Unsurprisingly, I roll in a circle with a lot of other mom and dad bloggers. Despite our many differences, we also have a lot in common. In one thread, we were asked how often we went out on a “date night” with our significant others. Some parents laughed and said they were lucky to have a date night once a year, if ever. Others said they made it a priority to go out, sans kids, at least once a week.

My reply was that we try to go out with the kiddo about once every month or two. Or this “date night” would oftentimes involve a movie. My mommy blogger friend then asked if we were movie buffs. I don’t believe we are, but we do enjoy watching a good film every now and then.

This Facebook thread then intersected with another when I was “tagged” to participate in a 10 day movie challenge. The text read that I should “post an image from a movie that had an impact. It was also noted that I should offer “no explanations.” I kept to that rule on Facebook, but this is my blog and I felt compelled to expand just a little on my choices.

It should be noted that these are 10 movies that had an impact, and not necessarily the films that had the most impact. They’re just the ones that happened to come to mind. If you’ve been reading Beyond the Rhetoric for some time, then you might recognize some of my favorite thoughtful movies or the movies that I thought were just beautiful. And I don’t use the word “beautiful” lightly.

And so, presented here in the order I posted them on Facebook, are 10 movies that had an impact.

  1. Battle Royale (2000): Long before The Hunger Games and The Purge, this Japanese cult classic defined what it’s like to have teenagers murder one another for our entertainment.
  2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988): This isn’t just some kid’s movie. It’s quite possibly the saddest movie I’ve ever watched in my life and I’ll never be the same because of it.
  3. Her (2013): When the hipsters take over the world and AI chatbots become love interests, you get one of the most beautiful films in recent memory.
  4. Good Will Hunting (1997): It’s not your fault. How do you like them apples?
  5. Jurassic Park (1993): It’s because of this movie that I dove deep into the library of Michael Crichton. This consequently influenced my eventual career as a writer too.
  6. Forrest Gump (1994): This is arguably the perfect film. Action, romance, comedy, drama… you never know what you’re gonna get. And his back is as crooked as a politician.
  7. Better Luck Tomorrow (2002): Long before we had Crazy Rich Asians, we had middle class suburban ABCs. Including John Cho. Representation matters.
  8. The Lion King (1994): After careful deliberation, I decided that Simba’s story is the best Disney movie ever. Did you know that it was actually made by Disney’s “B” team?
  9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010): We’ve seen comic book movies before, but nothing quite like this. The nerd appeal is strong. “Oh, man, $2.40? That’s not even enough for the bus home.”
  10. Schindler’s List (1993): Words simply cannot describe how powerfully gripping and profound this film was (and still is).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to wipe this tear from my eye as I look for just one more candy drop. All she wanted was one more candy drop. What movies had the most impact for you?