Shimra's highly unprofessional top 20 movies (that I've seen).

[Shimra]

I suppose this is where I should post it. I'll post the write-ups as I finish them. I started this on board 8 but I figured why not post it here as well? I'm going to pretty much just copy what I already posted all the way up to 15.

I love movies, I have a relatively large DVD collection and I have seen a plethora of movies (but for some reasons none of the Godfathers). Other than The Godfather, I'd like to say I've got a pretty good amount of badass movies I've seen. But... I haven't seen everything so bear with me.

Here's some Honorable Mentions.

These are all spoiler free, excluding Goodfellas (though I never actually say what happens for the most part).

Raging Bull
I completely acknowledge that this is, technically speaking, one of the greatest movies ever made. Robert Deniro proves that he is one of the greatest actors alive (Jack Nicholson being the other obvious choice, and to a lesser extent Al Pacino). Raging Bull is the definitive sports movie. Do not get this movie confused with an uplifting movie because it is actually the opposite. This movie is about a man who absolutely destroyed his life, and Scorsese puts emphasis over this aspect more than anything else.

It is a fantastic movie with some of the best boxing scenes you could ever hope to find in a movie, but in all honesty I didn't find the movie entertaining. It was more of an experience-- you finish watching it but you don't fell satisfied. You acknowledge what the director accomplished, but you don't feel uplifted or excited. You just think the movie was fantastic and nothing more.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Geeze, this movie is ridiculously good. It may not be the definitive western (that title belongs to Once Upon a Time in the West), but is hands down the most enjoyable. The story is relatively simplistic but the characters interactions with one another as well as top notch presentation really propel this above all competitors. The movie has a perfect balance of humor (between the Ugly and the Good) and brutal violence (the Bad). The movie is far from historically accurate but it is all in good fun. And like every other Leone movie you have a standoff, but this time the stakes are higher than ever and the payoff is better than ever as well.

So why didn't it make the list? I really don't know. In retrospect the movie is fantastic fun, but as I was watching it the movie sort of dragged on. It seemed to have a few slow parts and it didn't really produce a 'wow that was amazing beyond a belief' feeling when it concluded. Still though, I can go back and watch it and be entertained easily.

Dog Day Afternoon
Oh geeze what an awesome movie, just not as awesome as the rest of the movies on the list. This is easily my favorite Lumet movie. It is absolutely hysterical for the most part. The premise is simple, two men rob a bank. And that's it. Everything that could go wrong goes wrong, and it escalates to a circus fiasco. Furthermore, the workers end up befriending the badguys and don't even want to leave because they are enjoying themselves so much. The highlight of the movie is easily when Sonny orders a pizza and drinks and pays for it with the money he stole. Priceless (ba bing!).

But the movie has a few flews. The movie starts off really light hearted, then takes a much darker tone, and ends inevitably bleak. Viewers expect it to happen though, and when the events begin to become bleak the movie itself stops becoming overly entertaining. It becomes serious, and the viewers put themselves in Sonny's shoes feeling as though there is no way out. It is excellent film-making and it really is an experience. Top notch movie. Man, I really wanted to put this higher on the list.

Superbad
Possibly the funniest movie I have ever seen, Superbad delivers laughs from beginning to end. It's also one of the only movies where the highschool students actually look like they are in highschool. If you've seen this movie, you already know it is hysterical. There really isn't too much of a plot, but the way everything unfolds is wildly entertaining. This movie was the second most fun I've had in the movie theater (the other movie being on the list).

Fight Club
Really, no movie list would be complete without at least acknowledging this gem. Fight Club is the epitome of a badass movie. It never takes itself too seriously, has amazing fight scenes, an extremely deep and complex story, and a dude who makes soap for a living. Everything in this movie really is fantastic, and it is without a doubt one of the most entertaining movies you could ever hope to see. Also, I want to say something else about the movie but I would feel horribly ruining anything about this movie's story. I would have included this movie on the list, but I feel as though it isn't quite as good as the other movies which are on the list.

Goodfellas
(slight spoilers)
Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a gangster. Utterly fantastic movie all the way to the ending, but then the ending occurs and you are left saying 'wtf'. Or at least I was. The ending sucked. I know it is based on a true story, but the way Scorsese handled presenting the events with the main character looking towards the camera and talking to it, I just thought it was terrible on so many levels. I dunno, I was just enormously disappointed with the way it was presented.

Cory in the House
This would be number 1 if it was actually a movie, but sadly it is only a TV show and the greatest game ever.

[Rajaat the Warbringer]

I actually haven't seen a single one of those movies >_>

[Sirgin]

Interesting list, I should see those movies too, though.

[Hydrobond]

I did not find Superbad very funny at all.  There were a few funny moments, but overall not a funny movie.  It is no where near Super Troopers in my opinion.  (I acknowledge its all opinion, just stating mine.  This is the thread where we all pick at your selections, right?) 

[Shimra]

Super Troopers was stupid imo. And yes, you do pick at my selections and tell me they suck It wouldn't be fun any other way.

20- Se7en
Seven was the turning point in Fincher's career. Before Seven he made Alien 3, after Seven he made Fight Club.

Seven is insanely good, so good that Saw completely ripped off the premise and for some reason gets praise for being innovative. Seven chronicles two cops, your typical good cop bad cop crap, in their investigation into two strange murders. It is eventually determined that the killer is selecting his victims according to the seven deadly sins and forcing them to kill themselves. The movie is compelling from start to finish and is an excellent thriller. How can you catch a killer when you have no clues other than the sins?

As the investigators probe deeper and deeper the victims deaths become more horrendous and unique. Though you never actually witness any of the murders, you experience the insanity through the investigations. Every murder is sick and twisted. There aren't too many movies where a man is forced to literally **** a prostitute to death with a strap-on with a knife attached. These murders are some of the most horrifying things you could find in a movie.

To say that the movie relies on the murders like other horror movies is completely wrong. This movie is a thriller set in a horror story. As Mills and Somerset begin bonding and coming closer to catching the killer questions arise such as morality and justice. As they begin questioning the nature of this man's murders so do the viewers. Are his murders completely unjustified?

Once confrontation with the killer has been made the movie becomes infinitely more interesting than it already was. His room is sprawled with religious figures and bible pages. The most shocking of all is his diaries. The thought process of this killer is conveyed through the hundreds of unorganized diaries he has kept. Furthermore, he seems to know all about the two detectives who have been trailing him. It is at this point that the movie begins to take a look into the mind of the killer more than anything else. Of course the detectives want to stop him, but moreso they (and viewers) are more interested in his train of thought.

And the killings continue as the murderer runs free. Then the unexpected occurs, and is easily one of the most shocking things to occur in a movie. The killer turns himself in. The movie immediately turns into an examination of the mind of the killer. Kevin Spacey plays the killer and the casting directors could not have chosen anyone better. The man is sick and sadistic, but if you passed him on the street you would never expect him to be anything more than an uninteresting human being. He is not scary, and he is not threatening at all. So not only does the killer turn himself in, this murder is n not scary whatsoever.

The movie could have ended here, but it doesn't In order to fully understand his actions Mills and Somerset agree to escort him to the location of the final two bodies. Along the way viewers experience one of the most intriguing, disgusting, and thought provoking conversations to grace the silver screen. "You just don't understand. My work is beautiful and people will be talking about it and imitating it for years to come." Is he right? This man truly believes he is doing God's will, and that by destroying the wicked he is setting an example for those who see the wicked roam the streets. While certainly most people would disagree with the killers actions, nearly everyone has been disgusted by others who go on performing such actions with no consequences.

The climax of the movie is without a doubt one of the most well thought out endings for any movie. Somerset, Miller, and Jon Doe are in the middle of a desert, and a delivery truck comes. As Somerset and Doe are alone Doe continually taunts Mills saying how beautiful everything is, all the while Mills is getting upset with Doe's antics. The package delivered is the head of Mill's wife. Doe has set up Mills to kill him. Doe is envy and Mills is wrath. By having Mills kill Doe in front of everyone he has succeeded in not only finishing his seven deadly sins killings, but also corrupting the righteous into understanding his actions. Doe wins, and the movie ends.

Seven is a damn good movie for a multitude of reasons. It is a compelling thriller that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, it is a sadistic murder story, but most importantly it toys with the viewers minds as the events unfold. There are only a few movies that can manage to screw with someone's thought process as efficiently as Seven does. And damn, it does a good job.

[Shimra]

19- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
What a beautiful movie. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the most creative love stories imaginable. The movie begins with Joel drawing a random women, Clementine, only to have her come over and strike up conversation. It is apparent that they have drastically different personalities but it is also obvious that they are attracted to one another. Neither of them have any idea that they used to be former lovers. And thus the movie begins.

In the past, the couple had experienced turmoil in their relation. The altercation between the couple was so intense that Clementine decides to have her memory completely erased of Joel's existence. Once Joel realizes what Clementine has done, completely devastated he decides to do the same. Only through loss does Joel begin to appreciate what he once had.

This is an extremely complex movie so I'm not even going to try and summarize it like I did for Seven, I'm just going to skip straight to the point. Eternal Sunshine is moving beyond words. This is one of the two movies that I can say actually came close to bringing me to tears because it was so touching (the other being Big Fish which didn't make the list). Seeing the progression of their relationship in reviewers makes viewers realize that no matter how bad something may appear, at one point it could have possibly been the greatest occurrence of your life. And that's true, people really don't understand what they have until it is gone. The movie takes this simple concept that we have all heard and throws it in our face in a unique, entertaining, often funny, depressing, and ultimately enlightening way.

Furthering the Joel discovering his own memories once again, Clementine is experiencing paranoia and depression upon realizing that something is terribly wrong. Perhaps due to her repressed emotions she begins to slowly realize that her new boyfriend isn't the man she thought he was and he is not the person she loves. The events which Clementine are experiencing have been experienced by nearly everyone-- at one point or another people have used their own instincts to realize that the are missing something that they can't put their finger on. Just like Joel, she is sad and depressed over the loss that she cannot even pinpoint.

Furthering Joel and Clementine's story there is the doctor and Mary love fiasco. Mary had her memory erased and once again finds herself unknowingly repeating the past. This inevitably leads to Mary finding out about her memory loss and exposing the company to it's patients/victims.

That's what everyone in the movie who has undergone the process is; they are all impulsive victims of circumstance. In their darkest hours they decided to make a decision that they would regret. In a happy Hollywood ending, everything ends up working out and Joel and Clementine get back together even after acknowledging that things may go wrong. The movie is one of the most inspiring and moving movies anyone could hope to see because it is so easy to relate to. I would be hard pressed to find anyone who did not come away from this movie appreciating something they had taken for granted.

[Shimra]

18- Evil Dead II
Is this a guilty pleasure or legitimately a good movie? Probably both. Evil Dead II is easily one of the most amazingly fun movies I have ever seen. It is extremely creppy, but at the same time it never takes itself seriously for one second.

Evil Dead II is the sequel to the cult classic horror movie Evil Dead that is as equally low budget. Unlike Evil Dead which attempted to be a horror movie, Evil Dead II is more of a tongue in cheek horror movie that is just so unrealistic and over the top you can't help yourself but laugh and have a great time the entire ride. I don't really know where to begin when it comes to describing why this movie is so good other than to say it is an assload of fun. I'll try my hardest though.

The movie begins with Ash and his girlfriend going to a cabin in the woods (remake of the first because they couldn't secure the rights to the original, except sadly there is no tree rape). Ash's girlfriend becomes possessed by demons or something and Ash ends up killing her. Completely defeated, Ash buries her outside the cabin. Now this is where things begin to get unbelievably awesome. A horrible claymation of Ash's girlfriend rises from the grave and starts dancing all sexy like and taunting Ash. Meanwhile, you get to see Ash's confused face that isn't quite scared or amused, moreso just WTF?

Then she reaches in through the window and bashes Ash's head into the wall which makes you jump, but then crack up due to Bruce Campbell's amazing antics. From here, Ash randomly wakes up only to have Linda's head fall into his lap and bite his hand. Ash runs around and begins slamming the head into the wall, tables, drawers, etc before running into the shed, placing it on a clamp, yelling at it in an extremely unthreatening way, then chainsawing it while yelling noooooooooo as an ocean of blood sprays all over the place.

That's pretty much how the whole movie is. Slapstick humor, over the top violence, a creepy factor that is unparalleled, and damn it makes for some of the most fun you could ever hope for.

A few highlights of the movie include, but are not limited to, Ash's hand becoming possessed and throwing him all over the place, strangling him, and after Ash cuts it off in a scene that shouldn't be as funny as it is, the finger continues to give him the finger and whatnot. All the while Ash seems to have gone crazy and traps it in a bucket and puts the book 'a farewell to arms' on the bucket. Then, once the hand escapes he begins shooting at it with a shot gun missing completely. The hand then runs into a mousetrap and Ash laughs like an idiot which is hysterical and then he finally manages to shoot his hand. Then to make sure it is dead he checks the wall only to have more blood than I have ever seen drench him, the entire room, and everything. Then the blood retreats and Ash is just as confused as viewers.

That's the general trend of the entire movie. Completely ridiculous. And when the other get to the cabin it is just as ridiculous and just as bloody as ever.

This movie is completely over the top, blood as all can be, and an insanely good time. This just does everything right and I would love to see Sam Raimi do something like this again (and keep the terribly low production values).

[Shimra]

17- Chinatown
This movie is one of the most interesting detective stories you could ever hope to find. As JJ Gittes is thrust into the mystery at hand, so are the viewers as the become enamored in the process.

Chinatown is not an easy movie to recommend to someone even though the general consensus is that it is one of the greatest movies ever. This movie simply will not appeal to everyone-- it is slow, convoluted, and somewhat boring at parts. But the thing is, once the movie finishes every single one of those elements have somehow managed to work in the movie's favor. While it may not be the most entertaining piece of cinema initially, if you stick through it you'll most likely find it fantastic (or appreciate it).

Chinatown is a mystery movie with so many different possibilities being presented the viewer doesn't know what is going on. The beauty is, neither does JJ Gittes. He's presented with an adultry case, but when it comes out that the lady who hired him wasn't the wife of the man he was spying on he (Hollis Mulwray) is thrust into his own little mystery. Besides the fact that someone who wasn't Evelyn Mulraw had hired him, Gitte's investigation primarily uncovered Mulwray walking around water pathways and whatnot.

On a tip Gittes decides to spy on Hollis at the reservoir but instead finds him dead. At this point, Evelyn Mulray officially hires Gittes to find out what happened to her husband.

That is the absolute basic plot summary of the movie. The story is full of a plethora of plot twists and interesting characters for Gittes to discover. I cannot emphasize enough how confused viewers will be while watching this movie. Essentially, you know as much as Gittes, and nothing more. There is nothing more to go off of besides what Gittes knows, and Polanski capitalizes upon this in order to bring together some of the most shocking moments in cinema history. But like I said before, it is almost frustrating not knowing anything at all and thus can be boring. But if you stick with it the payoff is phenomenal.

Everything falls together. You may either hit yourself in the head saying of course, or be in complete shock and disbelief-- not because it was impossible to decipher what was about to unfold, but because of the way the events are presented in the movie. I would absolutely love to delve into this more, but it would completely destroy the movie. I will note though, that Polanski makes a fantastic use of subtle hints and foreshadowing.

I'm kind of at a loss of where to go from here without mentioning any spoilers. I will mention that the 'culprit' is insanely awesome (take that as you will), the story is insanely well thought out and interesting, and the ending is phenomenal. Furthermore, the acting is top notch, the music is fitting, and the progression of events suspenseful. Perhaps the most important reason as to why this movie is so fantastic is that the story itself is one of the best in any media and the way it is told (with viewers knowing nothing more than the main characters) is more than captivating.

[Shimra]

16- Children of Men
Children of Men is perhaps the bleakest futuristic movie imaginable. Perhaps this is because it is the most realistic.

The movie starts out somewhat sad. Clive Owen's character Theo is getting coffee but every single person besides him is silently watching the TV. The youngest person alive has died and everyone is deeply saddened and troubled. As Clive is walking out of the he stops and puts his coffee on a mailbox. Just as he does this a huge explosion goes off in the coffee shop and in the carnage we get a glimpse of a woman walking (I use this word lightly) carrying her arm which has been blown off.
Welcome to the movie.

This movie takes place in the year 2027, and for about two decades there has been no more births. There is no chance for the human race to survive. In this not so distant future everything is run down and depressing. Militant groups are fighting one another, resistance groups are uprising, and the British nation is in a police state. While everything seems absolutely horrible a few people (notably Theo, Jasper, and Jasper's wife) are making the best out of the situation by not giving two ****s about who is the youngest child and whatnot. While their political views are being ostracized they are making the best of what they can. But, like all good protagonists Theo is thrust into a revolution that will change the world (even if he doesn't particularly care for it initially).

Theo, along with a resistance group known as FISH, is somewhat forced to help escort a mysterious young girl to a checkpoint. Along this expedition he discovers that she is pregnant somehow. From here a series of events unfold which involve Theo attempting to escort this young lady to a boat which the late leader of FISH informed him would be the absolute best thing to do.

On this expedition there is a lot of backstabbing, bloodshed, and revolting all in the name of acquiring the baby and using it to gain political power. The one thing that can help save this world that is in complete turmoil and on the brink of extinction would be to not use the existence of the baby to bring people together instead of tear them apart, and sadly only Theo, the mom, Jasper, and a few others seem to acknowledge this. There is insane amount of violence in this movie, and when I say violence I mean unjustified and saddening violence which furthers the idea of just how terrible this future is.

This movie has some of if not the best cinematography in film history. Cuarón utilizes many swooping and exceptionally long shots with no cuts. Not only are these completely badass beyond all belief they put us directly in the shoes of Theo at the instances that they occur. Being in Theo's shoes is absolutely frightening (entertaining though). Also one of these moments which involves Theo rushing a building under fire from the militia is without a doubt the most amazing moments in movie history (454 seconds of a single shot).

The band of people willing to help Theo prove that there is something worth fighting for and there is hope in such a awful world. Initially, Theo does not wish to take on this burden but eventually he cares so deeply for the potential future he is willingly to risk his life to do anything that may help make the future a bit brighter. Even through all of this, Theo manages to never fire a gun at those who wish him dead in his efforts to help others.

While the movie is unbelievably dark it is without a doubt one of the most powerful and entertaining movies you could hope to find. It should honestly probably be much higher on this list <_<

[Shimra]

14- Grindhouse
Two full length movies, fake trailers, Tarantino and Rodriguez. You really can't go wrong with this one.

If you have seen Planet Terror and Death Proof, but you did not see Grindhouse I feel sorry for you because frankly you really need to see the whole package to fully appreciate the two of them. In a nutshell if you saw Grindhouse in the theaters you will never have as much fun as that in the theaters again. You may see movies that are better, but I highly doubt you would think that the whole experience was better than Grindhouse.

I saw the midnight showing of this with about 12 friends. We were all pretty damn excited because Rodriguez and Tarantino are two of the best directors currently producing movies (Rodriguez for the over the top action and Tarantino with his sharp dialogue and fantastic directing). Our expectations were immediately surpassed with the very first 'preview'. The preview was for a movie called Machete which consisted of over the top violence, a ridiculous plot, and hysterical moments completely reminiscent of a B movie. Rodriguez had already hit the nail on the head.

The first movie, Planet Terror, starts off like a total sleaze fest with Cherrry doing a sexy gogo dance as the opening credits are presented. From there we are introduced to her character-- a person who wants to change her life and aspire for her dreams. Shortly after there is a scene involving military and scientists talking about 'the ****'. During this scene one of the scientists is obsessed with cutting off people's balls for some reason. Hysterical and gross at the same time. Needless to say the audience loved it. But as soon as one of the officers took off his mask to reveal he was Bruce Willis the entire theater went nuts. When a gunfight ensues and tremendous amounts of bloodshed are unleashed everyone is on the edge of their seats nearly falling over laughing from the insane amounts of blood. And as soon as the virus is unleashed with horrible effects and people melting and ripping off their faces everyone was dying of laughter.

Planet Terror is completely ridiculous. It's Evil Dead 2 meets From Dusk Til Dawn meets Dawn of the Dead. The whole movie is a rollercoaster ride of awesomeness that is like 5x better than it should be because everyone in the theater is going nuts the entire time.

Propelling to everything Planet Terror immediately has going for it there is a tremendously awesome cast of characters. Ranging from the completely badass/hysterical, the barbecue loving cop and brother, the nurse who's son uhh... funniest part of the movie, and a plethora of others who are just as interesting this movie has way more depth than you'd have initially thought.

But let's get back to the over the top action. There is the shootout at the beginning, Ray's back flipping, knife fighting, raid of the hospital, the standoff at the boneshack, the escape in the vehicles and pocket bike, and the grand finale with Cherry blowing crap up with her machine gun/rocket launcher leg.

As if the action isn't badass enough the comedy is gold. This movie is overloaded with jokes of every nature. Some subtle jokes include the 'I'm going to eat your brains and get your knowledge" line and Ray talking about picking off dear then swerving his car and rolling it immediately afterwards. Some of the funniest jokes revolve around Ray's complete lack of emotions regarding anything at all (notably Cherry and her missing leg-- 'don't cry over spilt milk!'. Also, there are the jokes which involve completely over the top actions such as car's blowing up when unexpected, choppers ripping off people's heads and the machine gun leg and of course the little kid. Perhaps one of the funniest things is about 2/3 the way through the movie. I won't ruin it but everyone in the theater was dying. One thing that everyone seemed to overlook besides me and one of my friends was when a bunch of random people are getting into vehicles to make their escape two random black dudes with uzis are standing around waiting to get in. It's the only part of the movie they are ever in. And damn is it funny.

So, Planet Terror is awesome. And once it concludes viewers are treated with 3 fake movie trailers, each of which unique and hysterical in their own rights. Werewolf Women of the S.S. is hysterical because of how outrageous the plot is. Don't is hysterical because of how terrible everything about it is. Thanksgiving is hysterical because of the over the top violence and random events of violence such as chic making out with her boyfriend only to find out she's holding his head. Awesome stuff.

Let's talk about Death Proof. Death Proof is awful if you watch it by itself. I honestly feel bad if people bought it, I really do. But, it works in Grindhouse. The placement of the movie is perfect, you come out of a super ridiculous movie into something more realistic and laid back. The movie is boring, but for some reason everyone seemed to be completely enthralled by it. The only reason I can think of is because it has the same atmosphere as Planet Terror and the fake trailers. The premise of the movie is awful, the characters are awful (besides stunt man mike) and everything about the movie is awful besides the car sequences.

So why does it fit in with Grindhouse and why would any other movie not fit the bill? The answer is because it is awful with a few ridiculous moments. I personally don't think QT was trying to create a serious movie. The way I look at Death Proof in respect to the rest of Grindhouse is that QT wanted to create a movie reminiscent of the more 'serious B movies'.

Everyone in the movie theater was commenting on how the movie was awful all the way up until the first car sequence. Then everything came together and everyone in the theater was laughing, on the edge of their seats, completely surprised and delighted at the direction the movie turned. The deaths were insanely awesome and over the top, stunt man Mike turned out to be as ridiculous as anyone in Planet Terror, and when you find out that stunt man Mike is only doing it so that he can orgasm while killing people with his car the movie makes sense. It's honestly pretty damn funny.

Then the movie goes back to the boring ****. Girls talking at a table for like 10 minutes about nothing. Standard QT crap. It's somewhat interesting but whatever; by this point everyone in the theater is just dying for another car chase. And it comes, better than any other car chase in cinema history.

The final car chase is just ridiculous and amazing. Girl on the hood of the car speeding down the road at nearly full speed all the while stunt man Mike is ramming his car into theirs commenting on how much fun they (he more so) are having. After the car chase is seemingly over the girls decide to exact revenge. Stunt man mike is shot and starts crying like a complete baby 50x more than anyone else in any movie who has ever been shot. It's unbelievably funny and unexpected. Then as the girls are chasing him he keeps crying and freaking out. Finally they catch up and beat the **** out of him. The credits begin to roll then cut back to one of the girls stomping on his face in the most brutal fashion.

The end. What a perfect end to a ridiculous 3.5 hours.

[logical123]

You skipped 15.

[Shimra]

Oops.

15- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
I saw this movie in English class and thought it was stupid. 5 years later and it's one of my favorites.

There's really nothing not to love about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It's extremely entertaining, amazing acting, fantastic story, and one of the most memorable cast of characters. The general plot is fairly straightforward, a man fakes mental insanity in order to get out of going to jail. And honestly, there really isn't too much else to it. The movie revolves around this guy (I wouldn't call him normal at all) slowly understanding how the institute works all the while attempting to revolt.

It's funny though, he attempts to cause uprising against nurse Ratched even though she is the one with the power to keep him in the institute or let him go. It's almost as though he has absolutely no chance to win. Slowly he begins to acknowledge this, but his mentality is to simply break the institutionalization that the others are victims of. In order to do so, he must uprise against nurse Ratched even though it is detrimental to his own well being.

RP Mcmurphy may have good intentions, but he is honestly kind of an idiot. It is pretty damn obvious that he is not mentally ill. Every worker in the institute obviously doesn't fall for, not even nurse Ratched. This sucks for Mcmurphy because she just flat out dislikes him to the extent of absolutely destroying hi life by faking her belief that he is in fact ill. She may seem nice on the outside, but honestly she is one of the most vile persons in cinema history without ever actually physically harming anyone else.

So do we sympathize with Mcmurphy? Not really. Though he has good intentions and you want him to win his battle against Ratched you'd be hard pressed to legitimately feel too bad for him. But, you will feel bad for the other patients. Most of them committed themselves to the institute so you would think that some of them would acknowledge just how corrupt the whole situation is. But they don't because they have either brainwashed themselves into thinking that the ward is their best resort or they are honestly mentally sick to the point where they can't make decisions for themselves.

A certain patient named Billy would fall under the latter. He absolutely cannot make any decisions for himself. Ratched doesn't seem to give two ****s about his specific mental problem and instead subjects him to the exact same routine as the other patients (all of whom are drastically different). Ratched cares so little for Billy that she uses his emotions about how others (her mom mostly) would feel about him. She is completely manipulative, since Billy is so shy/mentally ill he takes everything he hears to heart. Because of this...spoiler...which fully shows Ratched's evil nature.

When I say fully, I'm mistaken. Mcmurphy has had even with the way that Ratched treats the victims and because of this lashes out at Ratched. Ratched immediately uses this incident to get rid of Mcmurphy's influence in the hospital once and for all by giving him a lobotomy. Ratched is an evil *****, and while Mcmurphy may not be a completely likable guy he truly attempted to change things for the better, but he failed and Ratched won.

Cuckoo's Nest is a fantastic movie about good vs evil and right vs wrong. It doesn't need violence, bloodshed, or insane action sequences to be fantastic. It just goes to show that epic battles can occur in all forms with the right presentation and writing.

[Sirgin]

I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind not too long ago - it's an awesome movie.

[Shimra]

Oh yeah, I stopped this because I got backlogged with studying... and I saw Wall-E which kind of screws up my rankings.

[phoenix1967]

Regarding Cuckoo's Nest...I loved the ending and how they handled Chief. 

Excellent movie overall. It's one that keeps you guessing about how it's going to end, and that's a sign of great writing.