I once read that those who read fiction are more sentimental and emotionally aware than those who don't. I think the same goes for those who watch movies. Though I'm certainly not an advocate for wasting a life away in a Hollywood fantasy world, I think some movies do have the ability to enlighten in addition to entertain. There are a select few movies that have certainly stayed with me following my first viewing; whose distinctive characters and perceptive lines re-play in my mind during those moments of sentimental contemplation. Below are a few movies that spark my reflective thought, and frequently become a source of therapeutic entertainment when necessary.
What movies are on your list?
1. Girl, Interrupted
"Crazy isn't being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me amplified."
2. Garden State
"That's life. If nothing else, It's life. It's real, and sometimes it fuckin' hurts, but it's sort of all we have."
3. American Beauty
"I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but
it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world.
Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my
heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I
remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows
through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every
single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm
talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday."
4. The Virgin Suicides
Doctor:
"What are you doing here, honey? You're not even old enough to know how bad life gets."Cecilia:
"Obviously, Doctor, you've never been a 13-year-old girl."
5. White Oleander
"Everybody asks why I started at the end and worked back to the
beginning, the reason is simple, I couldn't understand the beginning
until I had reached the end."
6. Almost Famous
"Rock 'n' roll is a lifestyle and a way of thinking... and it's not about money and popularity. Although, some money would be nice. But it's a voice that says, "Here I am... and fuck you if you can't understand me." And one of these people is gonna save the world. And that means that rock 'n' roll can save the world... all of us together. And the chicks are great. But what it all comes down to is that thing. The indefinable thing when people catch something in your music."
*Photos courtesy of Google*
