Random Movies That Actually Taught Us Something (28 items)

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  (#18) Fight Club

  • Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, Helena Bonham Carter, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Eion Bailey, Lauren Sánchez, David Lee Smith, Edward Kowalczyk, Holt McCallany, Zach Grenier, Bob Stephenson, Christina Cabot, David Andrews, Brian Tochi, Matt Winston, Ezra Buzzington, Carl Ciarfalio, Tim De Zarn, Jim Jenkins, Richmond Arquette, Philip Hawn, Leonard Termo, Thom Gossom Jr., Charlie Dell, David Jean Thomas, Paul Dillon, Michael Shamus Wiles, Stuart Blumberg, Marcio Rosario, Pat McNamara, Michael Arturo, Markus Redmond, Tommy Dallace, Rachel Singer, George Maguire, Robby Robinson, Paul Carafotes, Peter Iacangelo, Joel Bissonnette, Christopher John Fields, Scotch Ellis Loring, Eugenie Bondurant, Eddie Hargitay, Kevin Scott Mack, Mark Fite, Evan Mirand, Sydney 'Big Dawg' Colston, Bennie Moore, Chad Randau, Lou Beatty Jr., Matt Cinquanta, Joon B. Kim, Michael Girardin, Christie Cronenweth, Baron Jay, Hugh Peddy, Tyrone R. Livingston, Andi Carnick, Owen Masterson, Rob Lanza, Van Quattro, Trey Ore, Jawara, Gregory Silva, Valerie Bickford, Alekxia Valdez, J.T. Pontino, Dierdre Downing-Jackson, Anderson Bourell, Todd Peirce, Louis Ortiz

  "The things you own end up owning you."

  A riff on the philosophy espoused in Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance." We live in a consumer culture, but focusing overwhelmingly on material items will only weigh you down, clutter your life, and lighten your bank account. The less you are obsessed with things, the freer you will be to create an authentic identity.
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  (#19) Hitch

  • Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Paula Patton, Kevin James

  "Life is not the amount of breaths you take. It's the moments that take your breath away."

  This is a rather poetic way of restating Seneca's famous point, "Life, if well lived, is long enough." To put it another way: It's all about quality, not quantity.
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  (#27) A Beautiful Mind

  • Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe, Ron Howard, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany, Josh Lucas, Judd Hirsch, Anthony Rapp, Adam Goldberg, Rance Howard, Austin Pendleton, Roy Thinnes, Josh Pais, Jason Gray-Stanford, Jane Jenkins, Stelio Savante, John H. Tobin, Amy Walz, Warner Wolf, Reggie Austin, Brian Smyj, Tanya Clarke, Fileena Bahris, Michael Abbott Jr., Ryan Tygh, Jonah Falcon, Vivien Cardone, Dory Manzour, Rich Bryant, Dave Bayer, Robert Myers, Sean Reid, Tom McNutt, Charles McClelland, Cheryl Howard, Evan Hart, Jason Horton, Douglas Taurel, Jesse Doran, Fabrizio Fante, James Thomas Bligh, Alessandro Tanaka, Jennifer Weedon, Sean Dillon, Michael Pierce, Jon M. McDonnell, Todd Fredericks, Dan Chen, Teagle F. Bougere, Berly Ellis, Victor Steinbach, Holly Pitrago, Lloyd Baskin, Kent Cassella, Phil Cirincione, Michael Esper, Ed Jupp Jr., Gregory Gordon, Michael Fiore, Mike Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Christopher Todd, Reina Nomura, Tommy Allen, Sean Bennett, Eva Burkley, John Blaylock, Betsy Klompus, Will Dunham, Darius Stone, Glenn Roberts, Tracey Toomey, Christopher Stockton, Scott Addison Clay, Brian Keith Lewis, Logan McCall, Scott Fernstrom, Valentina Cardinalli, Gregory Dress, Reed Penney, Patrick Blindauer, Anthony Easton, Dave Sweeney, Matt Samson, Alex Toma, Yvonne Thomas, Bob Broder, Kathleen Fellegara, Ned Stuart, David B. Allen, Carla Occhiogrosso, Isadore Rosenfeld, Jill M. Simon, Mills Pierre, Erik Van Wyck, Cade Bittner

  "Classes will dull your mind, destroy the potential for authentic creativity."

  School gives you structure and provides innumerable important lessons, but in order to achieve your full creative and intellectual potential, you also need to break out of the rigid constraints of formal education and experience life on your own, building a creative identity that separate from your teachers or classmates, one that is unique to you.
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  (#22) Scarface

  • Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Robert Loggia, F. Murray Abraham, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

  "All I got in this world is my balls and my word and I don't break either of 'em for nobody!"

  What Tony is trying to say here is that in this you are responsible for your actions and your reputation. As such, you shouldn't let anyone compromise either. And also that he has balls. That part is probably pretty literal.
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  (#25) Moneyball

  • Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joe Satriani, Spike Jonze, Lisa Guerrero, Tim McCarver, Bob Costas, Nick Searcy, Reed Diamond, Kerris Dorsey, Sergio Garcia, Tammy Blanchard, Royce Clayton, Jack McGee, Eddie Frierson, Glenn Morshower, Arliss Howard, Vyto Ruginis, Brent Jennings, Takayo Fischer, Adrian Bellani, Zachary Culbertson, Erin Pickett, Stephen Bishop, Cabran E. Chamberlain, Keith Middlebrook, Dave Bean, Julie Wagner, Ken Medlock, Jack Knight, James Shanklin, Simon James, David Alan Poe, Drew Plummer, Mark Alkofer, Anthony Santana, Alexander Kanellakos, Ken Rudulph, Mark Lavell, Big Spence, Chad Kreuter, Ed Montague, Eric Winzenried, Chris McGarry, Janine King, Jon Stein, Shane Schoeppner, G Thang, Joyce Guy, John Brantley Cole, Casey Bond, Jonathan Sanders, Zane McIntosh, Ken Korach, Ari Zagaris, Isabel Landof, Jesse Muick, Greg Papa, Derrin Ebert, Thomas W. Stewart, Gretta Sosine, Fernando R. Felix, Veronica Loud, John Clerkin, Ken Colquitt, Lucy Angelo, Gregor Manns, Erich Hover, Chris F. Powell, Jordan Riker, Jake Wilson, Christina Russo, Savannah Lathem, Madeleine G. Hall, Adam Reeser, L.J. Burns, Nick Porrazzo, Reasha Honaker, Joe Provost, Damon Farmar, Michelle Faraone, Phillip Caires, Steve Dakota, Diane Behrens, Holly Pitrago, Michael Markovina, Brent Hendrick, Alicia Alexander, Glen Kupier, George Vranau, George Thomas, Corey Vanderhook, John Lobato, Phil Pote, Artie Harris, Reed Thompson, Patrick Riley, Brent Dohling, Robert P. Macaluso, JC Dickinson, Marvin Horn, Richard Padilla, Rachael Van Veldhuizen, Barry Moss, Melvin Perdue, Tom Gamboa, Miguel Mendoza, Erika Pearson, Derrick Bennett, Blake Pike, Michael Gillespie, Anthony Chiang, Jane Stillwater, Bill Ensley, Jim J. Mundy, Robert Ninfo, Art Ortiz, Phil Benson, Christopher Dehau Lee, Bob Bishop, Alan Chu, Aldrin Enriquez

  "We've got to think differently."

  As Brad "Billy Bean" Pitt states, you can keep doing the same unsuccessful thing over and over or you can start thinking of new, innovative ways to succeed. This quote reminds us that what may have worked in the past may not necessarily work now, challenging us to be adaptive and creative.
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  (#12) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

  • Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, Alec Guinness, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz, John Ratzenberger, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, Denis Lawson, Clive Revill, Jeremy Bulloch, Jason Wingreen, Jack Purvis, John Hollis, Des Webb

  "Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."

  Yoda's classic The Empire Strikes Back line reminds us that there are only two options. You either do something or you don't do it. There is no in-between, no gray area, and there are no excuses.

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