Tag: movies

“I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.”

From: The Incredibles

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Edna Mode

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from Pixar CG animated movie The Incredibles. The film is about a family of retired superheroes headed by Mr. Incredible. He is hired by a mysterious company to take out a rogue robot. Once he does, he starts to use his powers more openly, not knowing the company he’s working for has nefarious motives.

The quote comes from superhero costume designer Edna Mode. Mr. Incredible goes to her to get his old supersuit fixed. Edna Mode decides the suit needs an updated look. Mr. Incredible sarcastically comments that it was she that designed the original outfit. This is when she delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: We all look at past events frequently. Sometimes, we remember them fondly and wish things were just like that right at this moment. At times, we look at our past mistakes and lament how our choices had led us to this point in time. While looking to the past may be fine at times, it’s best to focus on the present.

If you want life to be as good as it was before, do something about it. If your choices had dug you into a hole, stop focusing on what led you in there and concentrate of getting you out of the situation.

“Control your emotions! Discipline your mind!”

From: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Severus Snape

The story behind the quote: It’s been a very sad week as two cultural icons have passed away: David Bowie and Alan Rickman. As such, My Geek Wisdom will be paying tribute to both of these legendary men by posting a quote from these individuals today. Earlier, the site posted a quote from David Bowie. So now, it’s Alan Rickman’s turn.

This quote comes from Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, specifically, from the character Alan Rickman brought to life on the big screen, Serverus Snape. Harry Potter is in need of a way to shield his thoughts from Voldermont. Dumbledore enlists the help of Serverus Snape to help teach The Boy Who Lived on how to do precisely that. Snape easily invades Harry’s mind and the teacher starts berating his student’s parents by calling them “weak.” Harry contradicts this, which is when Snape delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: We can let our emotions get the better of us. We can make rash decisions when we let our feelings take over. Rational thought and thinking with a cool head is much better than just “going with our gut” during stressful times.

“It’s a crystal. Nothing more. But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams.”

From: Labyrinth

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Jareth, The Goblin King

The story behind the quote: It’s been a very sad week as two cultural icons have passed away: David Bowie and Alan Rickman. As such, My Geek Wisdom will be paying tribute to both of these legendary men by posting a quote from these individuals today. We will be posting a quote from Alan Rickman’s body of work later in the day. But, right now, we’ll be focusing on David Bowie.

The quote comes the cult classic film Labyrinth. The movie is about Sarah (played by Jennifer Connelly) who makes the mistake of wishing for his infant, brother, Toby, to be taken away. Jareth, The Goblin King (played by David Bowie), appears to grant Sarah’s “wish.” When Sarah attempts to take the wish back, Jareth makes a deal with her: he will only return Toby back if she manages to solve his Labyrinth in 13 hours.

The quote comes early in the movie. Jareth presents Sarah with a gift. Sarah asks The Goblin King what the object is and Jareth proceeds to deliver the quote

Geek wisdom: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. People will look at the same thing in a variety of manners. The way they see and feel about something will be different depending on their perception. We have to be aware that we may look at something and see it as something ugly or ordinary. But to others, that same item may be the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen.

There’s no right or wrong way of looking at things as it will be a matter of opinion.

“I’ll have what she’s having”

From: When Harry Met Sally

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Elderly Deli Patron

The story behind the quote: This line is often mentioned as one of the most memorable lines in film… and it came from a background character!

The quote comes from When Harry Met Sally, a film about two people, Harry (played by Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) and their somewhat long “on and off” relationship. The film generally focuses on how both their become intertwined and how their relationship grows from mere acquaintances to lovers.

The film come from the ever popular Deli scene. Sally mentions that women sometimes fake orgasm, to which Harry mentions that he would be able to tell the difference as to when a woman was faking it or not. Sally then proceeds to moan and scream as she is climaxing. After she’s done, one of the people in the deli, a fairly elderly woman gets the attention of a waiter and delivers the quote

Trivia: The elderly woman who delivers the quote is actually the mother of Rob Reiner, the director and producer of the film.

Geek wisdom: We would like to believe that we would be able to spot when people are lying to us. But, the truth of the matter is, it can be incredibly difficult to do so. Some people have actually become so adept at lying to others that people will easily believe them. Sometimes, it’s best to not be too trusting, especially if something seems to be too good to be true.

“Every town has an Elm Street!”

From: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Freddy Krueger 

The story behind the quote: As it is Halloween, it’s only fitting to give a quote from one of the most (in)famous horror characters in movies, Freddy Krueger, Nightmare on Elm Street fame. The quote comes from Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, which was supposed to close out the film series. In the movie, Freddy has managed to kill all of the children of Springwood and intends to find a new town to spread his evil.

During the film, Freddy manages to leave Springwood terrorize the world at large. Maggie Burroughs, one of the protagonists of the film, exclaims that it should be impossible. That’s when Freddy turns to her in delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: There are two pieces of GeekWisdom that can be taken away from this quote, one literal way and one metaphorical/philosophical  way. Literally, every town, city or neighborhood has its “evil” side. A place where a lot of bad things can, and will, happen. It’s always best to avoid these places because nothing good can come of going there.

The more philosophical meaning is that, no matter how good you think a person is, there is always a dark side to him or her. No one on the planet is truly good. They may seem that way but there is always a darkness deep inside everyone. It may be really hidden… but it is there.

“Why don’t you make like a tree and get out of here?”

From: Back to the Future, Part II

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Biff Tannen

The story behind the quote: Seeing as October 21, 2015 has passed, the date when Doc Brown took Marty McFly “to the future” to rescue his grandson, it seems only fitting that this week’s quote comes from the film when these events happened, Back to the Future, Part II

The quote comes from the middle of the movie. The Biff Tannen of 2015 steals the Delorean and travels back to 1955. He plans to give the sports almanac from the future to the Biff of 2015 so he can use the information to get rich. Of course, Biff, being the hardheaded bully that he is (in any timeline) refuses the book and delivers the quote. The “elder” Biff then berates his younger self while telling him the actual quote is supposed to be “…make like a tree and leave.”

Geek wisdom: When you’re young, you feel like you can do anything, even extremely stupid things. We feel like we can perform dumb stunts or say incredibly stupid/insensitive things to people because it’s “cool.” It’s only when you get older and have the chance to look at these actions with a more mature mind that you can see how stupid some of these impulsive actions actually are.

“Game over, man. Game over!”

From: Aliens

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Private Hudson

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the second film in the Alien franchise, the aptly named Aliens. The film takes place roughly 57 years after the first film. Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver), accompanies a team to explore LV-462, the planet where Ripley and her old crew first encountered the Xenomorphs. She joins the new expedition in the hopes of eliminating all remaining Xenomorphs on the planet.

The quote actually comes from Private Hudson (played by Bill Paxton). After their drop ship crashes on the planet, a sense of despair almost immediately is felt by the entire crew. This is especially true for Hudson…

Geek wisdom: There are going to be times when your situation looks truly bleak and it may feel like nothing you do would matter. If you think things are helpless, then they really are. That’s because, the instant you feel powerless, you won’t do anything to change your situation… even if the situation isn’t actually helpless!

When things do feel like there’s not a thing that can be done to improve the situation, you may as well try something. After all, if nothing is going to change your circumstances, then you may as well try anything!

“Are you not entertained?”

From: Gladiator

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Maximus Decimus Meridius

The story behind the quote: The quote comes Ridley Scott’s Gladiator starring Russell Crowe as Maximus, the titular “Gladiator” of the film. The movie is about a former Roman general who, because he didn’t give his fealty to Commodus (played by Joaquin Pheonix) and after some heartbreaking events, became a gladiator in the Roman colosseum.

The quote comes after one of Maximus’ early gladitorial fights. After handily defeating several other well-armed opponents and disrespecting the governor, Maximus turns to the crowd and delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: People do find pleasure in watching mayhem. It’s a part of human nature. No matter how hard you want to deny it, there is a certain allure about it. However, just because it look enticing, that doesn’t mean we should perform random acts of violence.

Real life violence should only be used during desperate times and not for “entertainment” value.

“If you build it, he will come.”

From: Field of Dreams

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Mysterious Voice

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the critically acclaimed 1989 film, Field of Dreams. The film is about a farmer named Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner), who receives a vision to build a baseball diamond in his field. While he does go through with constructing the baseball field, this does lead to some disastrous financial problems for the family. However, Ray does get some reward in the end…

The quote comes very early in the film. As Ray wanders into his field of crops, he all of a sudden hears a mysterious voice whisper the quote to him.

Geek wisdom: We love to talk ourselves out of our dreams for fears we won’t be successful or all our hard work will never pan out. But, the weird thing is, if you don’t even make the attempt, then there’s no way they will ever come true. The only way our desires and wishes can come to fruition is if we actually go ahead and chase after them. We have to believe we can reach our goal.

“I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?”

From: Meet The Parents

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Admiral Ackbar 

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 2000 comedy film, Meet The Parents. The unfortunately named Gaylord “Greg” Fokker (played by Ben Stiller) intends to propose to Pam (Teri Polo), his girlfriend. However, he finds out that he has to ask permission from her parents first. The couple travel to Pam’s home and Greg hopes to get Pam’s parents blessing. Unfortunately, Pam’s father, Jack (played by Robert De Niro), takes an immediate disliking to Greg for several reasons (his name and his occupation as a male nurse for example). Because of this, Greg tries to find way to curry favor from Jack.

The quote comes from one of the tall tales Greg weaves in the hopes of impressing Jack. In order to get out of a lie, Greg says he milked a cat…

Geek wisdom: We do feel the need to stretch the truth now and then. However, if you get caught in a lie, it’s pretty painful. There are a lot of implications when people find out you’re a liar as well. People can start distrusting you or not believe you, even when you are just giving the facts. As much as possible, it’s a good idea to avoid lying altogether.