (besides which one gets eaten by a shrubbery).

He also did After Earth, which, on reflection, goes a long way to answer part II of the question. See it if you haven't yet.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 06:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] theweaselking.livejournal.com
"Anyone know why he stopped making movies after that?" is the Shyamalan equivalent of "Don't be silly, nobody would make a sequel to Highlander. That wouldn't make any sense!"

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 07:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] harvey-rrit.livejournal.com
My best guess for those two clunkers is that he was bitten by Gore Vidal under a full moon.

(Which doesn't explain After Earth. Maybe there's a cure?)

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-29 12:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lafinjack.livejournal.com
I'd have also liked to have seen what they did with the Matrix story, but unfortunately they only made the one movie.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 09:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] charleysjob.livejournal.com
Last night I saw Psycho on the big screen, so my answer today is: "Psycho" (The original, obviously. I mean, no one would re-make Psycho, right? That would be freakin' dumb)
Which also works for your second-order question, since Psycho was a very different kind of movie than Hitchcock's others, and basically anything useful you (thought you) knew about a Hitchcock movie also gets covered by "genre tropes" and "the title of the damn movie"

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 10:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jayblanc.livejournal.com
Adaptation.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 12:32 pm (UTC)
matgb: Artwork of 19th century upper class anarchist, text: MatGB (Anarchist)
From: [personal profile] matgb
No foreknowledge whatsoever, including seeing the previous movie supposedly in the same sequence. Highlander 2.

It's immeasurably improved if you've zero knowledge of either the film itself or of the first film.

(Note, it's still not a good film, but it's a lot better if you know nothing about the first film.)

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 02:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nojay.livejournal.com
Tremors. It's a haunted-house movie yeah trope trope trope but nothing happens in the dark, even the interiors are well-lit and the exteriors are desert-bright. The mad survivalist character is the hero (well Burt's MY hero anyway), no-one ever says "Let's split up we'll be safer that way" etc. etc. You keep waiting for the dumb to strike the scriptwriters but it never does and about halfway through it you settle down and just enjoy the ride.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 03:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chrisrw109.livejournal.com
My answer to Number 1:

The Spanish Prisoner.

For Number 2:

Aliens

If you go in to it after seeing the first, with no prior knowledge, you are not expecting the balls-to-the-wall action flick you get.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-29 12:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dominitus.livejournal.com
Aliens was also my pick for sequel. Both films are great in their own way, but Aliens: Special Edition is in my top 5 favourite films.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 04:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nomadmwe.livejournal.com
The Usual Suspects

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Date: 2014-03-27 04:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] workroom.livejournal.com
Die Wand (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745686/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Warm Bodies (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173/)

and of course Amélie

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 06:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] evcelt.livejournal.com
I thought "Dark City" just before reading that sentence in your post.

Other possibilities:

Destiny Turns On The Radio
City of Lost Children

Oh, and FWIW, the first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark I had no idea of its plot, genre, etc. I walked into it knowing the following things: Spielberg. Lucas. Ford. That's it.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 11:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] andrew montpetit (from livejournal.com)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 11:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] skiriki.livejournal.com
Pitch Black is pretty good on "walk in blindly" (pun not intended). Natural continuation would be of course The Chronicles of Riddick, since, well.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 11:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] quotation.livejournal.com
Upstream Color.

Holy crap, Upstream Color is the perfect movie for this question.

I've already said too much.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-27 11:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kittikattie.livejournal.com
The Lego Movie.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-28 12:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] peristaltor.livejournal.com
Ah, that happened to me recently. I got a movie in the mail on my account. I thought it was one thing when I chose it; it totally was not.

Branded. OMFG, you have to see Branded!

The second one is trickier. I suppose for maximum distance between versions, Desperado applies. Kind of a remake of El Mariachi; kinda not.

For movies by the same director, though, Spy Kids. Definitely. Unexpected.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-28 01:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pappy-legba.livejournal.com
I saw Kung Fu Hustle under those exact circumstances-- I had never heard of it at the time; it was the second part of a double feature in a second-run movie house. It remains one of the best cinematic experiences of my life.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-29 12:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lafinjack.livejournal.com
Hudson Hawk.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-29 09:54 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thornae.livejournal.com
Yes.


I understand that many people hate it, but they are wrong.

(Also, reading Richard E. Grant's "With Nails" makes it clear just how much of the stuff I love about it was a combination of pure chance and a really good editor.)

But I can't pay the rent!

Date: 2014-03-29 07:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lafinjack.livejournal.com
One little Die Hard movie seemed to make everybody forget that they laughed at the comedic talents of Bruce Willis for YEARS on Moonlighting, then were shocked, SHOCKED, that he dare try a comedic role in a movie.

The whole production/budget/promotion thing being a boondoggle didn't help, though.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-29 04:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] stormfeather.livejournal.com
What about Watership Down?

I mean, it's a cartoon movie. About bunny rabbits. We all know what to expect, right?

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-29 09:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thornae.livejournal.com
Oh hey, thought of another one - which I also walked into knowing nothing about except my friend was really keen to see it.

Akira.


Imagine walking in to see that, no knowledge of anything about it, and all you know about anime is having watched Robotech on Saturday morning cartoons for a few years.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-03-31 01:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aaron (from livejournal.com)
The Fall

Slipstream (though not a stupendous movie, I think I'd have enjoyed it more if I hadn't seen the cheesy trailer)

...and maybe Cabin In The Woods? I'm open to rebuttal. :)

(no subject)

Date: 2014-04-10 01:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cassies-file.livejournal.com
Detention. It's a very hard move to predict and expect, so far easier to just suggest watching blind.

(no subject)

Date: 2015-01-01 11:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] coyotegoth.livejournal.com
Eraserhead (not last because prior knowledge 1) is completely moot, and 2) might scare you away).

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