Great Movie Wisdom - Part 05

"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."
-- Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society (1989)

Great films often have a phrase of dialogue that gets stuck in the social consciousness like peanut butter to the roof of a dog's mouth. These catch phrases, for better or worse, become part of our lexicon. We can't hear the phrase "I'll be back" without thinking of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. If people find themselves in unfamiliar territory, they often recall Dorothy's trip to Oz and remark, "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

Last year, the American Film Institute did a survey of the top 100 memorable movie quotes. There were plenty to choose from, and I don't begrudge many of those that were included. Many, like the ones already mentioned, have become part of our vernacular. One, however, was very personal to me.

In 1989, I was a senior in college. Like most of my classmates, I was chomping at the bit to finish with school and enter the "real" world. I had spent the last four years as an English major, with no idea what I would do with such a degree. Some people, like my parents, suggested that I try teaching -- but I wasn't interested. Ironically, my professors weren't much help. When one of my instructors asked what I planned to do, I told her I wanted to be a writer. "That's great," she responded with a chuckle, "but what are you going to do for money?"

To my surprise, the best advice I would receive would come from a movie called Dead Poets Society. As an English major, I was emotionally invested in the story of an English teacher at an all-boy prep school. Robin Williams played the part of Mr. Keating, a new instructor at the school with an unorthodox approach to education. He urged his students to ignore their textbooks and learn from life. Rather than preoccupying them with the idea of becoming better students, he did what he could to make them better people. He encouraged his students to make the most of themselves by saying, "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."

In the end, the Latin phrase "carpe diem" crept back into everyday language. Kids who didn't know a lick of Latin were writing it on notebooks and t-shirts. I couldn't get away from those two words. "Carpe diem" became a mantra for me, not just to live for the day but to make each day something special.

When I graduated from college, I fulfilled my life-long ambition by moving from Kansas to Orlando, Florida. I obtained a job at Walt Disney World and -- for the first time in my life -- I was on my own.

This may sound unimpressive to some, but the road to Orlando was a bit difficult for me. I've been wheelchair-enabled my entire life, and it brings with it certain challenges. Nonetheless, I have never let it stop me from doing whatever I dreamed. I learned to drive. I earned a college degree. I moved to Florida (albeit, only briefly). Years later, I'm writing movie reviews on my own website, I'm married, and I have a great life.

It's easy to dream of winning the lottery or landing that perfect job, but the truth is that everyone has a chance to do something with their lives. Some make a difference through their work. Others do it through their family. Each of us can do something to make our lives extraordinary. It only takes two words: "Carpe diem."

Beef, It's What's For Dinner.

In the new film Barnyard, there is something disturbing about having Sam Elliot's low, gravelly voice coming out of a cow. The veteran actor, so well known for the many Westerns in which he has appeared, is also recognized as the spokesman for National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Click the image above to hear Ben the cow (Elliott) tell you about red meat.

Great Movie Wisdom - Part 04

"Money's something you need in case you don't die tomorrow."
-- Martin Sheen, Wall Street (1987)

Almost 20 years ago, director Oliver Stone gave us a film that defined greed for the 1980s. In Wall Street, Charlie Sheen stars as Bud Fox, a stock broker looking for a big score. Michael Douglas plays a slick capitalist named Gordon Gekko who likes to buy up small companies and sell off their assets. For many, his speech to the shareholders of one company he has targeted for takeover became the defining dialogue of the film. Gekko tells them, "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good."

For me, however, there was a better philosophy in the film. Martin Sheen portrays Carl Fox (the father to his true-life son, Charlie Sheen). He gives the young man an alternate point of view to Gekko's take-no-prisoners quest for the almighty dollar. As a blue collar worker, Carl sees the value of an honest day's work and wants his son to avoid what he sees as "the buying and selling of others." When Bud needs to borrow some quick cash, Carl tells his son "Money's something you need in case you don't die tomorrow."

Both in and out of context, I think this is a great quote. While Carl is trying to tell his son that money is handy to have and he should value it, the line works great out of context as well. When we spend our lives scrimping and saving, it's good to get some perspective. Money alone can't make us happy or healthy. But it is handy in case we don't die tomorrow.

On the other hand, I am often inclined to sympathize with Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. When Perchick says that money is the world's curse, Tevye replies, "May the Lord smite me with it. And may I never recover."

Ah, if only...

Great Movie Wisdom - Part 03

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,
and sometimes it rains."
-- Tim Robbins, Bull Durham (1988)

For fans of baseball, there are a lot of pearls in the words of baseball greats. Yogi Berra is probably best known for his way of phrasing nuggets of wisdom, like "It ain't over 'til it's over." So, too, in baseball movies, there are a lot of good quotes that could be examined for the wisdom they contain. Some of my favorites are "I coulda been better." (from The Natural), "We count everything." (from For Love of the Game), and from Field of Dreams, "This field, this game, it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again."

But sometimes it's the unintentionally profound comment that strikes the deepest chord. In Bull Durham, Tim Robbins plays 'Nuke' LaLoosh, a rookie pitcher who needs a little help from a veteran catcher named Crash (played by Kevin "I'm in every baseball movie" Costner). Nuke even needs help with his post-game interviews, so Crash gives him a few standard phrases that he can use. The one that has stuck with me all these years later is the mantra "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains."

We can work hard, we can do everything right, but sometimes things don't turn out the way we plan. This is part of the appeal of baseball. No team can win every game, and even the underdog gets a good day now and then. (Ask any Kansas City Royals fan.) More importantly, there are going to be those days when everything is out of our control. No matter how ready any team is to play a game, sometimes it is called on account of rain. When that happens, there is nothing to do but accept it and reschedule for another day.

My former boss had a chart on her wall of three circles. Circle A was the sphere of control. Circle B was the area one couldn't control, but could influence. Circle C was the area outside of control. She had to remind me several times that a certain issue was in circle C, and I had to let it go.

In my life, the hardest thing I've had to do is accept that some things are outside of my control. I sometimes think I was put on this Earth to learn that very lesson. But it's something that I do accept now (with the help of my wife), and when stuff happens I just say to myself "Sometimes it rains." And then I plan for the next game.