Virtuous Movies
August Rush – an orphaned musical prodigy uses his musical ability as a clue to find his birth parents.
The Ultimate Gift – is about a man having to answer the ultimate question: “What is the relationship between wealth and happiness?”
Emmanuel’s Gift -documentary narrating the life of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, a disabled man born in Ghana, where the disabled are poisoned or left to die by there family.
Gran Torino – Korean War vet sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.
Second Hand Lions – story about a shy, young boy sent by his irresponsible mother to spend the summer with his wealthy, eccentric uncles.
Slumdog Millionaire – A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”
The Notebook – A poor and passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman and gives her a sense of freedom
Bucket List – Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.
Pursuit of Happiness – A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he begins a life-changing chance at a new profession.
7 pounds – An IRS agent with a fateful secret embarks on a journey of redemption by changing the lives of seven strangers.
The Never-ending Story – A troubled boy dives into a wonderous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
God Grew Tired of Us – Four boys from Sudan journey to America after years of wandering Africa in search of safety.
Defiance – some scenes of graphic violence, but an inspiring movie of the indomitable dignity of the human spirit.
The Secret Life of Bees – is the tale a 14-year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother.
Invictus – story of Nelson Mandela and S. African rugby team; “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”
Extraordinary measures – father battles corporate profiteers to get cure for rare disease.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – WWII story of two boys who are not burdened by stereotypes a provide a lesson on empathy when the tables are turned
Unforgiven – Clint Eastwood’s remorseful apology for the glorification of violence in his spaghetti westerns and the prelude to Gran Torino.
A Beautiful Mind – Very humane treatment of Dr. John Nash’s paranoid schizophrenia and the power of love and devotion. His “equilibrium theory” for which he later won the Nobel prize challenged Adam Smith’s time worn theory of markets being guided by the “invisible hand” of self-interest. Dr. Nash’s theory was more a combination of collectivism and individualism in which the best solution is what best for the individual and the group.
Cinderella Man – true story of a Depression era boxer who overcomes adversity and uses the lessons from it to do the seemingly impossible. He gives new meaning to the adage that a real man fights for his marriage, family, and community.
Mononoke – is a fantasy adventure, the story of an epic struggle between humanity and nature. There’s plenty of conflict — everything from heated arguments to pitched battles — and plenty of competing interests, including cursed monsters, angry gods, ambitious people, and a selfless hero. But — remarkably — there is no villain.
Citizen Kane – the famous newspaper tycoon slowly sacrifices his ideals in order to build his financial empire, losing his friendships with those who believed in him until ultimately, he loses everything he has, his marriage, his friends, and his integrity. Though he is the richest man in the world he lives his remaining isolated in his privately built mountain estate where he has surrounded himself with material pleasures, alone and despairing, one senses that he welcomes death. The film takes the view that wealth and power are inherently destructive of human values. Kane himself states `If I hadn’t been born rich, I might have been a great man.
Little Miss Sunshine – The Hoover family treks from Albuquerque to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach, California, to fulfill the deepest wish of 7-year-old Olive, an ordinary little girl with big dreams. Along the way the family must deal with crushed dreams, heartbreaks, and a broken-down VW bus, leading up to the surreal Little Miss Sunshine competition itself.
Freedom Writes – A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.
Stand and Deliver – A dedicated teacher inspires his dropout prone student to learn calculus to build their self-esteem and do so well that they are accused of cheating.
Hotel Rwanda – A true story of a man who fought impossible odds to save everyone he could and created a place where hope survived.