One of my favorite ways to get inspired is through creative movies. All you have to do is plop in the right BluRay or DVD and inspiration will force its way on you. So this is a list of creative movies that will get inspiration flowing through you. Each movie is selected for a specific element and purpose. Match the movie to your need.
1. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
This movie transports me back to my childhood. I feel like they tapped into my brain’s external harddrive to create the scenes from this movie. If you’re needing an imaginative ride, this is a definite watch.
2. Inception (2010)
This will inspire you to be more cerebral in your approach to creativity. The stories and concepts are incredible…then they take them all a step further. If you haven’t seen this yet you’re missing out.
3. Everything is Illuminated (2005)
Starring Elijah Wood, this movie’s characters will capture your imagination. They’re wonderfully quirky and the visuals are quite nice. This is a great movie to put you in a melancholy mood.
4. The Science of Sleep (2006)
This is a love story surrounded by imagination. You feel like the main character is a bit loopy…but that’s the magic of the movie. This is a great movie to put you in a quirky/weird mood.
5. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
This movie probably scared you as a child. It still scares me a bit. That’s what I love about it. It makes you feel like a scared/uncomfortable child. This is a very creative movie.
6. Big Fish (2003)
A movie all about big stories. It’s such a creative story that will challenge you to live bigger and tell larger stories.
7. Blue Like Jazz – coming in 2012
I got a chance to screen this movie a bit early. It’s a perfectly postmodern story about a college kid overcoming shame and hypocrisy while exploring the art of writing.
8. Wall-E (2008)
This movie will inspire you to break the rules. Wall-E is one of the only movies whose main character only says one word–his own name. This is one of my favorite movies, even though it breaks my personal rules.
9. Lady in the Water (2006)
This is one of those poorly received movies that’s actually awesome. It’s a wonderful fantasy story with a bit of suspense. You’ll start seeing magic in every day objects after seeing this movie.
10. Gentlemen Broncos (2009)
I’ll admit, this is a horrible movie. I felt so uncomfortable watching this movie…it’s awkward. But that’s what I love about it. It’s by the director/writer of Nacho Libre and Napoleon Dynamite. It has the feel of those movies without the familiarity to get you to overlook the feel.
So that’s my list of creative movies to inspire you. What would you add to the list?
16 Comments
Hi Jonathan,
As an avid movie watcher I love it when watching a film I get a great idea for an article or a blog post.
After all those Hollywood types get paid millions to come up with the ideas that engage audiences.
Thanks
James
Exactly! Let other people spend the money and we reap the creative inspiration. :)
Anything that presents a good story is inspiring to me.
Loved Inception. Thought it was really well done. Cannot wait to see Blue Like Jazz. I started the book last week.
Warning: Blue Like Jazz is pretty edgy. Might not want to take someone who gets offended by cussing…haha
Once is a fabulous movie for musicians. All the songs except one were written by the two main characters. Up in the Air really makes you think what you do if your job was to fire people. Both movies have strong language.
I enjoyed Once. :)
I still need to see Up in the Air.
Well since you enjoyed Once, you’ll definitely love the fact that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova just had a documentary made about them following their rise to fame and love life. Its called the Swell Season. It’s coming out soon, I do believe.
I’ll check it out! :)
Still jealous that you got to see Blue Like Jazz already! Just so you know….
Haha. It was a very rough cut…in fact some of the scenes just had storyboards to represent what we should be seeing…
Definitely think Stranger than Fiction should have made the list.
Doh! That’s a good one too…perhaps I should have expanded the list beyond 10… :)
Star Trek! (The 2009 J.J. Abrams one.)
SO MANY LENS FLARES.
HAHA!
Water for Elephants, really good story-telling!
I’ll check it out!