Philosophy Discussion Forums

Into the Wild, When Nietzsche Wept, A Dangerous Method, The Grey, ect..

Use this: http://www.philfilms.utm.edu/2/filmlist.htm

I just saw Jeff At Home and it was a good examination of oneself in relation to one's concept of fate and their place in the universe. An underlying theme to me was the concept of awareness and how it can impact an individual's existence. It gets the wheels turning!

From the recommendations of those on this thread, I watched "The Man from Earth" last night and completely enjoyed it. Although I thought some of the particulars stemming from the basic premise could have been handled more powerfully, overall the film succeeds in indicting many of our presumptions about history and knowledge in a nice underhanded, understated manner.

Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" resonated with me in very philosophical implications, I think. While I've tried to put into words every square inch of the film, I can't.

I think, thematically, the middle-class doctor whose wife makes jealous and propels him into the "seedy underbelly" of society--is itself worth noting. This underbelly has prostitutes, pimps, an orgy, etc. But the real treatment as with Kubrick is the tempo and pace, like Clockwork or The Shining (Also my other fav, Barry Lyndon).

I think Tom Cruise (an apt choice, in my opinion) is the witness to these experiences, and his responses as a self-absorbed house doctor create tensions of emotions of lust and jealous, driving obsessions to far lengths. But because he has never stepped foot into these rooms his reactions are contrived.

I could go on and on. I believe Kubrick personally was atheistic, so there's an underlying tension too with Christmastime and Christmas lights everywhere.

Forgetting all the schmalz, The Fountainhead was also very interesting. I also liked the dialog, especially Gary Cooper's big speech as if he were an Old Testament prophet whose principals are completely impervious to compromise because he knows he's right. Or to paraphrase an old Persian proverb, He knows that he knows!

Spirited Away.

This movie gives me chills every time I see it. You have to be at least a teen to understand some of the meanings of it. I know the first time I watched it I was about eleven, and had no idea what was going on. Then I watched it again at fifteen...the paper people attacking Haku... It's an amazing movie about a ten year old girl who is sullen about moving to a new place and leaving her friends. Then, her father takes a wrong turn and stops at what he thinks is an abandoned theme park. I think it is actually a 'train station', or a passage between our world and that of the spirits. From there, the movie will make you laugh, cry, and scream.

Many excellent movies have already been mentioned. I would like to add a few.

Dogma- Kevin smith,1999. Excellent and interesting perspective on the state of world religions.

Sample Quote: (note the he referred to by Rufus mentions is God which he knows personally)

Rufus: He still digs humanity, but it bothers Him to see the **** that gets carried out in His name - wars, bigotry, televangelism. But especially the factioning of all the religions. He said humanity took a good idea and, like always, built a belief structure on it.

Bethany: Having beliefs isn't good?

Rufus: I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier...

Usual Suspects-Bryan Singer,1995. Demonstration of the power of fear driven myths.

Sample Quote:

Verbal: The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn't exist....

Dave Kujan: Do you believe in him Verbal? (referring to a crime boss named Keyser Soze who is implied to also be the devil)

Verbal: Keaton always said, "I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him." Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze."

Highlander...in the end the prize is one life.

Waiting for Godot is a very strange foreign film that I think is very philosophical. It's very obscure and it can be repetitive at times. Very interesting.

Invictus_88 wrote: For deeper and more challenging types of thought, perhaps we could consider 'Ma Mere', or 'Irreversible'. (Not recommended for young or immature audiences, those with delicate sensibilities, the easily offended, the nervous, or those with upsetting sexual histories.)

"Irreversible" is rough. When I saw it I couldn't wuite figure out if it was over my limits of what was acceptable to show in a movie. But it does have some interesting philosophical aspects about how we feel about vengeance of a crime, of which we do not yet know the brutality.

Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" has already been mentioned and is probably one of my favorite movies of all time.

Mr. Nobody is an intereseting film, which plays a lot with our concept of time and choices. The end offers a set of different interpretations, which can lead to good conversations about whether we desire unlimited knowledge of where our decision will lead us or there is a limit to where it is still useful.

In the older genre, I really enjoyed High Noon from 1952. In many ways it is just a good old time western shootout film, but I do think it portrays a dark side of humanity very well. The Sheriff has protected the village for several years with his life at stake and then when he needs the villagers help once, they all coward away. Each has a different excuse that they believe justifies them from relieving themselves of the task at hand. But then again, could the sheriff ask this favor, as it was his job to defend the village throughout all those year? That can spark some good conversations.

This is my new article about some of the central themes that Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman (1918 - 2007) returns to in his films.

Keywords: wild strawberries, the personal paradise, unconscious suffering, Eurydice, scapegoatism, vicarious suffering, Christianity.

Bergman themes

Mats Winther

I think it's worth mentioning David Lynch in this post. Even though his films are not strictly philosophical, they do delve deep into a multitude of human psyches and themes...definitely an inspiration for discussion & thought, not to mention they're all ridiculously fantastic to watch

-- Updated September 24th, 2012, 12:24 am to add the following --

- and for an anime pitch, Akira. It still boggles my mind to this day.

Just went to see Rian Johnson's new film Looper which I believe would qualify in terms of having philosophical content revolving around the issue of how personality is shaped through a series of evolving and built upon actions. Since it's a new film I don't want to reveal too much here, in terms of plot, but I would highly recommend it. It's an innovative take on time travel and yet the focus is more on character development (particularly in the second half) than on the mechanics of time travel itself.

Here's a 20 minute philosophical film made by your's truly. "Boycott Brutality"