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Early Retirement Extreme Forums » Resources & Recommended Reading

1. 

   JohnnyH
   

   Expert
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 1,363

   Well, I'm thinkin' about grabbin' a six pack and watching a movie to recovery from the soul crushing 9-5...

   I was thinking about some good ERE movies:

   *Pursuit of Happyness: fantastic financial movie, all about DRIVE.

   *Blood Diamond: the costs of mindless, programmed consumerism.

   *Office Space: Why we all want to retire. Hilarious and insightful... Poor Peter just needed a plan and discipline.

   *Idiocracy: more great Mike Judge. Again, commentary on consumerism... He must have went too far on this one as Fox tried to bury it.

   ... can you think of any other good, relevant movies?

   Posted 2 years ago #
2. 

   Zev
   

   Master
   Joined: Aug '10
   Posts: 437

   Harold and Maude--check out her sweet trolley car house!

   Posted 2 years ago #
3. 

   jacob
   

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   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 3,298

   The Matrix - makes for a very nice analogy. Similar to Plato's cave.

   Fightclub - for its anticonsumerist message.

   The Office (US version) - for the character study.

   Posted 2 years ago #
4. 

   The Dude
   

   Master
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 392

   "Into the Wild" not funny, but great.

   "Garbage Warrior", documentary

   "Cable guy" ok, not very relevant, but hilarious and he might have lived in that van:)

   "The Swiss Family Robinson"

   That's good, I could go too long about movies.

   Posted 2 years ago #
5. 

   HSpencer
   

   Master
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 770

   @ JohnnyH and Jacob

   Now I have an idea!!

   First the book---the ERE book your working on.

   Next: (tada) ERE- THE MOVIE!! (or at least documentary)?

   Posted 2 years ago #
6. 

   Steve Austin
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 178

   ERE Movie, Scene 1:

   "Kettlebells and Push Mowers...at the same time."

   Posted 2 years ago #
7. 

   jacob
   

   Expert
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 3,298

   You could always just watch the "No Impact Man" movie. It's particularly interesting for those with spousal barriers. First the partner is resisting but goes along, but later she takes ownership as the projects "surprisingly" makes them better off.

   Posted 2 years ago #
8. 

   KevinW
   

   Master
   Joined: Aug '10
   Posts: 577

   Home Movie (2001 documentary)
   WALL-E
   Metropolis

   Movies with postconsumer protagonists:
   Star Wars (Jedi)
   Star Trek
   most Westerns
   most kung fu movies

   Posted 2 years ago #
9. 

   Marius
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 258

   American Beauty (rejecting wage slavery and "success", figuring out what you really want to do)
   Best line: "Look at me, jerking off in the shower — this will be the high point of my day. It's all downhill from here."

   About Schmidt (moving on after a meaningless life/career, regret, retirement, priorities)
   Best line: "Who is this old woman who lives in my house?"

   Posted 2 years ago #
10. 

    RobBennett
    

    Journeyman
    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 120

    1) Lost in America -- A couple has enough money to escape the rat race but they decide to spend the first night of their new freedom celebrating in Las Vegas. The wife loses the entire nest egg. The husband argues that she should no longer be permitted to use the words "nest" and "egg" together in the same sentence. Then he goes to the rural area they were headed to and asks for a job. They ask how much he made in his last job (in advertising). He says "100,000." They say, "Sorry, there's nothing in the $100,000 job box right at this particular moment."

    2) The Graduate -- I think of this as a movie about consumerism vs. idealism.

    3) The Big Chill -- I think of this as a sequel to The Graduate that tells how the battle turns out for most.

    Rob

    Posted 2 years ago #
11. 

    George the original one
    

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    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 1,941

    "Mon oncle d'Amerique" - includes the many repeating patterns of modern life with references to how we're hardwired into our responses. Worth it just to see Gerard Depardieu act out his character's life while wearing a mouse suit :-)

    Posted 2 years ago #
12. 

    JohnnyH
    

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    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 1,363

    Looks good George, thanks... Another ER related with Depardieu is "Jean de Florette." About a bureaucrat that takes big risks in order to retire... Really good movie.

    Posted 2 years ago #
13. 

    rePete
    

    Journeyman
    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 278

    Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance.

    A great movie to watch if you get side tracked thinking that that one item will make life so much better.

    Posted 2 years ago #
14. 

    Zev
    

    Master
    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 437

    "Mon Oncle" by Jacques Tati is a great satire of consumerism and technology obsession too.

    Posted 2 years ago #
15. 

    Kevin M
    

    Journeyman
    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 211

    American Beauty has long been one of my favorites. And Fight Club, Office Space. I really want to watch Idiocracy.

    Posted 2 years ago #
16. 

    rePete
    

    Journeyman
    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 278

    Office Space transformed into a horror movie for me. My name is Peter and my current boss is a spitting image of Lumberg, coffee mug and all. . .

    Although not necessarily ERE, The World's Fastest Indian and Saint Ralph are two movies that motivate me. I second the Harold and Maude recommendation, too.

    Posted 2 years ago #
17. 

    JohnnyH
    

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    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 1,363

    World's Fastest Indian, very good... Shows how limited resources can be stretched to do amazing things.

    Posted 2 years ago #
18. 

    AlexOliver
    

    Master
    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 461

    Revolutionary Road.

    Posted 2 years ago #
19. 

    Frugal Vegan Mom
    

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    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 31

    The Office, Matrix, and Fight Club are all amongst my favorites.

    I saw No Impact Man, but didn't love it. It's worth watching, but I forget exactly what rubbed me the wrong way, it was awhile ago.

    There was one though I found on Netflix and loved - it was about a guy who started building eco-houses out of tires and recycled materials and wanted to start this community in...AZ?...somewhere out there....and was all about his long journey to start this community and the government obstacles he ran into. I'm sorry I can't remember the name, I'll have to search for it later but am about to leave the office now!

    K

    http://www.frugalveganmom.wordpress.com

    Posted 2 years ago #
20. 

    jacob
    

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    Posts: 3,298

    @Frugal Vegan Mom - Earthships?

    I think the dissonant (I detected it too) problem with the No Impact Man project was that it was a project that was abruptly started (or at least that's what it appeared to be). Like; let's do all these things at once even though we have no experience. This also caused some relationship tension, since his wife didn't entirely seem to be on board from the get-go.

    I think it would have helped a lot to wait several years and then do the movie.

    Posted 2 years ago #
21. 

    Q
    

    Master
    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 346

    Didn't like pursuit of happyness at all - probably because of the acting.

    Matrix I reference a lot, Fight Club is also a core inspiration. Office space has lost its luster to me recently, but it is good.

    I think everyone should also see Requiem for Dream, for the vicious cycle that can happen in life.

    This list will be interesting to see what else pops up on this list

    Posted 2 years ago #
22. 

    Zev
    

    Master
    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 437

    re: Matrix. I'm planning to re-watch these (never saw #3) with a less critical eye. I saw the first one a few times, and as I got older I regarded it more and more as a B-movie (e.g. "I know kung-fu."), but I will try to look past that for the message.

    BTW I thought the most interesting of the movies of this genre--"which layer of reality is real?"--was "Existenz."

    Posted 2 years ago #
23. 

    JohnnyH
    

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    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 1,363

    @Alex: Revolutionary Road! Of course, that is as relevant as it comes... That movie really rocked me as I feel like I am in the exact same position as the characters.

    @NYC: Do not see Matrix 3, it is one of the worst things ever put to film. M1 was amazing, M2 was acceptably subpar... M3 is one of cinema's greatest failures.

    Posted 2 years ago #
24. 

    Marius
    

    Journeyman
    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 258

    @NYC ERE

    I loved Existenz! Thirteenth Floor was also excellent.

    Lots of great suggestions here that I'm going to check out, thanks guys & gals.

    Posted 2 years ago #
25. 

    George the original one
    

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    "Bye Bye Brazil" - a traveling carnival in Brazil goes toe-to-toe with the invasion of television. How is the small showman going to adapt & survive?

    Posted 2 years ago #
26. 

    The Dude
    

    Master
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    Posts: 392

    @Frugal Vegan Mom @Jacob

    The movie was my original posting "Garbage Warrior"

    Posted 2 years ago #
27. 

    jacob
    

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    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 3,298

    There is only one Matrix movie. There are a couple of other movies with the same cast called Matrix #2 and Matrix #3, but other than name and cast, it's really hard to see how they are otherwise related. They are best forgotten; like any Rocky or Rambo movie after the first one.

    Most of Animatrix (a collection of 10 animated short stories) is pretty good.

    Posted 2 years ago #
28. 

    The Dude
    

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    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 392

    Come on! Rocky IV was awesome! It made good old Dulph! Kind of agree for Rambo...nothing compared with First Blood!

    Posted 2 years ago #
29. 

    Frugal Vegan Mom
    

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    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 31

    @ The Dude - Yes, it was Garbage Warrior!

    @ Jacob, Re: No Impact Man - I guess it was also that it appeared to be an experiment for a set period of time in order to write a book instead of a permanent lifestyle. Like the wife couldn't wait to go back to shopping for $600 boots. Somehow it just didn't seem real enough to me, but still worth watching.

    I'd like to add two more:

    Into the Wild - at least for the first part of his journey!

    Stranger Than Fiction

    Posted 2 years ago #
30. 

    JohnnyH
    

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    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 1,363

    House of Sand and Fog... Shows an immigrant perspective on money.

    quote from movie:
    "Do you understand? Do not feel bad. Americans they do not deserve what they have. They have the eyes of small children who are forever looking for the next source of distraction, entertainment, sweet taste in the mouth. We are not like them. We know rich opportunities when we see them and do not throw away God's blessing."

    Posted 2 years ago #
31. 

    MadPenguin
    

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    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 9

    Although not a movie Firefly's pilot episode(s).

    Posted 2 years ago #
32. 

    Redsted1
    

    Apprentice
    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 79

    @AlexOliver--Revolutionary Road is a perfect example of why anyone would want to achieve ERE. That movie sent chills all up and down my spine for WEEKS after I first watched it. It even pushed my girlfriend much further into wanting ERE with me...!

    Posted 2 years ago #
33. 

    rePete
    

    Journeyman
    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 278

    I hope no one watched Revolutionary Road on a first date. I just watched it and liked it. . . but save it for later in a relationship, if applicable!

    Posted 2 years ago #
34. 

    Zev
    

    Master
    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 437

    "The Gleaners and I" by Agnes Varda. Great, meandering French documentary about "gleaners" in France, who take advantage of gleaning laws that allow scavenging of crops that would otherwise rot after the harvest, even on private property. One of my favorite films of any genre, partly because of the meandering.

    Posted 2 years ago #
35. 

    Marius
    

    Journeyman
    Joined: Jul '10
    Posts: 258

    John Carpenter's "They Live". (1988)

    Have a look:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA8drfZwnXQ

    Posted 2 years ago #
36. 

    DVDend
    

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    Joined: Jan '11
    Posts: 87

    How about 180 South? A bit fragmented documentary but still a nice portrait of simple living and importance of low environmental impact in our life.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1407927/

    Posted 2 years ago #
37. 

    Surio
    

    Sorcerer
    Joined: Dec '10
    Posts: 601

    How about The Road. Based on the Pulitzer award winning book

    The Road shares the premise of the novel on which it is based: a father (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Smit-McPhee) struggle to survive after an unspecified cataclysm has destroyed civilization, killed most plant and animal life, and obscured the sun; only remnants of mankind remain alive, reduced to scavenging or cannibalism. Man and boy are traveling southward, in the hope that it will be warmer. Along the way, they search for shelter, food, and fuel, and avoid bands of cannibals while trying to maintain their own sense of humanity.

    Posted 2 years ago #
38. 

    Dienekes
    

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    Joined: Dec '10
    Posts: 40

    Surio--I like The Road suggestion. Good call.

    Here are a few with marginal ERE ties (or perhaps none at all but at least there is an argument):

    - Last of the Mohicans: I love how Hawkeye gives respect to the buck he kills at the start of the movie. I'm a sucker for all frontier-type movies where people "do not live their lives ‘by your leave’! They hack it out of the wilderness with their own two hands, burying their children along the way!" [Maybe not the burying the children part--but you get the point.]

    - Joe Versus the Volcano: Yeah, I should be mocked for this one but I recall scenes where the workers are depicted as drones to society. This is also when Meg Ryan looked like a human being.

    - The Road Warrior: Flat out one of the best raw movies made.

    Posted 2 years ago #
39. 

    vern
    

    Apprentice
    Joined: Oct '10
    Posts: 44

    I really enjoyed 'The Gleaners and I', good call Zev.

    In a similar vein I'd recommend 'Dark Days' a documentary about people living under the subways in New York. They do a lot of similar foraging.

    Posted 2 years ago #
40. 

    AlexOliver
    

    Master
    Joined: Aug '10
    Posts: 461

    Fair warning: The Road is not for the faint of heart.

    Posted 2 years ago #

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