ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST [1975]

Easily one of the best films of all time, director Miloš Forman's adaptation of Ken Kesey's counterculture novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest deserves all the endless accolades it receives.
A free-spirited hoodlum pleads insanity in order to serve his sentence in the mental hospital rather than endure hard labor on the prison farm.
A microscopic study of the deinstitutionalization of it's time and many of the questionable institutional processes that went through, the tale also reflects the madness of society and what might be the best way to find control within it.  A clash of cultural and behavioral beliefs make for some of the best character moments from stars Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, who I believe are at their absolute best here.   Graced with humor, thoughtfulness and wonderful performances all around, Cuckoo's Nest is an off-kilter melodrama that despite being over 40 years old, still makes some great points that are as significant as they were yesterday.

5 day-trips without the day-passes out of 5

Insignificance (1985)

A fictional situation featuring four fictionalised characters from different walks of life, all of whom you'll likely recognise even though they're never actually named. There's a professor with wild hair, a 1950s Hollywood blond bombshell, her baseball playing husband, and a U.S. senator who may ask if you are now or have ever been…

It takes place mostly in one hotel room, keeping the best parts of its origins (it's adapted from a play by Terry Johnson) and mixing them with the best parts of cinema, including cutaways, flashbacks and even some flashes forward. To connect with it you'll need to have an appreciation for all of those things and be a fan of Nic Roeg's unique shooting style.

4 unified fields out of 5

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

After relocation the Freelings have returned to happy family mode, but the memory of the ordeal remains and the evil isn't finished with Carol Anne just yet because sequels make easy money.
The addition of a creepy old guy, the fork-tongued Rev. Kane (Julian Beck), gave us someone to fear and enabled the back-story of Cuesta Verde to be expanded. Adding ‘The Other Side’ to the title was another good move; it provided intrigue and teased the notion that we might actually get to see it this time. We do, but it's the epitome of anticlimactic.

3 grabby hands out of 5

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

If not for Clint, I don't think the film would be even half as good as it is. It has some great dialogue, but the crux of the story, despite the symmetry of the protagonist unwittingly finding something he lost along the way, is mostly drifting along in need of cohesion. It's not until the last third that the story I wanted all along began to take shape.
I'm aware that many people will disagree (most of my own family!), but that's life. It's Clint that brings it weight, mostly because we associate him with his previous roles. He also excels behind the lens, filling the frame beautifully and unafraid to leave parts of it vacant when needed.

3½ 'baccy expectorations out of 5