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#Post#: 99--------------------------------------------------
Movies That Aren't Terrible: The old, the indie, and the under-a
ppreciated
By: SharonShaji Date: December 5, 2012, 10:43 pm
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(Brandon Yu '14)
List all the movies you have seen in the last few years. Now
count how many of those movies were both mind-blowing and
entertaining. You probably can only count them on one hand. This
is because recent movies have shifted away from true
cinema-graphic geniuses and have gravitated towards revenue
generating machines. Everyone is a victim of the strategies used
by production companies. They make average movie goers believe
that the best movies are those that grossed the most, won the
most awards, cost the most, or had the best reviews. It is in
these times that we need to remember the old, the indie, and the
under-appreciated movies that have upheld the standards of true
works of cinema-graphic art.
Fight Club (1999):
“If you wake up at a different time, in a different
place, could you wake up as a different person?” When you are an
insomniac, what better choice do you have than to ponder about
life? Always at ends with his standard white collar job, the
narrator tries to find ways to escape his life. He finds an
answer in the form of Tyler Durden, a soap maker, who helps him
revolutionize stress relief. Together they form the Fight Club,
an underground organization, to help the world understand its
place in life. The narrator soon finds himself facing an array
of complex decisions and questions. What happens when the
motivation to change your life changes your mind as well? When
the world resets to zero, where will you stand? Will you thank
yourself for become who are? Or will you regret it? In the end,
you might have to stop yourself from becoming…yourself.
Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter
star in David Fincher’s Fight Club. David Fincher is one of the
most highly honored American Directors. He has directed many
hits such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and The
Social Network (2010). Fight Club is a psychological drama that
shows the mental stress and breakdown of the average white
collar worker. Nominated for Best Picture in 2000 by the Online
Film Critic Society as well as Best Effects and Sound in 2000 in
the Oscars, Fight Club has been ranked as the 10th best movie of
all time. Considered as one of the most seamless blends between
psychology and brutal fights, Fight Club is a must watch.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975):
In 1963, an Oregon man named Randle Patrick McMurphy
receives a short, few months sentence for statutory rape.
McMurphy wants to live the last few days of his time in a
comfortable environment. He fakes a psychological disease so
that he can spend the rest of his sentence in a hospital rather
than a prison. While McMurphy is there, he becomes a sort of
father figure to many of the other mentally unstable patients.
It is revealed that he has a knack for bringing out long lost
happiness and hope in patients. His charismatic approach helps
the patients to go on fishing adventures, have parties, and
invite over women. McMurphy creates bonds with these patients
that run quite deep. Unfortunately, his obsession with helping
these patients start to become somewhat of real mental illness.
The true story of McMurphy lies in the stories of the many lives
he changed while serving time in the hospital.
Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield
and Michael Berryman star in Milos Forman’s One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest. Milos Forman acquired the Academy Award for Best
Director due to this movie. Based off of a book originally
published in 1962, the movie is considered to be one of the few
movies in history to surpass its book in levels of complexity
and entertainment value. It was the second movie in history to
win all five major academy awards ( Best Picture, Actor in Lead
Role, Actress in Lead Role, Director and Screenplay) Critics
call it the 12th best movie of all time. One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest is considered to be a perfect harmony between an
uplifting story and very brief, dry humor.
Requiem for a Dream (2000):
“Purple in the morning, blue in the afternoon,
orange in the evening.” Sara Goldfarb is a mother who is
beginning to lose her grip on reality. In her desperation to be
thin and beautiful, she begins to spiral down a deep
psychological storm. When she is given a golden opportunity to
guest star on her favorite TV program, Sara becomes obsessed
with her dreams and begins to fall into the use of
methamphetamines. The story also follows Sara Goldfarb’s son,
Harry, and his two friends, Marion Silver and Tyrone C. Love.
They are heroin addicts who have found a way to make it big. The
movie revolves around the highs and lows of their illegal drug
trading business. It portrays the immense level of depression
and evil behind the secretive world of drug trade. Requiem for a
Dream gives a window into the true despair and mental break down
to the mind and lifestyle of an addict. Although very
depressing, Requiem for a Dream is an accurate representation of
the life of an addict.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Requiem for a Dream
stars Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon
Wayans. Darren Aronosky has won many director awards for movies
such as The Wrestler, The Fighter and Black Swan. Jennifer
Connelly has also won numerous awards for being Best Actress in
a Supporting Role. Requiem for a Dream is considered the 72th
best movie of all time.
Enter the Dragon (1973):
Recognized as the most culturally significant movie
to Chinese culture ever released in America, Enter the Dragon is
a Martial Arts film that is considered to be Bruce Lee’s most
notable movie. Enter the Dragon is the story of a Xiaolin monk
named Lee who is invited to a Martial Arts competition.
Throughout the story, Lee competes against many other opponents
such as Romper and Williams. While Lee is competing on the
Island, he finds himself involved in top secret missions to find
and kill the drug group responsible for the killing of his
sister. The movie demonstrates Bruce Lee’s acting skills and
personal lifestyle choices. In addition, it highlights many of
his abilities as a professional martial arts master.
Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahn Capri, Shih
Kien and Robert Wall star in Robert Clouse’s Enter the Dragon.
The film is most famous for being Bruce Lee’s final role before
he passed. It is also recognized as his most engaging and action
packed film. Critics praise Enter the Dragon for having many
fight scenes while still maintaining an accurate and interesting
story line. Other famous martial art practitioners, such as
Jackie Chan, made their debut appearance as a stunt double.
Enter the Dragon, along with most of Bruce Lee’s martial art
movies are revered as culturally influential. Enter the Dragon
and his other movies, such as Fist of Fury (1972) and The Way of
the Dragon (1972), revolutionized the American action genres to
include martial arts.
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