Movies That Molded Our Lives

[pajama]

So I was thinking about this the other day, and thought it might make for an interesting thread.

What movies do you hold dear because they express a core spiritual/metaphysical/life belief of yours?

I would like this thread to be about beliefs, not “I love this movie because it was what we saw on our first date.” I’m talking movies that developed or expanded or shaped your core values and beliefs. Please be respectful of others comments and beliefs here. I just wanted to know and discuss if others have had moments like this, that changed the way you believe.

Here are my examples, that come to my mind right away:
It’s a Wonderful Life (or The Butterfly Effect). Even as an adolescent it touched me and I saw the great wisdom in the ripple effect. If George, or you, or I, were never born….how would that have changed someone else’s life, which might have changed someone else’s, and so on. Until a major world event might have been affected. Working with the kids in the PICU, and going through my son’s own health issues, I have to believe that whether I can or can’t see the cause/effect doesn’t mean there isn’t one. And that when something bad happens here, it may be because something else had to happen there.

Somewhere In Time – this is an older movie, one of the first that Christopher Reeves was in. I think it was even before Superman. He was in it with Jane Seymour and he plays a time traveler. The method of his time travel is what affected me and gave me food for thought, and has ultimately developed one of my “beliefs”. Basically that the mind can bend and mold even our spacial reality and that time travel is possible. I’ve actually experienced this, and if I hadn’t had someone else in the car with me that went through the exact same thing, I still think I would believe it.

Defending Your Life – Merryl Streep and some other people. While I don’t necessarily believe that when we die we actually “defend” ourselves to some higher power, I do believe that we each experience the afterlife we believe in. And if you haven’t quite gotten it right this time, you sure as hell are coming back to give it another go. The movie showed all faiths going to defend their lives, before moving on. And "on" could be Valhala, the Pearly Gates, whatever. If you had not shown growth in your human life, you had to come back.

So I hope you get the gist. If a movie about Atlantis made you sure Atlantis exists - or - ET gave you an understanding of the universe - or - that movie with Sandra Bullock and the mailbox with the letters explains what you believe about time travel…..I would love to hear about it. This can also be about your views/feelings about the homeless, abuse, love, romance, whatever. Just if it affected you on a core level that molded what you believe.

And remember, no snickering, name calling, belittleing, or any other negative crap about whatever people believe.

[princessbelle]

OH Pajara what a truely wonderful thread!!!!!!!

I agree with your first pick and mine as well is It's a Wonderful Life. I have watched that movie at least 50 times by now and look so forward to it every Christmas. The meaning it has to me is basically this... Every person has a path in life, everything we say and everything we do has a direct affect on someone or something. If that sinks deep into the subconscious and we remember that, what a difference it makes in our lives. I also believe in angels and think they are around everywhere to help us even at our darkest times. I have reached out to mine many times and have felt the unconditional love and help that George did. Hooray for Clarence and his beautiful wings!!!! I would think by now my angel, after everything i have put her through, has got her wings as well. LOL.

Mask with Cher had a tremendous affect on my life. It's sorta hard to put into words but it leaves me with the thoughts of how precious life is and you can't tell a book by it's cover lessons. It also taught me about loss when i was younger, and didn't realize at that time, how much loss i would have to go through in my family. It is raw love and it is a movie of pain and tremendous devotion. It has a special place in my heart.

Rocky for the obvious reasons i suppose. I always root for the underdog and perseverance does pay off. I remember when i was in a marriage with my then husband and i was miserable. I was desperately trying to get out of what was a very bad situation. I had two kids, knew i was gay, was working for minimum wages, and decided the only way out was to better myself. I then went to nursing school and kept working full time and taking care of my kids. No easy task, to say the least. Some mornings on the way to school i would be in tears from mental and physical exhaustion. I would just think of Rocky climbing those steps and play the cassette of the Rocky theme and it truly did get me through a lot of hard times back then. It helped me realize that i can do anything i want to do and no one can stand in my way. Huge impact on me and my self esteem.


Again, Great thread!!!!!

[Blade]

Facing the Giants....it teaches to not give up, no matter how big the giant you are facing.

[Gráinne]

Not in chronological order:

Brokeback Mountain-which happened to be released not long after I came out. Sometimes you see a movie and have the sense that you are watching greatness. This was like watching my autobiography, my story. I was deeply moved but emotionally OK until the scene where Ennis is holding the damn shirts in the closet, and then I lost it completely. I was very shaken and yet comforted by this film.

The Crying Game-I was deeply shaken by the story of the IRA man and his captive's transsexual girlfriend, although way back then I had no idea why, nor why I was so drawn to the character of Dil. I saw something about myself in her, but couldn't express it. I must have seen it about 15 times or more; the first time through I was OK until Fergus allows himself to be arrested instead of Dil, at the very end. Cue losing it again .

Bend It Like Beckham-the theme of being true to yourself and following your own dreams despite culture and family pressure.

[The_Lady_Snow]

"El Padrecito"-- Cantinflas was something I would watch with my Abuelo when I was a kid.

"Viva Zapata"-- Anthony Quin, he was a crush of Dona Fortunata and sometimes she would let me sit with her and watch this particular movie.

ANYTHING with Pedro Infante, my Abuelita loved his music, his looks, any movie or show he was in.

"Mi Familia"--these are all movies that I have enjoyed with my kids that touch on our culture..

"Tortilla Soup"

"Real Women Have Curves"

"Crash"

"Selena"


I could go on an on with Mexican Cinema

[LadyRain]

....Steel Magnolias......and Fried Green Tomatoes... Philadelphia

[SugarFemme]

Shirley Valentine. It is an awesome British film. It came at the perfect time in my life when I needed to learn to reclaim myself for MYSELF.

[pajama]

Thanks everybody for the input. I thought of another one this morning, well two actually, that helped form one of my big phobias.

Jaws and Alligator - Jaws in particular came out, or I remember the book, when I was 7 or 8. Up until then I can remember going to the beach every summer without a care in the world. The summer Jaws came out, I was even apprehensive about getting in a pool. To this day I WILL NOT get into water I can't see the bottom of (hence why I never go swimming in a lake or pond). And even when I'm in the ocean snorkling I have to work very hard to not have an anxiety attack. I usually can only tolerate an hour or so in open water snorkling.

When Alligator came out I was in my early teens. Overall the movie is kinda stupid but there is this one scene where these little kids (7-8) are playing pirates at night out at the pool. One kid is making the other "walk the plank" by going out on the diving board. The giant gator is at the bottom of the pool and the blindfolded kid walking the plank sees him under the bottom of the blindfold. That terrified me so much, that I won't swim in a pool at night without the lights on in it to this day. And even with the lights on in it, I tend to have to fight the anxiety attacks also.

A

[Gemme]

A,

I'm with you! Jaws messed me UP when it came to swimming. Even in pools. I just knew that shark was waiting for me beneath the drain. I've never done faster dives in my life.

There was another creepy monster movie, The Thing, I think. Or one like it around that time. A marshy, slimy weird looking guy thing creeping around. We had an institutional bathroom....long and narrow with the pot at the end....and I would dash to potty and dash to the sink and my baths never took more than 5 minutes. I was about 8.

[pajama]

Originally Posted by Gemme

A,

I'm with you! Jaws messed me UP when it came to swimming. Even in pools. I just knew that shark was waiting for me beneath the drain. I've never done faster dives in my life.

There was another creepy monster movie, The Thing, I think. Or one like it around that time. A marshy, slimy weird looking guy thing creeping around. We had an institutional bathroom....long and narrow with the pot at the end....and I would dash to potty and dash to the sink and my baths never took more than 5 minutes. I was about 8.

TOTALLY AGREE

Oh that reminds me of another one Psycho, to this day I try to only use clear shower curtains. I want to see that crazy mo-fo coming for me before he flings back the curtain to stab me. LOL When I was a kid I would look out the shower curtain like 5-6 times during a quick shower 'cause I'd think I'd heard something. Now I don't have to check.

[Thinker]

There's an old, old movie titled Imitation of Life. My mother made us watch it everytime it was on TV.

She wanted us to be proud of who we are and where we come from. I think the biggest lesson in it was that she did not want us to do things or act in ways that we would later regret......later when it was "too late" to make amends.

I definitely carried that with me into my adult life. While not perfect, I almost always put a good amount of thought into things I say and decisions I make so I don't have regrets later.

[pajama]

Originally Posted by Thinker

There's an old, old movie titled Imitation of Life. My mother made us watch it everytime it was on TV.

She wanted us to be proud of who we are and where we come from. I think the biggest lesson in it was that she did not want us to do things or act in ways that we would later regret......later when it was "too late" to make amends.

I definitely carried that with me into my adult life. While not perfect, I almost always put a good amount of thought into things I say and decisions I make so I don't have regrets later.

Oh wow. I hadn't heard of it, so I went out and watched the trailer. Now I will have to find it to watch it. Sounds very interesting and so edgy for the era. Wow! Thanks for sharing.

[nycfem]

John Waters' (who I have mixed feelings about these days) old movies (e.g. Female Misbehavior, Serial Mom, and Pink Flamingos) were very influential to me in a positive way. I loved how women could be fat, vulgar, ugly, poor, criminal, perverse and just plain bad-ass and still be considered joyous, hilarious, fashionable, and worthy of the greatest admiration. I loved the idea of mocking the conservative, heterosexual suburban culture of gender-stereotyped nuclear families that I grew up in and instead making the ideal something completely opposite. Like in Female Misbehavior when a mother is trying to convince her son to be gay: "But you could change. Queers are just better." I adore Divine's showy, sexy, bold Fat Gyrl outfits! The notion that women don't need to be traditionally beautiful inside or out to be worshipped rocks my world!

[~ocean]

love "The Imatation of Life " great classic !

[weatherboi]

Shawshank Redemption
Schindlers List
The Godfather
Citizen Kane
Star Wars
To Sir, With Love

[girl_dee]

Psycho

It has never left me!

[Lady_Di]

Magnificant Obsession

I was so jazzed when I found a first edition of the book, too!

[Lady_Di]

Originally Posted by Thinker

There's an old, old movie titled Imitation of Life. My mother made us watch it everytime it was on TV.

She wanted us to be proud of who we are and where we come from. I think the biggest lesson in it was that she did not want us to do things or act in ways that we would later regret......later when it was "too late" to make amends.

I definitely carried that with me into my adult life. While not perfect, I almost always put a good amount of thought into things I say and decisions I make so I don't have regrets later.

Love that movie, I never miss it when it is on. Just like Magnificant Obsession, in point of fact :-)

[Lady_Di]

speaking of the phobias....

Arachnophobia

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by Thinker

There's an old, old movie titled Imitation of Life. My mother made us watch it everytime it was on TV.

She wanted us to be proud of who we are and where we come from. I think the biggest lesson in it was that she did not want us to do things or act in ways that we would later regret......later when it was "too late" to make amends.

I definitely carried that with me into my adult life. While not perfect, I almost always put a good amount of thought into things I say and decisions I make so I don't have regrets later.

I remember watching that movie when I was a little kid, and being incredibly saddened by the daughter's self-imposed estrangement from her mother. I was already at that place in my childhood of aching for my mother's love and approval, and the tragedy of choosing to let go of a mother's love seemed unbelievably self-destructive and haunting to me.