What are the movies that really make you think?

B

bvirg73

Member
I'm taking from the Million Dollar Baby theme and expanding....

1) American History X - this movie stuck with me for days after seeing it the first time. I have watched it a couple times since the first viewing of it on IFC & HBO and I still have the same reaction to it. It's an amazingly powerful movie. Of course Edward Norton looks HOT to boot....

2) Big Fish - I've had people look at me strangely when I tell them how much this movie affected me. The first time I saw it I was dealing with my Dad recently being diagnosed with cancer. The premise of the movie (IMHO) is the son never really forgave his father for not being around when he was a child, but once his father turned ill he realized so much about both himself & his father. I cannot watch this movie without literally bawling through the entire thing (I'm tearing up thinking about it), but I cannot turn it off if I turn it to HBO and it's on. I own this one also.

3) Terms of Endearment - Need I elaborate?


What are the movies that touch YOU??:)
 
Hands down The Color Purple. It is one of my all time favorite movies, ever.


"you miss 100% of the shots you never take"

Debbie
 
My all time favorite movie - "The Unbearable Lightness of Being". And another really good one - for enjoyment purposes, albeit somewhat older - "Like Water for Chocolate". Two spectacular films.

Lorrie
 
K-Pax
The Color Purple ( i have loved that movie since i was very young)
One True Thing
The Last of the Mohicans
Fried Green Tomatoes
Phenomenon

i could name many more.

jes;-)
 
I agree with The Color Purple. That is a beautiful movie.

Also:

1. Schindler's List
2. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Another Woman --one of my favorite Woody Allen films
4. Passion Fish --a story of a paralyzed ex soap star and her recovering drug addicted nurse
5. Philadelphia

Lori
 
>I'm taking from the Million Dollar Baby theme and
>expanding....
>
>1) American History X - this movie stuck with me for days
>after seeing it the first time. I have watched it a couple
>times since the first viewing of it on IFC & HBO and I still
>have the same reaction to it. It's an amazingly powerful
>movie. Of course Edward Norton looks HOT to boot....
>
>2) Big Fish - I've had people look at me strangely when I
>tell them how much this movie affected me. The first time I
>saw it I was dealing with my Dad recently being diagnosed with
>cancer. The premise of the movie (IMHO) is the son never
>really forgave his father for not being around when he was a
>child, but once his father turned ill he realized so much
>about both himself & his father. I cannot watch this movie
>without literally bawling through the entire thing (I'm
>tearing up thinking about it), but I cannot turn it off if I
>turn it to HBO and it's on. I own this one also.
>
>3) Terms of Endearment - Need I elaborate?
>
>
>What are the movies that touch YOU??:)

I had the same reaction to American History X. After I saw it I couldn't shake it, so I went back a couple of days later to see it again.

Sparrow

www.scifichics.com
 
If you're talking about "thinking" as opposed to "emotional impact" then the scene in the third Matrix movie where "The Architect" is explaining the purpose of the Matrix. Now that is some heavy, cerebral stuff.
 
***1. 21 Grams (this movie still bothers me)
2. Schindler's List
3. Shawshank Redemption
4. Mystic River
5. Philadelphia
6. Crash
7. The Color Purple
8. Unfaithful
9. The Butterfly Effect
10. Meet Joe Black
 
Comedies:

1. Wayne's World
2. Napolean Dynamite

Drama/Documentary:

1. Schindler's List
2. Born Into Brothels
3. City Of God
4. Babette's Feast
5. Pieces Of April
6. Saving Private Ryan

Editing to add that The Piano Teacher left me feeling weirded out for days.
 
As far as newer movies, it's a rarity that any of them make you think anything more than, "well, that's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back."

The exception for me was Crash. What a powerful movie. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

Christine
 
Life is Beautiful.
I've seen it many times but it's one of the few movies that consistently affects me. Devastating but wonderful too.
 
"Meet Joe Black" had a POWERFUL emotional impact on me!
"the Sixth Sense" and "Hide and Seek" really made my wheels turn to figure out what was going on.

I like a movie that challenges me to think and come up with the ending. For some reason, I guess endings in the first hour of most movies without even trying. If there is a movie that takes me by surprise, I love it!

Christine
 
Being John Malkovich
ditto on A Beautiful Mind
also ditto on Shawshank Redemption
the first Matrix
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Truman Show
Six Degrees of Separation

I know there are more, but these are the ones on the top of my head right now.

Pinky
 
From a cerebral perspective, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," because isn't that what we try to do when we end relationships with people - erase them completely? I thought that was very powerful.

From an emotional perspective, "21 Grams" for the obvious reasons. I also can't watch "Terms of Endearment" without sobbing! Especially the part where Debra Winger is yelling at her son that she KNOWS he loves her and doesn't mean what he is doing to her right now! Sooooo powerful!

Marie
 
Anything by the Coen Brothers
Fog of War
JFK
All the Presidents Men (are you sensing a trend here LOL)
The Candidate
The Stand (TV movie but very excellent)
Less Than Zero (great 80s social commentary)
 
I loved FIGHT CLUB!
A Beautiful Mind was nice, but didn't make me think hard.

I like movies that make my imagination fly while trying to guess what is going to happen or that have certain degree of ambiguity, so I can think of endless possiblities as to what really happened, what could have happened, or many different interpretations of what actually happened and why it happened.
 
Ditto to Being John Malcovich.
Also ditto to "Eternal Sunshines of a Spotless Mind." I loved that movie.
I also liked...I don't remember the name, but is something with "Sky", I think. It's the one with Penelope Cruz and Tom Cruise.
Too many others to mention.
 
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