Tag: movie

“I hold myself in contempt!”

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 near the end of the film. Thanks to his quick thinking, Fletcher Reed wins his case and annuls the pre-nuptual agreement of his client. Realizing the woman he was representing was not a good person while the father actually cares for his children, the lawyer pleads with the judge and tells him he played the system and won on a technicality. The judge, listening to the outbursts, warns Fletcher that, if he continues to argue with his decision, he will hold him in contempt. This is when the quote is delivered.

Geek wisdom: We should hold ourselves to a higher standard. When we realize we were in the wrong, we should always be able to recognize it and not try to cover it up.

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“You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.”

From: Bruce Almighty

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: God

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from God. Well, actually it comes from Morgan Freeman, who plays God in the 2003 comedy Bruce Almighty. The film also stars Jim Carrey, who play Bruce Nolan, a down on his luck reporter who is given God’s omnipotent power to see if he can do any better.

The quote comes near the end of the film as both of them clean up the mess that Bruce did during his “tenure” as God by giving everything they prayed for. God then give Bruce a tip on what a real miracle is all about…

Geek wisdom: We all want to achieve our wants and desires. That’s not the problem. The issue is that a lot of us don’t want to put in the time and effort to actually achieve them. We like to complain and gripe about how our live has turned out and we weren’t given the right opportunities. But sometimes, lady luck isn’t on our side. This is when we have to make our own luck. Our own opportunities and our own miracles. We just have to work for it.

“There are simply too many notes.”

From: Amadeus

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Emperor Joseph II

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes the Academy Award nominated picture Amadeus. The film is about the life and times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is told from the point of view of another composer Antonio Salieri (played by F. Murray Abraham), who after attempting to commit suicide, talks to a priest to “confess” his involvement in Mozart’s death.

The quote comes after Mozart (played by Tom Hulce) plays one of his pieces for Emperor Joseph II (played by Jeffrey Jones), a ruler that prides himself on being a great musician when he really isn’t. While the Emperor is pleased with Mozart’s work, he does have one issue with his composition…

Geek wisdom: There are always going to be people critical of what you do and the results you’ve achieved. However, just because they feel the need to criticize, that doesn’t necessarily mean they know what is actually good and what is bad. There are going to always be people that think they are the authority on a subject when they actually know nothing about it. It can be hard to spot these people but, when you do, you shouldn’t listen to them.

We should be open to criticism. However, he have to make sure we listen to the right kind of criticism (the ones that helps us to improve) and the ones coming from the right kind of people (the ones that actually know what they’re talking about).

“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But, you can either run from it or learn from it.”

From: The Lion King

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Rafiki

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the Disney classic, The Lion King. The film focuses on Simba, a young lion who, after being tricked by his uncle into believing he is the cause of his father’s death, exiles himself. He then realizes the deception and returns to reclaim his kingdom. The movie has become one of Disney’s most beloved movies and has been re-released in theaters and has become the basis of several sequels, cartoon series and even a Broadway musical.

The quote comes near the end of The Lion King. Simba (voiced by Matthew Broderick) is now an adult but is wary of going back because he still believes he is the reason why his father is dead. The shaman monkey, Rafiki (voiced by Robert Guillaume) then conks Simba on the head. Simba asks why Rafiki did it because it hurts. That’s when the wise monkey delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: We all have something that we’ve done that we have regretted. We’ve all committed these mistakes and that’s totally fine. However, if we keep on doing these mistakes, that’s when it becomes bad. We can either learn from the past or be doomed to repeat our mistakes.

“Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

From: The Shawshank Redemption

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Andy Dufresne

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the critically acclaimed film, The Shawshank Redemption. The movie follows Andy Dufrense, who was wrongfully convicted of killing his wife and the man she was having an affair with. He is imprisoned in Shawshank, where he befriends Ellis “Red” Redding, who is serving a life sentence. While not a commercial hit when it was first released, The Shawshank Redemption has become a classic due to near universal approval.

The quote comes after Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) is released from solitary. He meets up with “Red” Redding (played by Morgan Freeman) and Andy dreams of what he would do if he ever does make it out of prison. Red tells Andy that he shouldn’t keep dreaming about life on the outside. That’s when Andy turns to Red and delivers the quote

Geek wisdom: When in times of deep despair, we can feel that life is hopeless and there is no meaning to living anymore. It can be easy to think that life is all about suffering and pain during these trying times. However, the only time life is actually not worth living is when we give up on the hope that things will never get better.

We should never give up on life and try to move past the hard times. That’s the only way things will actually get better.

“Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!”

From: Planet of the Apes (1968)

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: George Taylor

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the sci-fi classic, Planet of the Apes. The film was successful enough to spawn several sequels and the film has been remade in 2001. The series was also rebooted into a new franchise of films starting with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Essentially, all the films feature intelligent apes overtaking the humans as the superior race of the planet.

The quote comes from the middle of the film. After astronaut George Taylor (played by Charlton Heston) crash lands on the Planet, he is captured by the apes. Upon learning that Taylor possesses higher intelligence than the rest of the humans, Dr. Zaius orders the astronaut to be castrated. Taylor then makes an unsuccessful attempt at escape. As the apes grab Taylor, the human delivers the quote, surprising everyone.

Geek wisdom: It can be scary to fight against oppression, especially if the one doing the abusing is stronger and more powerful than you. But, there has to be a time when we all must fight back. We can’t always cower and take it. We will have to stand up against them if we want to stop being under the thumb of someone else. It will take courage to do so and it may be frightening but it’s much better to fight back than to live in constant fear.

“You complete me.” AND “You had me at ‘hello.'”

From: Jerry Maguire

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Dorothy Boyd

The story behind the quote: As Valentines Day is just a few hours away, we’re doing something special. We’re presenting two quotes today instead of one! This week’s quotes comes from the critically acclaimed and box office hit Jerry Maguire. The film follows the titular character as he decides to quit his current company in order to open his own sports agency that will be more dedicated and focused on their clients and not just care for the money the athletes pay them. At the start of the film, Jerry Maguire (played by Tom Cruise) tries to rally the other employees to join him but only Dorothy Boyd (played by Renee Zellweger), a single mom, joins him.

The quote comes near the end of the film. Dorothy had broken up with Jerry as she feels he doesn’t feel the same way. After seeing his only client Rod Tidwell (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) call his family and say how much he loves them, Jerry gets an epiphany and flies back home to try to get Dorothy back…

Geek wisdom: Let’s first tackle the first quote, “You complete me.” This is how Jerry Maguire ended his speech, expressing how much he missed being with Dorothy. And this is true not just for your significant other but for anyone who’s ever been in any kind of relationship. Life just doesn’t feel complete unless we can share it with others. We need to be with other people at sometimes to get the most out of life and the world around us. Each and everyone you’re grown to love is, somehow, a part of you. They’ve influenced you in one way or another and now will be with you forever.

Now, for the second quote, “You had me at ‘hello.'” At times, we can try to string together a lot of words in an attempt to express our feelings. However, there are going to be times when this isn’t necessary. You don’t need too many words to express your love for someone or let them know you care.

“I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.”

From: Firefly/Serenity

Genre: Television/Movie

Who said it?: Hoban “Wash” Washburne

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from Serenity, a film sequel of sorts to Joss Whedon’s (sadly) short-lived sci-fi television series, Firefly. The film’s title is derived from the name of the Firefly-class spaceship the crew uses.

The quote comes from near the end of the film. In order to break through an Alliance barricade, Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds lures a horde of Reaver ships to the Serenity’s position to distract the Alliance ships. While this does work to a degree, the Serenity still has to find a way to slip through the Alliance forces. This is when Hoban “Wash” Washburne summons his courage to actually pilot the Firefly-class ship against seemingly impossible odds…

Geek wisdom: It’s incredibly easy to psyche ourselves out when under pressure. It’s easy to talk ourselves out of doing of even attempting to perform complicated tasks. In order to actually do them, confidence is key. We have to believe in ourselves whenever we do anything. Whether it be relatively mundane activities or extremely complex processes, we have to believe in ourselves that we can actually do it.

“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.

“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.