Quotable Cinema

"Which would be worse - to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?" Shutter Island , directed by Martin Scorsese and based on Dennis Lehane's novel, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who arrives on a mysterious island asylum to investigate a disappearance. Alongside his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), Daniels encounters unsettling revelations that blur the line between...

"A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets." Titanic , directed by James Cameron, is a sweeping romantic tragedy that follows the fictional love story between Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), set against the real-life backdrop of the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. The film traces their journey from chance meeting to doomed romance as they naviga...

"You guys, the truth is way more depressing. They are not even smart enough to be as evil as you're giving them credit for." (Kate Dibiasky) Don’t Look Up is a star-studded satirical sci-fi comedy directed by Adam McKay from 2021. Alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as Dr Randall Mindy and Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky, the film features Meryl Streep as the self-serving President Orlean, Jonah Hill a...

"The truth is I'm not a doctor or a lawyer. I'm not an airline pilot. I'm nothing really. I'm just a kid in love with your daughter." Catch Me If You Can (2002) is directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., as detailed in the book by Abagnale himself and Stan Redding. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Frank, a teenage con artist who successfully impersonates a pilot, a d...

Django: [to Big John Brittle] 1I like the way you die, boy." Django Unchained is a 2012 action-packed Western directed by Quentin Tarantino, inspired by the 1966 Italian film Django. The movie follows Django (Jamie Foxx), a freed slave, as he teams up with Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German bounty hunter, to rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the ruthless plantation owner...

"I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for. Because it’s not where you go, it’s how you feel for a moment in your life... and if you find that moment, it lasts forever." The Beach (2000), directed by Danny Boyle and based on the novel by Alex Garland, follows Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio), a young traveler who stumbles upon a secret island paradise in...

"That's my sweetheart in there. Wherever she is, that's where my home is." The Notebook (2004) is a romantic drama directed by Nick Cassavetes, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Ryan Gosling as Noah, a passionate young man, and Rachel McAdams as Allie, a wealthy woman caught between love and societal expectations. James Garner and Gena Rowlands play the older versions of Noah a...

...and what a culture can't assimilate, it destroys. (Dr. Jim McKeever) The Fury is a 1978 supernatural thriller directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novel by John Farris. It stars Kirk Douglas as Peter Sandza, a former CIA agent on a desperate mission to save his son, Robin (played by Andrew Stevens), who has been kidnapped for his psychic abilities.  Amy Irving plays Gillian Bellaver, a youn...

"You can give up, let yourself go... or grit your teeth and hang on like stupid people do." (Bea to Uxbal) Biutiful is a deeply emotional drama from 2010 directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, starring Javier Bardem as Uxbal, a father grappling with terminal illness while navigating the dark realities of Barcelona's underworld. Bea, portrayed by Ana Wagener, plays Uxbal's compassionate friend an...

Susana: [to Octavio] "You and your plans. You know what my grandmother used to say? If you want to make God laugh... tell Him your plans." Amores Perros (2000), directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, weaves together three intense stories connected by a car accident in Mexico City. Gael García Bernal stars as Octavio, a young man in love with his brother's wife, Susana, played by Vanessa Bauche,...

"If there is a war on drugs, then many of our family members are the enemy. And I don't know how you wage war on your own family." Traffic (2000) is a crime drama directed by Steven Soderbergh, based on the British TV series Traffik. The film weaves together multiple storylines to explore the impact of the drug trade, starring Michael Douglas as Robert Wakefield, a newly appointed U.S. drug czar;...

Paris Driver: Don't blind people usually wear dark glasses? Blind Woman: Do they? I've never seen a blind person. Night on Earth (1991), directed by Jim Jarmusch, is a captivating anthology film that tells five stories, each set in a different city during a late-night taxi ride. The ensemble cast includes Winona Ryder as a spunky LA cabbie, Armin Mueller-Stahl as an endearing East German immigrant...

"If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you." City of God (2002), directed by Fernando Meirelles and co-directed by Kátia Lund, is based on the novel by Paulo Lins. The film tells the gripping, true-story-inspired journey of two young boys growing up in a violent favela in Rio de Janeiro—Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), who aspires to be a photographer, and Li'l Zé (Leandro Fi...

"I think you're guilty as sin." (Detective Sunday) American Gigolo (1980) is a neo-noir crime drama directed by Paul Schrader. Richard Gere stars as Julian Kaye, a high-end male escort whose life unravels when he is framed for a murder. Lauren Hutton plays Michelle Stratton, while Hector Elizondo portrays Detective Sunday, the investigator who relentlessly pursues Julian, adding to his troubles as...

"I just wanna say I think killin' is wrong, no matter who does it, whether it's me or you all or your government." Matthew Poncelay, in Dead Man Walking, from 1995. Dead Man Walking (1995) is a powerful drama directed by Tim Robbins, based on the non-fiction book by Sister Helen Prejean. The film stars Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen, a nun who becomes a spiritual advisor to death row inmate Matthe...

"Garbage. All I've been thinking about all week is garbage. I mean, I just can't stop thinking about it." (Ann) Sex, Lies, and Videotape, directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a psychological drama that explores the intricacies of human relationships, infidelity, and voyeurism. The film stars James Spader as Graham, a man who records women talking about their sexual experiences, Andie MacDowell as Ann...

"They have no idea what's coming."  (Megyn Kelly, from her real-life broadcast during the Republican debates, in Bombshell, from 2019.) Bombshell is a drama directed by Jay Roach, based on the real-life sexual harassment scandal involving Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. Charlize Theron plays Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman portrays Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie stars as fictional producer Kayla Pospisi...

"In dreams, I walk with you. In dreams, I talk to you. In dreams, you're mine, all the time. Forever." (Frank Booth) Blue Velvet is a 1986 neo-noir mystery directed by David Lynch that explores the dark underbelly of a seemingly peaceful suburban town.  Kyle MacLachlan stars as Jeffrey Beaumont, a curious young man who discovers a severed ear and becomes embroiled in a twisted world involving a my...

"There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!" Cosmo, in "Sneakers", from 1992. Sneakers is a witty and suspenseful heist film directed by Phil Alden Robinson. It stars Robert Redford as Martin Bishop, a reformed hacker who...

"All non-denial denials. They doubt our ancestry, but they don't say the story isn't accurate." All the President’s Men is a 1976 political thriller based on the nonfiction book All the President’s Men by journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, the film stars Robert Redford as Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein, chronicling their investigation into the Waterg...

"I've always found that writing comes from a great inner pain." Barton Fink is a 1991 dark comedy drama written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars John Turturro as Barton Fink, a New York playwright who moves to Hollywood to write for the movies but struggles with writer's block while staying at a mysterious hotel. John Goodman plays Charlie Meadows, a seemingly friendly neighbor...

"I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills." Out of Africa is a 1985 romantic drama based on the autobiographical book Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (the pen name of Karen Blixen). Directed by Sydney Pollack, it stars Meryl Streep as Karen Blixen, a Danish baroness who moves to Kenya to manage a coffee plantation, and Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton, a free-spirited game hunter w...

"Cheating on a quiz show? That's sort of like plagiarizing a comic strip." (Mark Van Doren) Quiz Show is a 1994 drama directed by Robert Redford, based on Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America: A Voice from the Sixties. It stars Ralph Fiennes as Charles Van Doren, a charismatic contestant on the popular game show "Twenty One", John Turturro as Herb Stempel, a previous champion, and Rob Morr...

"This is a face only a mother could love. On pay day." (Amy Archer, in The Hudsucker Proxy, from 1994.) The Hudsucker Proxy , directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, is a quirky, satirical comedy set in the 1950s. The story follows Norville Barnes (played by Tim Robbins), a naive mailroom clerk who gets unexpectedly promoted to president of Hudsucker Industries by a group of scheming executives. With the...

"At my signal, unleash hell!" (Maximus, in Gladiator, from 2000) Gladiator , directed by Ridley Scott, is an epic historical drama set in ancient Rome, where the betrayed Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) rises as a gladiator to seek revenge on the corrupt emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The film, filled with spectacular battles and emotional depth, explores themes of hono...