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Which films or books have challenged the way you think?

I saw a book the other day on a Waldenbooks clearance rack called Michael Moore is a Big Fat White Man. Made me laugh. I'm guessing it's a spoof on one of his books.
 
Motokid said:
Thanks Direstraights...living so close to Philadelphia, Pa. the letters AI have been permenantly tattooed on my brain to mean Allen Iverson (basketball player for the 76'ers)

god that's so sad....especially as I hate basketball.... :(
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Just curious Moto-what was it about A.I. that rocked your world?
 
A couple of films that opened my eyes to a couple of things and/or made me mull over them for a while were:

Run, Lola, Run (foreign.. at least for me ;) I think it may be German??)
Memento
Super Size Me
Bowling for Coloumbine (sp?) (/Much/ better than Fahrenheit 9/11)

Monkeycatcher
 
Hotel Rwanda really made an impact on me. I'm a very political person to begin with, but it helped me to see international events that I normally would skip over or not give another thought about. It also helped me to open my checkbook to Amnesty International .
 
Oh, I forgot to add Rabbit-Proof Fence . Absolutely brilliant movie about the trails and sufferings of the Aussie Aborigonies (sp).

Monkeycatcher
 
Yossarian89 said:
the movie platoon had a big impact on me
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Right around that time, some great Vietnam war movies were made. You had Hamburger Hill, and who can forget?, Full Metal Jacket!. I love the drill instructor in FMJ-I laugh so hard every time I see the basic training part of the movie on t.v.
 
1st ones to come to mind...

Films
The Elephant Man

Fiction
Blindness ~ Jose Saramago

Non Fiction
The Bell Jar ~ Sylvia Plath
 
direstraits said:
Fountainhead, here's what I, a general reader, understand from the Fountainhead.

In the book, there are the Creators, who are those that stand up for their vision and principles, never wavering to popular voices or people's opinions. Those who are self-reliant and produce work from their own energy. Then there are the Second-Handers, who live off the work of the Creators, who put the opinions of others above their own needs and desires. Second-Handers thrive in the environment of altruism, where everyone is supposed to sacrifice themselves to others.

Rand taught that Second-Handers emotional leeches that off people's opinions and feelings, therefore bad. Creators propel advancement, therefore good.

I said it's weird because I believe the world is not simply these 2 extremes. The book is 'weird' because the characters' behaviour, to me at least, seem to be either one or the other of these 2 extremes, white or black, with no gray in between.

I suppose I agree to a point of her Creator portion of the novel (not the Creator's actions, though), but I don't know if people actually see the world at all like Toohey/Second-handers did in the novel. The 'exhort mediocrity to destroy genius' is a little too unrealistic for me.

ds
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Excellent point. Two groups are predominantly who she attacked. She hated those who were "collectivist" in nature and who would have never amounted to much if it weren't for government jobs, family connections, or outstanding ability to follow what the "group" thinks. Think of the architect who graduated versus the Rand character who didn't in the Fountainhead. She also didn't like the spiritually inclined people who would also captivate one another with "myths" and what not, and having people neglect what is truly in their best interest. In an odd way, objectivism is that we all benefit from selfishly chasing our own goals. If I own a pharmaceutical company, my selfish desire to make money by creating the next cure for a diesease, will benefit others.
 
Movie that changed the way I think:

When that pile of pigslop Titanic won the Academy Awards I realized that the US is accelerating its cultural decline.
 
novella said:
Movie that changed the way I think:

When that pile of pigslop Titanic won the Academy Awards I realized that the US is accelerating its cultural decline.
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That's nothing-try seeing Johnny Knoxville and Jessica Simpson in the new Dukes of Hazzard movie. THAT will tell you how truly awful things are.
 
Ell said:
Sar, try these:

Non-fiction
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. He examines the course of human history and the emergence of industrial/technological societies from a geo-biological perspective. Thought-provoking for those of us who've been educated with a western European bias.
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I also highly recommend this book. It completely changed my view of the world.
 
I'll be forever grateful to my Ethics teacher, who introduced me to Michel Foucault and Slavoj Zizek. They really changed my way of seeing the world.
 
I don't tknow that these films have challenged my way of thinking generally, but have opened up my view of what can be done with film

Death in Venice directed by Lucino Visconti
Sensitive treatment, an amazing performance by Dirk Bogarde and beautiful music, I found it really affecting. It also initiated my love affair with Venice

Raise the Red Lantern directed by Yimou Zhang
The first of his films that I saw, they continue to be the most sumptous visual experience, breathtakingly beautiful.

Eraserhead directed by David Lynch
Challenging, disturbing, frightening, moving...what else can I say. Lynch is one of the most innovative directors working within the Hollywood mainframe, always genuinly exciting, challenging and compelling.


As far as books are concerned, there are too many to list. Probably everything I read challenges me in some way or another, thats the beauty of literature. :)
 
francesca said:
As far as books are concerned, there are too many to list. Probably everything I read challenges me in some way or another, thats the beauty of literature. :)
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Yeah me too. As long I've done a decent job of picking a book that will engage and challenge me to think I take something away from it. But I'm getting to the point where I've become entrenched in my principles so it's not likely that a book is about to turn my ideals on their head anymore but it has happened.
 
well almost all the books i read tend to stick with me and i think about them quite often actually..

but challenged me? hm. this is a toughy when i'm tired =P
 
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