THE USUAL SUSPECTS 1995

zombie no.one · January 09, 2021, 05:24:13 AM

This has now overtaken GOODFELLAS as my favourite movie of all time. I saw it when it came out, and I've watched many times since, I watched it twice last week, and I have yet to fail in discovering something new every single time I watch it. It still manages to give me goosebumps. No matter how preposterous the set up/plot is, I've never seen a film with such an intricate or tightly woven narrative. But at the same time it manages to have some kind of 'blockbuster' appeal. Apparently it was low budget but it feels glossy and high budget to me.

I have a friend who's about as obsessed with HEAT as I am with TUS, and yet I can't get into HEAT at all... so what do you guys think of USUAL SUSPECTS? genius, overrated, or average?

zombie no.one · January 09, 2021, 05:25:45 AM

NB: I know Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer have been very bad (...alledgedly?), not suggesting their actions as people come into this thread but I understand it's awkward.

Alex · January 09, 2021, 05:40:55 AM

Wasn't Spacy cleared? Could be wrong but I thought I heard that the charges against him had been dismissed.

zombie no.one · January 09, 2021, 06:12:56 AM

I don't actually know... I did listen to a 2 hour interview with his brother Randy Fowler recently. Spacey cut all contact with him once he started acting. apparently their father was very abusive. but yeah, don't really want to go down that road here...

Gabriel Knight · January 09, 2021, 09:01:19 AM

Amazing movie, indeed. I've watched it multiple times, even when you know the ending, the appeal it's there. I recommend to read the trivia in imdb, there's tons of funny and interesting stuff right there.

Allhallowsday · January 09, 2021, 01:46:45 PM

It's a good movie. I admit, bad press can make a performer difficult to look at.

zombie no.one · January 09, 2021, 01:51:52 PM

yeah... I'd like to think I can seperate 'art' from the 'artist', but for example I'm never watching the JEEPERS CREEPERS movies again. - and yet Bryan Singer's allegations seem really dodgy, so maybe I'm being hypocritical?

Quote from: Gabriel Knight on January 09, 2021, 09:01:19 AM
Amazing movie, indeed. I've watched it multiple times, even when you know the ending, the appeal it's there. I recommend to read the trivia in imdb, there's tons of funny and interesting stuff right there.

will do! I've got the double dvd version but it's from 2002 I think... before a lot of companies realised you can fit a movie AND the special feature/s on one disc. there isn't that much in the way of extras

Allhallowsday · January 09, 2021, 02:25:06 PM

Quote from: zombie no.one on January 09, 2021, 01:51:52 PM
yeah... I'd like to think I can seperate 'art' from the 'artist', but for example I'm never watching the JEEPERS CREEPERS movies again. - and yet Bryan Singer's allegations seem really dodgy, so maybe I'm being hypocritical? ...

"Singer" is that the director of JEEPERS CREEPERS? If so, he also directed POWDER...? They're both good, but his inclinations are referenced in both stories. Yet, I do not have to look at him. That helps a lot.

zombie no.one · January 09, 2021, 03:30:46 PM

no the JEEPERS CREEPERS ones were directed by Victor Salva who was actually convicted of abusing a child star of another movie he directed, before that...

Can I steer this back to some USUAL SUSPECTS discussion?

zelmo73 · January 11, 2021, 05:39:14 AM

Quote from: Allhallowsday on January 09, 2021, 01:46:45 PM
It's a good movie. I admit, bad press can make a performer difficult to look at.

After Spacey got into trouble, it really made Se7en (1995) a much better film to watch knowing how creepy that he is in real life.

zombie no.one · January 11, 2021, 11:15:48 AM

SE7EN is cool, I rewatched that for the first time in maybe 20 years a few months ago and it holds up

I've been reading a bunch of negative USUAL SUSPECTS reviews on imdb, and interestingly they seem split between those who were annoyed that the twist was way too obvious, and those who were annoyed that the twist meant it would've been impossible to guess from the clues provided in the film...