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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Jack Nicholson's best yet!
I cannot overrate this movie. I watched it last night so I'm writing this review with it still fresh in mind. I had high expectations knowing all the rewards that rained down on it, but the film and Jack Nicholson's performance in particular still managed to surprise me.
R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is transferred to a mental institution for evaluation after given a short sentence on a prison farm for statutory rape charges. He tries to make the most of his suspected short stay in the hospital and challenges the head nurse (Louise Fletcher) at every chance he gets.
Anthony Hopkins has done a great intelligent psychopath, but no one does crazy better than Nicholson. I loved his performance in "The Shining" and am ashamed to say I have yet to see "As Good as it Gets" (one of three movies he won best actor Oscars for). He delivered an average performance in "The Departed" and isn't getting any younger, but I do hope he gives us at least one more role that comes close to the show he put on in Cuckoo's Nest. Watching his interaction with the other patients made me believe on some occasions I was seeing a comedy, but the movie quickly reminds us it can be just as depressing as it is funny.
It's hard to find fault with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Louise Fletcher did a great job as the leading actress and strong performances by all the supporting characters made the movie brilliant. Good screenplay, good directing and the music by Jack Nitzsche played nicely with the film.
I've seen some hate about the ending, but in my opinion it couldn't have been better. McMurthy could have jump out of the window when he had the chance and I think most of us were rooting for him to do so, but what he does next shows the strong bond formed with his odd friends inside the hospital.
The movie left me emotionally blank for a while and then I just felt sad. I'm not going to drop any major spoilers on this site as I know some of you still haven't seen it, but it's one of the few movies that have truly left me staring at the end credits in awe.
Conclusion:
It ranks as one of the best in my book alongside "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Pulp Fiction". See this movie with the highest expectations and chances are it will surpass them!
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To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
A must-watch classic!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" centers mainly around three characters: Scout, Jem and their father Atticus, who raises his children to the best of his ability while defending a black man accused of raping a white women.
I first saw "To Kill a Mockingbird" shortly after reading the book in my high school English class. Being born less than 20 years ago I'd lie if I said I was not slightly put off by it being in black and white; how stupid was I. The book itself was great and to my surprise the movie portrayed Harper Lee's story excellently. To those still wondering whether to watch this 1962 classic, do it! The cinematography is excellent, but what really makes this movie is the performance put on by Gregory Peck; our hero in this movie and perhaps the greatest film hero ever!
There are some powerful scenes which showcases Atticus's moral outlook on life and the story of how he defends a black man whose fate has already been sealed is sad yet inspiring. One line that stuck to me from the novel is Miss Maudie telling Scout after the trial had been lost: "I thought, Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long on a case like that." This pretty much sums up Atticus's determination to give Tom Robinson a fair trial despite what the rest of the community may think.
The child acting was impressive and the characters of Scout and Jem were portrayed as children should. They were naive and silly, doing stupid things and disobeying their father time and time again. But during the three year time spine in which this movie plays off you see them growing, taking more of Atticus's advice in along the way. Scout is of course our main protagonist and she and her brother were highly relatable and contributed to the success of this movie.
Conclusion:
I recommend this to almost everyone. Young lawyers, movie-lovers and most importantly to all the fans of the novel who haven't seen this film: You won't be disappointed!
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Hannibal: Mizumono (2014)
Something rarely seen on TV
The finale was in one word: Amazing. Mads Mikkelson was great and delivered his best performance of the series thus far. Fight scenes aren't usually my favorite part of any movie or episode but this one with Jack and Hannibal was done superbly. I got so into it I though Jack will successfully strangle Hannibal and forgot about the glass to neck part which was also shown back in episode one of this season. I don't think there was anyone who missed the after credit seen as they were in too much shock and remained staring at the screen as the credits rolled. This is a crucial part thinking a head to season 3. This episode was a visually amazing 40 minutes with top class acting all round. I can't wait to see where things go from here!