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33 Movies, 3 Online Video Channels, & Lots of E-Books That Will Renew Your Spirit
Filed under Shift PerspectiveDec 28
Three Great Movies to Renew Your Spirit (images: Netflix listings)
We’re Unplugged & Loving It!
We’ve been virtually “unplugged” from live commercial media for a couple of years now. We have no cable TV and watch very little broadcast TV (mostly PBS and a couple of our favorite over-the-air weekly TV programs). We make a conscious effort to consume news on our own terms: Get the headlines from the net, go deeper as needed, and absolutely avoid the fire-flood-murder-rape-talking heads who scream for our attention on the local or national news.
So what do we do for entertainment? The truth is we mostly watch Netflix, visit a few YouTube channels for grown-ups, and read loads of e-books. After living like this, it’s amazing how jolting it can be to visit peoples’ homes who have mainstream TV screaming at them to “watch!.., buy!.., be afraid of!.., get ready for [insert latest pending disaster here]!” In short, our home is more peaceful and less trend-vulnerable because of the choices we’ve made to be conscious consumers of our media.
As I’ve said elsewhere, before we bring any media into our home, we ask the question: “Would we want to have these people over for dinner?” And if the answer is “No,” then we simply switch it off until we find a source for which we can say “Yes.”
Some Positive Media Sources
Of course, you don’t have to unplug to enjoy good media. You simply have to make a conscious choice to go after the good stuff – the media that will leave you feeling better after you consume it. Here’s a list of choices we’ve enjoyed recently. Click on each to get more information. Enjoy!
E-Books
- Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra
- Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra
- Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet by Deepak Chopra (Note: Haven’t read this yet, but plan to get it after I finish Chopra’s Buddah…)
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Three Smart, Feel-Good Online Video Sources
Thirty-Three Positive Movies
The movies listed below (in no particular order) were all obtained at Netflix. Some of these you’ve probably never heard of. And that’s one of the things I like most about Netflix. In addition to the usual Hollywood favorites (and soon, Disney favorites!), they have an extensive collection of independent, foreign, and sometimes obscure little movies that often have lots of heart.Each of the titles below is linked to it’s Internet Movie Database (IMDB) listing, so you can go there and learn much more about it. My criteria for sharing each of these was simple: They have a positive message and are well-worth the time spent. I hope you like them!- The Answer Man, 2009, rated R
- Hugo, 2011, rated PG
- Secretariat, 2010, rated PG
- Pay It Forward, 2000, PG-13
- The Majestic, 2001, rated PG
- The Captains (The Captains: A Film by William Shatner), 2011, not rated (NR)
[Hey! Don't prejudge this! Give it 15 minutes and you'll be hooked... especially if you're a Star Trek fan. But even if you're not, it's really a lovingly-made film about integrity and dedication to excellence, whatever you do.] - March of the Penguins (The Emperor’s Journey; La marche de l’empereur), 2004, rated G
- That’s What I Am, 2011, rated PG
- Finding Forrester, 2000 rated PG-13
- The World’s Fastest Indian, 2005, rated PG-13
- Into the West, 1992, rated PG
- Whale Rider, 2003, rated PG-13
- Contact, 1997, rated PG
- Ondine, 2009, PG-13
- Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, 2009, rated G
- Take Me Home, 2011, rated PG-13
- Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity, 2004, not rated (NR)
- Greenfingers (Jailbuds), 2009, rated R
- Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, 2006, rated TV-PG
- The Third Wish, 2004, rated PG
- The River Why, 2010, rated PG-13
- Songcatcher, 2000, rated PG-13
- Radio, 2003, rated PG
- The Women on the 6th Floor, (Les femmes du 6ème étage), 2010, not rated (NR)
- Nico the Unicorn, 1998, not rated (NR)
- Shergar: Discover the Heart of a Champion, 1999, rated PG-13
- Séraphine (Seraphine), 2008, not rated (NR)
- Angus, 1995, PG-13
- Smoke Signals, 1998, rated PG-13
- The Boy Who Could Fly, 1986, rated PG
- Somewhere in Time, 1980, rated PG
- Obselidia, 2010, not rated (NR)
- A Bear Named Winnie, 2004, rated PG
- [Update 12/30/2012] Red Dog, 2011, rated PG
- [Update 1/2/2013] The Magic of Belle Isle, 2012, rated PG
===== You Might Also Like These Blog Posts/Podcasts ============
- “Would I Have Them Over for Dinner?” & Other Questions to Ask of Your Movie Choices
- Unplug, Change Your Patterns, Press “Reset”
- Paulo Coelho’s Inspirations: The Warrior of the Light
- A New Earth: Are You Ready to be Awakened? (Eckhart Tolle & Oprah)
- 10 Specific Actions That Can Help You Become Happier
- Tend Your Gardens of Thought
- Learn to Be Optimistic… Learn to Succeed
- Train Yourself to be Happier
Tagged as: A Bear Named Winnie, Angus, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Reeves, Contact, Finding Forrester, Greenfingers, Hachi: A Dog's Tale, Hugo, Internet Movie Database, Into the West, Long Life Happiness and Prosperity, March of the Penguins, Morgan Freeman, Netflix, Nico the Unicorn, Obselidia, Ondine, Pay It Forward, Radio, Red Dog, Sean Connery, Secretariat, Shergar, Smoke Signals, Somewhere in Time, Soncatcher, Take Me Home, That's What I Am, The Answer Man, The Boy Who Could Fly, The Captains, The Magic of Belle Isle, The Majestic, The River Why, The Third Wish, The Women on the 6th Floor, The World's Fastest Indian, Whale Rider, William Shatner
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