Smoke, Flicks, and Chill: Mind Benders

More often than not, patrons that visit movie theaters, or sit down on their couch for a night of Netflix and chill, are in it for the sheer pleasure. They want to be entertained, excited, thrilled, and frankly, don’t want to have to think about anything aside from the mediocre film in front of them. But that isn’t always the case. Sometimes you want to think, be challenged, even question the very film you selected. And sometimes, you want to get high, and watch said movies, and allow for your brain to slowly trickle out of your ears. That’s right – here’s the list of the best mind bending movies (in no particular order) to watch while stoned.. Sshhh, it just started. Save your questions for after.

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Anything developed in director Darren Aronofsky’s whirlwind of a mind more than likely comes out pristine, but one in particular really stands out and will truly make you rethink your life choices post viewing. 2000 blessed us with Requiem for a Dream, a deeply psychological drama that features the storylines of four different characters dealing with their own form of drug addiction, and what happens when the obsession blurs with reality and things just shift into overdrive real, real quick. The directing, editing, acting, and cinematography all make for a beautiful piece of art that should not be missed, and it makes for an even better viewing if you’re baked out of your mind. To be honest, you might start screaming. Shit happens.

Munchie: A whole lot of pixie sticks. Am I the only one who used to snort those as a kid?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

While many of you may know Sir Jim Carrey from his comedic roles in Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Ace Ventura, it was his role in the American mosh-posh Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that made me really appreciate the man as someone who can do more than crack a joke. After Carrey and his girlfriend (played by Academy-award winner Kate Winslet) decide to erase their memories after a failed relationship, most of the film’s events twist and turn through the mind of Carrey’s character as he reconsiders and attempts to avoid the deletion. The rest of the film’s characters intertwine with the timeline of the film, making you extremely thankful that memory erasing is not an actual thing in this world. Throw in a sappy indie soundtrack, a couple beanies, and a nicely rolled blunt, and you’ve got yourself your next date movie, my friend.

Munchie: Clementines, inspired by Winslet herself.

Identity (2003)

Twists and turns are the key to my heart when it comes to good cinema, and that’s exactly what Identity delivers from beginning to end. Once a group of strangers are drawn together by a rainstorm to a creepy, run down motel in the middle of Nevada, they slowly begin to get picked off one.. by one.. by one. Loosely drawing from Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this 2003 thriller plays with your mind long enough to having you yelling ‘WTF’ once the credits roll. Don’t expect a happy ending.

Munchie: Those mostly air-filled vending machine chips.

Sucker Punch (2011)

Zach Snyder is a man who knows how to deliver, with his filmography displaying explosive energy and partnership with extremely talented actors (despite the mediocre movie reviews). In this original tale, we follow Baby Doll (Emily Browning), a recently institutionalized girl who bands together with four other female patients to try and escape before she gets lobotomized. Sounds twisted enough, right? That would be true.. if she didn’t envision the hospital to be a skeezy, mob-filled brothel with her friends as dancer-like escorts. Her psyche shifts around the entirety of the film, as will yours, as fantasy takes over and the girls become gun-toting, helicopter-flying warriors hellbent on getting out, at all costs. It’s over-the-top, and it’s completely crazy, but if high enough, you’ll be in for the ride of your life. I mean, it was described as ‘Alice in Wonderland with machine guns.’ What more can you want?

Munchie: All those samurais will you have craving sushi, for sure. Extra points for some gyoza.

Memento (2000)

Christopher Nolan is another man whose films could fill up this entire list, but there’s one in particular that will forever go down as a staple to anyone who is remotely a fan of cinema. In 2000, Nolan developed Memento, a psychological thriller like no other that introduced us to Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man suffering from short-term memory who is in hot pursuit of the person who raped and murdered his wife. Problem is, he can’t remember anything. The movie is set up in two sequences, one in color and one in black and white, to help you, and Leonard, decipher who and what is the truth and what isn’t as it seems. Throughout the entire run, you will feel disorientated, confused, and unsure of the facts put in front of you, but that’s what makes Memento so powerful. As soon as the two sequences mold together at the film’s end, you’ll be holding your remote aching to press ‘play again.’