Life Between Films

These are things that when I turn off the TV or walked out of the theater, it made my think about how I live my life and/or affected how I think about certain situations. I want to do this as more of a series, spreading out this post over time so I hope you come back to read more.  And of course, I always lean toward arthouse flicks as my movies of choice so this list will discuss all things independent. So sit back and read some of the little pearls of wisdom I have gained along the way… 

1. There is a level of trust implied in telling someone your real name. [Closer]

2. You can be truly alone in a city full of people. [Shame]

3. You can’t run away from your past forever. Also, never assume how far along a pregnant woman is. [Away We Go] 

4. Saturday morning detentions are a bitch. Plus, applying lipstick with your cleavage is a lost art form that I must master. [The Breakfast Club] 

5. Humanity is so connected that your actions, no matter how inconsequential, can have an affect on someone of a different culture, a different language, a different societial status. [Babel]

6. Domestic partnerships are so much like traditional marriage, it’s scary. And beautiful. [The Kids Are All Right]

7. Music is the soundtrack of our lives, so play on. Also, the process of coming up with a name for a queercore dance band will always be pure comedy. Oh, and never get a car that can be mistaken for a taxi cab. [Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist]

8. There is more than one way to love a city. [Paris, Je t’aime]

9. Reality. truly. bites. Plus, lead singers of bands usually have alot of angst to get off their chests. [Reality Bites]

10. A picture can really be worth a thousand words. In some cases, it can even define a man’s whole life and leave him with too great of a burden to bare. [The Bang Bang Club]

11. You can’t hide in memories forever. Also, opposites often do attract. Oh, and changing your hair color with your mood just may be the way to go. [Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]

12. Even demigods could use some time off. [The Nines] 

13. Don’t even try to “keep up with the Joneses”. You will never be able to. [The Joneses]

14. Playing the “what if” game gets you nowhere. What happened has happened and may have happened regardless. [Another Earth]

15. You exist where you want to exist. [The Jacket] 

16. If you want something from the universe, just ask for it, and then say thank you. Plus, you just can’t “adopt” any kid you find on the subway. [Happythankyoumoreplease]

17. Never get into gambling, especially betting on horse races. Also, it takes a special kind of guy to pull off a sweater vest. [Lucky Number Slevin]

18. You can’t split yourself into two; just make a decision and stick with it. Plus, yellow and green are both really dynamic colors. [Uncertainty]

19. Everything worth saying is best said through poetry. [Love Jones]

20. Never knock classified ads placed in your local Pennysaver-like periodicals. [Juno]

21. You never know what twisted things are going on in someone’s head. [Being John Malkovich]

22. Sometimes you have to live alittle. And if a quick tempered Spanish woman says she thinks about killing you, beware. [Vicky Cristina Barcelona]

23. Never. underestimate. anyone. [The Usual Suspects] 

24. The quest for perfection can only lead to personal destruction. [Black Swan]

25. In every moment, there is a possibility that someone’s life will collide with yours. Plus, a dead body that drops seemingly out of nowhere onto your car has to have a rich backstory. [11:14] 

26. Some teenage boys have too much time of their hands its scary. [Funny Games]

27. Family drama is oddly similar in any language. [2 Days in Paris]

28. Limber up; you never know when the ability to run long distances will come in handy. [Run, Lola, Run]

29. Love that goes unfulfilled, no matter the couple, can be heartbreaking. [Brokeback Mountain]

30. Sometimes a kid is wiser than the teacher. [Half Nelson] 

31. Only those in a relationship matter in determining the course of that relationship [A Fond Kiss]

32. Drug addiction is no joke. [Requiem for a Dream]

33. It’s possible to just see someone standing in a corner and be scared out of your mind [The Blair Witch Project]

34. Yes, God could definitely be a woman. [Dogma]

35. A powerful love may not be a forever kind of love [Like Crazy]

36. It’s time to bring back track suits, sweatbands, and fur coats as everyday wear.  [The Royal Tenenbaums]

37. You should always look for the balance between taking care of others and taking care of yourself [Please Give]

38. If you’re write a novel about your family, at least make sure they don’t know it’s about them [Peep World]

39. You never know the kind of trouble someone is secretly in [Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead]

40. There is always an occasion for some wine [Sideways]

41. Some people go farther than I ever would in the name of friendship. [4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days] 

42. Radio can be a great medium for social change. Plus, the 60s were a cooler decade than I thought, ya dig? [Talk To Me]

43. A person who does bad things may not be at his core a bad person. [The Woodsman] 

44. Any person taking a job as a secretary should pack a whip with their lunch just in case. [Secretary] 

45. Weddings are a great occasion for family secrets to come out. Also, no matter how hard you fight against it, your sister is going to find a way into your wedding. [Rachel Getting Married]

46. Compassion can be found in the most unlikely places. [Sin Nombre]

47. Sometime it becomes necessary for a guy to just keep his girlfriend away from his brother. [The Vicious Kind]

48. The most brilliant people lack basic common sense. [Smart People] 

49. My fear of needles is justified. And its possible for a man in suspenders and no shirt to be sexy. [Puncture]

50. It is easier than you think to go from despair to rage to forgiveness. [Take]

51. Maybe playing on the sympathies of those who rescue you from choking IS a good way to make some extra cash. [Choke] 

52. Sometimes you just have to give someone a chance to step up, especially family. [You Can Count On Me]

53. Racial tensions have a way to always bubble to the surface with devastating consequences. [Do The Right Thing]

54. Leave idiots alone; they sometimes have the best intentions. [Our Idiot Brother] 

55. I definitely wish I could control my dreams and live within my fantasies [The Good Night] 

56. Life is a game show - with a little luck, love, and motivation, you can make it through [Slumdog Millionaire] 

57. Four walls can contain a whole secret life. [28 Hotel Rooms]

58. Some people can be worthy of battling the world for. Oh, and yes, exs can be evil. [Scott Pilgrim vs. The World]

59. Straightforward sex can be anything but. [Young People Fucking (YPF)]

60.  Everyone has trouble from their high school past they are better off facing. [The Education of Charlie Banks]

61. Someone can only hold you back from a better life if you let them [Smashed]

62. The group of outcasts is the group I want to be in [The Perks of Being a Wallflower]

63. The best men are the ones that stand up for their beliefs [Hunger]

64. Forget about coming up with a plan for anarchy, saying sentences with more than 5 “v” words, it difficult enough for me. Also, a shaved head can be hot. [V is for Vendetta] 

65. The public school system needs more “radical” teachers to care about kids [Lean on Me]

66. Drama is even better in Spanish.  [Broken Embraces]

67. We love with all of our senses yet we do not need all of our senses to love  [Perfect Sense] 

68. I really need someone to explain existentialism to me [I <3 Huckabees]

69. Surviving a love one lost in war even takes a toll on the one delivering the message [The Messenger]

70. A guy with a great sense of humor can land even a lesbian [Your Sister’s Sister]

71. Your time in college is never has good as you remember it [Liberal Arts]

72. Bathrooms are the best place to have pseudo-intellectual conversations about religion and sex with a badass B+ action star who looks strange with hair while doing blow off of an expensive and rare painting.  Oh, and the word ‘fuck’ can be used in so many colorful ways in a sentence [London]

73. The ties that bind a family may have to be broken to do what is right [Legacy]

74. As a teenager, we would never survive the horrors of life without that best friend by our side and in our corner [Little Birds]

75. There are many destructive passions under the surface of suburban life. Plus, covering your body with red roses is a sexy look [American Beauty]

76. Life can not be controlled, whims should not be stifled, and chances should be taken [Chaos Theory]

77. We lose time obsessing about time passing by [Elegy]

78. For ever little life, there is an interesting beginning [Conception]

79. A love affair with drugs can begin in beautifully euphoria but can only end with selling your soul [Candy]

80. Sometimes it only takes one transformative journey to cement your place in histrory [The Motorcycle Diaries]

81. It never good to sleep with the offspring of your childhood enemy. [The Trouble With Bliss]

82. Dogs aren’t all that bad; in fact, they their very existence can lead you to become a millionaire. Oh, and being a fast-talking gypsy boxer can come in handy. [Snatch]

83. Even the littlest people can be the bravest. [Beasts of the Southern Wild] 

84. You should venture out into the world to learn how to live. [An Education] 

85. Some men hide themselves in empty, meaningless relationship when all they want to be is loved. [All the Real Girls]

86. Some couples live on the brink of infidelity. [Last Night]

87. Sons can be really protective of their mothers… alittle too much. Plus, a drunken karaoke rendition of “Don’t You Want Me” is not sad at all, nope. [Cyrus]

88. Corporate ego, greed, and backstabbing is just another day at the financial office. [Margin Call]

89. Sometimes its not the person you are with that causes you dissatisfaction but your own choices in life. [Take This Waltz]

90. The fast life can catch up with you and threaten your life. [The 24th Day]

More to come…