The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame

Defending Champ

03-22-20

Originally Posted by ahwell

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
My guess: Citizen Rules aka no clue at all, could be any of you

It's a staple of American cinema, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, and pretty much hailed as a masterpiece all around; I was pretty hyped for this, and for the most part I was not disappointed.

Jack Nicholson is honestly an incredible actor, all around. I know he's super famous and well loved, I was just under the impression that he wasn't truly one of the greats. And he is. Totally. First with The Departed, then The Shooting, and now he blew both those performances out of the water with this.

He totally makes McMurphy a believable, real, breathing character, someone who has flaws and we know people like that exist - but also someone we want to root for, a true hero of the story. That is exactly McMurphy's role in this - to be a hero for the other mentally ill patients, and to show us how to find joy in life.

This is one of those films where the second half - to me - is exponentially better than the first. The first is great, don't get me wrong, but it also focuses on setting up characters and motivations and etc. It's not boring, but some of those longer therapy/basketball scenes can begin to seem a little tedious. What holds that together is Nicholson's top notch acting - he shines on the screen as I said.

Nurse Ratched of course is one of the most believable and terrifying villains ever, someone who isn't evil at the purest form, but does such inhumane and evil things to the mentally ill inmates that you just have to think of her as a bad person. In the end, she's just trying to do her job - she doesn't have evil plans for the inmates, she isn't trying to make Billy commit suicide. She's simply ignorant, foolish, and yes - makes terrible decisions throughout.

The themes of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest aren't very subtle. That's in no way a bad thing, neither are the themes of Shawshank Redemption or La La Land, two other movies I loved. The themes in all three of these movies are powerful and effective, they stick with you. The second half of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest sticks with you, truly. Especially the crazy and disturbing last twenty minutes.

Chief's final "act of mercy" and escape from the hospital is beautiful and tragic, a last pleading cry for freedom and happiness in life that only McMurphy had instilled in the minds of the patients. As Chief runs through the window, I can't help but wonder what his life will be like now. He's running from a corrupt and dictatorial hospital, into what? Crime, disease, ignorant people, evil people -- the real world. It's the sad truth of this movie, that good times are good but no matter where you are they won't stick.

From the director of Amadeus - my second favorite movie of all time - this movie could hardly hope to measure up to that movie. But I was indeed impressed with how close it came, especially at the end. It's undoubtedly a masterpiece of how to instill all emotions into it's viewers - both love and hatred, happiness and anger, joy and sorrow. Some parts haven't aged well today, but that didn't cloud my vision on this wonderful (and Best Picture deserving) movie.

As I mentioned before, I pretty much chose your nomination at random, since there's so many amazing films you've yet to experience. I strongly considered The Apartment or Sunset Boulevard, as I remember you being very fond of Wilder's Some Like It Hot. Also considered Apocalypse Now and Taxi Driver, two of my top-five favorites, but I thought you might appreciate their darkness more once you're a little older. Ultimately went with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a top-ten favorite of mine that seems widely assessable. I'd forgotten that Milos Forman also directed Amadeus, so that was a fortuitous coincidence.

I was initially underwhelmed with Cuckoo's Nest the first time I ever watched it. Not sure why, exactly -- maybe the movie's lack of flash? Over time, however, it has become a staple in my top ten. As you mentioned, viewers experience a gamut of emotions, from happiness to heartbreak, laughter to sorrow. For me, the film's emotional potency has strengthened with every viewing. Knowing the fate of the characters, all of whom I fall more in love with every visit, makes their inescapable tragedy all the more devastating. Chief's revelation involving Juicy Fruit is one of my all-time favorite scenes. Nicholson's dialogue and reactions throughout the film never cease to be funny for me. I'd also consider Nurse Ratched one of cinema's greatest villains. She makes my blood boil like no other character, but like @Citizen Rules mentioned a few pages back, she's also an incredibly complex character. Depending on the viewpoint, she's not even necessarily a villain, and yet I want to reach through the screen and strangle the bitch.

I consider this Nicholson's best performance, as it embodies his best characteristics as an actor. The character is also like an amalgam of the rebellious, anti-authority characters he often played in the 70's. If you've only seen him in this, The Shooting and The Departed, then you've still got dozens of stellar performances to witness, from big, eyebrow-raising performances in The Shining to more subtle performances in underrated gems like The Passenger. He's definitely one of the greats.

Anyway, excellent review, even if your words and your rating don't seem to quite align. I definitely think that this is a movie that will stick with you for a long time.

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Siddon

Registered User

03-22-20

Rango (2011), so Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp not happy with a single western decided to tell four or five in this animated epic. This is one of those films were I understand what they are going for..attempting to make a palatable western for kids but I wish they would have stuck with one idea and played that out rather than jumping all around the different western genres. The mystery aspect of the story is pretty good but then they pick the heavy to be the most obvious character in the story and I didn't really care for that. And while I appreciate the large set pieces they are somewhat undercut when it's animation and when it's just a cartoon it kinda drags.

I enjoyed the animation and the look of the film, I also liked many of the supporting figures. Some of the shots are really good especially in the background which is something kids films always tend to skimp on. But at the end of the day Rango just left me a little cold....I think I'm just getting a little westerned out.

Captain Spaulding

Defending Champ

03-22-20

Looks like I beat several people to the punch when I nominated Double Indemnity for @Wyldesyde19. For my money, it's the greatest noir ever made, in large part due to Wilder's incredible writing.

I was skeptical that @Miss Vicky would like Peeping Tom, but it's still disappointing that she found it such a chore. For me, it's a five-star film. I felt an enormous amount of empathy for Mark, despite him being a serial killer, which is where our biggest disconnect lies. I think it's a fascinating film in many ways. It laid the groundwork for future slashers and established many tropes that would become staples of the genre. Despite sharing many similarities with Psycho, which was a monster hit for Hitchcock, Peeping Tom completely destroyed Michael Powell's career. Both films were released in 1960, so the wildly different receptions are crazy to me. The voyeuristic theme of Peeping Tom -- watching death for gratification, the camera as a literal killing mechanism -- is just one of the film's many fascinating layers.

ahwell

Registered User

03-22-20

Originally Posted by Captain Spaulding

Yeah, I do plan and rewatching it, it seems like something that would grow with each viewing. Thanks for the rec! Yeah lol I've given some two-star ratings where I say nothing but positive and people are like... "What?" For instance - this review of An American Tail, I prob wasn't negative enough for my rating haha.

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Siddon

Registered User

03-22-20

The Wailing (2016) is an interesting concept, a rash of murder's breaks out in an isolated South Korean village. This is one of those films where the setup and the first hour are great and then the second half it kinda falls apart. This actually reminded me quite a bit of The Dead Don't Die where it feels comedic at times and if you just removed those elements you would have a tighter script and better film. I was surprised that this film made a top 100 list because by the end of the almost three hours in runtime I did have a ...that's it type feeling to it.

cricket

Registered User

03-22-20

Saw that not long ago, thought it was pretty good.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

03-22-20

Chinatown (1974)

Genre: Neo Noir
Who do I think nominated it: Wyldesyde
My reaction: Mixed

This was probably the biggest film on my MoFo list that I should've seen, but hadn't. I knew this would be nominated for me. I mean it's sort of a given with my passion for film noir and I'm glad it was chosen.

I enjoyed the film, but to be honest I was underwhelmed. I don't think it's a case of too high of expectations as I was expecting this to be middle of the road. I've seen a couple of post-noirs made in the 1970s and they've seemed like a lesser copy of the greatness that was American film noir in the 1940s-1950s. I think it's near impossible to duplicate that feeling that came out of the post war era. Luckily for film noir buffs, the 1980s & 1990s brought a new fresh style to film noir that no longer was emulating what had been done before. A good example of those proto-noirs are some of the fine works by the Coen Brothers.

Anyway back to Chinatown, which btw, I was disappointed that as a plot device it was an empty promise as we don't really get anything about Chinatown....I did however like the movie and thought Jack Nicholson was perfectly cast as a 1940s hard boiled detective. I'm not a huge Nicholson fan, but if I was my rating might have been a half point higher. But yeah he was well suited to the role.

I can't say the same for Faye Dunaway, she was lacking. She never really connected to her role and gave the film a needed oomph! I didn't find her dangerously sexy, or icy cold, or cunning or manipulative. I didn't have much of a reaction to her at all. She's not bad, but she's a pale femme fatale compared to the greats of past noirs.

What I loved most was the utter perfection in the set details. I looked in the corners of the scene, I checked behind the actors to see what was on the wall or in the cupboard. I watched with a peripheral vision as Nicholson drove his sleek convertible down the roads of southern California. And in all that snooping I never spoted anything that did not look like the 1940s to me. They got the period down pat.

What I really disliked was the rushed ending that felt like a writer's conceit, where everybody is on the same street corner at the same time...then someone says the cops are on the take. Really? there was no story line about the police covertly hindering Nicholson's investigation. The end scene was way too brief with little pathos and not much emotional pay off. John Huston's reaction to being shot almost made me laugh...and that made the ending of our femme fatale seem not all that import to me. Afterwards I read that the director Roman Polanski wrote the last scene.

It sounds like I hate Chinatown, well I don't. It's just that it's the kind of film I feel I need to give a more closer & critical review of.

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Last edited by Citizen Rules; 03-23-20 at 02:21 AM.

cricket

Registered User

03-22-20

I also thought going in that would be a sure nomination for you. Jack is my favorite actor, and that might be my favorite performance of his because he doesn't overdo it. I also think Chinatown is in the running for the best movie ever made.

Wyldesyde19

The trick is not minding

03-22-20

I love Chinatown but I�m afraid I can�t take credit for recommending it for you.
I just finished Rashamon and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a little slow until the 3rd story and then it got my interest. Mifune and Kyo are great in this.
I�ll write up a more thorough review on it shortly. It�s definitely a movie that needs to be watched more then once to truly appreciate it, I feel.

gbgoodies

You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

03-23-20

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Chinatown (1974)

Genre: Neo Noir
Who do I think nominated it: Wyldesyde
My reaction: Mixed

This was probably the biggest film on my MoFo list that I should've seen, but hadn't. I knew this would be nominated for me. I mean it's sort of a given with my passion for film noir and I'm glad it was choose.

I enjoyed the film, but to be honest I was underwhelmed. I don't think it's a case of too high of expectations, as I was expecting this to be middle of the road. I've seen a couple of post-noirs made in the 1970s and they've seemed like a lesser copy of the greatness that was American film noir in the 1940s-1950s. I think it's near impossible to duplicate that feeling that came out of the post war era. Luckily for film noir buffs, the 1980s & 1990s brought a new fresh style to film noir that no longer was emulating what had been done before. A good example of those proto-noirs are some of the fine works by the Coen Brothers.

Anyway back to Chinatown, which btw, I was disappointed that as a plot device it was an empty promise as we don't really get anything about Chinatown....I did however like the movie and thought Jack Nicholson was perfectly cast as a 1940s hard boiled detective. I'm not a huge Nicholson fan and if I was my rating might have been a half point higher. But yeah he was perfectly cast and well suited to the role.

I can't say the same for Faye Dunaway, she was lacking. She never really connected to her role and gave the film a needed oomph! I didn't find her dangerously sexy, or hard nosed and cold, or cunning an manipulative. I didn't have much of a reaction to her at all. She's not bad but she's a pale femme fatale compared to the greats.

What I loved most was the utter perfection in the set details. I looked in the corners of the scene, I checked behind the actors to see what was on the wall or in the cupboard. I watched with a peripheral vision as Nicholson drove his sleek convertible down the roads of southern California. And in all that snooping, I never seen anything that did not look like the 1940s to me. They got the period down pat.

What I really disliked was the rushed ending that felt like a writer's conceit, where everybody is on the same street corner at the same time, then one thing happens and another and someone says the cops are on the take. Really? there was no story line about the police hindering Nicholson's investigation and the whole scene was way too brief with little pathos and not much emotional pay off. John Huston's reaction to being shot almost made me laugh, that take shouldn't have been used... and that made the ending of our femme fatale seem not real import to me. Afterwards I read that the director Roman Polanski wrote the last scene.

It sounds like I hate Chinatown, well I don't, it's just that it's the kind of film I feel I need to give a more closer & critical review of.

I've never been a fan of the movie Chinatown, but I thought that you would have liked it more. It seemed more like your type of movie.

.

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Hey Fredrick

Registered User

03-23-20

Bigger Than Life (1956)
Directed by Nicholas Ray

Here's a movie that looks and feels like like the decade in which it was made. I knew nothing about this before I watched it. No trailers, no synopsis, drama, comedy - no idea. It could have been about a flying hippo and it wouldn't have surprised me at all. What would surprise me though would be a film from 1956 dealing with prescription drug abuse.

SURPRISE! A family man gets diagnosed with a fatal disease and is prescribed some cortisone to treat the pain. PSA: It's important to read and follow your doctor's instructions regarding prescription meds. The father doesn't follow instructions and proceeds to become addicted to the meds. Then he begins double dosing, which leads to some side effects. Mainly psychosis. Yikes!

This is like a nightmare version of an extended Leave it to Beaver episode and it got a lot darker towards the end than I expected. The look, the acting - all vintage 50's. The acting is fine, nothing exceptional, except for the kid. He's exceptionally rough around the edges. Kid actors. You hire one and hope for the best, right? The dad does a good job but the accent didn't work for me and Walter Matthau was good in a supporting role. The transformation of Dad from loving father to psycho was done pretty well. Small things get bigger as the story progresses and the story is this films strength.

One of the things I really liked about the look of the movie was how the filmmaker started using shadows to illustrate the changes in Pops. Early on, a lot of bright scenes everything is peaceful but as the addiction takes hold and the dad's personality changes so does the look of the movie. Take a look at that pic up there and you'll get the idea. A lot of big, menacing shadows start to appear later in the film. That was a nice touch.

Took awhile for me to get into this but once I did I really liked it. Story is just as important today as it was in 1956. The last half hour is very good and again, that ending. I mean, it was trending that way but it still surprised me.

Hey Fredrick

Registered User

03-23-20

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

I enjoyed the film, but to be honest I was underwhelmed.

My feelings exactly. I'm not a big fan of Faye but Jack is one of my favorites and this is one of them classics that just misses the mark for me. It's been a long time since I watched it but I remember the pacing felt sluggish.

Captain Spaulding

Defending Champ

03-23-20

There's a possibility that The Wailing would've made my horror ballot if I'd seen it beforehand, despite all my bitching about recency bias during the countdown. I thought it was an incredible film. I never felt its length. I thought it escalated perfectly, starting out somewhat comedic and getting darker and more foreboding until that edge-of-your-seat climax. I've seen a lot of great South Korean flicks, and The Wailing is probably my third favorite behind I Saw the Devil and Bong Joon-ho's Mother.

I assume multiple people tried to nominate Chinatown for Citizen. I had a sneaking suspicion that it might join Taxi Driver and 12 Angry Men as highly-acclaimed classics with which he was underwhelmed. Turns out I was right.

I watched The Sound of Music earlier. I'll try to get a review up tomorrow when I'm not bursting into song while twirling in the fields near my house. I'm embarrassed to admit that I watched the entire thing without realizing that Christopher Plummer was Captain von Trapp.

John-Connor

Registered User

03-23-20

My thoughts on some of the movies I did not nominate.
Road To Perdition is my favorite comic book based crime flick. But I understand why WS didn't like it. It's how I feel about Miller�s Crossing and I know I'm probably all alone with that opinion, cue Brenda Lee's song.
The Wailing is deep, I actually needed an explanation video to fully grasp what the makers intended with some of the symbolism before I fully appreciated it.
I thought I was the only one who didn't love Chinatown but it seems CR, Fred and gbgoodies share my sentiments about it. My fav Nicholson movies so far are; A Few Good Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoo�s Nest, The Shinning, The Missouri Breaks and Batman'89.
Haven't seen Rango yet. I still have many westerns to see, so I need to be selective now, and I wonder if it's a must see for the upcoming Western countdown.

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cricket

Registered User

03-23-20

And Fredrick ties Miss Vicky with 6 movies watched. That's pretty much how I felt about Bigger Than Life.

Siddon

Registered User

03-23-20

Originally Posted by Captain Spaulding

I feel asleep watching it...it was fine but if you are going to do a detective story you don't also make it a family drama. It's becoming my biggest pet peeve in horror in that the family has to be tied into the plot. Jaws had one scene

The more Jaws tied into the family the worse the films became

Hey Fredrick

Registered User

03-23-20

Originally Posted by Siddon

This was the pick I was least confident in just because of the type of movie it is. Either you'll love it or hate it. I never got the impression that it was a family drama at all.

Miss Vicky

MoFo's Resident Bitch

03-23-20

I started Pickup On South Street last night but fell asleep. I'll try to finish it today.

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Siddon

Registered User

03-23-20

Originally Posted by Hey Fredrick

This was the pick I was least confident in just because of the type of movie it is. Either you'll love it or hate it. I never got the impression that it was a family drama at all.

Family drama was the nice way of putting it...you could also call it a narrative crutch if you like

Hey Fredrick