Tag: IMDB

James Baldwin, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, A Beautiful Mind, The School of Life, and a Bhagavad Gita Verse

James Baldwin, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, A Beautiful Mind, The School of Life, and a Bhagavad Gita Verse

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on March 26, 2023

Sunday Supplement #98 (March 26th, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.”

– James Baldwin

Book of the Week:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larson

Stieg Larson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo centers around the disappearances of the scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families.

Years later, her aged uncle hires Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist caught up in a libel conviction, to investigate the disappearance.

Blomkvist heads to a fictional small island in Northern Sweden and begins to untangle the mystery. He receives help from a computer hacker with a mysterious past, Lisbeth.

The novel is an exciting read with an intriguing plot and interesting themes. Larson crafted brilliant characters and a fantastic story.

I’ve only read the original trilogy of the Millennium series. Larson died before completing the third novel, and the series has since been continued with a new author.

Movie of the Week:

A Beautiful Mind

Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind is a biographical drama about the asocial mathematician John Nash and his battle with schizophrenia.

The film follows Nash’s journey as a mathematician, his work on game theory, and his relationship with his wife, Alicia Larde, as he faces his hallucinations.

A Beautiful Mind won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 2002 Academy Awards. It is currently #143 on IMDBs’ Top Rated Movies list.

In addition to the Best Picture win, Jennifer Connelly won an Oscar for her role as Alicia, Ron Howard won an Oscar for Best Director, and Akiva Goldsman won an Oscar for Best Writing – Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.

The 2001 film is an excellent film with a fantastic story and is one of Russell Crowe’s best performances as John Nash. Check it out if you haven’t seen it.

Brainfood of the Week:

How To Love | The School of Life

The School of Life’s video starts by describing the puzzling question of why some people are so awful. The often simplistic answer is that there are terrible people.

The video then offers an experiment of looking at others through the eyes of love. It requires stamina and is best attempted at a quieter, less agitated time of day.

We often identify people at their worst moments and can be ingenious in our judgments. The enemy of generosity in this context is the sense that we may be beyond fault ourselves.

The video offers an interesting look at how we can rush to judgment and overlook our capacity to view the world through the eyes of love.

I’ve featured The School of Life in a few previous Sunday Supplements. Their channel consists of content from psychologists, philosophers, and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more reliant lives.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“The only way you can conquer me is through Love, and there I am gladly conquered.”

– Bhagavad Gita (Krishna)

The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse scripture that dates back to around 500 BCE and is considered one of the holy scriptures for Hinduism.

There are phrases like “kill them with kindness” and “turn the other cheek” to emphasize the futility of answering violence with violence.

This particular verse addresses the God Krishna’s views on the power of love. The Krishna quote shows me the way to overcome all obstacles.

It can be taxing to be aligned with love in all matters, but it is worth striving for. I only find when my heart is full of love that I am truly at peace.

Try your best to approach yourself and others with love, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Wayne Dyer, Think and Grow Rich, Interstellar, Deepak Chopra, and Matthew 13:12

Wayne Dyer, Think and Grow Rich, Interstellar, Deepak Chopra, and Matthew 13:12

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on December 25, 2022

Sunday Supplement #85 (December 25th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.”

– Wayne Dyer

Book of the Week:

Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

I heard of Think and Grow Rich long before I ever picked it up. The book comes up on every recommended list for those who have delved into the personal development genre.

Napoleon Hill went on a journey to discover the commonalities between the most successful people in various fields.

Hill credited Andrew Carnegie’s prompt to him as the genesis of his work to study the likes of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and others to discover and reveal the roots of success.

There’s a reason the book has stuck around for decades, has many plaudits, and has sold over 15 million copies.

Think and Grow Rich is a brilliant read for those looking to better themselves. It’s not just an insight into physical wealth.

Movie of the Week:

Interstellar

Christopher Nolan is one of the leading filmmakers of modern times. His filmography includes The Dark Knight trilogy, Dunkirk, Inception, and many other brilliant films.

For this Movie of the Week pick, I chose his Sci-Fi Drama Interstellar. Nolan wrote the film with his brother Jonathan, and it currently holds the 26 spot on IMDb’s Top 250 Movies list.

Interstellar follows ex-NASA pilot Joseph Cooper and his decision to join a mission of explorers traveling through a wormhole in space in search of a new planet for the survival of the human species.

Cooper chooses to leave his family behind in hopes of saving them. However, he doesn’t know what it will cost him, and his team discovers that the information that prompted their journey wasn’t fully realized.

Every Christopher Nolan film I’ve seen has provided a fantastic experience that has often stayed with me. Interstellar is my favorite of his filmography.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Abundance in Your Life is Proportional to Your Sense of Self | Deepak Chopra

In the video, Deepak Chopra discusses how we often get lost in egoic perceptions of ourselves but can tap into abundance by remembering our true sense of self.

Chopra is the founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit for research on well-being and humanitarianism.

He has written numerous New York Times bestsellers, has been featured by Oprah Winfrey, and was described by Time magazine as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.

I’ve featured a Deepak Chopra guided meditation on Sunday Supplement #77, and this video gives an extra glance at his work.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

– Matthew 13:12

This passage from the Bible is taken from Jesus’s parable of the sower. It discusses a sower’s seeds that were scattered among a variety of terrain. Only the seeds that fell upon rich soil took root and survived.

For me, the parable and the verse above discuss the necessity of having the right mindset and core beliefs. If we do, positive seeds will flourish, if not, they wither.

If we don’t control our thoughts, mindset, and core beliefs, we continue to see the world from whatever default setting we currently have or are held sway by external stimuli.

The good thing is that we get to choose our mindset and our core beliefs. And we all have the ability to tune into and amply those qualities we want to see more of.

Choose how you want to move forward in life, tune into the abundance you wish to perceive around you, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Mandy Hale, The Old Man and the Sea, The Lives of Others, Sadhguru, and Bhagavad Gita 13:11

Mandy Hale, The Old Man and the Sea, The Lives of Others, Sadhguru, and Bhagavad Gita 13:11

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on October 9, 2022

Sunday Supplement #74 (October 9th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“A season of loneliness and isolation is when the caterpillar gets its wings. Remember that next time you feel alone.”

– Mandy Hale

Book of the Week:

The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago, an old experienced fisherman who’s gone almost three months without catching a fish.

Santiago is considered unlucky by the community. His pupil Manolin is forced to work with another boat by his parents even though he remains friends with Santiago.

The old man decides he will venture far out to sea and catch fish, confident his unlucky streak will come to pass.

Earnest Hemingway’s last major work of fiction published during his life won him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

I read the novella a few years ago in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and loved the story and prose. Give it a chance and see what it brings up for you.

Movie of the Week:

The Lives of Others

In 1984 East Berlin, a secret police agent is ordered to spy on a prominent playwright, who has previously escaped state scrutiny due to his international recognition.

The agent, Gerd Wiesler, and his team bug and set up surveillance equipment in the playwright Georg Dreyman’s apartment.

Wiesler becomes increasingly absorbed by the playwright’s life with the complexities between the theatrical community and the state due to conflicting motivations.

The Lives of Others won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year at the 2007 Academy Awards.

The film made $77 million from a $2 million budget and currently places at 58 on IMDb’s Top 250 list. I highly recommend checking it out.

Brainfood of the Week:

How to Overcome Loneliness | Sadhguru

A student asks Sadhguru how to deal with loneliness and feelings of not belonging, not being accepted, and not being loved.

Sadhguru answers the question with many insights on attachment, freedom, and the struggles of living a non-fixed life.

He explains that the number of chemicals running through us varies and makes up a sort of chemical soup of being. How can we make this function at its highest level?

Once your way of being is not determined by anything outside you, there is no such thing as loneliness.

There are many amazing points in this video. If you enjoy the content, check out the other Sunday Supplements where I featured Sadhguru.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“…an inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society; constancy in spiritual knowledge…— all these I declare to be knowledge.”

– Bhagavad Gita 13:11

When I come across passages like 13:11 in the Bhagavad Gita, I try to find the lesson or the wisdom each word imparts.

Other sections of this passage describe humbleness, nonviolence, self-control, and more under the umbrella of declared knowledge.

The messages in these seemed apparent, but the inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society caused me to think a little harder.

Many gurus remain in solitude in the Hindu texts I come across. However, solitude is often a punishment in many other cultures.

That being said, I think the idea of an inclination for solitary places is wanting moments where you can seek peace and refine yourself.

When I fill my schedule with too many things (productive or not), they can be a distraction and a way to avoid reflecting and recharging.

Make time for a quiet space to reflect or meditate, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Marilyn Monroe, Watership Down, The Truman Show, Improvement Pill, and an African Proverb

Marilyn Monroe, Watership Down, The Truman Show, Improvement Pill, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on August 7, 2022

Sunday Supplement #65 (August 7th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

– Marilyn Monroe

Book of the Week:

Watership Down – Richard Adams

When Hazel’s brother Fiver experiences a terrifying vision of their warren’s imminent destruction, the rabbits must convince others to flee.

Their adventure takes on many twists and turns and delves into a few deeper themes like authoritarianism and power structures.

Richard Adam’s research of rabbits and warrens helps provide a reading experience that feels like a realistic insight into the life of a rabbit.

After getting rejected by numerous publishers, the book was published by Collings and won the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Prize.

Adam’s book might be cataloged as a young adult or children’s novel, but it is an epic masterpiece that all ages can enjoy.

Movie of the Week:

The Truman Show

In The Truman Show, Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman who discovers that his whole life is a reality TV show.

Burbank grew up living a life that, unbeknownst to him, takes place on a massive set populated by actors for a reality television show about him.

When Truman suspects his life is off, he must decide whether to be passive or fight back.

Jim Carey brings out the best of existential undertones of the movie while using his comedic chops to keep the film adventurous.

The rest of the cast, including standouts Ed Harris, Laura Linney, and Noah Emmerich, brilliantly support the fascinating world of The Truman Show.

The film was nominated for three Oscars and currently is #142 on IMDb’s Top Rated Movies list. It is worth putting on your watch list and will make for an intriguing movie night.

Brainfood of the Week:

How To Change Your Bad Habits | Improvement Pill

I’ve featured Improvement Pill in two previous Sunday Supplements. Their channel has just shy of 3 million followers and focuses on teaching practices that can help change your life.

In this video, Improvement Pill focuses on how to change your bad habits. The video starts by discussing a negative habit loop of Internet surfing (Facebook).

The harmful habit gets reinforced by the environment and specific cues. The first step two removing a bad habit is changing your environment and/or eliminating negative cues.

Adding good cues to your routine helps reinforce good habits in your life. And making it harder to indulge in bad habits and easier to indulge in good ones reinforces your determination.

The video gives good examples of positive and negative cues and making it harder or easier to support habits.

Improvement Pill has many short videos with practical strategies for change. Check this one out to see if it’s a channel you’d like to subscribe to.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“If the rhythm of the drum beat changes, the dance steps must adapt.”

– African Proverb

This African Proverb reminds me that we aren’t always in control of the music around us. If we want to keep up with new dances, we must learn the steps.

New rhythms can help us grow and learn new things. Although, I don’t think we should mindlessly dance to the beat of others either.

I think awareness of the changing beats is vital to conscious action. We can decide how to best move forward when we recognize the music changing.

There are many levels to this African Proverb, and I’m glad for the reflection on being aware of my environment.

Notice the music playing around you, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Emily Dickinson, Elevation, The Shawshank Redemption, The Dodo, and Romans 15:4

Emily Dickinson, Elevation, The Shawshank Redemption, The Dodo, and Romans 15:4

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on December 19, 2021

Sunday Supplement #32 (December 19th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.”

– Emily Dickinson

Book of the Week:

Elevation – Stephen King

I’ve featured two Stephen King books in the Sunday Supplements, Cujo in Sunday Supplement #19 and Eyes of the Dragon in Sunday Supplement #4.

Stephen King fans will know the affiliation of the number 19 in his works, so I felt it appropriate to dedicate a passage on the 19th to King.

I’ve given two different sides of King’s writing so far, and Elevation falls to his more positive side. If there is a single book in his canon that breaks his stereotype, this would be the one I’d encourage non-horror fans to give a chance.

Elevation tells the story of Scott Carey, who starts steadily losing weight at an increasingly alarming rate, even though there doesn’t seem to be a difference in his physical appearance.

Carey doesn’t want to raise the alarm, but he trusts his local doctor, who worries about the eventual outcome of the process. In the meantime, Carey builds a relationship with the couple next door who experience prejudices of the small Maine town of Castle Rock because of their sexual preferences.

As Carey comes to see the reality of his neighbors’ situation and his own, he starts to try and help the community.

I’ve read over 40 Stephen King novels, and this one (146 pages hardcover) was one of the most surprising and enjoyable. If you check it out, let me know!

Movie of the Week:

The Shawshank Redemption

Stephen King features again with the adaptation of his novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

The 1994 adaptation of King’s novella follows the bond two men create through common acts of decency while imprisoned and their eventual redemption.

When asked what my favorite movie is or what I think the best movie ever made is, I usually answer Casablanca, Citizen Kane, or The Shawshank Redemption.

IMDB lists the film as number one on their Top 250 movies list, which backs up my claim why the film is one of the best ever made.

There is a big difference between the novella and the film, but the narrative’s overall message of redemption and hope isn’t lost.

The film didn’t do well at the box office and was nominated for seven Oscars but didn’t win one. This snub amazes me, but the film’s recognition in film culture makes up for the lack of awards.

If you haven’t seen The Shawshank Redemption, put it at the top of your list. The movie might become your favorite film ever.

Brainfood of the Week:

Human Chain Rescues Dog Stranded in Canal | The Dodo

The Dodo is one of my favorite Youtube channels to indulge randomly. Their channel aims to create a place for everyone who loves animals and cares about their wellbeing. They host uplifting videos about animals, their owners, and their stories.

In this video, a few total strangers in Almaty, Kazakhstan, come together to form a human chain to rescue a stranded dog in a canal.

Everyone once in a while, I find myself Googling or searching on YouTube “random acts of kindness” to give me a boost. What I find always lifts my spirits.

This particular video shows me the power of one person deciding to do something that makes a difference. That one act can give other’s courage to join.

Moments like these restore my faith in humanity. They can be small or big, but they always remind me that we have the power to make a difference in the world.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

– Romans 15:4

When I feel down, it can be hard for me to be positive or remember good times. This Bible passage reminds me that I have made it through every difficult period in my life.

Every time we go through enduring times, blinders can block us from seeing the light of the good times in our life. It can also be tough to believe that there will be more enjoyable moments in our lives in the future.

Our current situation might be the most challenging situation we’ve encountered, but our life experience should teach us that we’ve survived everything we’ve faced.

In moments where I haven’t faced challenges the way I hoped I would, or the results didn’t go my way, I’ve felt down or discouraged. However, when I have time to reflect, I’ve found that there usually are lessons for me to learn from each failure.

In the end, I find and choose hope. This passage perfectly reminds me that there is always something to learn and that we always have reason to hope for good times.

Find something you can learn from, find the hope from that lesson, and have a blessed week ahead!

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