One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I have mixed feelings about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, starring Jack Nicholson (as the rebellious R.P. McMurphy) and Louise Fletcher (as the awful Nurse Ratched). On the one hand, it is so obviously a great movie and the ending is just about as good as good filmmaking gets. But, some of my problems remain from when I read the book. I actually hated the book, because I felt there were 300 pages of lead-up for ten great pages at the end. Though the movie did a much better job at making every part interesting, I couldn't help but feel that halfway through, it got somewhat repetitive and nothing really happened. Now, I'm not the type of person who can't watch a movie unless its extremely plot driven. However, the movie didn't really even to try to say something until closer to the end, which left no plot and no message for the first section of the movie.

That being said, the acting was phenomenal. Jack Nicholson was of course great as somewhat crazy Randall McMurphy and Louise Fletcher was just a stone cold bitch. As the movie climbed towards the climax, it continued to become more enthralling and entertaining. And then that ending. The last thirty minutes or so were absolutely fantastic.

For the first hour or so, this felt to me like the first movie I had watched that didn't seem to deserve to be on the list. However, as a whole, the movie is really great and definitely does. You just have to be able to get over the slow beginning.

Annie Hall

Another movie I watched on my hiatus was Annie Hall, starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. Also written and directed by Allen, this 1977 comedy about a relationship between two very different people indescribably funny.

After watching Annie Hall, I truly feel I have a new favorite movie. Maybe it's the fact that Woody Allen's humor is just so relevant in my life (his old Jewish women jokes have run in my families for generations and with my mom getting older, are starting to apply to her as well), or because the acting is just so funny, but I have seldom laughed this much at a movie. Woody Allen's writing is incredible and there are so many one liners I have since quoted again and again.

It is so critical of everyone and most refreshingly, Allen is so critical of himself.

I'm still laughing at some of the jokes from this movie, I swear.

Watch it.

Network

I have watched a couple movies since my last post, but have been too lazy to write about them. The next movie I watched was Sidney Lumet's Network. Released in 1976 and starring Faye Dunaway, William Holden and Peter Finch, Network is a scalding satire on America's sensationalist culture and what the media has become.

Network delicately balances the line between comedy and drama, which is what makes it so brilliant. Most of the movie is highly satirical, especially the ending. The acting (especially Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch) is superb and there are symbols galore that make the movie such a lasting piece of social commentary.

I actually wrote on essay on the movie for my English class, so I could go on and on about the symbols and directing style, et cetera, but I will just say that you have to see. It is absolutely great and still such a timely movie. With the advent of reality TV, the movie seems to take on deeper meaning. It's just absolutely great and makes you think long and hard about how the media affects you.