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14 Motivational Movies Everyone Should Watch

by admin | Oct 26, 2015 | Inspirational, Motivational, Movies

by Barb SchmidtAugust 3, 2014

Watching movies is a classic American pastime, and it’s certainly one I enjoy. Seeing a movie is a chance to experience the “what ifs” of life. In the case of biographical films, it is an opportunity to vicariously relive events as they might have happened — a front-row seat in history. A good movie stirs our emotions, transports us to another time and place, and widens our perspective.

Of course, movies require an investment of our precious moments, so I always appreciate when one comes recommended by someone whose opinion I respect. My favorite movies are those that fill me with hope and enrich my life in some way.

This is what each of the movies I recommend below have done for me. Truthfully, there are so many inspirational movies that it was hard to pick just this handful! From persevering through hardships to fighting for the underdogs to finding strength even in the most dire situations, these inspirational movies carry powerful messages.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird

In this 1962 movie based on the book of the same title, we find ourselves in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama (set in 1932), where a young black man is on trial for rape. Although falsely accused, a guilty verdict is practically assured from the all-white jury. Through the eyes of a small girl named Scout and her principled father, who defends the accused, the weighty issues of prejudice and injustice are laid out before us in thought-provoking detail. “You never know someone until you step inside their skin and walk around a little,” Scout’s dad tells her. These are words to live by.

2. It’s a Wonderful Life

This 1946 classic makes my heart smile every single time I watch it! On the verge of losing his business to the richest man in town, family man George Bailey thinks about ending it all, figuring everyone he loves would be better off without him. As we discover in this fantastical heartwarming look at what-ifs, George couldn’t have been more wrong! In the movie, Bailey says, “All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away.” These words have great meaning to me in my life’s work and service to others.

3. The Razor’s Edge

From Paris to Germany and from Spain to India, post-World War I American Larry Darrel goes on an engaging search for answers to his questions about humanity, God, and the meaning of life, leaving behind all of the social norms of the time. This is a search many of us can relate to. In the movie, Larry says, “If I ever acquire wisdom, I suppose I’ll be wise enough to know what to do with it.” There’s wisdom in these words! There was a remake of this film, but my preference is the 1946 version.

4. Gandhi

When I talk about inspirational reading, I always make it a point to recommend books by or about the masters, saints, and mystics themselves. This 1982 movie fits right in with such recommendations, because here we can really visualize and feel what it must have been like for Gandhi during the 50 years of his life leading up to his assassination. We watch him transform from a straight-laced attorney whose eyes are suddenly opened to prejudice and injustice who will eventually become known to the world as a motivator of peaceful action.

5. Groundhog Day

This 1993 comedy is such a feel-good, whimsical look at what would happen if we were forced to relive one day over and over again. What would we do differently? What would we learn from the experience? Phil Connors — a weatherman who is self-centered and arrogant — finds himself in this very situation in the midst of a snowstorm. Watching his growth throughout the movie is a beautiful lesson in our own process of self-reflection and creating the experiences we want in life.

6. Schindler’s List

“Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” This Talmud quote, which makes an appearance in this 1993 biographical film, beautifully illustrates the profound meaning behind the actions of German businessman Oskar Schindler, who saved the lives of more than 1,000 of his Jewish employees during the Holocaust. This drama speaks to how deep compassion can be stirred in any man’s soul when he allows himself to see and act against the cruelty and injustice in the world.

7. Forrest Gump

The life of fictional character Forrest Gump takes us on a topsy-turvy trip through the ups and downs of the 60s, 70s, and early 80s. While Forrest comes across as a very simple character, he proves to be a multidimensional man with life lessons galore to share with us throughout this masterful 1994 film. In the movie, he says, “My momma always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’” To me, that’s about letting go of expectations and embracing whatever comes our way. That’s certainly what Forrest does — and brilliantly so!

8. The Blind Side

Admittedly, I am a football fan, so a feel-good movie with this all-American sport as its backdrop satisfies me on many levels! Partially based on a true story, a semi-homeless teenager, Michael Oher, finds a loving, supportive home with an upper-class family. Living in this new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges. And as the family helps Michael fulfill his potential, both on and off the football field, his presence in their lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries. This 2009 movie crosses racial barriers and brings you straight to the heart. It beautifully captures the essence of unity, togetherness, and family.

9. The Pursuit of Happyness

Inspired by a true story, this 2006 film speaks to us of overcoming hardships, the rewards of determination, the unbreakable bond between father and son, and doing whatever is necessary to provide for one’s self and children. The story of Chris Gardner and his small son teaches us through dramatic illustration that material things are not what are important in life. We can share great happiness when we are really there for each other, despite the fact that we may have little in the way of worldly goods.

10. A Beautiful Mind

Winner of numerous awards in 2002, this excellent portrayal of the true life of John Nash, a genius mathematician, gives us an up-close look at the inner and outer struggle one faces when confronted by a mind-alerting disease such as schizophrenia. The clinical aspects are secondary to the courage, love, and determination displayed by each of the characters, and especially Nash, who eventually becomes an honored member of the Princeton community. Nash’s perseverance teaches us that there are beautiful rewards in life when we don’t give up.

11. The Land Before Time

Yes, this 1988 animated film has made my list! Animation brings “life” to the otherwise impossible. How else would we be able to follow Littlefoot, an orphaned dinosaur, and his four young companions as they figure out life in their struggle for survival? This is truly a life-changing, heart-beating, feel-good movie. It examines issues of grief, prejudice, guidance from above, overcoming hardships, and the importance of sticking together — especially when times (and the terrain!) are rough.

12. To Sir With Love

I first saw this 1967 movie as a young girl, and it had such a profound effect on me. Since I was always by the book in school, the teenage students’ defiance of authority portrayed in this movie really shocked me! But what made me feel good about it was how they and their reluctant teacher eventually developed a beautiful and meaningful relationship — one of mutual respect and admiration.

13. The Green Mile

This thought-provoking 1999 film is set in the 1930s and follows the story of a death row corrections officer and an encounter with a seemingly innocent man sentenced to death for the murder of two children. Through a series of miraculous events that are sure to touch your soul — they did mine — this movie reveals that there is often much more than meets the eye. We just need to be able to recognize the miracles beneath the surface.

14. Dead Poets Society

“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world,” says John Keating in this 1989 film about an English teacher who has a profound impact on a group of students through the study of poetry. And I agree! This movie drives home the importance of self-reliance, thinking for oneself, standing up for one’s beliefs, and of course seizing the day — lessons for life no matter who you are.

Years past, going to a movie theater was the only way we could experience these cinematic masterpieces. These days, we can watch movies from our very own couch. How grateful I am for our modern conveniences! So get comfortable, relax, and hit play to be transported to a thought-provoking world that will leave you with a good feeling and warm your heart.

Please share with me some of your favorite inspirational movies for my “to-watch” list. What films touch you deeply?

14 Motivational Movies Everyone Should Watch

‘Is That You?,’ Hamlisch Contra Costa Jewish Film Festival Favorites

by admin | Mar 10, 2015 | Marvin Hamlisch, Movies

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IS THAT YOU? Is the story of RONNIE, 60 year old Israeli film projectionist, who has been fired from his job and is going now to the U.S. in a search for RACHEL, the love of his youth. IS THAT YOU? Is a romantic, road trip journey to ‘The Road Not Taken’ in life created by Award Winning filmmaker Dani Menkin (HBO Cinemax-39 Pounds of Love, Je Taime, I Love You Terminal, Dolphin Boy) Jewish Film Festival

You see, Ronnie and Rachel though separated for 30 years, once made a vow that whatever might come between them they would meet up for Rachel’s 60th birthday. After being fired and realizing her day was near, the laid back Ronnie decided to take up the pursuit at the urging of his more demonstrative brother.

When Ronnie’s borrowed car breaks down en route to searching out Rachel, a young film student happens upon him offering to fix, yes, fix his car while asking him to be interviewed for her film project. Ronnie thinks she’s nuts but goes along with it . Both being of film backgrounds, she offers to drive Ronnie in her own borrowed car (van) to help him find Rachel while the two make some very entertaining stops for filming during a long, circuitous route to Rachels. Does Ronnie ever find Rachel? We highly recommend you find out. The movie is an adventure, a philosophical tale, and a double love story (‘Is That You?’ has already played at the Jewish Film Festival but it will surely be available in theaters and/or video.) Meanwhile the film festival runs through Sunday and most movies appear to be winners, certainly the three we saw, Is That You, Marvin Hamlish and Run Boy Run (reviewed in next blogpost).

The movie is excellent on several different levels, offering the audience take with them some potential life changes. The movie provides an hour and a half of pure escape but also offers philosophical questions we might ask ourselves about real would-be, could-be life-changes.

1) It asks the question ‘ Do you have any life regrets’ to those interviewed in the film, while serving as a catharsis for them while providing a good philosophical question for the film audience to ponder, one that they might work on as a possible life-changer

2) Not to spoil the movie, we are reminded in a stark way that ‘life is short’ and we should, perhaps, act and take chances NOW before it is too late, as Ronnie did. We won’t say more other than Ronnie made this decision and, no doubt, it was a good decision for him , despite a later life event.

3) We see an interesting interaction between a man and a woman of two different generations, one not based solely on sex and attraction. In fact, that is almost left out of the equation until the end. It’s about two people going about their own paths, less travelled, who just happen to meet up each not expecting anything to come of it. Something does come of it , but that thing is not shoved in our face, as in so many movies, and we never really learn what eventually happens to the two. Again, that is left to the imagination. A freshingly fitting ending we think.

MARVIN HAMLISCH: WHAT HE DID FOR LOVE

The movie included the soundtrack of Hamlisch’s life, going from his early successes with movie scores for people like Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford to harder times, but during it all, Hamlisch was still beloved by his many friends and fellow musicians, who paid him great tribute. Three things particularly come to mind after watching a beautiful movie/tribute about the life of Marvin Hamlisch During the Contra Costa Jewish film Festival March 8 Sunday 2015 (Century 16, Pleasant Hill) (2013, no doubt available now elsewhere)

1) While being one of the premier songwriters and arrangers of our time, Marvin Hamlisch had a real zest for life and wanted to experience ‘ it all.’ Whether it was especially food or music, Hamlish loved all kinds and styles. ‘There was no Bad music, only good music’ he said. He wasn’t a snob about classical being better than popular. It appeared he lived his life that way with people, too. ‘Give everyone a chance.’ He was a positive person and always had good things to say. He was kind and generous, all his friends and fellow musicians repeated in the movie.

2) His song from one of his film scores was something about ‘while we still have the time’… And that was about doing things NOW , to experience life while you can.

Hamlisch certainly packed in a lot during a premature 68 year life. He said one of his songs best summed up his life, the conflicting ‘The music is me or I am the music’ was his inner conflict much of his life ….

3)Relationships were perhaps the bain of Hamlisch’s existance. As much as he sought out true love amidst all the love songs he wrote about, Hamlisch could never find it, despite dating some of the most beautiful, talented women. Finally, when his career was waning in the 1980s , as was his love life, he finally met the woman of his dreams, Terry, on a chance blind date. Though, the funny thing is that they never actually met until months after talking for hours on the phone. But, by the time they met , he Hamlisch felt like he KNEW her enough he proposed just before she opened her front door of their first meeting. She said yes. Terry said what attracted her to hamlish was his kindness and unassuming nature . She recalled when they were first supposed to meet he told her he had to pick up some cleaning when it fact he was going to accept a big award. After writing iconic love songs like ‘Memories’ and soundtracks for movies like ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘The Sting’, Hamlisch finally was able to live out his last years with the love that had escaped him for so many .

Perhaps Hamlisch was one of those rare people, both genius and humanitarian, who seem to often leave us too soon. Robin Williams is another who comes to mind. Perhaps they’re just TOO GOOD, TOO KIND if there can be such a thing, and while their flames burn brightly they don’t last long.

New Holocaust Movie Should Make Some Take Better Stock of MidEast Today

by admin | Mar 8, 2015 | Halocaust, Movies

New Holocaust Movie Should Make People Take Stock of MidEast Today

For this recent movie-goer, RUN BOY RUN was emotionally-wrenching. Scene after scene almost made me one to escape myself – the theater that is.
From the scene when Jurek’s new dog and travel companion is shot by Nazi’s to Jurek’s severed hand that he loses only because the Nazi-sympthazing doctor refused to operate are emotionial enough, yet there are many more scenes I had to endure – scenes in which Jurek comes within inches of being caught, and then, in the flashback , having to watch his Dad give himself up to the Nazi’s so Jurek can RUN in the opposite direction, and only after excellent guidance and instructions from Dad.

Anyone with a compassionate heart would once again be reminded of the terrible atrocity of World War II. To think that this kind of stuff was happening only 70 years ago is hard to believe. But worse, to see this same sort of thing happening again today, a short 10 years
since 3,000 Americans were burned to death not in a Nazi concentration camp but a towering inferno called the World Trade Center at the hands of equally vicious religious extremes . How more and more people and politicians, especially Jewish ones, are quickly forgetting these recent events while criticizing Israel opposition to US dealings with Iran and other terrorist countries which threaten to wipe out Israel is rather unbelievable, we believe.

Film Review: ‘Run Boy Run’

Lauf Junge Lauf Run Boy Run (Variety.com)
FEBRUARY 25, 2014
Ronnie Scheib
Based on a bestseller that was itself based on a true story (the real-life protagonist appears under the end credits), “Run Boy Run” sticks faithfully,
albeit highly unimaginatively, to its source. For his Holocaust saga of an 8-year-old Jewish child cast adrift in Nazi-occupied Poland, vet German helmer
Pepe Danquart relies on the pathos inherent in the situation to carry his film emotionally as the kid’s struggle for survival increasingly reflects the
Jewish people’s struggle to maintain their identity in the face of genocide. A natural for Jewish viewers and older arthouse-goers, “Run Boy Run” feels
too old-fashioned and by-the-numbers for a wider audience.

Srulik (played by twins Andrzej and Kamil Tkacz) escapes the roundup in his hometown to hide out in the woods. He hooks up briefly with a small bunch of
Jewish kids also on the run, who have banded together to forage off the land, roasting stolen chickens around a fire and keeping morale alive by swapping
displays of bravado. But after an unsuccessful chicken-snatching raid results in the capture of some kids and the scattering of others, Srulik once again
finds himself alone as bitter winter and the Gestapo close in.

Calling himself “Jurek” to disguise his Jewishness, he seeks temporary shelter or employment at a succession of farmhouses, encountering slammed doors
and an occasional odd job until he arrives at the home of Magda (Elisabeth Duda, excellent), wife and mother of partisans, who teaches him everything
he needs to pass as Catholic. Magda is the closest the film ever comes to an authentic character. Even Jurek, in virtually every frame of the film, is
defined almost solely by his will to live, functioning mainly as a witness to events with little personal coloration or interiority.

By the same token, the people whom Jurek encounters on his desperate, years-long wanderings function like a running tally of relative Polish
innocence or guilt in the Holocaust, rather than distinct characters. Thus, when a farm accident costs Jurek his arm, a “bad” doctor refuses
to operate because the boy is a Jew, while another, “good” doctor tends him and helps him to escape.

Danquart’s anecdotal, checklist-style approach furnishes fodder for the simplest kind of identification with his hero, and the sheer presentation
of these terrible grievances may prove sufficiently empathy-inducing for the target audience. Changes of tone, although possible, are rarely pursued;
in the film’s one foray into humor, the handicapped Jurek delights in inventing more and more outrageously heroic stories about how he lost his arm,
but this entertaining, tale-spinning talent disappears without a trace. If the Tkacz twins’ thesping never hits a wrong note, it rarely provides access
to any process of consciousness. Even the character’s ultimate choice between assimilation and the assumption of his Jewish heritage reads merely as a
choice between signposts.
For this recent movie-goer, RUN BOY RUN was emotionally-wrenching. Scene after scene almost made me one to escape myself – the theater that is.
From the scene when Jurek’s new dog and travel companion is shot by Nazi’s to Jurek’s severed hand that he loses only because the Nazi-sympthazing
doctor refused to operate are emotionial enough, yet there are many more scenes I had to endure – scenes in which Jurek comes within inches of
being caught, and then, in the flashback , having to watch his Dad give himself up to the Nazi’s so Jurek can RUN in the opposite direction, and
only after excellent guidance and instructions from Dad.

Anyone with a compassionate heart would once again be reminded of the terrible atrocity of World War II. To think that this kind of stuff was happening only 70 years ago is hard to believe. But worse, to see this same sort of thing happening again today, a short 10 years
since 3,000 Americans were burned to death not in a Nazi concentration camp but a towering inferno called the World Trade Center at the hands of equally vicious religious extremes . How more and more people and politicians, especially Jewish ones, are quickly forgetting these recent events
while criticizing Israel’s opposition to US dealings with Iran and other terrorist countries which threaten to wipe out Israel is rather unbelievable,
we believe.

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