Category: Movies

“Four for you, Glen Coco! You go, Glen Coco!”

From: Mean  Girls

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Damian

The story behind the quote: The quote comes the cult classic, Mean Girls. Even though it was released over 10 years ago, many fans still remember the quotes from the film. While some of these quotes weren’t put in the film to be memorable or quotable, the writing of Mean Girls as well as the delivery of the lines actually inserted them into the public consciousness. One such quote comes from the middle of the movie.

Cady and her friends (Janis and Damian) continue with their plot to take down The Plastics, the most popular and meanest clique of the school. One of the ways they plan to do it is to get Gretchen Wieners to turn on Regina George, the leader of the Plastics. One such way was to trick Gretchen into thinking Regina was cutting her out of the group. In order to do this, Damian starts distributing candy canes which were supposed to have come from the other students. And, apparently, Glen Coco, managed to score four candy canes…

Geek wisdom: When people do things that are spectacular, we do take these achievements for granted or, even worse, tell them what they did wasn’t anything special at all. Always remember to give props to people who deserve it as it does help them recognize that what they did was actually something to be admired.

“I don’t believe in a no-win scenario.”

From: Star Trek

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: James Kirk

The story behind the quote: This is actually the second time I’m getting a quote from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The quote comes from the beginning of the film where Lt. Saavik and the crew of the Enterprise receives a distress call from the Kobayashi Maru, a Starfleet vessel that is stranded in the Klingon Neutral Zone. As Saavik attempts to rescue the crew of the crippled ship, the Enterprise is attacked by waves upon waves of Klingon starships, resulting in the eventual deaths of the crew of the ship.

It turns out the entire scene was just a test for Saavik to see how she would handle a “no-win” scenario. However, it’s revealed shortly after that there was actually someone who “beat” the Kobayashi Maru simulation; Admiral James T. Kirk managed to complete the scenario on his third try.

Geek wisdom: When you think you can’t succeed, chances are you’ll fail because you already let yourself think it’s okay to not succeed. Sometimes, it’s even better to fail so that you can have an excuse for not trying something again. But if you believe that you have to perform a task and actually do it correctly, you will push yourself harder to do so.

“Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”

From: Rush Hour 1 & 2

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Carter & Lee

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the first and second Rush Hour films. The films revolve around Hong Kong Detective Inspector Lee (played by Jackie Chan) and Los Angeles Police Detective Carter (played by Chris Tucker), their partnership and their adventures around the world solving crimes.

During the first movie, Lee travels to Los Angeles in order to investigate the kidnapping of a Hong Kong diplomat’s daughter. He is greeted by Carter in the airport. Although Lee understands the language, he feigns ignorance when Carter tries to talk to him.

In the sequel, aptly titled Rush Hour 2, Carter travels with Lee to Hong Kong to get a much needed vacation but their time off is interrupted when the US Consulate General building is destroyed by a bomb. Lee believes Carter was killed because of misinformation given to him. Lee and Carter independently track the culprit to a yatch and board the vessel separately. He is relieved to see his friend is actually alive but has difficulty explaining it to him.

Geek wisdom: People have the habit of not getting to the point or using overly complex words when explaining things. Sometimes, it’s better to get straight to the point. It’s also important to choose your words as well as speak clearly in order to be understood right away.

“Wolfman’s got nards!”

From: The Monster Squad

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Horace AKA “Fat Kid”

The story behind the quote: This quote comes from the 80’s cult classic, The Monster Squad. In the film, Dracula and other classic monsters terrorize a small town in search for an amulet that could defeat him. They are opposed by The Monster Squad, a group of kids obsessed with classic horror creatures. It’s up to the Monster Squad to defeat Dracula and his band of evil.

The quote comes from the middle of the film, where the Monster Squad manage to track down the amulet that can defeat Dracula. The kids are ambushed by The Wolfman. Sean (the leader of the Monster Squad) tells Horace (the “Fat Kid”) to kick The Wolfman between the legs. Horace questions his judgement but does it anyway, causing the Wolfman to keel over in pain. Horace then delivers the quote, astonished that it actually worked.

Geek wisdom: Sometimes we forget the things that should be obvious to us. Although it should be fairly obvious that the wolfman, being a human male (somewhat), would have the appropriate genitalia for his gender and would be hurt if he was attacked in that area, we don’t really think of it. Nevertheless, it should be self-evident if you really think about it.

We can sometimes overly complicate things and second guess ourselves. It’s best to go simple once in a while and just go for the obvious choice.

“Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.”

From: Billy Madison

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Knibb High School Principal

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from one of Adam Sandler’s first films, Billy Madison. The movie focuses on the titular character’s quest to complete all school levels, starting from the elementary level until high school, and graduate in order to inherit his father’s company.

The quote comes from the very end of the film when Billy is challenged to an Academic Decathlon by the antagonist of the film (played by Bradley Whitford) and get control of the company. When trying to explain how the industrial revolution affected the world, Billy uses a first grade book, The Puppy Who Lost His Way, as a way to answer the question. After delivering a long answer (which Billy is really pleased with), the Knibb High School principal, who was moderating the quiz, tells Billy how stupid his answer is…

Geek wisdom: There are times when you think you have a ingenious answer to something. Or you have something you want to say that, in your mind, seems really clever. So you blurt it out, without filtering it. And, just as you’ve finished saying it, you see, too late, how wrong you were or how stupid the statement really is.

Think before you speak. Sometimes, you have to evaluate what you’re about to say. It’s better than realizing that you’ve just put your foot in your mouth.

“Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen!”

From: Mean  Girls

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Regina George

The story behind the quote: The quote comes Mean Girls, a film that was released roughly 10 years ago. The story is about Cady (Lindsey Lohan), a girl who starts school and immediately draws the attention of the elite trio of girls known as The Plastics, led by queen bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Regina and the Plastics want to get Cady into their clique and Cady’s real friends use this opportunity to find a way to take down the group from within.

Early in the movie, one of The Plastics, Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert), tries to create her own catchphrase by repeating the word “fetch” frequently. Regina, annoyed by how many times Gretchen’s tried to get it to catch on, finally tells her off.

Geek wisdom: You have to know when enough’s enough and it’s time to throw in the towel. There’s no shame in failure but there is some shame when you don’t know when to quit.

“I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”

From: Aliens

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Ellen Ripley

The story behind the quote: This is the first quote that was submitted by an outside source! And it comes from Andy Drop. Please check out his site (remline.de)!

The quote comes from Aliens, the second film from the Aliens film franchise. Ellen Ripley, the only survivor of the Nostromo, leads a crew of soldiers to the colony on planet LV-426 to investigate what happened there. After their initial devastating encounters with the Xenomorphs species, the survivors discuss tactics on how to handle the situation.

One of them wants to use gas on the creatures while another says they should just leave. Ripley, knowing what the creatures can do delivers the quote… as it seems to be the safe thing to do to make sure the aliens are taken out and to make sure they don’t harm anyone else.

Geek wisdom: If you can’t live on an planet full of aliens, live without it! Sometimes, if you want something unpleasant to end, you may want to skip negotiations or elaborate tactics and just employ a tactical warhead.

If someone ignores your attempts of telling him/her not to hurt you over and over again, it’s often better to leave that person with a bang instead of trying to reason with someone who will not listen to reason.

Once again, thanks to Andy Drop for this quote! 

“Let the wookie win.”

From: Star Wars

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: C3-P0

The story behind the quote: As much as I love the Star Wars films, it’s difficult to find clips on YouTube where the characters actually say the quotes since they’re usually taken down immediately. This was one of those quotes I wanted to write about when I started this site but I was never able to find a clip of the said quote… until now.

The quote comes from the first Star Wars film. R2-D2 and Chewbacca are playing a form of chess and Artoo is beating the wookie. Chewie starts “complaining” about losing and C3-P0 states that he has no right to complain. Han Solo then chimes in and says that there are certain “bad” things that can happen if you emerge victorious over Chewbacca’s species. It’s then Threepio delivers the quote to Artoo.

Geek wisdom: Winning isn’t everything. While it does feel good to actually display your dominance over someone during a game of chess or any other form of competition, it’s not the most important thing in the world. In the grand scheme of things, it’s still a game.

“Carpe diem. Sieze the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”

From: Dead Poets Society

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: John Keating

The story behind the quote: The world is still reeling from Robin Williams’ passing. So, even though I posted a quote from the man himself, I decided to give another quote from his movies. But, which in itself, I feel has a deeper meaning…

The quote comes from Dead Poets Society. The film is about an unorthodox teacher, John Keating, played by Robin Williams. His teaching style is different from the “standard” way of teaching as, while he was hired to instruct his students about how to read poems and literal works, he tries to teach them how to live life to the fullest.

In a pivotal scene, John Keating holds his class in the halls of the school and has one of the students read the first stanza of “To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick. The then informs the students of the meaning of the poem is “Carpe Diem,” which means “Seize the day.” Keating then elaborates on the deeper meaning of the poem as shown in the clip below.

Geek wisdom: Our time in this world is limited. We all have an expiration date and we will eventually pass from this world. The thing is, we have no idea when our time on this world will end. So, while we’re still alive, we have to live life to the fullest.

“Pop quiz, hot shot…”

From: Speed

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Howard Payne

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the first Speed film. The film has an interesting premise, to say the least. Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) witnesses a nearby bus explode. He is then contacted by the film’s antagonist, Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) who wants revenge on Traven for foiling his last scheme. He informs Traven that he’s equipped a bomb on another bus and that bomb will explode if the vehicle slows down to 50 miles per hour. The race is on for Traven to catch Payne before that could happen.

The quote is actually Payne’s way of taunting Traven. He will deliver the quote and explain the situation afterwards.

Geek wisdom: Life will throw unexpected curve balls at us when we least expect it. Most of the time, we’ll be caught unaware. We have to make incredibly quick choice, even though we have very little data to make an informed decision.

Be ready for the unexpected.