The films & stories that make you want to be a better person, fill you with hope or make you grateful for the gifts you have!

These are the movies where you will watch the entire film just to enjoy the last two minutes of human triumph.  They are the perennial favorites and the movies you want to share with your children, grandchildren and each other.
 

What Movies do
You Turn to For Inspiration?

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."

The quintessential feel good movie of all time, It's a Wonderful Life celebrates the ordinary man's extraordinary life and the impact each of us has on those around us.  It reminds us of what is important, that wealth comes not from what you own but what you give and that each man is truly rich if he has friends.  For anyone who has ever questioned their own worth or the purpose of his life, Capra's magical journey into what if, puts all doubts aside and captures the spirit of the holidays year around.

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If you were alive and old enough to remember 1977 then you can remember the phenomenon called Roots. For eight solid nights American families gathered around the television set to witness the story of Alex Haley's family's induction into slavery through liberation at the end of the Civil War.  This is the first film that brought a human face to slavery and the sins of America's past.  It has single handedly done more to promote an appreciation for the determination and sheer force of will inherent in those of African descent, while dispelling many of the myths surrounding slavery.  Roots also reignited a passion for genealogy sending American's and World citizens on a quest to define their own families roots.  This is the perfect movie for a rainy day or sick days at home when you'd rather have your children learn something instead of watching cartoons or playing video games. TOP

Mohandas K. Gandhi,  introduced the doctrine of nonviolent resistance to the colonized people of India.  This was a radical idea and one difficult to follow, especially in the face of constant oppression, dehumanization and murder. Ultimately the Indian's  gained their independence. The philosophies of Gandhi carried into American Society supporting and galvanizing American Civil Rights Movement.

In today's violent world encompassing the Occupied Territories of the Middle East, Chechnya and Africa, a man of Gandhi's caliber is even more remarkable and increasingly needed. This film reminds us that it is not force that delivers freedom.  It is perseverance, a respect for human dignity and quiet disobedience in the face of tyranny that becomes the deliver of the oppressed.  Like all stories of good and evil, Gandhi reminds each viewer of the story that even in the face of excruciating oppression, holders of the truth with respect for their fellow man always in the end prevail. This is a great movie to watch when you become so frustrated with current affairs, hope for eventual peace seems an impossible dream.  Gandhi will restore your faith.
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Against all odds including wrong physical stature, lack of education requirements,  dismissive coaches, poverty, his father's envy, and endless series of roadblocks, Rudy Ruettiger does the energizer bunny one better and keeps going, and going and going until at last he gets to play in one game at Notre Dame. Based on a true story, Rudy shows that it is not the attaining goal that provides the satisfaction but surviving and growing through the journey which is the ultimate reward.

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Friendship, Love within Marriage, Hope, Humility, Gratitude, Spirituality, Love of a father and Life Lessons

" If you build it he will come"  

An Adaptation of W.P. Kinsella's baseball novel Shoeless Joe, this film has come to epitomize American eccentricities and the joys of doing something completely illogical yet spiritually incredible. Amy Madigan is delightful as a former 1960's activist supports the wild idea, James Earl Jones plays a former '60's novelist who wants to leave the sixties in the sixties and Kevin Costner is at his peak as the slightly disillusioned but very idealistic Ray Kinsella. This movie is for anyone who has regretted past mistakes and believed in something better, even when logic tells you not to.  The ending is one of those great moments that brings tears even to the toughest guys eyes. TOP

This is a story for anyone who has had to postpone their dreams because life gets in the way.  Glenn Holland is a music teacher frustrated by his lot in life with dreams of becoming a composer but his wife's pregnancy forces him to give up the dream and become a teacher at the local high school.  Add to this, his son is born deaf and Holland feels he has nothing in common with his child.  The ending of the movie is a testament to the power of pursuing your dreams and the bond that can develop even within adversity between a father and son.   You'll cheer, you'll cry and you'll beg for more. 
What's an opus? Basically it means a chapter of musical composition.  Each segment of a musical piece is an opus in the entire symphony, much like a chapter is part of a novel. TOP

The film is inspirational.  The back story of a screenplay thrown together in 3-days and filmed on a miniscule budget that eventually won the coveted Best Picture Oscar is equally inspirational. Hear just the first 3 seconds of Bill Conti's theme song and you too will be ready to take on the world.

Rocky Balboa is the epitome of the underdog who overcomes all odds to make it.  An absolute favorite film with men, Rocky is a part of American culture with a theme that illustrates our mindset.   TOP

Few films will impact you more deeply than The Killing Fields, especially if you were alive and old enough to witness the refugee's flight to the United States. However, this is not a film for children.  The subject matter is far too graphic and complex.

This film is about three themes: the friendship of men, life as a war correspondent and finally a man's journey from forced slavery under a communist regime to freedom.  Based upon New York Times reporter Sidney Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor) real life experiences, The Killing Fields covers their friendship's development prior to and up to the Khmer Rouge's  complete occupation of Cambodia and its brain washing of its citizens. 

What makes this movie so inspirational is the Dith Pran's amazing survival and escape from the Communist controlled government.  Somehow despite the fact he has to drink ox blood for protein, hide his identity and avoid the constant brainwashing, he escapes death several times, he maintains his humanity and ultimately reaches freedom.  The ending is one of the most joyous you'll ever experience and you will gain a new respect of the people of Southeast Asia for what they had to endure, overcome and accomplish to get here. TOP

The opening scene of Julie Andrews singing "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music" alone is enough to fill you with inspiration.  But this Roger's and Hammerstein classic based upon the true story of the von Trapp family's flight from Nazi controlled Austria in 1938 delivers so much more. It's a story about God's will where a young woman finds her calling isn't the church but to be a mother to six children.  It's about wringing a man from the clutches of grief and reintroducing him to his family and the joys of life he once thought he lost. It covers the crisis of conscience when political events force you to choose between duty to country and morality and ultimately force you to leave everything behind except your family and its love.  Finally it's about the passion that develops when God brings two people together as one.  The Sound of Music is inspirational on many levels whether its the story, the courage, the message or the music, few can experience it without being touched for a lifetime.  TOP