let's fuckin' do it! Fuckin' pull the trigger you miserable blind motherfucker. Pull the trigger

This bunch of films was, to paraphrase my former officemate's father-in-law, different.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - "A criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rebels against the oppressive nurse and rallies up the scared patients."

Source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: it's a classic that I had never seen, and I've been in a Nicholson mode lately
AFI: 100 Years ... 100 Movies (original list 1998) #20

100 Years ... 100 Cheers (2006) #17

100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th anniversary edition 2007) #33

IMDB: 8.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 96%

notable quote: "It's easier for you, maybe. You're a lot bigger than me."
story: holy balls, not what I'd expected. Wow.
visuals: brilliantly shot, conveying the sense of claustrophobia and the institutionalism and dehumanization of such a place
costumes, hair & makeup: very well done
acting: phenomenal! Jack Nicholson's most open performance, brave and vulnerable. Louise Fletcher was so good as Nurse Ratched, rising above what could have been a nasty stereotype into nuance and delicacy. Finally, Will Sampson as Chief Bromden was extraordinary - and heartbreaking.

intangibles: I loved it. Not sure if I can ever watch it again, but I thought it was marvelous.
Academy Award winner:
• Best Picture (making this the first film in 41 years to sweep the big 5 awards)

• Best Actor—Nicholson (R.P. McMurphy)

• Best Actress—Fletcher

• Best Director—Miloš Forman

• Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted from Other Material

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Supporting Actor—Brad Dourif (Billy Bibbit)

• Best Cinematography

• Best Film Editing

• Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
overall: recommended

Scent of a Woman (1992) - "A prep school student needing money agrees to 'babysit' a blind man, but the job is not at all what either anticipated."
Source: streamed on Amazon Prime
I watched it because: I've wanted to see it since it was released
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 89% Audience: 92%

notable quote: "Women! What can you say? Who made 'em? God must have been a fuckin' genius. The hair... They say the hair is everything, you know. Have you ever buried your nose in a mountain of curls...just wanted to go to sleep forever? Or lips, when they touched yours, were like...that first swallow of wine...after you just crossed the desert?"
story: grumpy blind bastard is "cared for" by a bright but clueless high school kid with problems of his own
visuals: stunning setting (the American northeast), richly colored, and well shot. In particular, the dancing scene is unforgettably beautiful.
costumes, hair & makeup: a wonderful plot point (and a joy for anyone appreciating quality menswear)
acting: Al Pacino (Lt. Col. Frank Slade) is a marvel, utterly transformed by this bitter, gruff, sad military man. The dinner party scene and the dancing... seared into my mind. 

intangibles: Loved it. Absolutely.
Academy Award winner: Best Actor—Pacino
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Director—Martin Brest

• Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
overall: highly recommended

It Should Happen to You (1954) - "When a young woman with dreams of fame rents a billboard to advertise herself, her life changes overnight."
Source: it's part of my "Silver Screen Romances" box set
I watched it because: I was in a mellow mood 
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 76%

notable quote: "I don't know what you're talkin' about, and neither do you!"
story: a woman, disheartened after being fired as a model for changing shape, decides on a whim to hire a billboard for herself. The ramifications are enormous.
acting: Judy Holliday's character, Gladys Glover, is terrible - a horrid combination of clueless bimbo and embarrassingly mercenary. If you don't buy her as a cute, spunky, lucky little heroine, then you won't like this film at all. 

intangibles:  it didn't do it for me
Academy Award nominee: Best Costume Design, Black & White
overall: not recommended

Adam Had Four Sons (1941) - "A governess becomes the center of a wealthy family after her employer's wife dies."
Source: it's part of my "Silver Screen Romances" box set
I watched it because: I'm an optimist about romantic movies
IMDB: 6.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 58%

notable quote: "Why wait? I never understood waiting. What do you wanna wait for?!"
story: it's a sort of Sound of Music/Gone with the Wind/Jezebel mashup
costumes, hair & makeup: effectively class-setting
acting: black or white, no nuance at all

intangibles: I wanted to like it. It's Ingrid Bergman, for crissakes! But it was all over the place, and none of those places made any sense or was entertaining.
overall: not recommended

Career Girl (1944) - "Joan Terry, a girl from the country, wants to become a Broadway star, but this proves not to be so easy."
Source: it's part of my "The Golden Age of Musicals" box set
I watched it because: why not?
IMDB: 5.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A%

story: girl comes to the big city to be a star, because she's always been told that it would be easy for her - that it's her destiny. Only, that's the same story as every other girl has ever been told. So, when she has trouble, she decides to give up - until her friends put their futures on hold to make it happen for her.
acting: unbelievable

intangibles: the premise, the acting, the film: all of it is unbelievable
overall: not recommended

[the title quotation is from Scent of a Woman]