Inspiration Series: Movies!

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

Since we have books, and we have albums, I think as well that some of the most inspirational items are movies.

A personal favorite is Schindler's List, a holocaust movie about a man who chose to assisst in the stopping of genocide in his own way. This is a movie with major impact, and even if you don't enjoy it, it brings across a strong message and is great for discussion.

Another one of my favorites is "Wonderful Days", a korean animation on the subject of industrialization and pollution and the destruction that dictatorship brings to civilians. The animation itself is like live action: even non anime fans love this movie when they see it.

"Aguirre the Wrath of God" is a 1973 movie about explorers on the Amazon that go insane over a period of time due to a set of rather frightening circumstances. This movie made me wonder so much about human selfishness and greed: the effect it has is phenomenal.

If you don't mind a look at human insanity, I'd recommend "Weekend", a film by French director Jean Luc-Godard. Primarily on the subject of the French economy, this film is phenomenal in every way. It is a bit gory, but it says a lot. Don't watch it with your parents around. . Just kidding, it's not quite that bad. It's pretty mature though, but very very interesting. A lot of the points it brings up are very striking and controversial.

Probably one of the most powerful films I've ever seen is "Requim for a Dream", which discusses Drug Addiction and public image in such a way that it hurts to watch it, but you just can't stop. This made me sob because of its message and its blatant imagery. This is an amazing movie, there are no other words for it.

In addition to that, I'd recommend "Taxi Driver." Among the subjects it covers are child prostitution, image, politics, and many more. This is an extremely enjoyable film but also very serious.

My nomination for possibly the best filmography is a film by the name of "The Sacrifice." I have no description that does it justice: just go watch it. Same goes for "Fanny and Alexander."

As far as more recent movies go, "The Pianist" is extremely touching. It depicts the life of a Jewish pianist during WWII and what becomes of him and his family. It is very very strong.

And finally, now that I'm giving more than my $.02, my favorite movie of all time is Apocolypse Now (spelling?). This movie is like...brain food. It really is. I loved it...it is based on the novel "Heart of Darkness", which I recommend too, and discusses the Vietnam War.

That's about it for me! - G

[Bharat Nain]

A movie series which has really inspired me is Rocky. It has many hidden messages if you look. It says keep going no matter what... and celebrate when you win.. be humble.. and a lot more I wont mention. It's just something you need to look at and judge.

[sanddrag]

The only one I can remember off hand as being really inspiring was October Sky.

[Yan Wang]

Ones that I can think of right now that are very special:

Forrest Gump
Star Wars (IV, V, VI)
Lord of the Rings (all three)
Saving Private Ryan
The Shawshank Redemption
Pulp Fiction
Memento
Akira

[Madison]

I watch movies far more than I read, but it'll still be difficult for me to imagine which have inspired me -- especially in ways more notable than the others.

Pay It Forward springs to mind quickly. Some people I know really disliked this movie, but I thought it was amazing in its commentary on how corrupt society can become insofar that even those who might represent the ideals of human compassion cannot survive.

On a less serious note, movies like Catch Me If You Can, Ocean's Eleven, and Duets have oftened inspired me, if temporarily, to put my cunning and intelligence to the test and see if I could manage to pull of some remarkable feat like those in the movies. Duets, for the uninitiated, is an awful movie that happens to star Huey Lewis as a karaoke hustler.

[Joe Matt]

Movies, eh breezie?

I remeber those once, let me think think about it some....

Hands down, #1 is The Matrix. Call it crap, a bad si-fi movie, whatever, it's inspirational and awsome. The rest are just a blurr. The Matrix is just awsome.

[Amanda Morrison]

You knew it was coming, folks - the inevitable. With the resurgence of the 'Best Albums' thread and the popularity of the 'Best Books' thread, I'd like to know what movies you kids are watching these days. I'm looking for movies that make you think, movies whose special effects throw you for a loop, movies that you can watch a thousand times and never of which get tired.
_________________________
The Boondock Saints
By the end of this movie, you'll be quoting the profanity, cheering on Willem Dafoe (scary, I know), and questioning your morals. I love movies that make me think, and this is the absolute king. I can honestly say I quote this movie a few times a week.

Donnie Darko
I can guarantee that you will watch this movie no less than twenty times before you even begin to understand it. I can't count how many times I have watched it, and I still pick up on little things. Patrick Swayze is amazing in this. That, and I swoon over Jake Gyllenhaal, absolutely swoon.

High Fidelity
A friend of mine recommended this for my Cusack obsession and I was hooked. I'm all about chick flicks, but this is more than just a simple girlie movie. Any movie with this great of a soundtrack and hitting Tim Robbins in the face with a phone gets an A in my book.

Man on the Moon
I am an Andy Kaufman fan, as well as a big Saturday Night Live buff. This movie goes into Kaufman's life and really shows what he was better than any documentary could ever do justice.

Pi
A cult classic, a well-made film, and it makes me cringe.

Punch-Drunk Love
Myself and a friend of mine watched this movie, and I positively fell in love with it. The entire movie leaves you cringing, paranoid FOR Barry, and wanting some pudding. I wanted pudding the entire movie.

Say Anything
I am a die-hard, weak-at-the-knees John Cusack fan. Not to mention, this movie is the emperor of chick flicks. I absolutely can't hear Peter Gabriel and not think of this movie, and I certainly can't get on an airplane and not wait for the 'ding'.

The X-Men / X2
I was a die-hard fan, even as a kid. My brother's Wolverine married my Skipper; it was an epic wedding. Rogue and Gambit had already experienced their wedded bliss. I am awaiting a third movie with the coming of Beast, (hopefully) Gambit, and the Phoenix like a three year old.

[Alex Pelan]

I'm going to agree with Yan Wang and say Saving Private Ryan. It taught me more about the war than any textbook could have.

[Clark Gilbert]

Some of my favorites that come to mind now are....

Backdraft
Apollo 13
The Right Stuff
Top Gun
Willy Wonka
Blackhawk Down
Ghostbusters

[Lisa Perez]

Ditto to Top Gun. I think that it demonstrates a will to overcome your fears and to never give up on something that you love. (Favorite movie, and yes, I always find a way to make a moral story out of something )

[Bridgette]

I don't watch movies too much, and the only one that comes to mind is The Hours. It tells the stories of three women - Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) and Clarissa Vaughn (Meryl Streep). Each one has a connection to the book Mrs. Dalloway - Woolf is writing it, Brown is trying to read it, and Vaugn is living it. This movie is about two and a half hours long, and isn't fast-paced like many movies today, so not everybody is going to like it. But I loved it. I read the book that the movie is based on (The Hours by Michael Cunningham) before watching the movie. It is a very emotional, depressing film. I cried a lot. The Hours made me question my life and helped me to realize that you can't live your life for other people. I love this movie and highly suggest it.

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Amanda Morrison

Donnie Darko
I can guarantee that you will watch this movie no less than twenty times before you even begin to understand it. I can't count how many times I have watched it, and I still pick up on little things. Patrick Swayze is amazing in this. That, and I swoon over Jake Gyllenhaal, absolutely swoon.

I saw this for the first time yesterday and I can't even begin to imagine that I could survive a second viewing, let alone a twentieth. It's been a long, long time since a movie's made absolutely no sense to me at all.

[Dorienne]

Originally Posted by Amanda Morrison

You knew it was coming, folks - the inevitable. With the resurgence of the 'Best Albums' thread and the popularity of the 'Best Books' thread, I'd like to know what movies you kids are watching these days. I'm looking for movies that make you think, movies whose special effects throw you for a loop, movies that you can watch a thousand times and never of which get tired.

I honestly want to see The Passion of the Christ over and over. I only saw it once, but I wish I saw it more often.
I'm a religious person, but in this case I'll discuss it from a neutral person's point of view.
This movie is so amazing...it goes by the Bible exactly. If you've read the books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you know what happens. And this movie went by the tale. It's kind of like the movies Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings...it's a tale. And the movie goes exactly by the tale. It's sad, happy, suspenseful, upsetting..all at once.
Another movie I love is Grease. C'mon, who doesn't love that movie?! It's a great story about summer love, teenage issues, and friendship. I'm a sucker for musicals, so this movie captured my heart immediately. The music was fun and upbeat, sometimes sad, and you knew it. The acting was amazing, the dancing was flawless, characters were unique..and it was just all-around awesome.

--d0ri

[Joshua May]

These were the most inspirational movies for me:
October Sky
The Pianist
Pay it Forward
Seven Years in Tibet
Kundun

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

Donnie Darko gets millions of votes. There is a cult, er, fanclub for it on DeviantArt as well. Yay for that.