mediaonthemind

[mediaonthemind]

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

"This film taught me a lot about hate and vengeance and how there is nothing to gain from it. Throughout the film, Frances McDormand's character Mildred seeks answers to her daughters death through vengeance and it gets her absolutely no where. The film shows that once you start down that path it's very difficult to get off and innocent people are hurt along the way. The scene I find really powerful is when Mildred burns down the police station one night thinking no one is inside. Come to find out Sam Rockwell's character Dixon is inside and gets trapped in the fire. Fortunately, Dixon is able to escape through a window, but is left with severe burns to his body and face. A shocked Mildred approaches Dixon lying in the street and sees that before he left the building he saved her daughters case file. Mildred looks at the file and begins to get emotional, realizing the mistake she made and how her own hatred and search for vengeance almost destroyed her daughters case file, the very reason she is doing all of this. Revenge will backfire before producing any kind of benefit."

- Ethan Headlee

[mediaonthemind]

Dune (2021)

“Dune. Only Dune.”

- Billy Knowles

[mediaonthemind]

Nightcrawler (2014)

“The negotiation scene in Nightcrawler taught me a lot about gaining and knowing your leverage in biz.”

- Christian Goeller

[mediaonthemind]

About Time (2013)

“One of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen. Just changed my outlook on the time we have and the time we don’t.”

- Tyler Headlee

[mediaonthemind]

Crip Camp (2020)

“The Movie that came to mind was the documentary ‘Crip Camp’ which follows the revolution of the handicapped to change the laws and stigma around the crippled. I would say I before I wasn’t really comfortable even addressing handicapped people, I have handicapped relatives, but I can’t have a conversation with them so I’ve never really actually dealt with or understood what it was like to be them. This movie really gave me a great look at like what it’s like to be handicapped in a world designed for the able bodied. These are really people whose bodies prevent them from doing things as easily as most, but they still have hopes, dreams, and. desires. There’s this one scene were this older married couple who had met at the camp designed for the crippled back in the 60s we’re telling their story of how they met and got married. They talked slow and there had to be subtitles, but their love for one another was undeniable. It was very powerful to hear it from their own mouth even if it was strained and it took longer to tell. The couple truly understood the struggles of the other person and took the time to listen to what the other was saying. This scene especially made me want to take the time to listen more patiently, especially to those that don’t often get a chance to express their stories. It also made me appreciate what a gift it is to have my body, any second I could also become handicapped and I’m so great full so many determined people fought for a more accessible world.”

- Diana Jones

[mediaonthemind]

Beautiful Boy (2018)

“There was a movie that came out on Amazon Prime in 2018 called "Beautiful Boy" with Steve Carell and Timothy Chalamet, based on a book with the same title. It's about a father dealing with a son with addiction. Halfway through the movie, Steve Carrel's character has a break down in front of his wife (who is his son's step-mother) because, despite all of Steve's efforts, his son is still stuck in the middle of addiction, stealing from his family, running away from rehab, etc. As he's melting down, wondering why he can't save his son, Steve's wife tells him the grim truth - there's nothing he can do. In what I think the next scene is, Steve and his wife are attending a support group for people with addict family members as they've come to the realization that there's nothing they can do to save Steve's son and that his addictions will likely take his life. I think Beautiful Boy provides a great educational experience for anyone who has dealt with family or friends with addictive or dysfunctional behaviors. We have a culture that promotes the image of the friend or family member who "throws themself on the fire" a loved one's struggles, addictions or dysfunctional behavior and "saves the day." However, Beautiful Boy (based on the true story of Nic Sheff and David Sheff) introduces the sober reality of dealing with addicts or dysfunctional people: you can't save anyone, no matter how badly you'd like to. At best, you can tell them you love them, tell them how much you hope they get better, appeal to a higher power and start to grieve whatever the truth might be about the outcome of the addicted loved one's situation. Ultimately, this scene gave me a great amount of clarity about how to deal with friends and family members suffering from addiction and dysfunctional behaviors. It gave me a perspective I didn't feel I had ever been given on the issue and it has been invaluable in dealing with those in my life going through addiction.”

- Zachary Sterling Marquez

[mediaonthemind]

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

“Hacksaw Ridge, the biopic about WWII conscientious objector Desmond Doss, had so many moments for me. It's tricky to choose just one, but this one had a GIF so I'll share it:After not only surviving the most traumatic night of his life, but saving the lives of 75 men at his own peril, Desmond Doss has gained the respect of the men in his unit. Where he was previously viewed as a coward for refusing to carry a firearm in a war zone on religious grounds, the combat medic is now the person every able-bodied soldier wants with them when they next climb to the top of the ridge.This desire conflicts with something very important and personal to him: the soldiers are to climb back onto Hacksaw on the morning of Private Doss's Sabbath (a day he fought to observe during their training).It's a small, private, internal conflict amid the chaos of an active war zone.Private Doss returned to the Ridge with his brothers-in-arms only after the entire unit waited for him to pray and observe his Sabbath how he was able.The film itself had so many poignant moments, but this one specifically made me pause to appreciate the camaraderie that can develop between people from so many different backgrounds, and the unyielding respect for someone whose beliefs do not match their own (both Desmond and his peers) after realizing they wish you no harm with their beliefs. It's a truth that's quiet, but it's a truth I have seen when I look for it.”

- Sydney Wines

[mediaonthemind]

Blade Runner (1982)

“This moment from Blade runner changed the way I view the cumulative impact of the critical events in my life and the importance of documenting them. To the extent they are only resident in my memory, they are lost like teardrops in the rain.“

- Howard Headlee

[mediaonthemind]

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

“In the movie, The Darjeeling Limited, (Director Wes Anderson) the three brothers find a way to grieve together over the loss of their father (who’s funeral they missed because of their selfishness and greed, mostly Adrian Brody’s character)by traveling to India. They are all leaving behind another part of their life which is causing them grief, and they all numb out along the journey using all kinds of drugs they brought along and share with each other. All of these feelings and behaviors I can relate to in new ways each time I watch the film. The most thought provoking parts of the film are when the brothers lose their tickets by bringing a deadly poisonous snake onto the train, and happen upon some younger boys who are trying to cross a river. The children end up getting swept away, prompting the brothers to do one of the few selfless acts in the movie and one of the boys ends up dying.(the one Adrian’s character was trying to save, and although failing, he seems to redeem his absence from his father’s funeral) The brothers bring back his body to the boys village, and are told they are invited to participate in the funeral. They end up healing from their own grief, by sharing this experience with each other and the village. Beautiful film would recommend”

- Markus Sharette

[mediaonthemind]

Sound of Metal (2019)

“The most memorable moment for me recently came from Sound of Metal. The main character Ruben, goes through traumatic hearing loss. Throughout the film he does everything he can to repair this new handicap, even going so far as to have risky surgery. He can’t come to grips with his new life and tries so desperately to cling to what he had and “fix” his deafness. The most profound moment is right at the very end. Ruben finally comes to realize that he can’t hang on to his life before becoming deaf. He sits on a bench, removes his hearing aids, and accepts the silence around him. That moment was so powerful. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. You can’t hold on to your past. Especially when living through trauma. Learn from it, accept it, and embrace your new life. So powerful.”

- Ryan Radebaugh

[mediaonthemind]

Deliverance (1972)

“Please don't play the banjo around me ever.“

- Liz Drake

[mediaonthemind]

The Matrix (1999)

“The classic Red Pill Blue Pill scene from the Matrix.​ MORPHEUS - ​“The Matrix is everywhere, it's all around us, here even in this room. You can see it out your window, or on your television. You feel it when you go to work, or go to church or pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” It made me think about how often we ignore uncomfortable truths/realities in favor of comfort or maintaining the status quo.”

- Lance Mochizuki

[mediaonthemind]

Inglorious Bastards (2009)

“This is the first scene from Inglorious Bastards which really opened my eyes about the way the Jews were treated during this era. The rest of the movie does the same and educates on the persecution that they went through in that part of the world.”

- Drake Marcel

[mediaonthemind]

Twin Peaks (1990)

“In Twin Peaks, Dale Cooper advises that you should get yourself a present every day, even something as simple as a cup of coffee. I really loved that and it changed my perspective about things I do or buy for myself. Instead of thinking, “oh I’d love to get/do this thing but it’s frivolous and I don’t need it” I would think about the joy a little thing could bring. It made me pay more attention and find more joy in small, daily indulgences.”

- Suzette Payne

[mediaonthemind]

Intersteller (2014)

“Probably my favorite is Interstellar when the astronaut spends just hours on a planet next to a massive gravitational field and the theory of relativity is beautifully explained. Then he enters the black hole and all of space and time is halted and perceived so he can actually manipulate the book on the shelf. One really cool thing about this is that if someone were to enter a black hole and we were in a spaceship watching them, they would freeze completely to us. From our perception, they would never actually enter the black hole because time stops. But from their perspective they enter the black hole completely and Interstellar’s portrayal of what it might be like inside of one is beautiful and actually doesn’t really violate any laws of physics or quantum mechanics. But to everything outside the black hole, the astronaut will appear frozen forever.”

- Andrew Blackwell

[mediaonthemind]

Arrival (2016)

“The movie Arrival is amazing. The explanation of how beings can exist beyond our perceived dimensions and how this perception is seen as a whole of the sum and not the individual parts. Their language is non sequential and non linear. Amazing and beautiful stuff. When the scientist finally learns this knowledge (knowledge is the key to unlocking it) she is able to reach across time and leap frog so that all the countries of the world use their pieces of information to make up the entire message. So the Chinese leader telling her what his wife’s last words were years after they depart at a reception for her book cracking their knowledge and she is able to transcend our 3 dimensional linear existence and perception and become part of her knowledge when she uses the satellite phone to call him and get them to not attack the space craft. So her knowledge gained in the future becomes part of her current knowledge in the past.”

- Andrew Blackwell

[mediaonthemind]

Prometheus (2012)

“In the movie Prometheus the “Engineer” comes to earth and then takes a substance that breaks it down to the molecular and then basic DNA levels which gives an explanation for how life started here on earth. Not just human life, all life. DNA doesn’t suddenly coalesce out of randomness, and it is so incredibly complex that this is genuinely a decent explanation for how life started.”

- Andrew Blackwell