What Are Some Modern Genius Movies for Inspiration?

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The discussion revolves around a request for modern films featuring themes of genius and hard work, particularly those made since the 1990s. Participants suggest various movies, including "Dark Matter," "Rain Man," "Real Genius," and "Searching for Bobby Fischer." The conversation highlights a desire for films that showcase characters who achieve success through hard work, contrasting with the notion that many popular genius films focus on characters who struggle with their gifts. Suggestions also include "Proof," "Little Man Tate," and "October Sky," with some participants expressing a preference for more serious narratives over comedic ones. There's a critique of the current film industry's reliance on technology over storytelling quality, with some arguing that many films fail to depict the true journey of hard-working individuals. The dialogue reflects a broader commentary on the portrayal of intelligence and success in cinema, emphasizing the need for more realistic representations of academic achievement.
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Does anyone have those corny genius movies or ones where a student works really hard to succeed. Things like A Beautiful Mind and Good Will Hunting.

I'd likd some that are modern, ie. atleast made since 1990s and preferably 2000s.

I need some inspiration now is all =)
 
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Dark Matter (2008)

I've never seen it but supposedly it's good.
 
I can't think of any in the 90's or past, but probably my favorite genius movie is the one about the real life savant, Kim Peek. 'Rain Man'

The other two are The Real Genius with Val Kilmer, and another one from the 80's that I haven't been able to find the name of since then. If I remember correctly it was about about a smart kid who went on to build a large-yield bomb just to see if he could. The government ended up coming after him with fairly dramatic ending. The only other thing I remember is that the design for the bomb looked like a soccerball... I also remember a young girl helping him with some of it. If anyone remembers it, please let me know!
 
B. Elliott said:
I can't think of any in the 90's or past, but probably my favorite genius movie is the one about the real life savant, Kim Peek. 'Rain Man'

The other two are The Real Genius with Val Kilmer, and another one from the 80's that I haven't been able to find the name of since then. If I remember correctly it was about about a smart kid who went on to build a large-yield bomb just to see if he could. The government ended up coming after him with fairly dramatic ending. The only other thing I remember is that the design for the bomb looked like a soccerball... I also remember a young girl helping him with some of it. If anyone remembers it, please let me know!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091472/


here's another 'genius' movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102316/usercomments
 
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That's it! Thanks rewebster. I think I kept getting it confused with the Philadelphia Experiment.
 
Ditto on Real Genius. Fun movie, and not that far off from my undergrad days. LOL

I really like Amadeus -- don't know if you're looking for movies made recently, or about recent people.

I also like Searching for Bobby Fisher. It's a real story, BTW.
 
waht said:
Dark Matter (2008)

I've never seen it but supposedly it's good.
I've seen it and it's not. Well...you might be able to enjoy it if you don't actually work in physics.
 
Amadeus was good, but its not the kind of thing I'm looking for. I am looking for movies made relatively recently (1990-present), and about a math wiz. Stuff like 21 or Beautiful Mind. The reason I emphasize recent is because technology has made recent movies more entertaining. I love old movies, but I am not in the mood for them right now.
 
Real Genius had lots of technology in it. It's what the movie was about.
 
  • #10
"Proof"

This is a pretty good movie.

"A former student (Jake Gyllenhaal) of a recently deceased, brilliant mathematician (Anthony Hopkins) finds a notebook in his office containing a proof of an important theorem, but the mathematician's 27-year-old daughter (Gwyneth Paltrow) claims it is hers. The ensuing dispute is complicated by a burgeoning romance and signs that she may have inherited her father's mental illness."
 
  • #11
B. Elliott said:
Real Genius had lots of technology in it. It's what the movie was about.

I mean technology has made our movies more entertaining... higher quality sound and better visuals. I don't mean movies about technology.
 
  • #12
Howers said:
Does anyone have those corny genius movies or ones where a student works really hard to succeed.

I've never heard of a movie where anyone works really hard to succeed academically and they actually achieve success. Good Will Hunting and A Beautiful Mind are exactly the opposite of that and I think that is perhaps why people love them. Movie-goers don't actually want to see really smart people but not all the hard work it takes to become one.
 
  • #13
Howers said:
Does anyone have those corny genius movies or ones where a student works really hard to succeed. Things like A Beautiful Mind and Good Will Hunting.

I'd likd some that are modern, ie. atleast made since 1990s and preferably 2000s.

I need some inspiration now is all =)



he wasn't a student, but worked hard and succeeded:












ROCKY​
 
  • #15
and PI
 
  • #16
When I saw a re-run of "Infinity" a few years ago, I was really hoping it was going to be more about his earlier years, and seeing his 'thinking processes' develop. Instead it was more of a 'love story'.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116635/
 
  • #17
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  • #18
Howers said:
I mean technology has made our movies more entertaining... higher quality sound and better visuals.
I completely disagree. I think the emphasis on technology has been at the expense of good writing. Producers these days are convinced that people will happily pay money to see all sorts of trash if it has enough sound and visuals to dazzle them. Unfortunately, the producers are right.
 
  • #19
OK, the main character isn't a genius per se, but Radio is a great movie, very inspirational.
 
  • #20
trainspotting, best film ever.
 
  • #21
Stand and Deliver wasn't bad, and it was a true story about a whole class working hard to succeed, though it was made in the late 1980s.
 
  • #22
DaveC426913 said:
I completely disagree. I think the emphasis on technology has been at the expense of good writing. Producers these days are convinced that people will happily pay money to see all sorts of trash if it has enough sound and visuals to dazzle them. Unfortunately, the producers are right.

I am there with you 100%. In my opinion, saying that one is better than the other, is exactly the same as saying a movie is better than the book it was originally based on. This may not always be the case, but more often than not you end up hearing the statement, "The book was so much better than the movie."

IMO, visual pyrotechnics and snazzy camera effects are nice, but they flat out can't compare to the human imagination. Books require more mental thought, more activity. Movies, for the most part, tend to deprive the brain of that bit of thought production and goes straight to the raw input.
 
  • #23
"Little Man Tate." Jodie Foster plays and average intelligence single mom to a super-genius kid.
 
  • #24
DaveC426913 said:
I completely disagree. I think the emphasis on technology has been at the expense of good writing. Producers these days are convinced that people will happily pay money to see all sorts of trash if it has enough sound and visuals to dazzle them. Unfortunately, the producers are right.

No, I think movies today are better than ever. I am not saying technology is a substitute for a good story, as there are great classics I enjoy ever as far back as the 1940s. But a good story coupled with what technology can provide today makes for a very thrilling experience.

Right now, I am not in the mood for classic which requires a certain state of mind. I am in the mood for something a little more modern because I need inspiration. Unfortunately, your statement holds true. Look at Pirates of the Carribean...

Anyway, I'm not here to argue with what movies are good or bad. I've made a request as to what I want to see. I thank the posters who have given me suggestions above, I have already put some on the list.
 
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  • #25
Alienjoey said:
Stand and Deliver wasn't bad, and it was a true story about a whole class working hard to succeed, though it was made in the late 1980s.

I know the main part of the movie, but is that the one where there's like one narcoleptic teacher who's always sleeping, and when they go int he teacher's lounge there's a teacher toying with a gun in her briefcase?
 
  • #26
DaveC426913 said:
I completely disagree. I think the emphasis on technology has been at the expense of good writing. Producers these days are convinced that people will happily pay money to see all sorts of trash if it has enough sound and visuals to dazzle them. Unfortunately, the producers are right.

That is kinda the way I feel about video games now days.
 
  • #27
What I think are stupid are books that get made into video games and vice versa (Tom Clancy, book to game, Halo, game to book anyone?)
 
  • #28
I agree on that, but what is also bad is movies that get made into video games where you basically play out the movie. I bet they're fun for kids though.
 
  • #29
To add on to my previous post about "Radio" I would have to say that Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character is a genius in the way he changes the small Southern town in the movie. Definitely a two thumbs up recommendation on this movie.
 
  • #30
Searching for Bobby Fischer

and I think "Piano" was in the gifted/talented vane, though I never saw it.

But I'd like to point out that there really ARE no movies about really intelligent people who worked hard and succeded. What we have are a ton of movies about wickedly smart loosers wasting their lives in some mudane lifestyle that they've acclimated themselves to in some vain attempt to deny their blatantly obvious and sick gifts, until some event changes their lives and smacks them a few times to remind them of this fact, so they can fulfill their destiny and impress the mediocre crowd surrounding them, including their obviously outmatched and unwitting supposed mentors,

Did I not just vaguely describe every movie mentioned in this thread so far?

I bet someone could write a program with the with an algorithm for this genre and churn out the next summer blockbuster randomly.

Personally, I'd love to know where's the movie about the the average C student who studies his butt off and becomes a doctor, or the smart guy who knows it, does what he's supposed to, fulfills his destiny, then gets bored after 5 years of doing his dream job because it sucks.

because that's real life
 

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