What movie "represents or explains" you?

My single favorite book has always been Travels with Charley, seeing new things, meeting new people. Took a trip through BC solo, with a ferry trip to Ketchikan. When I came back, a co-worker gave me the book Into The Wild - didn't know if I should have been flattered - or not. One thing is true though - I don't wait for a group to form around an opinion to do what I want to do - I go out and do it.

 

Women are the rake.

 

The fucking rake

 

"Dead Poets Society" -- I really believe people need to learn to think for themselves, and can grow, and stand up for themselves, or not. The rewards and consequences of both/either can be triumphant or devastating, but it must occur. I also love good educators, and think the encouragement of such thought and development is a great definition of what makes a good one, no matter the teachers' subject matter. That movie really made an impact on me, and the message has resonated ever since I first saw it. I have DVDs of very few movies outside of "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" ones, but "Dead Poets Society" is the most-watched "other one" among them.

 

I don't think any movie represents or explains me because I'm plenty odd.

That said, I've tried to keep in mind the advice George Clooney had in "Three Kings": *Do the thing you're afraid of, and the courage comes after.* I've found that to be true, and that's why I bailed off a cliff into the water below on the Buffalo River — three times.

 

In the years I did sports, I felt that Roy McAvoy from "Tin Cup" represented me quite well. Had some talent at the TV sports thing but just couldn't put it together.

 

The smart-ass answer is “Clerks,” because I did work in a grocery store in high school and over summers (night crew) in college; I was nicknamed Dante in those days; and my girlfriend/now wife did make me lasagna.

(No comment on the other things the movie Dante’s girlfriend did for him )

 

When I was in high school, my dad and I watched this together. It was around the time I had to start thinking about the college process and what I wanted to do with my life other than hang out with friends. It led to a lecture that started "I didn't mean to make you watch this to make a point, but ..." and he proceed to drive home the Carpe Diem point of the whole movie and I needed to start taking the rest of my life seriously. At the time, I hated he did that. I didn't want to hear it. I was less Carpe Diem and more Laissez Faire.

But as I pissed off at students who just want to sit on their phones and "will get serious when they get to high school," I think I appreciate my dad's point even more.

 

I go through this daily. My general speech goes something like: You don't have to know exactly what you want to do right now, and what you think you want to do may not be what you're doing at my age. But what you can't want to do is nothing.

 

I've always thought back to a Jeff Bridges interview when he was approached to do "Crazy Heart." He said the idea of him playing that role terrified him, and also kind of compelled him to do it because he felt if something inflicted in him that kind of fear, then as an artist - he should run toward it. It worked out well for him, he won the Oscar for the role, but also surprised me because he seems like one of the most easy-going people out there. It also reminded me of his role in "Fearless" - a very underrated movie if you haven't seen it. We do need to challenge ourselves in life if we feel like we are in a rut or need to address something head on we'd rather put off. See also the great line about firing Ron Zook by Jeremy Foley.
“What should be done eventually, must be done immediately"

 

Interesting question. It's hard to pick one movie.

Probably fairly representative of me:
Miss Congeniality
Miss Firecracker

Movies I love about writing, and they really are about writing AFAIAC:
Seven Psychopaths
Tune In Tomorrow
Barton Fink

Art/Creative Identity:
Monkeybone
Pecker
Tristram Shandy: A Cock And Bull Story

My family: August, Osage County