I LOVED this blog-a-thon idea, so much in fact I went back for seconds. So if you haven’t (and I highly suggest you should) checked out the other installments of this blogathon by Jess, Nick, or other bloggers, here’s the basic premise:
Mixtapes are most relevant when shared, to give someone a collection of songs, some they will know, others they don’t but will come to love is a true gift. The best mixes are of songs that are completely unconnected but fit together perfectly. So how does this translate to movies? The idea behind Mixtape Movies is to compile a list of movies that fit together. There are no hard and fast rules but here are my guidelines:
A selection of movies with no direct connection (star, director, source material) but that fit together or compliment each other.
Around six movies, five plus one wildcard (a movie that doesn’t quite fit but still belongs).
So this Movie Mixtape is base on films that deal with mental disease and the various ways they can appear in characters. The human mind is a great topic for movies because it allows the audience to really submerse themselves in this world that they’re presented and also make them question reality a little after the film is over. I nabbed the title of this mixtape from the chorus of Gnarls Barkley’s song, Crazy.
Mixtape Runtime: 696 mins. / 11 hours & 36 mins
Shutter Island – This movies teams up the director/actor tag team of Scorsese and DiCaprio. DiCaprio plays a US Marshall who comes to an insane asylum to solve a case. There he finds that all isn’t what it seems at the hospital and he is led on a very dark journey to find out what’s really happening on Shutter Island. Since this movie is still fairly new (it was released in 2010) I won’t spoil it for you, but what I will say is that Shutter Island is a movie that will definitely having you thinking about it long after it’s over.
Jacob’s Ladder – The first time I saw Jacob’s Ladder I was six years old. Needless to say, this movie wasn’t meant for me. As I got older, I was able to realize the total mindf*@k this movie is (I mean that in a good way). Jacob’s Ladder stars Tim Robbins as a Vietnam Vet whose grip on reality slowly loosens after the death of his child. Granted I haven’t seen this movie in a couple years, but the thing that sticks out the most in my memory is the imagery, especially the scene on the subway. If you don’t feel a little crazy after watching Jacob’s Ladder, then you probably weren’t very sane to begin with.
Identity – I think Identity was a movie that doesn’t get the props that it deserves. The premise of Identity is that a group of individuals are all stranded at a hotel during a rainstorm and one of them is picking them off one by one. On its face you may not see the connection to mental disease, I don’t want to spoil it for you so if you watch it all will be made clear.
A Beautiful Mind – This movie is based on the real life of John Forbes Nash Jr. who, despite his schizophrenia, was one of the greatest mathematicians and later went on to win a Nobel Prize. The movie delves into his personal life and how his disorder hindered his personal relations
Donnie Darko – A cult-classic, Donnie Darko follows a teenage loner as he sees a huge bunny prophesize the end of the world. I could hardly see how I could do a mixtape with this theme and not mention this movie. Yet again, this is another film that definitely sticks with you long after it’s over.
Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3: The Dream Warriors – Okay, I know you’re thinking WTF? Stay with me. So clearly, Dream Warriors is my wildcard, so all of the other movies on the mixtape have people who are definitely mentally unhinged. In Dream Warriors, all the teens that are placed in the mental ward are perfectly sane. All the doctors and the teen’s parents believe that teens are suffering from some type of psychosomatic group hysteria stemming from drug use, when in all actuality; they are the last survivors of Elm St.; a group of kids being picked off in their sleep by a serial killer their parents killed years before. It’s not until a new doctor comes in, a fellow Elm St. survivor, who understands they’re not crazy and teaches them to fight back.
Hope you liked my mixtape! What would you add?
Check out the other participant’s movie mixtapes here.