On Screen

Via Tyler Cowen, here's a fun list of movies that deal with philosophical issues, organized by philosophical theme.

Comments

[Dan]

They should have included the original "Terminator" on the "Coherent Time Travel" list. Like "12 Monkeys", it featured a closed causal loop.

[Jeff]

Funny there's no Fountainhead. Or Tucker or Executive Suite.

[wellfellow]

No Deerhunter?

[MP]

No Mindwalk?

[J]

No Bladerunner?

A new one that could be on the list is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Actually, probably most stuff by Charlie Kaufman could fit in there somewhere.

[Jeff]

Or Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.
I mean, c'mon...

[Jeff]

Also, it's interesting that a little more than half of the films are either science fiction or have an element of the fantastic in them. SF fans are oft brow-beaten for DARING to call their beloved genre "the literature of ideas."
That being said, I echo J's note about Bladerunner. And add that 70's dystopian society flicks like Logan's Run, Soylent Green and the original Rollerball address some of the subjects listed as much as, say, the obtuse and inpenetrable last two Matrix films.
Also: Handmaid's Tale.

[Mark]

"Waking Life" is glaringly absent. It also seems strange that "Cool Hand Luke" is not on the list. Or "Ghost Dog".
If nothing else, the list and the responses here should give me a good idea of what to look for next time I'm at the video store.

[Jeff]

Ghost Dog! Good one.

[fyodor]

Two words: Ingmar Bergman.

[T Bone]

Two more: Andre Tarkovski.

On the whole I think the site sucks.

[Rick Barton]

Really interesting. I loved Vanilla Sky. Now I'm gonna see it (yet) again. Bladerunner should be on there for AI and condiderations of the desert of rights. How does Pulp Fiction explore Postmodernism?

John Hospers, the first LP presidential candidate and former USC philosophy prof. used to do movie review. Perhaps he has done a list like this...

[Jim Walsh]

"Brazil" could fit several categories here, as could most of the Orson Welles catalogue (where the hell is "The Trial"?)

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Okay, two of the top movies star Tom Cruise. It also lists Bruce Almighty. 'nuff said.

Personally, the most profound movie I ever saw was Highlander II. It proved beyond a doubt that there is no God.

[Ironchef]

hmm. 90% of these movies are less than 10 years old. Methinks he should check out the "Classics" section more. (though knowing these newer films is more convenient)

[brooke]

Vanilla Sky was awful. See the original "Open Your Eyes," the 1997 Spanish version instead. Much better, much more meaningful, much less in-your-face Hollywood triteness, and no Tom Cruise.

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