The most f*cked up ending of all time, Frank Darabont’s THE MIST shows you the devastating decision that Thomas Jane is forced to make to spare his son and friends a fate worse than death. Left alone, surrounded by death, he decides it is time to let himself be eaten by the awful creatures that populate The Mist. But, instead the Mist parts and everyone is saved. Five minutes too late and you have an ending that will forever be burned into your soul.
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PRISONERS is one of the best movies of 2013 and better be recognized for the performances of Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Jackman in particular fully embodies a father desperate to save his missing daughter and every dad who sees this movie will be able to relate. The lengths he goes to in order to find the truth is astounding and very hard to watch. A brilliant drama and thriller with an ending you probably didn’t see coming, it also leaves a hanging plot thread that will really leave you down in the dumps.
Best Picture nominee last year and Best Foreign Film winner, AMOUR is yet another depress-fest from director Michael Haneke. This time the story focuses on an elderly couple as the wife succumbs to a stroke and he must care for her despite his own impairments. As the stress of caring for her takes a toll, Georges can do the only thing that shows how much he loves Anne: he tells her a story and then smothers her to death. Beautiful, in a way, but also one of the biggest downers ever put to film.
The literal sucker punch in MILLION DOLLAR BABY is also one for the audience as this movie that starts out like the female version of ROCKY turns into one of the most depressing movies ever made. Hilary Swank’s character begs Clint Eastwood to euthanize her as he wrestles with that decision. In the meantime, her family is doing everything they can to take her fight money while she simultaneously tries every method possible in her crippled state to try and kill herself. Definitely not the kind of movie to show people in an old folks home.
One of the best novels ever written, THE ROAD became an equally powerful movie. Chronicling a man and his son traversing a post-apocalyptic America, you are forced as the viewer to see what a father will do for his child, even if it means at the cost of his own life. I defy you to watch THE ROAD and not feel completely wrecked by the end. A hard movie to watch and one with a silver lining if you really look for it, but you have to look hard.
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If you have ever been in a relationship where you have fought with your significant other to the point that the cops have been called, The Wheelers make you look like The Brady Bunch. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD is a sad portrait of a dissatisfied couple as their marriage unravels. It could not be more depressing to watch these people who were in love say the most horrifying things to one another on a path that leads to nothing but sadness and death. A devastating movie to watch despite brilliant performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
THE CONSTANT GARDENER is a politically relevant movie that garnered Rachel Weisz a much deserved Oscar. But, Ralph Fiennes performance is the true winner here as he travels the globe trying to unravel the truth behind the death of his wife. What follows is a geopolitical thriller that makes you think about real world issues and at the same time keeps you at the edge of your seat. And just as you start to hope that the main character will get his closure, the rug is pulled out from under you.
Lee Daniels had the difficult job of making a film about an inner city girl surviving a life of abuse and making it more than a melodramatic Lifetime original movie. PRECIOUS turns out to be a damn fine movie with great performances from the entire cast. Mo’Nique in particular delivers one of the most disturbing mothers ever put on the big screen. Before seeing this movie I wrote it off as being another overhyped awards contender. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. Just prepare not to smile for quite a while.
While Christians the world over revere Jesus Christ for the sins he died for, Mel Gibson’s film of his death revels in the suffering he endured. Despite the uplifting ending showing Christ in full Terminator mode as he returns to life, the preceding two hours are a horrific and painful exercise in how long you can stare at flayed flesh as it is ripped from a man’s back. Kudos for the intensity but damn if it doesn’t leave you feeling like crap.
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Neil Marshall’s THE DESCENT is one of the best horror movies of the last decade and as we all know, horror movies rarely end on a positive note. But, THE DESCENT ends on a spectacularly bleak note. In the US cut, the ending is much more positive while the original version reveals that our main character is only dreaming of surviving the horrific fate that her friends suffered.