So far on the IMDB Top 250 project I have reviewed Sunset Boulevard (period drama), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Comedy) and Once Upon a Time in America (gangster).
Next up is psychological thrillers, represented by the four movies below. I haven’t seen any of them, and I need to rectify that horrible oversight. But which one I should watch and review for Last Movie Outpost.
Please vote in the poll below!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
IMDB rating: 8.6
Simple (and possibly misleading) synopsis: Jack Nicholson acts like Jack Nicholson in a nuthouse.
Proper synopsis: multiple Oscar winning classic. Jack Nicholson pretends to be crazy in a mental ward run by a nurse who might actually be crazy. Maybe they’ll end up together, who knows?
I’ve noticed a trend where you folks pick movies with long titles. Will the streak continue? I know why I haven’t watched this one before – the subject matter just didn’t appeal to me. But I’m ready now.
Parasite (2019)
IMDB rating: 8.5
Simple (and possibly misleading) synopsis: Korean Downton Abbey with poor family working for rich family.
Proper synopsis: another Best Picture Oscar winner, concerning a poor family infiltrating a wealthy household while pretending they don’t know each other. But what is their endgame?
I don’t want to look into it anymore in case I get spoiled.
Bong Joon Ho wrote and directed Parasite. I really enjoyed his previous efforts The Host and Snowpiercer but haven’t gotten around to this one.
Whiplash (2014)
IMDB rating: 8.5
Simple (and possibly misleading) synopsis: Miles Teller bangs drums while J K Simmons screams in his face. Sounds like fun.
Proper synopsis: a young drummer at a Music Conservatory is pushed to breaking point by his ruthless, perfectionist instructor.
I enjoy movies that explore the line between hard taskmaster and abuser. It’s a highly subjective threshold. Some people thrive and reach their true potential under such conditions, while others break.
Ask anyone who has served in the armed forces, cooked in a high pressure kitchen, or worked on a movie with James Cameron. Pressure can create diamonds or rubble. But does the end justify the means?
Rear Window (1954)
IMDB rating: 8.4
Simple (and possibly misleading) synopsis: Jimmy Stewart looks out of a window.
Proper synopsis: a photographer recovering from a broken leg spies on his neighbours out of boredom, not because he’s weird in any way. He begins to suspect that one of them is a murderer.
I always thought the protagonist in Rear Window was paralysed, but I was confusing it with the remake starring post-accident Christopher Reeve.
I watched the sort-of remake with Shia LeBeouf (Disturbia), which is a guilty pleasure of mine. I’ve been watching a few classics recently and I am looking forward to this one. It’s Hitchcock. Plus, Grace Kelly is easy on the eyes.
The Poll
