10 Must-See, Mind-Bending Movies
Tired of the same ol', run-of-the-mill comic-book movies? Here's the remedy: a list of 10 mind-bendingly awesome movies that deserve your attention. Check it out!
10. Altered States (1980) - Starting off the list, here's a film that I recently watched with a friend and, to put it rather bluntly, it's a head trip in almost every regard. While the film is often times terrifyingly psychedelic, it's also surprisingly hilarious at certain points. Whether it be unintended or not, the subtle humour gives viewers much needed breathing room to take in some of the film's grander themes. The funniest sequence arrives early on, during a sex scene, William Hurt's main character suddenly stops humping his lady friend because "God, Jesus, crucifixions". The line comes from out of nowhere and immediately let me know that this film will be an all-time favourite if it keeps up the momentum, and thankfully it did.
9. Lost Highway (1997) - From timeless classics such as Eraserhead to underrated masterpieces like The Straight Story, David Lynch is undeniably a brilliant filmmaker in every conceivable way. Though I could have easily picked Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive as my all-time favourite of his filmography, for this point in time, I'm sticking to my guns and choosing Lost Highway as my favourite. This is a mind-warping, wholly compelling movie that wraps itself around you with horrifying imagery, twists aplenty and copious amounts of sex. The Mystery Man character alone makes this film a must-see, though Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette are also quietly irresistible as well (also keep an eye-out for great cameos from the likes of Henry Rollins, Richard Pryor, Gary Busey, Giovanni Ribisi, even Marilyn Manson as a porn star). If that isn't enough, the film's got a brilliantly alluring soundtrack too.
8. Enemy (2014) - Not only does this film have one of the finest and most shocking endings that I've ever seen, it may also be my favourite film of this decade (if not, another film coming up may hold that place). This is an intentionally foul looking movie. Almost every single shot has a dreary, yellow-brown hue to it which lends itself perfectly in setting up an impending sense of doom. Everything feels claustrophobic because this is essentially a film about a man's battle with his own subconscious. Surprisingly, this film is very similar to Lynch's Lost Highway both tonally and visually, unlike Lost Highway though, the film features no explicit violence. It is, however, very sexual; thankfully this suits the story perfectly and builds to an intense back-and-forth climax between the two Jake Gyllenhaals, one facing commitment, while the other faces an adulterous path to destruction. This is an endlessly fascinating movie that will stick with you long after it's all said and done.
7. Take Shelter (2011) - If Enemy isn't my favourite film so far from this decade, then you can surely bet that I'd choose Take Shelter as the diamond in the rough. The film explores the mental breakdown of a man having terrifying nightmares of an impending apocalypse, as well as the tragic effects it has on his family and friends. Michael Shannon gives quite possibly the finest performance that I've ever seen from an actor as this character who could have easily been overwritten as this maniacal madman frantically building a storm shelter out of spite and refusing to get help, while the film smartly explores both avenues, thankfully it's in a subtle, believable way that never undermines the true core of the tale: the characters. Though this film may not be nearly as mind-bending as the previous/upcoming entries, it does feature an ambiguous ending which will stick with you, making you loop around in your mind previous events that unfolded throughout the feature, trying to scramble for hidden clues as to what's real, what's fiction and, most importantly, what order it occurred in (if it even did to begin with).
6. The Fall (2006) - Having never seen this movie until recently, colour me stunned in finding that I would already consider this to be one of the best films ever made. First off, this may be the most visually-stunning movie that I have ever seen; the opening scene, set in black-and-white, alone may make you feel the same, though the film grows increasingly better as it chugs along. Secondly, the two leads, Lee Pace and Catinca Untaru (a brilliant young actress who will have you in tears near the film's end), share such genuine chemistry amongst one another that you'll wish the film was an extra hour or two just to see them talking to each other some more. Had this not been rated R, a surprisingly light R-rating at that (simply based on "some violent images"), it would have made a perfect movie for the entire family to enjoy, as all of the violence occurs in the fantasy realm of these characters' imaginations. Either way, this is a fascinating film with the most gorgeous visuals surrounding it and quite possibly the best performance by a young actress that I have ever seen.
5. The Holy Mountain (1973) - Were this film to have not been included on this list of mind-bendingly awesome movies for some bizarre excuse, then I most definitely would have had to mention how The Fall clearly took inspiration from this '70s classic: The Holy Mountain. Laced with surprising amounts of social satire for a Jodorowsky-led production, this may just be his funniest, most light-hearted movie (alongside Fando y Lis, as both films happen to share the same panache for explicit violence and sex). Surprisingly, I find myself at a loss of words when aiming to describe this movie. It's definitely not forgettable, the disturbingly-gorgeous visuals alone will cement that notion, it's just... weird. Whether you like the film or loathe it is totally dependent on how you perceive it, the film's violence is bizarre in the sense that they find new ways of depicting it, whether it be with birds flying through open-wounds or paint (with intentionally-shown tubes pumping out the blue and green colours), the sky's the limit. All-in-all, this is a must-see movie that begs to be seen with a group of friends so that you can revel in their (and your own) confusion.
4. Faust (1994) - Though the original 1926 black-and-white silent feature is an undeniable classic, alongside the likes of Metropolis, I'd like to take some time in referencing this equally excellent, underrated remake. As previously stated, the original's a surefire classic that can never be dethroned, however, the fact that it was silent lends itself perfectly towards a modern retelling and, thankfully, it was left in the best of hands. Between the powerful performance from Petr Cepek as Faust to the marvelous usage of stop-motion effects and puppeteering, this may easily be the finest (most warranted) remake of all-time. Like The Holy Mountain, Faust follows the titular character on a journey of soul-selling proportions through the fine art of alchemy (a.k.a. summoning creepy, clay-mated demons). Fascinating stuff indeed.
3. F for Fake (1974) - What's a film list without the inclusion of Orson Welles? The man's a certified genius and he's crafted what may arguably be the most head-trippiest documentary ever conceived. While it is a clear-cut documentary when taken at face-value, quickly the film unravels before your eyes, revealing how it's about the art of theatricality and deception, "powerful agents for the uninitiated". Elmyr de Hory is this pseudo-documentary's primary focus and shows how his forgery of famous paintings caused a huge scandal around the globe to the point where some experts didn't know the original from the fake. This was Orson Welles' last directorial effort and it may be my favourite out of all of his phenomenal filmography, the twisty editing throughout the film on it's own makes it more than worth a viewing.
2. Paprika (2006) - Here's where the animated section finally begins, and for good reason, as you can achieve a lot with animation, especially when you're looking to bend the minds of many. This is a clever, completely original animated masterpiece that clearly provided inspiration for Christopher Nolan's Inception. Lots of disturbing stuff to sift through, such as a nightmare-inducing scene where our title character gets "unmasked" by some creeper, though there's so much fun to be had as well, making it an even balance between entertaining and interesting. Also, this has one of the best opening sequences of all-time, effectively using editing and phenomenal animation to craft a bouncy, globetrotting adventure of an opener. Finally, if you're as much of a fan of Satoshi Kon as I am, keep a keen eye open during the last minute of the film, as posters for three of his previous animated classics (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers) are seen at the cinema.
1. Mind Game (2004) - Last, though certainly not least, is this big ol' mind-melter of a movie. Surely when you sit down to a film called "Mind Game", you would expect to be mentally-intrigued in some way or another, but this film takes that notion to a grand, new extreme. To spoil what exactly this film is about would be a detriment to all who have yet to see it. The film is deeply disturbing and equally fascinating during the first-half, yet the second-half is an adventure/chase that feels like it's at times catered to kids. Tonally the film is all over the place. It's main aim seems to involve shocking you by any means necessary, and it sure did work on me. The film has one of the most haunting sequences I've ever seen, if this particular scene doesn't stick with you long after watching this film, then you may be losing your memory, because this is one of the more jarring and vile scenes that I've ever experienced (and yet, in-context of the rest of the film, I'm happy I stuck around and endured the torment).
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