Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What movies changed your perception of reality or life?

news.ycombinator.com

61–70 of 237 posts

Re: Ask HN: What movies changed your perception of reality or life?

#61

Most recently, I left Oppenheimer with a lasting feeling of disillusionment and pessimism towards government. I didn't learn anything new (I read American Prometheus), but seeing the affair dramatized so well was pretty moving.

> towards government it felt like more of an attack against academia and the forward march of scientific "progress" than specifically towards government. The character Oppenheimer has his own issues specifically with government, but it's moreso that by that point, he has decided not to blindly agree with the status quo and so has become a threat. Oppenheimer is portrayed as part of the problem after around the 3/4 ma…

Indeed, and I don't think the film painted government in a bad light necessarily.

When I said government, I should have more accurately said politics. Or even humanity. It is depressing to me that we can get ourselves into a situation where using a weapon of that magnitude can be the reasonable course of action.

Re: Ask HN: What movies changed your perception of reality or life?

#65

Aguirre, The Wrath of God. I studied it at uni and wrote an essay where I explained that the main character couldn't be a symbol of both fascism AND a film director, because that would mean the director was calling himself a fascist. My lecturer's response was something like "why not?". I was a very black-and-white thinker at that time, and his response was eye-opening for me.

I knew of Werner Herzog but recently got really interested in his work after he guested on Conan O'Brien's podcast. I'm reading his autobiography right now. It's fascinating how he was begging some investor about how he had to make the movie Fitzcarraldo, because if he didn't, his life would be purposeless (I do hope I'm remembering this right). It got me wondering how he got away with things like forcing his crew to…

There's also a "making of" of Fitzcarraldo, which left at least me wondering who was crazier: Fitzcarraldo or Herzog.

Re: Ask HN: What movies changed your perception of reality or life?

#66
post #26

Cloud Atlas It's a movie I seem to go back to, to understand more about it and how the different story lines are connected. The philosophy aspect of this film I find appealing and it made think about reality differently although I wouldn't call myself a believer of such things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWnAqFyaQ5s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Atlas_(film)

I found the book even better and started reading more novels from David Mitchell. "Cloud Atlas" is still my favorite of his books. A lot of his essays are available online via The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/davidmitchell

I don't think that's the same David Mitchell.

Re: Ask HN: What movies changed your perception of reality or life?

#67

2001 - it was on TV one afternoon on a rainy bank holiday in the early 80s, when I was probably far too young to fully appreciate it, and what I saw was simply awe-inspiring.

it obviously also inspired the Simpsons animators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8xP1JioXTM

Re: Ask HN: What movies changed your perception of reality or life?

#69
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found the book even better and started reading more novels from David Mitchell. "Cloud Atlas" is still my favorite of his books. A lot of his essays are available online via The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/davidmitchell

I don't think that's the same David Mitchell.

Very much not, although both are English.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mitchell_(author)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mitchell_(comedian)

Re: Ask HN: What movies changed your perception of reality or life?

#70
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found the book even better and started reading more novels from David Mitchell. "Cloud Atlas" is still my favorite of his books. A lot of his essays are available online via The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/davidmitchell

I don't think that's the same David Mitchell.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN