Films for Contemplation or Fun
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(15) Films:
about Consciousness, Freedom, Indigenous people, Buddhist-themed or just for Fun
'Existence' like Film is perceived at 24 frames per second and that's why both of them appear so Real
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( 15 ) FILMS – for Fun & Contemplation • Indigenous Cultures or Buddhist themes • Consciousness & Freedom of Expression • Best Western Films / Best Asian & Foreign Films To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN "Mindfulness Meditation helps keep us from so identifying with our own 'movies of the mind'." ~ Joan Borysenko, M.D. ~ and some films are for just good ole' fun ! Here's Laughing Buddha's choice picks |
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Some of these titles you've heard about, a few odd ones are underlined, all are very interesting in their own way !
Check out www.imdb.com/ type in title ~or~ http://movies.msn.com/search/movies/ type in title into search site.
Best Western: .......................................alphabetical
An Inconvenient Truth (2006 docu) Al Gore on ecology & global urgency
Apocalypto (2006) young Mayan man captured for sacrifice flees to survive
The Aristocrat ( 2005 docu) a horrible kept secret by stand-up comedians
Baraka (1992 docu) 70 mm cinematic spiritual natural wonders; Ron Fricke
A Beautiful Mind (2001) Russell Crowe; brilliant but disturbed mathematician
Being John Malkovich (1999) Charles Kauffman; absolutely truly absurdist
Being There (1979) people's grandiose projections; Peter Sellers' very best
Beyond Rangoon (1995) Dir:Boorman; Burma's struggle & leaders escape
Black Robe (1991) 17th cen.Jesuit priest escorted by Indians across Quebec
A Brief History of Time (1991 docu) the work of physicist Stephen Hawking
Brokeback Mountain (2005) Dir.Ang Lee; a tender, sensitive relationship
Broken Flowers (2005) Dir:Jim Jarmusch. Bill Murray's model of compassion
Capote (2005) Truman (Philip Seymour Hoffman) a study in difficult compassion
The Chosen (1981) deep friendship between two young Jews of differing factions
City of Joy (1992) Patrick Swazye; doctor in Calcutta, poor India medical clinic
The Crucible (1996) Arthur Miller's Puritan witch-hunt; Daniel Day-Lewis
Dead Man (1995) Jim Jarmusch's funny existential western w/Johnny Depp
Dead Man Walking (1996) A nun, difficult compassion comforting a killer
The Dhamma Brothers (2008 docu) 1st meditation in correctional facility
The Doctor (1991) William Hurt's transformation in his views about life
Dogma (1999) Dir.Kevin Smith; renegade angels trying to re-enter Heaven
Emerald Forest (1985) Dir.John Boorman; life in the Brazilian Rainforest
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Jim Carrey goes 'empty'
Everything Is Illuminated (2005) Dir.Liev Schreiber; in Ukrainian village
Gandhi (1982) Ben Kingsley; an immensely impressive historical portrait
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) Dir.Jim Jarmusch; Forest Whitaker
Golden Child (1986) little Tibetan Lama and Eddy Murphy; fun action film
Ground Hog Day (1983) Bill Murray wakes up same day over again but different
The Guru (2003) a guru grows up with the dream of making it big as a dancer
Heaven & Earth (1993) Oliver Stone; Vietnam War from a very different perspective
Holy Smoke (1999) Dir.Jane Campion; Harvey Keitel cult de-programs Kate Winslet
Karate Kid #1 (1984) wax on, wax off – a great classic mentoring, boy and elder
The Killing Fields (1984) the horrific Cambodian holocaust in the mid-1970s.
The King and I (1956) Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner; Siam in the 1860s as tutor
Kundun (1997) Scorsese: portrait of Dalai Lama's early life in pre-invasion Tibet
Last Emperor (1987) Bertolucci ; immense epic of the last emperor of China
Last Samurai (2003) noble portrait of Samurai and Westerner who trains to be
Last Temptation of Christ (1988) Scorsese; a radical view of the life of Jesus;
( the book by Kazantzakis is a must read to really understand the holy-life )
Lenny (1974) Dir.Bob Fosse; radical-comic Lenny Bruce ( Dustin Hoffman )
The Light of Asia (1925) the classic documentary about Buddhist India
Little Buddha (1993) Bertolucci's modern & colorful ancient Buddha-story
Lost Horizon (1937) Ronald Coleman; the mystical, classic Shangri-La tale
( there is also a 70’s light, cute musical version that you may want to skip )
The Love Guru (2008) Mike Myers; self-help guru unknots romances
Matrix # 1. (1999) whole of society being trapped in unconscious conditioning
Medicine Man (1992) Sean Connery as herbal researcher in Amazon rainforest
Meetings With Remarkable Men (1979) Dir.Peter Brook; Gurdjieff's Asian search
Mindwalk (1990) 'heady' profound consciousness ideas and dense conversation
The Mission (1986) De Niro; Jesuit missionary in eighteenth century South America
My Dinner with Andre (1981) this is real conversation! vibrant ideas over dinner
The NeverEnding Story (1984) Dir.Wolfgang Petersen; best-ever fantasy adventure
The New World (2006) Dir:Terrence Malick; clash between Indians & English settlers
Not Without My Daughter (1990) Sally Field; visit to Tehran with her Iranian husband
The Passion (2004) The passion and pieta and pain of being of Jesus The Christ
The Pathfinder (2007) conflict between Vikings & Native Americans pre-Columbus
Pavilion of Women (2001) Love btwn missionary and affluent woman; 1938 China
The Pianist (2002) Dir:Roman Polanski; Adrien Brody famous pianist Warsaw gettho
Power of Myth (1988 docu.) Renown anthropologist Joseph Campbell & Bill Moyers
( also seek out the documentary 'Hero's Journey' & 'Religions of the World' )
Proof (2005) Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow as genius mathematicans
Rapa Nui (1994) Jason Scott Lee, Esai Morales; tribesmen on Easter Island
Razor's Edge (1948 & 1984) see 'em back to back; about the inner 'search'
Red Corner (1997) Richard Gere; civil & human rights abuses of China legal system.
The Red Violin (1998) spans 3 centuries & 5 countries tells story of a violin & its karma.
The Reflecting Pool (2008 docu) investigates 9/11 events implicates US gov't
Religulous (2008) Bill Maher on religious beliefs or claims that are absurd or ridiculous
Remo Williams-Adventure Begins (1985) fun Zen-actioner ; Joel Grey/Fred Ward
Return to Paradise (1998) Phoenix/Vaughn in Malaysia in scary ethical obligation
Running with Scissors (2006) very bizarre comedy about a mother's psychiatrist
Saved (2004) a sophisticated satire story on Christian religious fundamentalism
Seven Years in Tibet (1997) Brad Pitt; an Austrian in 40's Tibet tutors Dalai Lama
Shindler's List (1993) Steven Spielberg ~ "Whoever saves one life, saves the world"
Sicko (2007 docu) Michael Moore; rips health care system; private vs. socialized
Siddhartha (1972) Dir.Conrad Rooks; Hesse novel of 'seeking' Buddha filmed in India
Steal This Movie (2000) bio pic of 60s radical hero Abbie Hoffman (Vincent D'Onofrio)
A Stranger Among Us (1992) Dir:Sid Lumet; undercover in community of Hasidic Jews
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) a quieter Will Ferrell; IRS auditor hears invisible voices
The Truman Show (1998) Dir.Peter Weir; Jim Carrey in relentless revealing Reality TV
Thunderheart (1992) FBI agent learns about his Sioux roots & deeper indigenous ways
Way of The Peaceful Warrior (2006) the classic mentor/student relationship explored
Whale Rider (2002) a long line of Maori tribal chiefs challenges a brave growing child
What About Bob (1991) Bill Murray's patient to Richard Dreyfus' egotistic shrink
What the Bleep Do We Know? (2004 docu) how far down the rabbit hole do you go?
Wide Awake (1998) Dir.M. Night Shyamalan; a 10 year old boy's crisis of faith
Wings of Desire (1988) Dir.Wim Wenders; Angel falls in love, wishes to be human
The Year of Living Dangerously (1983) Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt; Indonesia 1965 coup
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Dir.Kubrick - human evolution vs artificial intelligence .............FOREIGN Films below
"When the child was a child –
It didn’t know that it was a child,
everything was soulful,
and all souls were one"
~ Peter Handkethe wrote Wings of Desire's
recurring poem "Song of Childhood"
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Film-lists are always incomplete: DO YOU have any Film Recommendations to add ? Then please Email us ! Also tell us about books you're reading AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com ... And Many Thanks ! |
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Best Asian & Foreign:
South Koreans & Himalayans seem currently the most
prolific in Spiritual, Monk-life, or Buddhist-themed Films.
Most are full-length acted-features, some documentaries.
Just a few odd ones are underlined, all are very interesting
in their own cultural ways! Ask one store about other stores.
Vidiots ~ Santa Monica ~ obscure.independent.vintage.foreign
302 Pico Blvd at 3rd St. ~ 310-392-8508 near SM Civic Auditorium
You may need to ask them about an Asian or artsy independent
video store in your area. Share with us what you locate & find.
Make Sure you ask about the English subtitled-versions ?
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Beyond the Mountain (1991) Korea - a zen monastery drama
The Bird People in China (1998) Japan, Takashi Miike character study
Buddha's Lost Children (2006 docu) Thai boxer turned Buddhist monk
The Burmese Harp (1956) Japan; Important: find the 'live-action' version
Cabeza de Vaca (1991) impressive mystical transformative shamanic journey
A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) China - most delightful ghost story ever
Come, Come, Come Upward (1989) Korea - trials of trusting young nun
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ( 2000) Dir.Ang Lee ~ lush actioner
The Cup (2000) Bhutan; soccer-crazy monks adorable shenanigans
Death of a Tea Master or Sen No Rikyu (1989) Japan; a master's integrity
Dreaming Lhasa (2005) India - NYC filmmaker goes to Dharamsala India
El Topo (The Mole) (1970) Dir.Jodorowsky; bizarre metaphorical western
Enlightenment Guaranteed (2001) two misfit western monks in Japan
The Funeral (1984) - a Japanese family ritual derails into absurd satire
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) African native & a mystic Coke bottle
Gone, Gone, Forever Gone (1996) Vietnam – a nun reunites her family
Hero (2003) China - Zhang Yimou (Crouching Tiger) Jet Li as Samurai
Hi Dharma (2001) & Hi Dharma 2 (2004) Korea; monk shenanigans; fun
Himalaya (a.k.a. Caravan) (1999) Nepal - dangerous trek over mountains
The Holy Mountain (1973) Jodorowsky; spiritual awakenings of 1960s &
early 70s is beautifully shot and designed. Also Tusk (1980) India in 1900
House of Flying Daggers (2004) China - actioner, integrity vs. treachery
Kid From Tibet (1992) China - actioner, monk gets into mystical intrigue
Kukai (2000) Japan - a radical Shingon monk-reformer in 810 AD
Kwaidan (1965) Korea - four Korean 'strange' stories of Laficadio Hearn
The Last Monk (2006) India - woman Buddhist researcher goes to Ladakh
Mandala (1981) Korea - two very different Korean monks relate with duality
Milarepa: Revenge (2006) Bhutan – Part 1. - early life of Tibet's yogi-saint
Na Srebrnym Globie (1988) Dir:Zulawski; sci-fi, outer space & shamanism
Ong-Bak (2003) Thai - a stolen Buddha, a fairy tale and martial arts action
Posetitel Muzeya (1989) Dir:Lopushansky; civilization gone, remnants remain
Raise the Red Lantern (1991) China - Dir.Zhang Yimou; relationship drama
Rashoman (1951) Japan - Akira Kurosawa's first masterpece w/Toshirō Mifune
Salaam Bombay (1988) India; clever street boy surviving India ghetto life
Samsara (2006) India - trials & temptations of a very confused monk
Sandstorm (1988) India - two monks save people in a terrible disaster
Seven Samurai (1954) Japan; Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece w/ Toshiro Mifune
Seventh Seal (1957) Ingmar Bergman's chess game w/ the Grim Reaper about Life.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter - and Spring (2003) Korea - monk's transformation
Temptation of a Monk (1994) China - warrior-monk's redemption is tested
Tibet - Cry of the Snow Lion (2003) Tibet: a very revealing documentary
Travelers & Magicians (2003) Bhutanese mystical folktales (Dir."The Cup")
Water (2006) India – strange plight of widows at a temple; set in 1930's India
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left For The East? (1989) Korea - zen monk-life
Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1999) set in Mongolia; Dir.Joan Chen; very tender
also for more on FILMS with Spiritual content:
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/
to read some of their current year's film picks
or on their sidebar menu see Spirituality & Film
of past years' award-choices.
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