SELF: Define Your Character

Movie quote from: The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Andy Defresne (Tim Robbins)

In The Shawshank Redemption, prison has sucked the life out of Red (Morgan Freeman).  He has lost all hope, accepting that he will never see freedom again.  Into that life comes Andy Defresne (Tim Robbins), a prisoner who knows the importance of keeping hope alive.  Andy's arrival sparks a renewed sense of possibility for Red.  His life would never be the same.

Movie quote from: Being John Malkovich (1999) - Craig Schwartz (John Cusack)

Would you pay $200 to see the world for 15 minutes through someone else's eyes?  How would your perspective of self change if you wore the 'mask' of someone else?  Charlie Kaufman's though-provoking screenplay takes us down completely untravelled roads in the movie, Being John Malkovich.  Along the way, he stirs up some interesting questions about the nature of human identity.

Movie quote from: Going My Way (1944) - Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby)

Some time in the development of western culture, being cynical became cool.  At the same time, positive became naive and public expressions of hopefulness became targets for clever-minded critique.  The great casualty of our cultural cynicism is the active pursuit of human potential.  So much potential wasted while we sit quietly in our chairs, watching.  No film better illustrates what we have lost than Going My Way, the Oscar winning film for 1944.  Bing Crosby plays Father O'Malley, a role model for developing personal potential.  This movie wouldn't have a chance today.

Movie quote from: Rocky Balboa (2006) – Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)

In the final chapter of Sylvester Stallone’s successful Rocky series, the boxer has an adult son who struggles with life in the shadow of his famous Philly father.  Rocky Jr. blames his Dad’s successes for his own unfulfilled life.  Rocky confronts his son, telling him, “You’re my son, you’re my life, but until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life!”  With this straight-forward piece of advice, Rocky reminds his son and everyone else precisely who is responsible for making life a knockout.

Movie quote from: Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - Frank (Steve Carell)

Little Miss Sunshine is a story about the challenges facing an everyday dysfunctional family trying to collectively accomplish something of meaning.  The story is funny and the characters are all too familiar.  It is within this cauldron of love and anxiety that real human character is formed.

Movie quote from: Children of Men (2006) - Miriam (Pam Ferris)

Sometimes the most effective way to examine the importance of something is to imagine what it would be like if it didn't exist.  In the riveting film, Children of Men, the world has lost its capacity to bear children.  Along with it, it has lost its capacity to hope.  The loss of these two fundamental elements of our existence, children and hope, is ingrained throughout the images and architecture of this film.  The movie is a grim reminder of that old Joni Mitchell lyric, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." 

Movie quote from: Phenomenon (1996) - George Malley (John Travolta)

When you were born, you were given a spark of life.  This spark vitalizes you until your life ends.  In between, your role is to use that human spirit to express yourself and contribute to your community.  In the 1996 movie Phenomenon, George Malley (John Travolta) is given an excessive dose of vitality part way through his life.  His story emphasizes the importance of utilizing our spark of life.  It also demonstrates how society is not always kind when someone’s spirit shines.

Movie quote from: Lust for Life (1956) – Anton Mauve (Noel Purcell)

Early in the movie Lust for Life, young Vincent Van Gogh consults the Dutch artist Anton Mauve for advice on how to achieve excellence in the field of art.  Mauve recognized the honest emotion of Van Gogh’s crude but interesting drawings.  He reminds Vincent that ‘passion’ is not enough if he wants to excel in his field, he must also become more skilled in the pure craft of artistic expression.  His advice is sound – excellent work is usually a combination of strong skills and a love of the occupation.  However, he missed one key component for achieving professional genius, a characteristic that Van Gogh draws upon throughout the movie.

Movie Quote from: Munich (2005) – Golda Meir (Lynn Cohen)  

In Steven Spielberg’s thought-provoking movie Munich, Golda Meir is not the role model we’d like for our children.  She commissions a retaliatory team to murder the 11 perpetrators of the Olympic massacre in 1972.  She recognizes that her decision compromises Israeli values.  A counselor would tell her that there are consequences to compromising values.  Consequences include confusion, apathy, rage, doubt, disconnectedness, remorse, dishonor, and shame.  These effects are found in individuals and in nations.

Movie quote from: The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) - Georgia Lorrison (Lana Turner)

In Vincente Minnelli's 1952 classic, 'The Bad and the Beautiful', a producer's ruthless professional practices have left many former colleagues unwilling to work with him. This proves fatal, as life circumstances unfold where their support is required. It is a classic movie supportive of the old adage, "What goes around, comes around."