Movies for life

This will be a fun thread. Here's a couple off the top of my head:

Chocolat: The answer lies in neither comprehensive thwarting of joyous passions nor in comprehensive rejection of responsibility, but in a balance of the two in an ongoing cycle of fasting and feasting.

Amadeus: The brilliance, and danger, of unbridled talent.

Top Gun: OK, I know this is nuts, but it's got some great themes about the place of confidence, courage and recovery from tragedy.

Dead Poet's Society: Carpe Diem!

A Beautiful Mind: Sometimes our most dangerous foes lurk in our own inner life.

I expect I'll think of more. Thanks Rod!

Bless,
Doug

1. "Das Leben der Anderen" -- How totalitarian power corrupts, and how recognition of love, music and art, freed from ideology, leads to can restore one's humanity.

2. "Au Revoir Les Enfants" -- Based on Louis Malle's actual childhood experience in Nazi occupied France, a priest sacrifices everything to save a Jewish child hiding in a boarding school. Again, recognition of common humanity triumphs over ideology.

3. "Babette's Feast" - Members of austere Protestant sect are stunned by the meal prepared by a French housekeeper, who exemplifies the pre-Reformation ethos of celebrating life .... including abundant food and drink.

4. "Henry V" (Kenneth Branagh version) -- We few, we happy few .... and all that.

5. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" -- A bit hokey, but Frank Capra had the culture of Capitol Hill down cold 70 years ago. Still a great, timely film.

6. "A Man for All Seasons" -- Thomas More sacrifices everything, and ultimately even his life, rather than violate his conscience.

7. "Patton" -- Best war movie ever.

8. "Letters from Iwo Jima" -- Deeply moving film about WW II Japanese civilian tailor-turned-soldier caught in an utter hell not of his own making.

9. "Casablanca" - syrupy World War II propaganda film, but worth watching just for the score and for the bar scene in which the French national anthem is played.

10. "Dr. Strangelove" -- just bloody hilarious.

I don't have 10, but I'd have to add "On the Waterfront": It may be easier to go through life deaf and dumb, but that doesn't make it right. Also, for a young person, it shows that people who want you to violate your conscience aren't really your friends, no matter what they claim.

1. "Das Leben der Anderen" -- How totalitarian power corrupts, and how recognition of love, music and art, freed from ideology, leads to can restore one's humanity.

Yes! Readers, this is "The Lives of Others," and it's just been released on DVD. By all means, *please* watch it. One of the best films ever.

I wish I'd thought to have included "A Man For All Seasons" on my list -- on a double-bill with "The Mission."

Big Fish. The questions of memory, identity, and vocation are complex. Judge not.

Final Fantasy X. Life is a pilgrimage - or a crusade - against Sin. Pick your religion carefully. Technically a video game, but unfolds like a film.

Don't forget "Avalon", by Barry Levinson around 1990 or so. It demonstrated the unraveling of the American family and its cultural and religious traditions thanks to "progress" and prosperity. Should be on any Crunchy Con's favorites list. I remember being surprised it wasn't nominated for best picture that year, but "Ghost" was. That said it all for me. A wonderful film - revisit it.

Definitely It's a Wonderful Life, The Godfather and Moonstruck, basically for the reasons already stated.

The Empire Strikes Back -- We all deal with grave setbacks in life. And we all have father issues.

The Commitments -- Just as Moonstruck is a magical Italian world, this is a magical (if a bit profane) Irish world. But life, after all, does have profanity -- and, more to the point, SOUL.

Whale Rider -- The persistence of sexism in life -- but also how strength and perseverance can warm even the coldest of traditional hearts.

A Beautiful Mind -- Sometimes brilliance may seem like a curse. But it has its own intrinsic rewards.

Election -- You may think once you graduate you'll leave high school behind. You'd be wrong.

A Christmas Story -- Enjoy still being young -- even the crazy parts of it.

Network -- The single-best movie to explain how we got into the multimedia mess life is today.

Oh, for those 15 or under (since we are talking about young people), I'd substitute The Truman Show for Network. The SECOND-best movie to explain how we got into the multimedia mess life is today.

Groundhog Day - because it explains that love isn't something to desire but something to deserve.

The Godfathers, the westerns, Babette's feast would all be on my list.

But how about The Man Who Would be King? A great story beautifully adapted and acted, directed by Huston (the last literate director) about hubris and imperial overreach, with wise things to say about soldiering too.

It is also a tragedy in the classical sense of the word.

The mission was good we watched that for comtempary ethics and i would suggest family man with nickolus cage.

Eric-

"Crimes" was a really disturbing film.I accept 2 reasonable people could watch it and come away with differing views. In the flashback/Passover scene, it seemed like Allen's point was if there is a a God, He's a disinterested bystander, and may be not even exist at all. The result is why follow anything more than our own personal desires and wants? Landau sees his mistress(Angelica Houston) is flaky, and has his mobster brother(a pre-L&O Jerry Orbach) kill her.The last scene of the movie is Landau not only getting away with murder, but flourishing in his family life and career. Meanwhile, Sam Waterson plays an honorable rabbi losing his sight with no hope of recovery.

Remember, this is the point in real time at which Allen began an affair with his stepdaughter.It's tougher to watch "Crimes" knowing that. If you watch the movie again in that light, it feels (a verb more of the Left which I'm wont to ever use in an argument)like Allen was thumbing his nose at any conventional ideal of morality, in his films and in his life.

The Lion King. This is kind of a strange choice, because it's silly in so many ways, what with the echoes of Star Wars, Roots, and other bits of late 70s culture that have been done to death. Still, the themes are family, betrayal, responsibility, power... all the things that animate Shakespeare (according to James Stewart, the concepts started with Jeffrey Katzenberg's self-aggrandizing memories of being a bagman for Mayor John Lindsey, and ended up as a retelling Hamlet with less of a body count and more Rozencrantz and Guildenstern).

Another strange choice: Home Alone. Hear me out here. Yes, the slapstick goes into sadistic territory. Yes, it spawned all kinds of heartless imitations (including its sequels.) But, if you believe that defense of home and hearth is the core of civilization, then you have no business not liking Home Alone.

Bugg,

I get what your interpretation is, but I think the difference is the idea that Landau "got away with it" Yeah the good Rabbi had bad stuff happen to him and the bad guy got away with his crime, that is how the real world works. I think that deep down Landau wanted to be punished for his crimes, it is reassuring to think that everything balances out, the the bad suffer for being bad and the good are rewarded for being good. Part of growing up is recognizaing that it doesn't and ultimately you have to be acocuntable to your own conscience because you can get away with crimes.

Casablanca: True love, yet sacrificed for a greater cause. The redemption of a cynic, and his return to idealism after being wounded by the real world.

Shadowlands: The story of C.S. Lewis's love for a woman with cancer. One of the few movies that accurately depicts a Christian perspective on life, love, death, faith, and doubt.

Chariots of Fire: Self-sacrifice and perseverance. One of the athletes refuses to run in his main event during the Olympics because it's held on the Sabbath day.

This is Spinal Tap: It's better to make fun of rock musicians than to take them seriously.

The Killing Fields: This is what Communism really looks like.

"About A Boy"--no man is an island.

"High Fidelity"--your perception of what love is eventually grows up.

"The Fisher King"--Redemption, true love and Ethel Merman--the good things in life.

"Army of Darkness."--Because even incompetents have to stand for something. And produce great catchphrases while doing it.

"Galaxy Quest"--Be a hero.

In no particular order, and not paying attention to how many there are...

Strictly Ballroom: excellent metaphors about living life, having an actual grip on reality versus trying to control reality, and the value in honesty both with others and with one's self.

M*A*S*H: witty, stark, unexpected, and unforgivingly harsh in portraying war and its effects on thinking, caring people.

When Harry Met Sally: full of revelations about how people think, the illusions they cling to, and two possible journeys from idealism to acceptance of reality, and finding happiness despite it all.

Bend It Like Beckham and Monsoon Wedding: balancing the pressures of ego (the good kind), family, society and the ubiquitous attempts to see people as categories instead of complex individuals. I don't have a bias in favor of Indian culture (though I really do enjoy it); if My Big Fat Greek Wedding had been a better movie (IMO), I'd have used that instead or as well.

Spirited Away: fantasy is an excellent way to teach the metaphors of life. I'd show this movie to a wide range of ages at the same time. I imagine they'd all look at one scene and find value in it from their age-specific points of view. It's not just a beautiful movie; it has layers upon layers, that I continue to find after more than a dozen viewings. I'd also include The Princess Bride (especially the boy and his grandfather reading the book), but it doesn't really get as deeply into the metaphors of life.

Star Trek - The Next Generation episode "The Inner Light": a civilization on a dying planet sends a probe into space, hoping that their lives and the way they lived them will be remembered and cherished. Captain Picard is "chosen" to live one of their lives, and learns to value his own life in new ways.

Go carefully, my friends.

It's too big a question for me to answer without giving it some thought, but let me just say how thrilled I was to see that I'm not the only person ever to have a) seen "The Mission," and b) liked it.

I'm no longer alone!

Krzysztof Kieslowski's trilogy, "Bleu," "Blanc" and "Rouge."
Grief, inspiration, elevation, forgiveness, passion, ambition, obsession, innocence, experience, isolation, redemption and ultimately communion. These films do exactly what great art is supposed to do: earnestly examine the human condition while bringing poignance and beauty into the world.

As a strange companion piece, Tim Burton's "Ed Wood," a brilliant biopic about a filmmaker remembered for not being a genius. The quixotic story of Wood's collaborations with the elderly, impoverished Bela Lugosi may be the most humanizing portrait of catastrophic artistic failure ever produced.

Oh yay--I love this post, and so many of my favorites have already been mentioned! Therefore, I’m not going to just reiterate my top favorites, but add a few more that I might give a lower ranking to, but still think are good.

Defending Your Life--another “be a hero” movie. Its urging to step out boldly, to get beyond the convenient self-delusions with which we justify our mediocrity and build our own cages, is sorely needed by modern urbanites. And, of course, Meryl Streep is charming. It’s a second-tier movie with quite a few blank spots, but still funny and telling.

As Good As It Gets--quirky, funny, and appalling. A unique kind of buddy movie, in which the sum of us turns out to be greater than its damaged and defective parts, and a little kindness goes a long way toward healing.

Soldier--another B movie, science fiction, with Kurt Russell looking supernaturally buff--woo hoo, I love his mean little blue eyes, but maybe that’s just me--and finding his way back to humanity from a life as a Hitler-Youth-style mercenary that has left his soul deformed and nearly mute.

Kundun/Little Buddha--double feature, for comparison. Both feature a message of compassion and help one learn how religious ideas can be expressed in forms other than the conventional ones we’re used to. Kundun also shows something of the challenges that have to be faced when compassion comes up against the juggernaut of a dominating ideology.

Wings of Desire--lyrical, passionate, imagistic. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it. Everyone knows an angel would never seek to become human--but the metaphor works to show the eternal compassion of the heavenly world, and the wonder of experiencing the universe as a human. Makes you notice and love your everyday life.

And how about some movies that feature girls? I think everyone, child or adult, should see The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. NOT the execrable Shirley Temple versions! Dear God, no!! The 1993 Secret Garden and the 1995 Little Princess. I think everyone knows about The Secret Garden. In A Little Princess, pampered Sara Crewe is plunged into poverty and abuse, but continues to think of herself as a princess, and keeps her dignity by giving others the riches she still possesses--her generous heart and vibrant imagination. Basically, the message of both of them is that love is the true magic. And then there’s Enchanted April, which is sort of like The Secret Garden for grownups.

Sense and Sensibility--could provoke some interesting conversation about the double standard and the constraints society has historically placed on women. It also shows the heartbreak that ensues for men and women alike when boys have their fun and don’t count the cost, so men should see it too. And it has Alan Rickman. . . .

The Wizard of Speed and Time--little known cult fave. It’s about the difficulties of being a creative artist. Shoestring production values, slapstick humor, animation that’s still way cool although it’s no longer cutting edge as it was when this was made. “Cree-ay-tivity gets things cree-ay-ted!” Hallelujah!

North Dallas Forty--what’s not to love about watching Nick Nolte go to the dogs? This, too, is about the difficulties of being an artist, believe it or not. It’s about walking the fine line between losing your soul and losing your one talent, and when you have to draw the line and walk away. It’s also about the sad reality that some folks are just out to use you, and even your teammates will lie, and how to deal with that. Goes with the great Bob Seger song, “Little Victories.”

Oh, my, I nearly forgot--The Apostle. An absolute tour de force by Robert Duvall. Love, hate, grace, delusion, sin and redemption all tangled up together. The wheat and the tares all gathered into the barn.

"Moonstruck" simply has to be there. I've seen it over 20 times. He who doesn't love "Moonstruck" doesn't love life. Probably the most meaningful time I've seen the film was picknicking with friends in a park near the Brooklyn Bridge in the evening. After the sun went down, the parks department (I think it was) showed the movie on a big screen set up in front of the bridge. There's one transitional shot of the bridge taken exactly from where we were all sitting, watching the movie -- everyone in the crowd cheered.

When people would come visit us in that part of Brooklyn, and knew the film, I'd make sure to take them by 19 Cranberry Street, which is where Loretta and her family lived.

Gallialag: Rod, the Holocaust was not the most important event. Suffering and persecution everywhere is important to those who endured it whether it's large scale or not. Russia, china and Ukraine suffered big time during the last century too, and racial segregation in the US was nothing to sneeze at either.

I call it the most important event not because the lives lost in the Holocaust were somehow more valuable than lives lost elsewhere, but because of what the Holocaust itself tells us about human nature. It was the perfect example of the most advanced nation in the world putting its technological and rational capabilities to work in a deliberate plan to systematically exterminate a people. It proved once and for all that no matter how far advanced we think we are morally and culturally, there will always be a heart of darkness beating in our breasts. Therefore, the Holocaust serves as an eternal warning against moral hubris.

Anyway, I don't want to throw this thread off track, so let's defer this debate. Later today or this weekend, I'll start a new thread on this question so we can talk about it.

Rod-

You'll be sorry to know that while they filmed some exteriors of "Moonstruck" in Cobble Hill, the bulk of it is filmed in Toronto with a blue screen. Seeing the Towers in it now is a treat. No Matter-it's a fun movie.

I'm looking forward to "The Live of Others" when it hits PPV.

An enthusiastic yes to both "Man for All Seasons" and "The Apostle." I am told that Thomas More is the patron saint of civil servants. Well, perhaps instead of going on "team-building retreats" and that sort of nonsense, civil servants should be required to watch it every five years or so. (As a professor at a state university, I would include myself and my colleagues.)

I am dying here!

I waited to the end, and could not believe anyone has noted In the Bedroom.

This is probably the best movie about the sexual revolution and family life ever done. It has the most intense discussion of birth control (done so subtle you can barely tell) ever done. The cool thing is that the movie just skates right over the heads of people who don't mourn the loss of family in American life.

Probably the best movie I've ever seen (acting, plot, moral message, film, you name it). If you haven't seen it, watch carefully.

Couple of other must see movies: Miracle, Rudy, Enemy at the Gates, The Usual Suspects, Fight Club, Office Space, and Napoleon Dynamite.

I'll add "Empire of the Sun", but I'm too lazy to put thoughts together to say why.

1) Russian film titled _Ostrov_ (_The Island_). Wonderful Orthodox film--a fool for Christ straight from the frenetic Dostoevskian tradition.

2) _Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_: has there ever been a better propgandist for Palamite spirituality: "If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it."

3) _In America_. A movie about love. Beautifully told.

4) _Time Bandits_. Let the kid see the absurdity of the world--that evil is a parasite, not a part of the will of God.

5) _Cool Hand Luke_. Because we all need to be rebellious.

6) _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_. See #5, and Milos Forman is a master.

7) _Big Fish_. For the reasons others have given.

8) _Babe_. Innocent, simple, and, yes, a bit brutal.

9) _Spirited Away_. Visual delight. If you're going to give the kid animation, may as well give him or her the best (Miyazaki).

10) _Unforgiven_. May as well give him or her one of the finest deconstructions of the American myth of redemptive violence (via a Western, no less) ever put to film.

Some great suggestions . . .
To the poster who didn't like "Chocolat", I would suggest putting down your Final Fantasy game, and reading the book which is wayyyyyyy better than the movie. A lovely book to read during Lent.
I would add these movies:

"Apollo 13" and "Saving Private Ryan", because both portray historical events with accuracy and humanity (these are people with flaws). (one could also add "Philadelphia" but it would seem like I was supporting Tom Hanks movies too strongly--how is it that such a quiet man can be such a big star and hold on to a family life--perhaps not all that live in Hollywood are liberally corupt? Sorry, just had to say:)

"The Wizard of Oz" because there is no place like home:)

"Field of Dreams" because we should all believe that we can, through hard work, achieve.

"Babette's Feast" is just too good for words--one of my favs!

"Supersize Me" because it warns of the danger of over-indulgance.

"Shadowlands" is a must, particularly for Narnia fans ("And so is "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe")

"Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle" (Why can't we have MORE of these movies for our children?)

"Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Steel Magnolias" because they portray women in such real ways: Strong, sad, happy, loved and flawed.

And finally (altho I could list a couple dozen easily), "The Shawshank Redemption" to teach about overcoming the odds, and holding to your values, even when the odds are agains you.

And Rod, I hope you look at doing something similar with books soon. I have long had a rotating list (one book, the Bible, is always there) of books that every person should read. My trouble is holding it to ten! For now I am hitting "Print" so I have all these lists when we go to the video store next week. Thanks for the great suggestions everyone!

1. Goodbye Mr. Chips - the original. Wonderful story of a seemingly meek man's influence on children and his affect on their lifes. Simple lives are sometimes the greatest ones.

2. Hotel Rwanda - true story of a man who did the right thing. Can't learn a lesson greater than that.

3. Citizen Kane - what does it profit a man who gains the world but loses his soul.

3. Chariots of Fire - two men's different quests for greatness.

4. Wallstreet - greed is not good.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - justice does not always prevail, but honor does.

6. The Princess Bride - you can never go wrong w/ true love and this movie will give you so many quotes to tell your friends through life when levity is needed. "Have fun storming the castle!" "Hello. My name is Inego Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." "As you wish!"

7. Marty - follow your heart, not your friends.

8. Meet Me in St. Louis - Are families' really like this? Shouldn't they be?

9. A Streetcar Named Desire - 'Cause this is what life is like for some people.

10. Beaches - great story of best friends through life (and oh how we change throughout it).

Movies that we'd watch over and over for their message:
-- Ostrov (The Island) for Christian spirituality that goes beyond being "good" and "nice"
-- Ben Hur for the balance between life-long friendships and values
-- Children of Heaven (Iranian film) for contrast
-- The Incredibles (Pixar) for some great insight into tedious office life and being a hero by holding together a family (the film has lines like: "the bad guys are trying to kill our parents or worse, wreck their marriage!")
-- Roman Holiday (Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck) - deals with fun and responsibility. This has got to be the funniest romantic comedy that can be watched by the entire family.
-- Fiddler on the Roof (with Topol) - tradition and modernism
-- Little Women (choice for girls) - patience to find the right one, accept to be corrected

From my collection:

Cool Runnings - Don't give up, and don't let other people tell you who you are.

The Family Man - Not everything that counts can be counted. Make sure you've got your priorities in order: people matter more than money.

Love Actually - "Love actually is all around". And it ultimately defeats hate, if we let it. We have that choice and that power.

Practical Magic - A good choice for girls. You have power and strength. You don't need a man, and if he's a jerk you're better off without him. Don't meddle with forces you don't understand. Finish what you start. And always, always stand by your sisters.

Saved! - Not only is this a fun movie that's basically aimed at young (late-high-school-age) adults, it's also got a great message: that institutions can be wrong, individuals can be right, the 'perfect kids' aren't always so perfect, and the losers, sinners, and outcasts aren't always what they seem either. And that prayer may be great, but it's not the best birth control.

What Dreams May Come - the assertion of life after death is just the beginning of this film's value. It's also about the value of determination and the power of love to conquer evil or painful things.

Good list. Obviously, the suitability of some of these excellent titles will depend upon the age and maturity level of the individual young adults to whom they're shown.

Re: "Crimes and Misdemeanors," I once saw an interview with Woody Allen which I found dismaying because Allen basically admitted that the point of this film was that, in real life, being a material success matters more than being a good person and that, since there is no divine retribution, the only restraint on personal choices is what your conscience can and can't handle. In other words, if you get away with murder and can deal with it, you're home free. At the time of the interview, at least, Allen admitted he was a nihilist.

Fortunately you don't have to posess great moral character to make great art. Allen is such a talented filmmaker that drawing the nihilistic conclusion from "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is by no means inevitable. In the flashback dinner table scene depicting the argument between the protagonist's religious and atheistic elder relatives, the religious elder's position was very compelling, even (if not especially) from Allen's obviously existential point of view. Allen presents a choice, along with the accurate observation that the path of faith and goodness holds no guarantees of material happiness.

Some viewers of this film, like the religious elder, will continue to bravely and passionately side with God. And not simply because we're weak, ignorant or superstitious. Philosophically, the path chosen by the religious elder is that of Kierkegaard. The path chosen by Martin Landau (and, evidently, Allen) is that of Nietzsche.

I don't like to sit still and watch movies all that much -- I'd rather read. But there are several movies that I will watch all the way through as frequently as I can. Some of the classic ones -- A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, eg. -- have already been mentioned. Here are the more recent ones:

Rat Race -- sorry, guys, it IS the funniest movie ever made, and it makes a very satisfying moral point, too.

School of Rock -- Dewey's blackboard is classic.

Thirteen Going on Thirty -- a lovely modern fairy tale.

Master and Commander -- enjoy the movie but also read all 20 of the books.

I'd also add two older, odder films, but definitely worth seeing: Rashamon, by Akira Kurasawa, and
Alexander Nevsky, the black-and-white Russian film made with Prokofiev's score.

Oh, and Steve Martin's Parenthood. Very profound.

1. Boondock Saints - What would you do in the following situation? There is great evil on the streets of your city. The authorities don't seem to be able to do anything to stop it - or don't want to do anything perhaps. A group of individuals get fed up with it all and decide to take matters into their own hands to rid their streets of evil, crime, murder, etc. And I don't mean in the "one gang decides to take out a rival gang" sense. I mean in an all bad guys are fair game sense. What do you do? Do you follow the "the only way for evil to survive is for good men to do nothing" maxim? Or do you agree that the law, however imperfect, must hold? It's easy to see why people would make either choice, and this movie (even if it has become a bit overly trendy) lays out that moral dilemma. I think it's a great movie.

2. Bells of St. Mary's - The Church's ability to work for good? The power of redemption? People's ability to change for the better as a result of the Church? What a novel idea!

Sadly threads with word 'movie' in title stopped displaying at work. So many films i never heard about.

Just came to mind:

"Cyrano de Bergerac" with Gerard Depardieu
(the poetic translation into russian was brilliant)

"Nights of Cabiria" by Fellini

1. The Virgin Spring - No better film about rage and revenge has ever been made.

2. Fight Club - If you don't teach boys what it means to be a man, then they will create their own meaning - for good or ill.

3. Cries and Whispers - Virgil wrote "There are things for which we shed tears and our mortality cuts to the bone". This movie visualizes that thought.

4. The Man who shot Liberty Valance - How mythmaking happens.

5. The Godfather 1 and 2 - What we owe to family and tradition can conflict with what is right and what we owe society.

Looks like this post is basically closed, but hey.

Couple thoughts: first of all, I didn't say I could veto, just thought I would. You know, stimulate discussion and all, back and forth discussion, and so on... but probably a bit harsh.

Liberally Bent, you made me laugh so hard that I may just read Chocolat because of it.

And yes, yes, yes to Shall We Dance and High Fidelity. It was, once again, John Simon that introduced me to Shall We Dance, and it is a perfect movie. High Fidelity is wonderful, although my wife would veto it because she felt the main character wasn't redeemable. The book does a better job of explaining his thought process (although High Fidelity broke the fourth wall more effectively than any other movie)