One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Emotional masterpiece. Like: really, really good. But this isn't the sort of film you would want to watch in order to be entertained or feel better about yourself, because this one is such a gutpunch (even after all these years) that yours truly can only sanely watch this once a year. It is that darn gripping and heavy, which speaks to its timelessness and brilliance, of course. Randall McMurphy (Nicholson) is a small time crook who was sentenced to prison for assault and a case of statutory rape. But because he thinks he can decrease his sentence and get out of work detail, he feigns mental issues, which is why he is transferred to an institution for observation. This place is run like clockwork by nurse Ratched (Fletcher), an iron woman who truly believes that she is doing the best for her patients, but who is so sure her way is the only way, it becomes ridiculously rigid and restrictive. McMurphy is the spanner in the works, as he doesn't really abide by the rules and hi...
