My Most Disturbing Movie Experiences

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38.

Cast Away



This movie was a triumph for director Robert Zemickis and for star Tom Hanks and as well made as the film is, I have no desire to ever watch it again. I found this film a very troublesome watch. First of all, the plane crash is one of the most terrifying and realistic ever mounted for a film...Zemeckis really found a way to put the viewer inside that plane and made us feel like we were sitting right next to Hanks, clutching his seat and the picture of his girlfriend (Helen Hunt) as the plane hits the water...I was literally holding my breath and couldn't figure out how this guy could possibly survive. Zemeckis also went places with this kind of story that had never been broached before. Hanks actually finds the body of the pilot and is observed going through his wallet...I had never seen a plane crash drama before where one of the dead bodies was discovered by a survivor. It was unsettling watching Hanks' first few moments on the island, arrogantly assuming that the rescue teams were already en route. The story gets even more uncomfortable as the man actually has to learn how to stab fish with a stick in order to eat. I literally had to turn away from the screen when the man developed a toothache and had to pull out his own teeth. However, the worst part for me was the man's relationship with Wilson. Its sad that the man is so lonely and that he is becoming so emotionally shredded that he develops a friendship with a volleyball. The scene where he loses it when the volleyball falls off the raft is just heartbreaking. It's a well made movie, but there's no way I could ever sit through it again.



37.

The Wrestler



As I mentioned in my review of this film, it just broke my heart...Randy "the Ram" Robinson describes himself as "a broken down old piece of meat"...a professional wrestler whose glory days are behind him but he's in denial about it. It was so sad watching this guy trying to sustain a career that has not only wreaked havoc with his health, but has destroyed his relationship with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). Even the relationship he has with a stripper (Marisa Tomei) is a sham, which he is also in denial about. This film just keeps piling more and more misfortune on this poor schlub. At one point, the man gives up and gets a job in a deli, but even there, we have to watch him have a total public meltdown that's just painful to watch. This movie is just heartbreaking and as brilliant as Mickey Roarke is, I seriously doubt I will ever be able to watch it again.



Alot of workers in the business hate this movie. It really is too spot-on for how many end up. Not all, but enough. People say the movie is loosely based off Jake "The Snake" Roberts life. Jakes life ended up being worse as he was severely addicted to crack cocaine. He is sober now, healthy, and doing work with D.D.P. and his Yoga series. Go figure. Glad that the real life ending was better than the movies.



You mean me? Kei's cousin?
Mom went to see that when she was 17 on release day because she wanted to go see an R-rated movie for the first time; she'd turned 17 months prior, but she had my older sister during that time. She couldn't sleep for three days. She says it really is "the scariest film of all time." It's one of the few movies, along with Angel Heart, and Wishmaster, I think, that she truly regrets seeing. To this day, 43 years later, Mom wishes she'd never seen The Exorcist. When I was 10, she told me all about everything that happened in the movie, from Linda Blair's (that's a little disturbing, because Mom's name is Linda) head spinning around (a screenshot of this scene later popped up on, and scared the living hell out of, me because two girls got on my computer and did all the things I explicitly told them not to) to Father Karras (as she described it) being "thrown out the window by that ol' evil thing," and warned me to never watch it; I respect her wishes and, to be frank, have no desire to see it, never did and never will. Basically, yep, I can see why it's on this list from what Mom described.
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Look, Dr. Lesh, we don't care about the disturbances, the pounding and the flashing, the screaming, the music. We just want you to find our little girl.



Mom went to see that when she was 17 on release day because she wanted to go see an R-rated movie for the first time; she'd turned 17 months prior, but she had my older sister during that time. She couldn't sleep for three days. She says it really is "the scariest film of all time." It's one of the few movies, along with Angel Heart, and Wishmaster, I think, that she truly regrets seeing. To this day, 43 years later, Mom wishes she'd never seen The Exorcist. When I was 10, she told me all about everything that happened in the movie, from Linda Blair's (that's a little disturbing, because Mom's name is Linda) head spinning around (a screenshot of this scene later popped up on, and scared the living hell out of, me because two girls got on my computer and did all the things I explicitly told them not to) to Father Karras (as she described it) being "thrown out the window by that ol' evil thing," and warned me to never watch it; I respect her wishes and, to be frank, have no desire to see it, never did and never will. Basically, yep, I can see why it's on this list from what Mom described.
Great story, Steve, thanks for sharing.



What did you hate about Cast Away?
I didn't hate it, but I found it very difficult to watch...did you read what I wrote underneath the poster? I think it explains my discomfort with the film.



I didn't hate it, but I found it very difficult to watch...did you read what I wrote underneath the poster? I think it explains my discomfort with the film.
Sorry, just realized you were talking to Cricket and not me.



What did you hate about Cast Away?
I saw it when it came out and I just thought it was one of the most boring movies I'd ever seen. My wife didn't like it either.



Personally, I like Castaway. I used to be bothered by the ending (after Tom Hanks gets back home). It's so heart breaking and such a downer, but I've come to appreciate the speech he makes at his friend's house about how you never know what the tide will bring in.

Had probably the weirdest theater occurrence with this film - went to see it with one of my late friends at the movies, the place was almost empty. We sneaked in a large alcoholic beverage under my coat to share! My friend was quite heavy and he's on one side of me, then this guy who was a complete stranger comes and sits on the other side of me, and he was quite large. The stanger had an almost empty theater of seats to choose from and he plops down next to me! So now I'm trapped between my fat friend and this fat stranger. We didn't know what to do - since the guy chose to sit right next to us, to move seemed somehow rude on our part. Never saw anything like it. My friend and I passed our drink back and forth and watched the film next to the heavy stranger. (I would have felt a lot more comfortable crying at the loss of Wilson if the stranger wasn't right next to me - meanwhile, my friend was blubbering like a little girl!)



Personally, I like Castaway.

Had probably the weirdest theater occurrence with this film - went to see it with one of my late friends at the movies, the place was almost empty. We sneaked in a large alcoholic beverage under my coat to share! My friend was quite heavy and he's on one side of me, then this guy who was a complete stranger comes and sits on the other side of me, and he was quite large. The stanger had an almost empty theater of seats to choose from and he plops down next to me! So now I'm trapped between my fat friend and this fat stranger. We didn't know what to do - since the guy chose to sit right next to us, to move seemed somehow rude on our part. Never saw anything like it. My friend and I passed our drink back and forth and watched the film next to the heavy stranger. (I would have felt a lot more comfortable crying at the loss of Wilson if the stranger wasn't right next to me - meanwhile, my friend was blubbering like a little girl!)
Great story, Captain.



36.

Sophie's Choice



Brilliant performances by Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline notwithstanding, the flashback scenes in the concentration camp just give me chills thinking about them. A movie that I am glad I experienced, but I doubt if I would ever be able to sit through it again.



35.

The Assassination of Richard Nixon



This haunting psychological, fact-based drama makes this list due to its pathetic and heartbreaking central character. Oscar winner Sean Penn plays Sam Bicke, a man who actually boarded a plane to Washington DC so that he could assassinate Richard Nixon. This guy's pathetic factor is made clear from the opening frames...this guy works in a furniture store but has this ridiculous idea for his own business, an idea he is so passionate about he has applied for a loan but before the loan comes through, he steals the money from his brother (Michael Wincott) and plans to pay him back when the loan comes through. There's nothing going right in this guy's life and he's in complete denial about it...he is convinced than his ex-wife (Naomi Watts) will return to him and calls her at all hours of the day and night bugging her and pins all his hopes on this stupid business idea and is so convinced that it's going to happen, he purposely gets himself fired from the furniture store. On top of all this, Sam has been watching the Watergate scandal on television and is shocked by Nixon's role in the whole thing. This guy reminds me of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver...socially inept, mentally shredded, and as much as you might want, you just know nothing is going to work out for this guy and it's really, really hard to watch.