Category: Movies

“I’m bad. And that’s good. I will never be good. And that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”

From: Wreck-It Ralph

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Various video game baddies

The story behind the quote: Wreck-It Ralph is a CGI Disney movie released in 2012. The titular character is a “bad guy” in a fictional video game called Fix-It Felix, Jr. Ralph’s job in the game is to wreck an apartment building while the “good guy,” Fix-It Felix, Jr., fixes whatever he destroys. Being the villain of the game (and since his job is to wreck the building), no one in the apartment complex really likes Ralph. Wanting acceptance, he believes that, if he gets a medal just like the one Felix gets when be beats the game, he will finally earn some respect.

The quote comes early in the movie where Ralph attends a Bad Guy support group which other video game villains like Zangief (?) and M. Bison from the Street Fighter series and Clyde from Pac-Man meet. At the end of the meeting, after Ralph expresses his want to stop being the bad guy, they stand up and give the Bad Guy Affirmation.

Geek wisdom: A lot of people miss the point of the quote. It’s actually okay to try to better yourself. The message here is more of accepting oneself for who we are and not how others think of you. In fact, the last line of the Bad Guy Affirmation says this pretty clearly: There’s no one I’d rather be than me.

There are a lot of people that are not satisfied with their race, color, gender or whatever. And they hate themselves for it.

You are who you are. Trying to pretend that you’re something else is not the answer. The best thing to do is to accept who you are and love yourself because you are unique and special because of what you are.

“That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.”

From: Marvel’s The Avengers

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Bruce Banner

The story behind the quote: The Avengers is a movie released in 2012. It is the culmination of Marvel’s long string of movies, starting with the first Iron Man film (released in 2008). The basic premise is that Loki, Thor’s brother, has allied with a race of aliens who plan to take over the Earth. Earth’s mightiest superheroes, which include Iron Man and Captain America, have to team up to prevent this from happening.

The quote comes from Bruce Banner, the scientist who becomes the Hulk when angered. Iron Man has managed to lead a giant monster towards the rest of the heroes. Captain America suggests to Bruce Banner that he needs to get angry immediately to take the monster down. Bruce Banner calmly turns to the Captain, delivers the quote and instantly turns into the Hulk to take the beast down.

Geek wisdom: Emotions are actually powerful tools. Being angry can help motivate people to do things immediately. It can help you get results. But, since anger is an emotion, and emotions are tools, we have to be able to control it. The problem is we usually let our emotions control us.

While Bruce Banner may always be angry, he manages to control the monster within himself by controlling the emotion. He only lets it out when it is necessary. We should also be that way.

“Never tell me the odds!”

From: The Empire Strikes Back

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Han Solo

The story behind the quote: I don’t think this film needs much of an introduction… but I’ll give one anyway. The Empire Strikes back is the second film of the original Star Wars trilogy. The story takes place a few years after the first film where the Rebel Alliance destroyed the first Death Star. Even with this set back, the Empire is still extremely powerful and the Rebels still have to fight back.

The quote takes place while Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and C3-P0 escape from an Empire assault on the Rebel base they were stationed. Unfortunately, the ship they’re on, the Millennium Falcon, has a malfunctioning hyperspace drive and they are unable to just to light speed to evade their pursuers. Han Solo decides to hide out in an asteroid field but C3-P0 nervously informs Han that the odds are against him if he were to make the attempt. This is when Han delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: People will tell you your dreams and aspirations are going to be just that: dreams and aspirations. They will tell you they are impossible to achieve. But they never see that people do manage to fulfill their dreams.

A lot of us tend to focus on people’s failures and spend the rest of their life playing it safe. We actually should be recognizing the people who did become successful by chasing their dreams and trying really hard to reach their goals… despite the rest of the world telling them the odds are against them.

“That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.”

From: Babe

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Arthur Hoggett

The story behind the quote: Babe is about an unusual pig. Babe (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) was actually won in a state fair by Arthur Hoggett (played by James Cromwell). However, because of Babe’s natural ability of sorting and herding animals, the titular pig was raised not to be eaten. Rather, it became Babe’s job to herd the sheep on the farm.

By the way, if you haven’t seen the movie, this is going to be a bit of a SPOILER! So, don’t read on or play the clip if you don’t want the ending spoiled.

The quote comes from the very end of the film. Babe manages to win a sheepherding contest and, pleased, Arthur Hoggett turns to Babe to deliver the quote.

Geek wisdom: It’s always important to show our appreciation for the nice things that people do for us. A thank you when someone does you a favor. A good job for someone who accomplishes something for you. Even the smallest of praise is always going to be welcome.

We tend to forget that it’s important to affirm someone’s good work. A lot of the time, we tend to only focus on the bad things that a person does and we berate and call them out on it. While that’s okay, we forget to acknowledge the good things people have does for us.

Don’t forget to acknowledge the fantastic things people do for us.

“Life is like a mop.”

From: UHF or The Vidiot from UHF

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Stanley Spadowski

The story behind the quote: This film was released in the United States under the title “UHF.” However, in the international scene, it was renamed to “The Vidiot from UHF” because other countries weren’t familiar with UHF channels (since they weren’t used often).

The film stars parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic as George Newman. George is given a UHF station that is pretty much broke but he tries to run the station as best as he can. Unfortunately, even with the new programs he created, not  many people tune in to watch the channel. Despondent about his situation, he gives his hosting duties of a kid-friendly show to the station’s janitor, Stanley Spadowski (played by Michael Richards), so he and his friend can get a drink to drown their sorrows.

While at the bar, they notice all of the patrons are intensely watching Stanley’s wacky antics. Stanley eventually gives an enamored speech about his mop and how to deal with life, which is where the quote comes from.

Geek wisdom: Just like Stanley said, there’s a lot of things in life we cannot control. You are going to encounter good times and encounter bad times and a lot of it will be out of our hands. But we cannot simply give up and let the bad things control us. We have to tackle these problems head on.

No one said life was going to be easy. But just because it isn’t, it doesn’t mean we cannot overcome the problems we encounter.

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

From: Jaws

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Martin Brody

The story behind the quote: Jaws was Steven Spielberg’s first major hit. While he was already acclaimed as a good director, it was this film that garnered him mainstream success. In fact, Jaws is noted to be a pivotal film since it created the “formula” for a summer blockbuster movie.

Jaws tells the story of a great white shark terrorizing a summer resort town, attacking all swimmers that enter the water. Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), along with marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and professional shark hunter, Quint (Robert Shaw) to stop the shark.

The quote comes from the scene where Brody, onboard Quint’s ship, the Orca, is adding chum into the water to attract the shark. The shark appears out of nowhere and is much larger than what they expected. Brody retreats into the quarters of the Orca, turns to Quint and delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: It’s easy to underestimate a problem. We let ourselves be confident with our abilities to resolve issues and concerns immediately. What happens is that we don’t plan for contingencies if (and when) our plans fail. Basically, we do have the habit of underestimating problems when it’s actually better to overestimate them.

The initial plan to fix a problem may work, but what if it doesn’t? It’s always better to be overly prepared for a situation rather than having to scramble when you realize that you don’t have enough resources when you encounter the issue.

“He chose poorly.” and “You have chosen… wisely.”

From: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: An old Knight

The story behind the quote: The Indiana Jones films have always been big blockbusters and it’s not hard to see why. Each of the films takes cues from classic movies but the basic premise is the same. Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) is an archaeologist and has vast knowledge with ancient history, myths and cultures. While he is incredibly smart, he is also an adventurer who is very adept in thinking on his feet during dangerous situations. Indy is also not the type of person to shy away from a fight. It is these traits that has him saving the world from evil doers (usually Nazis) who plan to dig up ancient artifacts that will help them take over the world.

The quote comes from the third film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Here, both the Nazis and Indy are looking for the Holy Grail, which will grant immortality to those who drink from it. Indy gets captured and is forced to pass a series of traps guarding the Holy Grail. Once Indy gets through, Donovan (the main bad guy in the movie) sees that there are a lot of possible Holy Grails. Elsa (another baddie) selects one of the cups (one that has a lot of jewels and is possibly made of gold) and Donovan drinks from it… with bad results.

Indy then makes his choice and selects the one that appears to be a simple bowl. His logic is that the container is probably the one that a simple carpenter would use. He drinks from in and nothing happens to him. This is when the old Knight, who has been guarding the Grail, congratulates him.

Geek wisdom: In this day of age, we seem to rush through a lot of major decisions in life. We tend to not take stock on how important choices can affect us, both in the short term and in the long term. A lot of times, it’s this shortsightedness that can impact us the most, especially if we regret them in the future.

It’s always a good idea to weigh our options just to make an informed decision. Sometimes, all it takes is a few seconds. Other times, it make take hours or even days. It’s okay to mull over life changing decisions.

“Sonofabitch, ball! Why didn’t you go home?! That’s your home! Are you too good for your home?! Answer me!”

From: Happy Gilmore

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Happy Gilmore

The story behind the quote: Adam Sandler rose to popularity  by writing and starring in movies where the main characters are extremely unbelievable but are a blast to watch. One of these movies is Happy Gilmore. Happy Gilmore is an extremely aggressive hockey player with a very powerful slapshot. It’s this overly aggressive personality that keeps him from getting into any hockey team. It turns out that his grandmother (who raised him) hasn’t been paying her taxes and the IRS is about to repossess the house he grew up in.

While some movers are repossessing some of his household items, he makes a bet involving hitting golf balls. It is this bet when he discovers that he can use his amazing slapshot to hit golf balls farther than most pro golfers. He then joins the pro golfing circuit where his violent temper and antics make him an immediate star… even if his putting skills stink.

The quote comes from one of the tours that displays his bad putting skills. Another golfer (played by Kevin Nealon) coaches Happy that the ball really wants to get in the hole since it’s his home. All it needs is to be guided home. Happy attempts the putt and misses. This is when he loses it and starts shouting at the ball…

Geek wisdom: Even the simplest things can be difficult and it can be incredibly frustrating. Happy Gilmore may be extremely good at driving the ball in golf but he struggles at putting and he definitely shows it in the quote. It’s okay to get frustrated at doing new, especially if you’re not good at it. But you have a choice: remain frustrated at it or practice and get better at it.

Happy does eventually get good at putting, but he had to put the time and effort into getting good at it. I bet even a guy who has natural talent in golf like Tiger Woods had to practice to become the top dog. It goes with every thing that we do; we can only improve at something if we keep on doing it over and over again.

“Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

From: Batman, specifically, The Dark Knight

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Alfred Pennyworth

The story behind the quote: It seems that I can’t stop getting quotes from Batman media. But this time, it’s from Bruce Wayne’s faithful butler, Alfred.

The quote comes from The Dark Knight, the 2nd film of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of Batman movies. Bruce Wayne has been investigating a series of violent (and videotaped) actions of the Joker. Bruce has been reviewing the Joker’s actions and is having difficulty understanding why he does the things he does.

Alfred then tells the story about the time he was in Burma. His group was hired to bribe tribal leaders to get their loyalty for the government using valuable stones and gems. During this time, a “bandit” was wrecking havoc in the area and it was assumed that the “bandit” took the stones. One day, Alfred notice a child playing with one of the stones and realized that the bandit took the stones but threw them away. This is when he knew that the bandit didn’t care for money, he just wanted to wreck as much havoc as he can.

Geek wisdom: Like Alfred said, there are going to be people that you cannot reason with, no matter what you do. They will just do whatever they want, forgetting the consequences of their actions. We have to accept the fact that we will not be able to convince them with logic.

At the same time, we cannot let these kind of people run around doing anything they please, especially if it will lead to anarchy. The act of doing nothing about something is going to be the wrong thing to do in these cases. Sometimes, it will be necessary to step in and do something… especially if we believe it’s the right thing to do.

“The pen is blue! The goddamn pen is blue!”

From: Liar Liar

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Fletcher Reede

The story behind the quote: Jim Carrey plays Fletcher Reed, a really good lawyer and a much better liar. Although he loves his son, Max, Fletcher is too concentrated on his career to really spend any time with him. It is this focus on climbing the corporate ladder which causes his to miss Max’s birthday so that he can get on the “good side” of his boss. Disappointed that his father didn’t come to his birthday (even though Fletcher did promise him), Max wishes that Fletcher cannot lie… which comes true.

The quote comes from the scene where Fletcher realizes that he is unable to lie. He rushes into his office and believes he  just needs to “practice” with something small, like saying that the blue pen he is holding is red. As the clip below shows, he is very unsuccessful in doing this.

Geek wisdom: It has become so easy in society to lie. It’s actually become so casual and common, we already expect people to lie to us and then try to determine what is the actual truth. Sometimes, we do lie to spare someone’s feelings or get out of trouble. But, ultimately, a lie is a lie and it can catch up to us.

It may be painful but there are going to be times when we need to tell the truth, even if it will hurt others. However, unless we can stop telling lies about the smaller things in life, we will never be ready to tell the truth about the bigger things. Besides, some people do appreciate the honesty.