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- GorfTron, on 12/03/2008, -2/+23I don't think these movies made a bit of difference. Now Aliens, THAT movie made a difference.
- Benjamintc, on 12/03/2008, -2/+21Uh... Anyone heard of Birth of A Nation?
It only revived the defunct Ku Klux Klan into a 4 million-member domestic terrorist cult, and simultaneously made the feature length film a desirable commodity.
I'd say its the most influential and consequential film of all time. - uncleosbert, on 12/02/2008, -2/+17anyone can point to the old films... didn't you notice what a huge deal insurance was this election?
"The entire Sicko audience had somehow formed an impromptu town hall meeting in front of the ladies room. I’ve never seen anything like it. This is Texas goddammit, not France or some liberal college campus. But here these people were, complete strangers from every walk of life talking excitedly about the movie. It was as if they simply couldn’t go home without doing something drastic about what they’d just seen. My redneck compadre and his new friend found their wives at the center of the group, while I lingered in the background waiting for my spouse to emerge.
The talk gradually centered around a core of 10 or 12 strangers in a cluster while the rest of us stood around them listening intently to this thing that seemed to be happening out of nowhere. The black gentleman engaged by my redneck in the restroom shouted for everyone’s attention. The conversation stopped instantly as all eyes in this group of 30 or 40 people were now on him. “If we just see this and do nothing about it,” he said, “then what’s the point? Something has to change.” There was silence, then the redneck’s wife started calling for email addresses. Suddenly everyone was scribbling down everyone else’s email, promising to get together and do something… though no one seemed to know quite what. It was as if I’d just stepped into the world’s most bizarre protest rally, except instead of hippies the group was comprised of men and women of every age, skin color, income, and walk of life coming together on something that had shaken them deeply, and to the core."
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Sicko-Spurs-Audienc ... - ifire, on 12/03/2008, -1/+14No joke, we watched it in my health class a few years ago. Only ***** thing I could think during the movie was, "Jesus ***** Christ.... I could really go for a double cheeseburger right the ***** now."
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+13"Uh... Anyone heard of Birth of A Nation? "
Uh, yeah. The writer of the article. Note the first sentence of the second paragraph of the article:
"The Birth of a Nation may have inspired a reformation of the Ku Klux Klan " - vitaminz1990, on 12/03/2008, -2/+12But... but what about The Dark Knight?
- aznpwnzor, on 12/03/2008, -0/+8bambi?
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -1/+8I would have to add the 1980 version of Flash Gordon for obvious reasons.
- ExplosiveDonut, on 12/03/2008, -5/+13Victim (1961)
Long before Milk, Philadelphia or even Cruising, this British thriller became the first motion picture in history to feature the word “homosexual.” At the time, same-sex acts were illegal in the UK, and so, even though the laws weren’t strictly enforced, the film was quite controversial (and it was banned in the U.S.). Still, this story of a closeted bisexual lawyer who becomes the target of an anti-gay extortion ring had a deep, lasting effect on the people in Britain, and it’s unofficially yet widely considered to have influenced both general acceptance of homosexuality and the 1967 Sexual Offenses Act, which legalized consensual same-sex relations across the pond (anti-sodomy laws in the States, on the other hand, were not completely eliminated until 2003).
I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967)
It may seem extremely tame by today’s standards (in the recent words of John Waters, it’s nothing more than a “limp dick and some ugly women naked.”), but this warmer-titled of Vilgot Sjoman’s I Am Curious films became infamous for its depiction of full frontal nudity and an oral sex act that could barely be called fellatio. After being banned in Massachusetts, where it was labeled pornography, it became the subject of an obscenity case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was ultimately determined not to be obscene. Once it could be freely distributed, it became a must-see, though many were disappointed with it, and it held the record for highest grossing foreign film in the U.S. for more than twenty years. More importantly, the Supreme Court decision was groundbreaking in terms of obscenity law, and the multi-billion dollar pornographic film industry of the 70s was able to happen as a result of this one little Swedish art film.
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
This Errol Morris film is considered one of the most influential documentaries of all time, for a couple of reasons. In addition to being significant to the craft of nonfiction cinema, it also had a direct effect on the freedom of one man. Rather than merely present the story of Randall Dale Adams, who was tried and convicted of murdering a Dallas police officer, Morris also investigates the case, with enough detail to convince viewers of Adams’ innocence. Following the release of the film, Adams was able to get his conviction overturned and eventually was released from prison. While rescuing one individual may not be the same as changing the world, The Thin Blue Line is considered one of the only motion pictures to be directly influential in bringing about some kind of change.
JFK (1991)
Oliver Stone’s controversial look at the Kennedy assassination didn’t exactly tell us who killed the president. It didn’t even convince everyone that Oswald wasn’t responsible. But despite all the controversy and negative reviews, JFK went on to be a landmark film for its cause, because it led to the passage of The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Act of 1992 (aka the JFK Act) and the formation of the U.S. Assassination Records Review Board. Officially, Congress was more annoyed by the conclusions of JFK than inspired by the film, but the result just goes to show (and Michael Moore likely was paying attention) that being a burden can be as worthwhile as being convincing.
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Davis Guggenheim’s film of Al Gore’s Global Warming presentation didn’t bring about a lot of change or legislation in the U.S., but it did have a significant effect in terms of breaking ground on discussion of the issue. However, it was apparently instrumental in the passing of a law to curb greenhouse gases in California. Meanwhile, elsewhere, it has been employed in school curriculum and it certainly helped Gore win the Nobel Peace Prize. Because not all films can be as direct and quickly effect as The Thin Blue Line and JFK, though, we’ll need more than the past two years to fully see the difference made by this one. - saejinn, on 12/03/2008, -2/+8Buried for no Wrath of Khan.
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+5Deliverance
After seeing that film, I never go camping without a firearm - eco57, on 12/03/2008, -0/+52001: A Space Odyssey was it for me. But this is going to vary from generation to generation.
- barcelona10, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4I think you have a point but I'm not sure that Sicko really changed anything besides point out what everyone already knew, that the health care system is broken.
- RedMoonGenie, on 12/03/2008, -1/+5I hope you're being sarcastic.
- jonessodaholic, on 12/03/2008, -1/+4Blood Diamond
Did to De Beers what SSM did to Mickey Ds. - RedMoonGenie, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2mirror:
http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/ ... - nabor605, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2Error establishing a database connection
wow, that was quick. - mybbq, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made a difference...
- SteelProboscis, on 12/03/2008, -2/+5You know, if you ate filet mignon and fois gras for every meal, you would have heart disease too. Anything is fine in moderation. Just to be clear, you should not eat McD every day or even every week. Their fries do kick ass.
- pilot3033, on 12/03/2008, -1/+4/s ?
- dracostimpy, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3Network
Actually, it didn't make much of a difference, but if ever there was a movie that SHOULD have really made a difference, that was it. - dracostimpy, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3Was anyone really surprised that Spurlock would become a fat, greasy ***** from eating McDonald's 3 times a day? DUH.
Fast Food Nation put me off Mickey D's more than Super Size Me. Watch that movie to see where your food comes from. Keep a bucket handy. - Trollbane, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3Um, I think he was trying to help people out if the link didn't work and they couldn't find a mirror.
- DatDudeWiggs, on 12/03/2008, -2/+4F'ing A right! I haven't eaten McDonalds since I watched that movie!
- SteveMTyler, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3"Into the wild" causes a lot of rich suburban kids with nothing to do to wander into the woods of Alaska and keep the rangers busy
- ahoy, on 12/03/2008, -1/+3influential in terms of editing technique too, i think its credited as being the first movie to use parallel editing
that kind of pisses me off that it had to come from a racist piece of ***** - nabor605, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2How does one find mirrors anyway? o_O
- RedMoonGenie, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2I googled the article title.
- uncleosbert, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2and i'm not sure that i am curious yellow did anything for the porn industry. the scene which was the most problematic was the one featuring a flaccid penis, and as we all know, penises are still not featured often in film and directors are typically punished for showing them.
the mpaa was allowing full-frontal female nudity in 1966 with an r-rating. implying that i am curious yellow fundamentally changed anything about pornography is confusing to say the least. the fight continued through the seventies, the eighties and even goes on today.
http://library.findlaw.com/2003/May/15/132747.html
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20042869,00.html
so, what changed exactly? - ifire, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2Sorry, got kinda excited about food... kinda hungry at the moment...
- andrewlotta, on 12/17/2008, -0/+1I have.
- Taiyoryu, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1JFK is OK when it comes to drama, but utter crap in terms of historical accuracy.
- Frodoholic, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1I would have raged immensely if Thin Blue Line wasn't on this list, but luckily someone knows their documentaries.
- Altotus, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1What, no Bugsy Malone?!
- notoneofus, on 12/03/2008, -1/+2It's discussed at the beginning of TFA, but I'm surprised it didn't make the list.
- josephbloseph, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1I agree. I tend to get buried when I say it, probably because I add in the fact that I think Moore is a brazen jackass for stating the obvious without discussing the scope of realistic solutions to the health care problem. The only thing I see Moore's films (not counting Canadian Bacon, I love that movie) changing is that I have fat people and hippies telling me that his movies will change my life.
- maqikelefant, on 12/03/2008, -2/+3Uhhhh...hello? Hotel Rwanda maybe? Kind of the only reason most Americans even know about African genocides still happening today.
- deadapostle, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1Most effective use of hawkmen.
- KDX200rider, on 12/04/2008, -0/+1Buried as *****, JFK and "Inconvenient Truth", you have got to be kidding.
- galupa, on 12/03/2008, -1/+2The Day After, released November 1983, about life after in Kansas after Russian nuclear ICBMs destroyed the industrial infrastructure of US society. IMDB link
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -1/+2I thought Hotel Rwanda did.
- truthteller426, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1Crap. I haven't seen any of the films on the list.
- timedalkat, on 12/04/2008, -0/+1Arguable, but interesting.
- ajames01, on 12/04/2008, -0/+1I think you'll be way a head of me.
I'm sorry but that movie didn't make a difference to anyone or anything but his failing political career. Go jump on another bandwagon before its too late. - AncientWeird, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1Not only because it kicks ass, but because our modern satellite system was basically lifted from this movie/book.
- Abomonog, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1Before "The Breakfast Club" was released not a single school in America used Saturday detentions as a form of punishment. I'm glad I was a senior the year it was released.
- Trollbane, on 12/03/2008, -0/+1Triumph of the Will?
Birth of a Nation?
The Jazz Singer (First movie ever with sound)? - humperdeath, on 12/03/2008, -0/+15. See if you can guess, what i am now. . . . I'm a zit, get it?
4. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope.
3. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE YELLING ABOUT! . . . LOUD NOISES!!
2. I'm doing everything I can... and stop calling me Shirley!
1. I ran outta gas! I had a flat tire! I didn't have enough money for cab fare! My tux didnt come back from the cleaners! An old friend came in from outta town! Someone stole my car! There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts!! It wasn't my fault I swear to God!!!" -
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