Baffling Movies

[Madeline]

I love watching mind-boggling movies and so I was wondering if other people like them too we could discuss some together... ;)

Some examples... like Mulholland Dr., PI, or even movies of other genres, like thrillers...

[vastlynne]

I thought there was more to Muholland Drive then what it actually appears to...but now that I think of it...there's really nothing to decipher other then that everything was a dream hence all the incoherent plots and whatnot. I spun my brain too hard with this one. :confused:

[Madeline]

Hehe Mulholland Dr. scared me a lot with that parking lot/garbage scene...

I also like eXistenz but didn't really get it. jude law was so cute in there!! :o

[BadCoverVersion]

~Mulholland Drive
~Donnie Darko
~EXistenZ
~Jacobs Ladder

Best examples at the minute....The more you watch 'em...Ahhh it all suddenly fits into place!

[Buck Turgidson]

eXistenZ
The 13th Floor
Abre Los Ojos/Open Your Eyes
Blade Runner

All ask the all-important question: what's really real.

[VicVega]

Donnie Darko is my favorite mind-fuck movie.

[Heavenley]

- Eyes Wide Shut

- Vanilla Sky

[flowrchild]

Originally posted by Heavenley
- Eyes Wide Shut

- Vanilla Sky

2 movies I utterly despise

[the movie guy]

The Thirteenth Floor - C-

Blade Runner - C-

Jacob's Ladder - C-

These aren't "mind fuck" movies. They're just retarded.

(Mulholland Drive and eXistenz clock-in with B minuses.)

I liked Vanilla Sky because Tom Cruise is my hero and it held my interest, except for in the last 15 or so minutes. I don't like twists that don't make any sense until a character in the movie has to explain the entire fucking thing. That's just lazy, and Cruise spent WAY too much time on top of that building near the end. Otherwise though, the film still amazed me up to that point, and, as I said, Cruise is my hero, so it's a B+.

Donnie Darko was an excellent, thought-provoking movie. It was very well-directed and acted, but something keeps it from being an A, so, an A-.

Eyes Wide Shut didn't fuck with my mind. It was visually amazing, and Tom Cruise was, again (as he was in Vanilla Sky), brilliant. :D I wasn't able to pull up any great POINT in the film, however (which is why I don't think it's a "mind fucker", or a PERFECT movie in any way), so it's a B.

I have not seen Open Your Eyes (and I'm American so I refuse to title it "Abre Los Ojos").

My favorite "mind-fuck" movie (though I hate that lame term) is The Usual Suspects.

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by Heavenley
- Eyes Wide Shut

- Vanilla Sky

Yeah, they fucked me up good and proper...I was traumatised by 'em, believe you me!

[Rated R]

I for once disagree with The Movie Guy! I feel Jacob's Ladder was a brilliant film. Tim Robbins at his finest. It was just so messed up and I had no idea what was going on until the very ending, but of course that's probably how most people saw it.

And Eyes Wide Shut, although it was shot beautifully did little else for me. Kubrick's worst movie especially considering how long it was in production. I have only seen it once when it first came out, so maybe my opinion is biased. I will give it another shot, if you Movie Guy give Jacob's Ladder one more, unless of course you already have and hated it even more.

[James Logan]

I like that kind of flicks too, but I'm the only one in my family, so I gotta watch 'em alone. I loved most of the flicks you guys mentioned...


Oh, and Madeline -- welcome to the boards, sweetheart. ;) I'm Logan, I've been here a while, I'm the sexiest Schmoe there is, so if you need anything, just drop me a line. :cool:

(*Bugs Bunny voice*: Ain't I a sucker?)

[Heavenley]

Originally posted by BadCoverVersion
Yeah, they fucked me up good and proper...I was traumatised by 'em, believe you me!


You have to admit both Eyes Wide Shut and Vanilla sky were baffling............out of the two I actually liked Vanilla Sky because I thought that film was quite unique in it's story and kept me intrigued.

[SLAW]

Originally posted by the movie guy
[B


I liked Vanilla Sky because Tom Cruise is my hero and it held my interest, except for in the last 15 or so minutes. I don't like twists that don't make any sense until a character in the movie has to explain the entire fucking thing. That's just lazy, and Cruise spent WAY too much time on top of that building near the end. Otherwise though, the film still amazed me up to that point, and, as I said, Cruise is my hero, so it's a B+.

Donnie Darko was an excellent, thought-provoking movie. It was very well-directed and acted, but something keeps it from being an A, so, an A-. [/B]

Hehehe! Your discription of VS is my exact experience with Donnie Darko. :D I loved everything about Vanilla Sky and just watched "Open Your Eyes" last night. I might start a thread on what I thought in comparison (it's like PEPSI and Coke!). I don't understand why no one likes the ending to VS. I don't know what you were expecting. I've also noticed that most of whom didn't like it are women. It doesn't seem to connect with them. I guess there is quite a bit testosterone floating about.

[Madeline]

:o Thanks Logan, these boards are fun
that's so sad when you have no one to watch good movies with..
I have no one to watch old Hitchcock movies with.. :(

Oh and did anybody love 12 Monkeys as much as i did? My favorite part was when Bruce Willis was getting scrubbed down with that giant brush... it looked so clean

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by SLAW
I've also noticed that most of whom didn't like it are women. It doesn't seem to connect with them. I guess there is quite a bit testosterone floating about.

It's got bugger all to do with testosterone love!

I'd put it down to the simple fact that it's shit! ;)

Anyway...I've had just about my fill of this sexist drivvle...

I'm off to eat some chocolate, watch Bridget Jones' Diary and write "BadCoverVersion Luvs JoBlo" in my diary...Oh and I might just stroke a fluffy kitten while I'm at it!

;)

[the movie guy]

Originally posted by Rated R
I for once disagree with The Movie Guy! I feel Jacob's Ladder was a brilliant film. Tim Robbins at his finest. It was just so messed up and I had no idea what was going on until the very ending, but of course that's probably how most people saw it.

And Eyes Wide Shut, although it was shot beautifully did little else for me. Kubrick's worst movie especially considering how long it was in production. I have only seen it once when it first came out, so maybe my opinion is biased. I will give it another shot, if you Movie Guy give Jacob's Ladder one more, unless of course you already have and hated it even more.

I thought Tim Robbins was very good too (I always like his work). What I didn't like about Jacob's Ladder was the use of ridiculous looking monsters with long tongues, or whatever. I think, at that point, it turned into a B - grade horror movie, instead of the higher-grade thriller it was before those scenes. Also, it had some truely ridiculous-looking vietnam scenes that I just couldn't help but laugh at. It was a PRETTY GOOD movie before this stuff popped up, but it was never "brilliant" or "excellent" for me at any point. (I watched this movie in January I think, and probably won't see it again for a long time, if ever.)

As for Eyes Wide Shut... Don't bother seeing it again. I wouldn't. I really DIDN'T like it much, as far as story goes or anything... it's just that I felt it was a very well-MADE film, and that the acting was superb by my main man, Cruise. (Kidman was also good, I must admit.) I should probably give it a B-, actually.

[the movie guy]

Originally posted by SLAW
Hehehe! Your discription of VS is my exact experience with Donnie Darko. :D I loved everything about Vanilla Sky and just watched "Open Your Eyes" last night. I might start a thread on what I thought in comparison (it's like PEPSI and Coke!). I don't understand why no one likes the ending to VS. I don't know what you were expecting. I've also noticed that most of whom didn't like it are women. It doesn't seem to connect with them. I guess there is quite a bit testosterone floating about.

The ending of VS didn't ruin the movie for me, it's just it didn't keep up with the greatness which was everything leading up to it. That's my thought anyway. I originally gave the movie an A-, and now it's down to a B+, so I think I better just watch it again to make sure.

As for DD... I'd say my slight beef with it is that...


SPOILERS*****

With what Donnie did at the end, it made it so that Patrick Swayze's character was free to continue his perversions with child porn. It may have prevented some other bad stuff, but it took back his revealing of Swayze's secret and that just ain't good. Ya know? (Unless I missed something in the film.) (Actually, if you go to the Donnie Darko webpage, it says that Swayze's character dies of something, some weeks after the movie ends. Check it out. Regardless, it's a website, and I only really care about what is shown/told in the MOVIE.)

END SPOILERS*****

[Madeline]

[i]

I liked Vanilla Sky because Tom Cruise is my hero and it held my interest, except for in the last 15 or so minutes. I don't like twists that don't make any sense until a character in the movie has to explain the entire fucking thing. That's just lazy, and Cruise spent WAY too much time on top of that building near the end. Otherwise though, the film still amazed me up to that point, and, as I said, Cruise is my hero, so it's a B+.

[/B]

you're so right...Tom Cruise was wonderful and the movie looked really pretty :o but the ending was kind of dragged out... it felt like Crowe was so infatuated with his own genius that he had to pound the ideas into your head and couldn't let it go. He needed some more editing and they explained way too much-- if they had left it a little more ambiguous then it would have been great. The whole movie was dreamy and surreal and then the ending made it feel like one of those boring dreams that won't end.

[the movie guy]

Originally posted by Madeline
you're so right...Tom Cruise was wonderful and the movie looked really pretty :o but the ending was kind of dragged out... it felt like Crowe was so infatuated with his own genius that he had to pound the ideas into your head and couldn't let it go. He needed some more editing and they explained way too much-- if they had left it a little more ambiguous then it would have been great. The whole movie was dreamy and surreal and then the ending made it feel like one of those boring dreams that won't end.

Yes. Exactly. You are so right back. :)

[SLAW]

Originally posted by Madeline
you're so right...Tom Cruise was wonderful and the movie looked really pretty :o but the ending was kind of dragged out... it felt like Crowe was so infatuated with his own genius that he had to pound the ideas into your head and couldn't let it go. He needed some more editing and they explained way too much-- if they had left it a little more ambiguous then it would have been great. The whole movie was dreamy and surreal and then the ending made it feel like one of those boring dreams that won't end.

I just don't understand, because I was on edge the whole time. You could probably say that every director tries to show off his genious (whether he actually is or not). Why would it not be showing off genious if nothing was explained. I think that's kind of showing off in my opinion. Hoping it feels mysterious and that there has to be real meaning to it all, when ther director has no idea himself/herself. I liked "Story telling" and "Happiness", but I'm not convinced that director/writer is a genious.

[JCPhoenix]

I would say "mindfuck" movies are my favorite type...
My top ten favorite movies of all time include Usual Suspects and Fight Club, while my favorite movies of 2001 were loaded with mindfucking movies - Donnie Darko, Vanilla Sky, Mulholland Dr, and Memento all made it onto my favorites of 2001 (and if you include just plain twist movies, well then you can count A Beautiful Mind, The Others as well!).

Though for Vanilla Sky, I saw the original (Open Your Eyes/Abre Los Ojos) before I saw VS, so when i watched VS, I knew everything that was going to happen.

But for anyone who has seen both, my opinion is that Vanilla Sky is the far superior of both of them. I loved Open Your Eyes when I first watched it, but I was blown away by Vanilla Sky, despite knowing what would happen - the cinematography, the way everything worked, the music, the performances, and, OH YES, Cameron Diaz's incredible and incredibly energetic (for some reason, it just seemed...lively??!) performance...there's this one point where she laughs maniacally into the camera...freaky stuff. VS is also one of the few movies that I have watched the audio commentary for all the way through, and Cameron Crowe explains in it that there are 4 different interpretations that you could have from the film.

Dya think Dark City counts as a mindscrewing movie? Did anybody notice the fact that Matrix was a bit of a ripoff of Dark City, as well as The 13th Floor??? (though I think 13th floor came out later but)...

Anyway, can anybody recommend any good mindscrewing movies...I've seen a lot, but I know there must be more out there...I'll start with existenZ since that was mentioned earlier here, and No Way Out because my English teacher (she's also a movie fan) recommended it, but like I said, mindscrewing/twist movies are my favorite types of movie. I loved 2001 because of the sheer amount of great twist movies there were.

Oh, and since everyone seems to be rating things, I might as well:
Mulholland Drive (I love how it all pieces together...works sooo well, but it's a tad bit slow for repeated viewings)...A-
Vanilla Sky (loved this a lot, but with each day since I've seen it, I'm wanting to see it more...my favorite movie of 2001 was Moulin Rouge, but I'm beginning to think Vanilla Sky could have been there as well)...A
Donnie Darko (amazing movie...gyllenhaal is one of the best actors around)...A-
Memento (i don't think i need to say anything, but suffers after the 9th viewing ;))...A-


The Usual Suspects (CLASSIC. THE movie that converted me into a moviefan, it remains my favorite of all time, even after 16 viewings. Before this movie, I am sad to say I was watching what my dad watched ---- namely, stuff like Komodo, Python...ya get the point)...A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fight Club (Gets better everytime, though admittedly, the twist doesn't totally work)...A+

Abre Los Ojos/Open Your Eyes (good, but VS better)...B+

Yeah I know, I tend to go on and on forever, and my post was probably a ton of pages long...ah well, this is my favorite type of movie, and so I had to vent a little.

[Buck Turgidson]

Originally posted by BadCoverVersion
It's got bugger all to do with testosterone love!

I'd put it down to the simple fact that it's shit! ;)



Brilliantly and trenchantly put, with customary dead-level bluntness, by BCV. I just checked again to be positive, and I'm a man. And I loathe Vanilla Sky. All involved should be beaten with a rolling pin.

[Buck Turgidson]

Originally posted by JCPhoenix
Dya think Dark City counts as a mindscrewing movie? Did anybody notice the fact that Matrix was a bit of a ripoff of Dark City, as well as The 13th Floor??? (though I think 13th floor came out later but)...



Yes, that one counts. When I was making my list the other day, it kept nagging at me that I was forgetting one, and that was it.

(DAMNIT!!)

They all came out around the same time. I really doubt any was exactly a ripoff of the other. These idea have been floating around at least since the Cyberpunk movement in written SF in the early 80's and likely before.

All of these film owe Phillip K. Dick a huge debt of gratitude.

[the movie guy]

Originally posted by Buck Turgidson
Brilliantly and trenchantly put, with customary dead-level bluntness, by BCV. I just checked again to be positive, and I'm a man. And I loathe Vanilla Sky. All involved should be beaten with a rolling pin.

Naw. How 'bout all us FANS beat you NONFANS with that rolling pin instead. ;)

Who's with me on this one? ;) ;) ;)

[SLAW]

There seems to be real emotions involved for their hatred of VS. It can't be THAT bad if it gets you all wound up. :p I just love the idea of one living in their own painting (so to speak).

Oh yeah BCV, I didn't mean anything sexist by my comment. VS seemed to be about things Men think about more. Also, about things Men fear and desire.

[bowieee]

The movie that fucked with my mind the most was probably The Game. That movie just blew me for a spin. After that comes all of the lynch movies and Cronenberg and his masterpieces Videodrome and Existenze. I believe that is the ultimate experience in a movie when your mind gets totally fucked with. *tee hee* I like using the word fuck.

[Rated R]

The Game spun me for a loop too the first time I saw it, what a trip. I had no idea what to expect and I still didn't when it was over...I thought about it and realized that it was very interesting and very good. The ending ties it all together but man is it still fucked.

[the movie guy]

I watched The Game again recently and realized just how idiotic and unrealistic that ending is.

SPOILERS***

Man, Michael Douglas' character is such a good sport!... He still liked, and forgave so easily, the girl who drugged him and left him for dead in Mexico!... Gee, good thinking on account of that company, knowing EXACTLY where Douglas' character was going to jump off the building and all!... Good call on predicting he'd even jump AT ALL! Oh, sure, they did psychological tests on him in the beginning, so he knew what he'd be capable of doing, right? Balony. Stupid. Almost as bad as Fight Club's ending.

END SPOILERS***

Sorry, Rated R. I'm sure that means we now disagree on THREE films (if you liked Fight Club).

I do apprectiate most of everything leading up to the ending idiocy in The Game though. It's still a great 9/10ths of a film, like Vanilla Sky, but this 1/10th just gets to me quite a bit more negatively than that of VS's.

THE GAME = B- (Douglas was great. I love the clown scene.) (Just so you don't think I'm COMPLETELY knocking the film...)

[James Logan]

Originally posted by Madeline
:o Thanks Logan, these boards are fun
that's so sad when you have no one to watch good movies with..
I have no one to watch old Hitchcock movies with.. :(


Yeah...I know something else that isn't real fun to do alone either... ;)

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by SLAW
There seems to be real emotions involved for their hatred of VS. It can't be THAT bad if it gets you all wound up. :p I just love the idea of one living in their own painting (so to speak).

Oh yeah BCV, I didn't mean anything sexist by my comment. VS seemed to be about things Men think about more. Also, about things Men fear and desire.

Don't worry 'bout it Slaw mate...I was merely jesting!

I can see where you're coming from...You blokes are far too bloody fickle!

You're right about the intense passion fuelling the hatred mind...Oooooh, I aint a closet fan though (God forbid...I think I'd top meself)...I just truly despise the fucking thing!

"Now the world don't move to the beat of just one drum..."