Best Mind-Bender Movies – Part 2

TOP MIND-BENDER MOVIES

Part 2: The Space-Time Continuum Means Nothing to These People…

8.) Vanilla Sky (2001) Cameron Crowe

Doh, I wish I could remember more about this movie. I think that was kind of the point – you just had no idea what was going on. All I remember is: 1) it starred Tom Cruise and 2) I liked it. If that’s not a mind-bender, I don’t know what is.

7.) The Butterfly Effect (2004) Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber

Hmm… speaking of which… Ashton Kutcher in a serious role. Everything about this list is just topsy-turvy. There was some sort of strange time loop weirdness going on, but it all worked really really well. Oddly enough.

6.) Memento (2000) Christopher Nolan

So, this guy has no short-term memory and tattoos everything he has to remember on his body. Oh, and he relies on these tattoos to solve his wife’s murder (the origin of his memory loss event). Oh, and time is messed up. Just don’t miss the first few minutes. Actually don’t miss anything. If you have to pee, hold it. (Or pause it, I guess. But really, if you have to pause it, I think you lack the proper commitment level for this movie.)

5.) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Charlie Kaufman/Michael Gondry

Woah. So, it was physically painful for me to rate this at No. 5. Because this is my No. 1 Favorite Film of All-Time. But, in terms of level of mindbending, I had to defer to the greater masters of the genre. Even so, it has all the Hallmarks of a Great Mindbend. Events told out of order? Check. Funky futuristic science mechanism to put a wrench in things? Check. Existential dilemma on crack? Check. Unsettling special effects and visual elements? Check. Mental time travel? Check. What’s not to love? If you knew the answer to that question, I bet you’d never remember.

4.) Being John Malcovich (1999) Charlie Kaufman/Spike Jonze

I think this could easily win the award for Weirdest Movie EVER. The plot on IMDB reads, “A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of the movie star, John Malkovich.” I rest my case. And I haven’t even TOLD you about the 7 ½ Floor Office for Little People.

3.) Inception (2010) Christopher Nolan

Oh Inception. I fully expected not to like you. But I didn’t. I didn’t like you at all. I looooooved you! I want to watch this movie over and over and over until I ‘get’ it. As EAP once said, “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” Indeed.

2.) Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut (2001) Richard Kelly

I cannot stress enough how important it is to watch the Director’s Cut ONLY. We made the mistake of talking up this movie and then unwittingly showing the regular cut. It was a COMPLETELY different movie. A movie that kinda blowed. The Director’s Cut though, that’s the good stuff. You’ll never look at bunnies the same again.

1.) Primer (2004) Shane Carruth

The Lay’s Potato Chip of Mindscrew Movies. I bet you can’t just watch this once. Heck, I bet you can’t sit there and not immediately watch it a second time, back-to-back. Even if you can start to wrap your head around this film, try this one on for size: the whole film start-to-finish was made for a measly $7,000. How’s that for a mindscrew?