An Annotated List of Movies and TV Shows That Have Influenced Me
No - It's not a "movie review"...
All righty-reety! Time for another post! (In fact, way past time for another post, as usual.)
A while back, I posted a series of concept maps to lay out what this Substack is intended to talk about, in answer to the question: “What Does Optimum Human Survival Require?”
The answer to that question was “The Five Essentials” – and the concept maps lay out some of, if not all, of the concepts required to explain that answer. The overview was titled “The Omega Concept”. That is the term I am using, for reasons which I’ll go into in the future, for the overall philosophy behind “The Five Essentials”.
Also a while back, I posted an annotated reading list of some of the main books that have influenced me in developing my personal philosophy. It occurred to me that, while I am working on an overview post on the Omega Concept, it might be valuable to provide an annotated list of the movies and TV shows that have influenced me over the years.
We are all influenced in ways minor and major by the movies and TV shows we’ve seen over the years – even if we rarely go to the movies or watch TV. I know a lot of people claim “I never watch TV – I don’t want to be influenced!”. Good luck with that. You’ll actually end up worse than “that guy” in “that movie” who only learned what he knew about life from watching TV.
Fiction has value. I shouldn’t have to mention this, but no doubt someone will complain about using “make-believe” to help organize one’s life. Sorry, but I think people can learn valuable concepts and even specific solutions to various life problems by reading and watching fiction.
What matters is whether you can discern what is reality and what is not in fiction.
Now here is a warning! LET ME MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR! THIS IS NOT A “MOVIE/TV CRITIC” POST!
I will not discuss anything about the writing, directing, production, acting or cinematography elements of these productions (although I may mention a particularly good actor at times.) I am not a movie critic – and neither are you. And if you are a professional movie critic – or just think you are – you are missing the point if you complain about any of those elements of these productions. The point of listing these productions here is that they are all, in some respect or another, as noted in the annotations, “educational”, i.e., you can, if you pay attention, learn something from them - either philosophically, attitudinally or practically.
So keep this in mind as you review the list: THIS IS NOT A MOVIE/TV REVIEW!
Next thing I want to point out is that all of these movies and TV shows except where otherwise noted are available for free download from the Movie Paradise Web site .
Note that the site uses the Rapidgator file sharing service to provide access to the movies. It is advisable to subscribe to Rapidgator – a monthly subscription is available for $14.99 – if you want acceptable download speed, otherwise the free download will be very slow. It all depends on how impatient you are.
Some TV shows listed are not available there, but can be obtained via Amazon. Most of the movies can be obtained there as well for the listed prices.
Note: If the embedded videos don’t play when clicked on in your email reader - Gmail for instance will NOT play them - either download the video if that option is provided by your email provider, such as Gmail - or open this post in your browser using the link provided at the top, where the video will play properly.
Finally, this is going to be yet another long topic, so I will be breaking it up into multiple posts over the next few weeks.
Let’s jump right in…
First up are four movies that I discussed in my annotated reading list post. Here is what I said then, repeated here:
Of the hundreds of movies I’ve enjoyed over the years, four stand out as philosophically important.
This was originally a graphic novel written by Alan Moore . It was subsequently made into a 2005 movie starring Natalie Portman as the female protagonist and Hugo Weaving as the eponymous “V”.
I consider this film to be one of the most important ever made. It is massively politically relevant in these days of “cancel culture” and government oppression, and it is expressly anarchistic. The moment in the film where Natalie Portman as “Evey” loses her fear is extremely potent and the film deserves watching for that alone.
Two other films are implicitly anarchistic, although I don’t know if anyone has ever considered them so. They are the following classic Westerns:
The Return of the Seven (1966)
The first film is a Western derivation of the classic Japanese samurai film., “Seven Samurai”.
The film is anarchic in that the Mexican villagers who are under attack from bandits can be considered as average people with the bandits representing the predatory state. The gunfighters represent the spirit of anarchistic individual “direct action”. In the final battle scene, with the gunfighters on the verge of losing, the villagers take up the fight themselves, thus regaining their agency as human beings.
There were two other movies on the same theme, but the two original movies are the best.
Finally, there is the classic assassin movie:
The Mechanic (1972) (Note: Not the two remakes with Jason Statham, although they are very entertaining.)
There are several quotes from the movie that fit well with the “Five Essentials”. Charles Bronson’s lead character “Arthur Bishop” is a coldly professional assassin who does it as a matter of expressing his individuality. As he says in the film when asked if he does it for money, “Money is paid, but that's not the motive. It has to do with standing outside of it all, on your own.“ He also dismisses the morality of what he does with the line: “Murder is just killing without a license. And everybody kills. The government, the military, the police…”
The next topic of interest for this Substack is life extension. And there is no better fictional exploration of the concept of immortality than the “Highlander” movie series and its two spinoff TV series.
Highlander (1986) and Highlander - Endgame (2000)
Wikipedia synopsis:
Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) is born in the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century. After being killed by the Kurgan in battle, he is revived from his fatal wound and is banished from his village. MacLeod is found by swordsman Ramírez (Sean Connery), who explains they and others were born immortal, invincible unless beheaded. Immortals wage a secret war, fighting each other until the last few remaining will meet at the Gathering to fight for the Prize. In 1985, the Gathering is finally happening in New York City and MacLeod must make sure the Prize is not won by his oldest enemy, the murderous Kurgan (Clancy Brown).
Endgame Wikipedia synopsis:
Highlander: Endgame is a 2000 American fantasy action film directed by Doug Aarniokoski and starring Adrian Paul, Christopher Lambert, Bruce Payne, and Lisa Barbuscia. It is the fourth theatrical release in the Highlander film series and it serves as a continuation of both the Highlander film from 1986 and the Highlander television series (including the latter's spin-off Highlander: The Raven). The film reunites Duncan MacLeod, the lead character of the series, and Connor MacLeod, the lead character of the films. In the film, the Macleods need to deal against a new enemy named Jacob Kell, a powerful immortal who is willing to break any rule to win the Prize.
Highlander (TV Series 1992–1998)
Wikipedia synopsis:
An alternate sequel to the 1986 feature film Highlander, it features a storyline in which the protagonist of that film (Connor MacLeod, a member of a race of "Immortals") has not won "the Prize" sought by all Immortals, who still exist post-1985. Christopher Lambert reprised his role as Connor in the pilot episode, which introduced series protagonist Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), an Immortal who was taken in by the same clan of Scottish Highlanders who had found and raised Connor generations before.
There are several other movies in the series, but the two above – the original from 1986 and “Endgame” in 2000 – are the two best. The others are of lesser significance, particularly the second in the series which was essentially non-canonical and also probably one of the worst sci-fi films since “Plan 9 From Outer Space” (look that one up if you don’t get the reference.)
The TV series spinoff was actually better than the movies, as it had much more time to explore what it would mean to be live for centuries and deal with one’s equally immortal enemies – and the value of being good with a sword, having stashes of cash in various places around the world, and being focused on staying alive.
The most interesting character in the TV series was “Methos”, described as follows by an entry in the Fandom Wiki on “Highlander”:
Methos is an Immortal and a friend of Duncan MacLeod. Reputed to be the oldest living immortal, he has met many historical figures over the past 5000+ years, and has been a few as well. In one of his early incarnations became a legend, known as Death of the Four Horsemen. He has assumed countless aliases over the centuries, one of his more recent known was that of Adam Pierson, a Watcher researcher…
While he is loyal to his friends and allies, he is not particularly heroic, and though he seems to want to be a good person, he is primarily, and overwhelmingly, most interested in his own survival….
Methos often lapses into periods of cold pragmatism or apparent cruelty, but he seems more inclined to positive and helpful, even up to risking his life. He has been known to retire from the Game and go into hiding, in fact it is debatable as to whether he has ever willingly participated in the Game beyond the bare minimum necessary to survive. He generally refuses challenges from other immortals given half a chance, and often disappears when trouble looms.
Regarding combat, Methos is of the firm opinion that most fights aren't worth the risk, even if they seem to present an easy victory. Considering that the skilled and reasonably old Mako fell to the less experienced and far younger Richie Ryan, Methos' caution is probably wise. Methos tends toward mild paranoia, and usually takes off at the first sign of trouble, unless there is a good reason to stick around. He sleeps with his sword under his bed, and sometimes carries a handgun, unusual for an immortal. He rarely participates in the Game, and travels around the world in a never ending quest for knowledge.
Whenever there is a threat, he will often withdraw, sometimes for years, frequently returning with no warning, as though nothing had happened. His preference is to observe and evade rather than fight. Enemies sometimes make the mistake of judging this behavior as a sign of weakness or cowardice. But when he is backed into a corner, Methos invariably proves to be an exceedingly dangerous opponent.
My point: This is a person to emulate – even if you’re not immortal.
As an aside, the actor Peter Wingfield, who portrayed Methos, went on to portray various villains in television series, including a stint as another aged and wise individual, Dr. James Watson, in the Web TV series, “Sanctuary”. Subsequently he retired from acting and became a medical doctor himself – apparently “life extension” concepts had an impact on him! As of September 2020, he is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles CA.
Next up, we have the classic 2008 Batman movie, “The Dark Knight”, which is notable for one character: Heath Ledger’s portrayal of “The Joker”, the premier Batman villain.
I doubt I need to describe the movie in any detail, as I’m sure most people have seen it, or at least have an idea of the content. The important point is the specific portrayal of the Joker character in this movie, as opposed to that in the comics, or subsequent movie appearances of the character. This portrayal is best described in the seminal movie quotes from the character:
Don't talk like one of them. You're not. Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak... like me. They need you right now... but when they don't, they'll cast you out like a leper. You see, their morals, their code... it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these-- these civilized people... they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
You know... you know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying. If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gangbanger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan." But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds!...
Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair.
There are actually books written about “the psychology of The Joker” by professional psychologists.
The Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown Prince of Crime
University Press of Mississippi, 2015
Robert Moses Peaslee, Robert G. Weiner
Also available for free from Anna’s Archive.
And a lot of articles:
Everything Burns: The Psychology & Philosophy of the Joker
What can we learn from The Joker? Well, for starters:
I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger.
If you're good at something, never do it for free.
It's not about money... it's about sending a message. Everything burns!
I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets.
The Writeups Web site – a site devoted to detailing fictional characters from comics, movies, TV and games – had this description of Ledger’s version of The Joker:
The Joker seems to have strange symbiotic relationship with his own inner demons. He knows he is a sociopath, openly admits that he is a sociopath, and revels in any opportunity to spread chaos and cause corruption.
He does NOT walk the fine line between genius and insanity. He has one foot firmly planted in each province. His special insight into both genius and insanity as well as his awe inspiring charisma allow him to easily bend other criminally insane to his will and even corrupt some of Gotham’s most noble people, such as Harvey Dent.
Simply put, he is a chess master of crime. He’s able to pull off seemingly impossible capers to further his own agenda of chaos and corruption. Yet just after everything’s gone to hell in a hand basket and couldn’t possibly get any worse, he manages to aggressively take his own twisted game to the next level.
It then becomes clear that his brilliantly laid calculated moves have been in motion for a while and come to fruition just when he plans them.
In short the Joker could turn almost any area, no matter how stable, into a living hell that would get progressively worse within days of his arrival and revel in every second of it.
Interesting concept – breaking a city in a matter of days with minimal resources. It’s been done by terrorists in the past, albeit rather less efficiently than portrayed in this movie.
A person to emulate? Well, perhaps not exactly – except in some respects.
OK, I’m going to cut this portion off here. We’ll take it back up later. Hope you find some interesting concepts to entertain from the fiction listed here - or at least some entertainment.
Highlander 2 is good too. The sequel went insane, going into the science fiction road. Russell Mulcahy is a great director, so the movie looks great with interesting camera angles even if the story is complete bananas.
Thanks for the list, Richard! I have a recommendation for the shelf adjacent to the Sevens, a 7.1/10 Brazilian weird Western from 2019 called _Bacurau_. It is particularly relevant for its depiction of information and other warfare against a forlorn village sitting atop valuable resources, and I suspect you'll appreciate the village's response.