Here are some movies that had a formative role in my life:
"The Secret of my Success" (1987). An ambitious farm boy (Michael J. Fox) struggles to make it big in New York by impersonating an executive at a multinational corporation and convincing the woman he loves of his bold strategy to defend and expand its business. This was a decisive early image for me of New York's place in the world and of what ought to be made of one's life. I decided then that, when I grew up, I would move to New York and become successful. So far, impersonation has been unnecessary.
"Real Genius" (1985). A brilliant physics student (Val Kilmer) shows a young prodigy that intellectual pursuits are not an ascetic duty but a glorious means of enjoying life and defending one's values. Here I was treated, for the first time, to the idea that deep thought is both useful and exhilarating and that great joy can never be mindless. Incidentally the title of this movie is itself a work of art. The movie insulated me in many ways from the social vulnerability that most kids interested in science (and, more broadly, in thinking) are saddled with in schools today. I think Val Kilmer's character was my first scientist-hero.
I like women who are intellectually curious, old-fashioned good-looking, and generally meme-resistant.
"The Secret of my Success" (1987). An ambitious farm boy (Michael J. Fox) struggles to make it big in New York by impersonating an executive at a multinational corporation and convincing the woman he loves of his bold strategy to defend and expand its business. This was a decisive early image for me of New York's place in the world and of what ought to be made of one's life. I decided then that, when I grew up, I would move to New York and become successful. So far, impersonation has been unnecessary.
"Real Genius" (1985). A brilliant physics student (Val Kilmer) shows a young prodigy that intellectual pursuits are not an ascetic duty but a glorious means of enjoying life and defending one's values. Here I was treated, for the first time, to the idea that deep thought is both useful and exhilarating and that great joy can never be mindless. Incidentally the title of this movie is itself a work of art. The movie insulated me in many ways from the social vulnerability that most kids interested in science (and, more broadly, in thinking) are saddled with in schools today. I think Val Kilmer's character was my first scientist-hero.
I like women who are intellectually curious, old-fashioned good-looking, and generally meme-resistant.
