Ten Movies That "Changed My Life" (or something like that)

10) Dead Poet's Society (Fall 2003)
Yeah, yeah, Robin Williams's John Keating said "Carpe diem, seize the day, boys," but he's got plenty of other great lines, too. Example: "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

9) The Breakfast Club (around 2000)
The first movie I ever saw that takes teenagers and the adolescent psyche seriously. The building and deconstruction of stereotypes and prejudices is masterfully done, and each character has his own deeper character, his own idiosyncrasies. It's really not as overrated as you'd think.

8) Good Will Hunting (Winter 2005-6)
The intelligent, stubborn, insecure, and deeply sensitive Will is a fantastic character. Seeing how he uses his brains and his past to keep everyone at an arm's length makes him enigmatically attractive in every way - you want to be the Skylar, Chuckie, or Sean in his life. As he struggles to accept who he is, you can't help but sympathize, and learn a thing or two yourself along the way.

7) Something's Gotta Give (Summer 2004)
It's corny, yes. But I like corny. And I love Diane Keaton's Erica Barry - she's strong, boldly independent, and successful - a true heroine and role model. Her vulnerability in her upper-middle age that you know she's experiencing for the first time is charming, and seeing her (humorously) gain strength from that, and from love, is both fun and touching - not to mention something of a warning sign in itself.

6) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (July 2006)
It took me a good 3 or 4 tries to watch this one in its entirety - I kept watching it at the worst times and falling asleep. Once I did, though, I was in love. Not with any of the characters, but simply with the film itself. Kate Winslet is amazing, and Jim Carrey gave the performance of his life. It's crazy, weird, unconventional, and truly unique, which I love. Plus, it's unbelievably hopeful about fate and love, and altogether beautiful.

5) The Philadelphia Story (July 2006)
Marvelously clever, charming, and just brilliantly put together. Katharine Hepburn's strong, standoffish Tracy suited her perfectly, and the chemistry among her, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Ruth Hussey is absolutely delightful to behold. Grant's C. K. Dexter Haven teaches Tracy that one needs to appreciate and respect "human frailty," and that there is a vast difference between being worshipped and being loved. It hit a nerve for me - something about it resonated, making it all the more amazing.

4) American Beauty (December 2005)
Ricky Fitts changed my life almost as drastically as he changed Jane's. I was always sensitive to beauty, and his pitch-perfect description of it (and Lester Burnham's, too) heightened my awareness of it, for which I am utterly grateful. As for Lester - watching him wake up made me feel like I was waking up, too.

3) Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (May 2006)
Watching Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy meet on a train and walk around Vienna all night talking opened my mind to a whole new way of thinking. Never has another film stimulated my brain the way these two have. They completley changed the way I see the world, other people, life - everything. Ever after, I've had a much more active mind. And a whole new idea of romance and love.

2) The Graduate and Casablanca (December 2005)
Okay, so these two are seemingly unrelated. But these are the first two "classics" I ever saw - the first two that I ever saw and appreciated for the masterpieces they are, at least. These are the movies that got me interested in classic films, and along with American Beauty, they made me seriously interested in film as an art form. After seeing these, I couldn't get enough.

1) Garden State (Spring/Summer 2005)
New Jersey. An amazing soundtrack. Zach Braff's quirky, offbeat and dry sense of humor. Taught me that numbness and stoicism are not strength - that there is strength in pain, pain in love, and that's life - and all we really have are moments. Moments and each other.


Honorable Mentions:
- Citizen Kane: Orson Welles wrote, directed, and starred in it when he was 25, and it's absolutely brilliant.
- Edward Scissorhands: An artistic combination of the classic and the quirky. Just beautiful.
- Elizabethtown: Cameron Crowe kind of screwed this one up. It could have been a lot better than it is. But it's still refreshing, comforting, and a nice reminder that we all fail sometimes.
- Peter Pan and Finding Neverland: I told my mum on my 5th birthday that I was still secretly 4, and I didn't want to grow up. Peter and I - and I guess James and I - are kindred spirits.