What's your favorite science film and why?

  • Thread starter Thread starter J77
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Film Science
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants sharing their favorite science films and the scientific concepts they represent. Various films are mentioned, ranging from fictional narratives to documentaries, with a focus on the portrayal of science within these films.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a preference for "Good Will Hunting," citing its quality as a film rather than its mathematical content.
  • Multiple mentions of "Gattaca" as a favorite, with some participants appreciating its themes related to genetics and society.
  • One participant suggests "Pi," indicating a personal bias towards it, while others question its significance and express mixed feelings about its portrayal of mathematics.
  • Several participants discuss "A Beautiful Mind," with differing opinions on its accuracy and representation of mental health and mathematics.
  • There are references to "Contact" and "2001: A Space Odyssey," with some participants debating their merits as science films.
  • Some participants mention "Jurassic Park," but exclude it from the main discussion due to its popularity.
  • One participant humorously suggests "Cool as Ice" as a contender for the greatest film, indicating a playful tone in the discussion.
  • Discussions about the accuracy of mathematical representations in "Pi" lead to debates about its narrative and themes, including references to schizophrenia and the nature of genius.
  • Documentaries like "An Inconvenient Truth" are mentioned, with one participant noting it as the only actual science movie listed.
  • Participants express varying opinions on the scientific validity of films like "March of the Penguins" and "Cube," with some questioning their classification as science films.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on their favorite science films, with no clear consensus on which film is the best. Disagreements arise regarding the significance and accuracy of films like "Pi" and "A Beautiful Mind," indicating that multiple competing views remain.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions highlight limitations in the portrayal of science in films, such as inaccuracies in mathematical representations and the subjective interpretation of characters' mental states.

J77
Messages
1,091
Reaction score
1
Obviously Jurassic Park wins hands-down, so we exclude that one :-p

What's the best science film out there?

And what science does it represent?

I quite like Good Will Hunting - probably more cos it's a good film than to do with the maths tho'
 
Physics news on Phys.org
how about gattaca?
 
cool as ice. also greatest film of all time, period.
 
A science film ? Do we really want to see that ?

marlon
 
I vote for Pi but I'm biased.
 
slugcountry said:
how about gattaca?

Gets my vote or maybe aliens. Scientists and marines.:smile:

I don't understand what the big deal is in pi, that's just a typical maths head. :smile:
 
The dinos in Jurassic park didnt have feathers bah.
But a movie about people beeing chased by giant chickens might not be as cool.
 
A Beautiful Mind
 
antonantal said:
A Beautiful Mind
With the Kiwi fella? Nah.
 
  • #10
Schrödinger's Dog said:
I don't understand what the big deal is in pi, that's just a typical maths head. :smile:
come on. the great powerful number that fries computers, kills priests and mathematicians, is not a "big deal"?
 
  • #11
whatta said:
come on. the great powerful number that fries computers, kills priests and mathematicians, is not a "big deal"?

OK wasn't he just nuts though, really:smile: pi's not very amazing anyway, it's one of those numbers that just is. Did you know if you drop sufficient square slabs of concrete they tend to break up into and average of pi number of pieces, now that's weird.
 
  • #12
J77 said:
With the Kiwi fella? Nah.
Who's Kiwi?
 
  • #13
wasn't he just nuts
no, you missed the point. the number was not pi, it was 216 digits representing underlying structure of the world. the other guy was studying pi trying to find the system, and when he found it, his computer was fried, and he himself has almost died so he stopped. later, he attempts it once more, and the number kills him. that's when our hero realizes that it was exactly why his head hurts - since economic system is also explained by that number, and he was getting closer to it. that is also why his computer died twice after calculating the number. that aligns with the story told by rabbi (about "true name of god" that kills people). that's why he drills his head. to survive.
 
  • #14
Contact...
 
  • #15
whatta said:
no, you missed the point. the number was not pi, it was 216 digits representing underlying structure of the world. the other guy was studying pi trying to find the system, and when he found it, his computer was fried, and he himself has almost died so he stopped. later, he attempts it once more, and the number kills him. that's when our hero realizes that it was exactly why his head hurts - since economic system is also explained by that number, and he was getting closer to it. that is also why his computer died twice after calculating the number. that aligns with the story told by rabbi (about "true name of god" that kills people). that's why he drills his head. to survive.

Or was he just nuts? That's the point you don't really know do you?
 
  • #16
well I wouldn't need to make a 2 hour movie with the point that someone is just nuts. that would be like recording 2 hours of nothing at some mountain river site, and calling the movie "water flows".
 
  • #17
Pi's got a wicked soundtrack :cool:

ps: I thought the point was that it was the key to God - hence, industry, some Jewish guys and some government people all wanted it...
 
  • #18
I hated pi, it was a complete mess. Plus there was an unforgiveable number of obvious mathematical errors (the digits of pi in the opening were wrong after the first few places, the formula for the golden ratio was laughably wrong (I spotted this instantly and fell over laughing)), etc. etc.
 
  • #19
whatta said:
well I wouldn't need to make a 2 hour movie with the point that someone is just nuts. that would be like recording 2 hours of nothing at some mountain river site, and calling the movie "water flows".

Or you could just leave it up to the audience to decide, take it from me though it has all the hall marks of schizophrenia: links with God, obsessive interest in x, paranoia, even self harming. He could of just gone Nash.
 
Last edited:
  • #20
I saw it in a little theatre with massive speakers - I wasn't really making sure the digits of pi were in the right place :biggrin:
 
  • #21
Curious3141 said:
the digits of pi in the opening were wrong after the first few places
out of the interest I decided to check this. http://faculty.ivc.edu/rzucker/snapshots/Pi_Movie.jpg . It was 3.141592652631...[/color] not 3.141592653589...[/color] well, fx guys probably took pi from their pocket calculator, and then just added random numbers. But, how the hell did you managed to notice?

edit: I notice pi in your username. Must be going nuts.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #22
whatta said:
well, fx guys probably took pi from their pocket calculator, and then just added random numbers
Nah - they used the other value of pi...
 
  • #23
Alien. :-p
 
  • #24
Non-fiction: The Day After Trinity
Fiction: well, there's no science in ficiton movies so I vote for Spiderman II
 
  • #25
bladerunner

alien

terminator 2
 
  • #26
whatta said:
out of the interest I decided to check this. http://faculty.ivc.edu/rzucker/snapshots/Pi_Movie.jpg . It was 3.141592652631...[/color] not 3.141592653589...[/color] well, fx guys probably took pi from their pocket calculator, and then just added random numbers. But, how the hell did you managed to notice?

I just did. Guess I'm weird that way. :biggrin: Helps that I know pi to just over 200 digits, thought it'd come in handy someday (y'know, when the saucers land). :eek:

edit: I notice pi in your username. Must be going nuts.
That was intentional. You're perfectly sane. :smile:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #27
neutrino said:
Contact...

Gets my vote.
 
  • #28
either Contact or 2001 (if that counts)
 
  • #29
An Inconvenient Truth, which I believe is Andre's favorite, and it is the only actual science movie listed so far.

The best part is that I still don't know how it ends.

As for Sci Fi:
Metropolis
2001
Contact
Close Encounters
Star Wars
The Republican National Convention
 
  • #30
movie name: Cube

sci-fi: Gattaca, Contact, or an alien vs pred vs marine type movie(AVP, SST, ST, DOOM)

science? mmm march of the penguins? congo medicine man(were those science movies)
 

Similar threads

What are your favorite Wuxia films?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Why do movie studios cut films short?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Philosophy of Science: Discussing Maths, Physics, Mind, & AI
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Defending Science Against Ongoing Threats: Why the Scientific Method Matters
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Favorite Physical Sciences Podcasts?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
What Are the Best Science-Related Activities to Do Alone in Paris?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
3K
Insights What Are Your Favorite Science or Math Blogs? - Comments
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
The Scientist as Hero - or not
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
News Post-Scientific Technocratic Methodologies
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
News Does 'pack journalism' shape the science news we read?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K