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A few thoughts as I get ready to take some of these suggestions . . .
What is Better off Dead, and how legitimate is the math connection?
What is House of Cards, and how legitimate is the math connection?
What was the math connection in Man Without a Face? Was the guy a math teacher? It's been so long since I saw it . . . I seem to remember there being a pedophilia issue there, like he was accused of it as a teacher but we think he didn't do it. Does this make it inappropriate?
What is the math connection in The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything, or in Clockstoppers?
What is Life is Beautiful about, and how good is the math connection? What was the connection in K-Pax? Independence Day? What is Mercury Rising about--was that the one with the autistic kid who cracked some code?
Isn't Contact too controversial for this area with it's religious issues?
What was the connection for Groundhog Day?
NOTE: When I ask what the connection is, I'm not challenging the suggestion or dismissing it, I'm asking for help justifying stuff to nosy administrators.
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Yeah Banna, I was wondering the same thing. Mystery solved.
Icarus, Better Off Dead is an '80s comedy starring John Cusak that I absolutely loved when I was 14. I suspect that if I were to watch it now it would suffer from the Highlander Effect, but there are still some scenes that, when I think of them, seem like they'd be funny. The math tie is in this; there is a scene that takes place in a math class, in which the main character hasn't done his homework (or at least hasn't done as thourough a job as all of his classmates), and has to get up and do a problem on the board. That's about it.
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I think the math justification for Clockstoppers is its similar sleep-inducing qualities. Children all over the world will cry for you if you show that movie to your hapless students, Ic, and I will too.
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K-Pax has quite a bit of detailed astronomy. One needs calculus and trig to figure that sort of thing out, I believe.
Ahh, here we go: one review says (of the protagonist), "He knows complicated math equations and refutes Einstein’s theories." Sounds good to me. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I still second K-PAX, Icarus. Lots of astronomy fal-de-ral.
I think i said Independence Day because of computers and stuff. But you know, it's actually more science-related than math. soo...
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semi-serious suggestion: the adventures of buckaroo bonzai.
serious suggestion: i agree with several, but i think rocketman might be one of the more fun ones. i laugh until i cry every time i watch it.
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Searching for Bobby Fischer, perhaps? Surely there are connections between learning how to play championship level chess and statistics?
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Pi. I will not stop plugging that movie for a math class.
I second Bobby Fischer though I'm not sure how good a connection that is. I can't really think of a statistics movie at all, other qualifiers aside. Do you have any examples?
quote:I think i said Independence Day because of computers and stuff.
If you show ID4 to show the computer stuff, you'd better do it in order to show how ridiculous hollywood's perception of computers is.
Otherwise any student who knows anything about them will laugh at you, and you will deserve it .
I think Pi would be fine, and it would be a great way to introduce them to the golden ratio and other number theory ideas. Whats so bad about the movie as far as being objectionable?
Other than that, A Beautiful Mind would be my choice. Again I don't see whats so bad about it. The brief talk about sex (without any details)?
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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But it's not "what's bad about it" it's what the school system will allow. If you can't show a rated R movie, you just can't show a rated R movie.
Can you show a PG-13 movie?
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I wonder what makes those movies rated R then. Pi only had one scene that was even the slightest bit objectionable right at the end, and I wonder if you can just skip that part.
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Skipping scenes will not do . . . it's an absolute. I am stretching the rules as it is, but there is a line there. Thanks for the suggestion, though. I am curious to see this movie for myself. Will I find it at Blockbuster, and if so, where?
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Dec 2002
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I'm not sure if you'll find it there, but you might. It would be under Sci-Fi or adventure (possibly drama). I have no clue why Sci-Fi but that's where my local video store put it.
[EDIT: I'm so obbsessed that I have two copies of that movie. My aunt got me VHS, and when I got a DVD player (i.e. a computer ) I went out and bought it on DVD. ]
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Go is my favorite game. I have this really awesome 3 inch thick board and polished wooden bowls both made from Japanese wood. I use 8mm glass stones. Boy does it look nice as a centerpiece .
The game itself is what I love though, and I'm actually pretty good at it for a beginner. I have no one to play against anymore though!
My little brother and my roomate were both really into it, and we were playing several games a day, but then I got good enough that they couldn't beat me so they stopped playing.
Let that be a lesson to you, let your opponent win once in a while in order to keep them interested!
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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What's that recent one where the girl is into astronomy but she's dying of leukemia? Well, I guess it's religious and she's not very well rewarded. Walk to remember, that's it. I was personally kind of annoyed, but oh well.
Groundhog day is interesting in figuring out how many iterations he went through, since there was apparently six months where he did nothing but throw cards into a hat. Also, meteorology is a science. Also "People think I just hold the camera and point it at stuff. But there is way more to it than that."
Ghostbusters shows research at the beginning.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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How about movies that have "alternative universe" type of plots? These type of movies demonstrate the concept of dependent/independent events.
Mr. Destiny, Sliding Doors, and, of course, Its a Wonderful Life are three movies that comes to mind.
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