Science and Academia
Movies relevant to science and/or academia. Most of them good, many masterpieces included.
A frequently updated list which includes only movies I have watched.
A frequently updated list which includes only movies I have watched.
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26 titles
- DirectorJames BridgesStarsTimothy BottomsLindsay WagnerJohn HousemanA first-year law student at Harvard Law School struggles with balancing his coursework and a woman, unaware that she has a connection that affects their relationship.Amazing atmosphere! One of my top favorite movies. John Houseman's performance is extraordinary! 10/10
- DirectorMatt BrownStarsDev PatelJeremy IronsMalcolm SinclairThe story of the life and academic career of the pioneer Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his friendship with his mentor, Professor G.H. Hardy.Shows a lot about how impersonal research can get. 8/10
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen AffleckWill Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.What can I say, Robin Williams! 9/10
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.An incredible movie about one of the most important and one of the most underrated human beings of all times. 9/10
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsRobin WilliamsRobert Sean LeonardEthan HawkeMaverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.What can I say, Robin Williams! 9/10
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.One of the most beautiful movies about a great scientist. 9/10
- DirectorJames MarshStarsEddie RedmayneFelicity JonesTom PriorStephen Hawking gets unprecedented success in the field of physics despite being diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age of 21. He defeats awful odds as his first wife Jane aids him loyally.If it has something to do with Hawking, it is awesome. 9/10
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsStephen HawkingIsobel HawkingJanet HumphreyA film about the life and work of the cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, who despite his near total paralysis, was one of the great minds of all time....and the real thing. 8/10
- DirectorDenzel WashingtonStarsDenzel WashingtonForest WhitakerKimberly EliseA drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.Touching..! 9/10
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsCliff McMullenYasiin BeyLuray CooperA dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.A wonderful movie about a great scientist. 9/10
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsAmy AdamsJeremy RennerForest WhitakerA linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.The Indiana Jones of linguists. Great movie! 8/10
- DirectorJames HawesStarsEve BestBruce GreenwoodWilliam HurtFactual drama exploring the truth behind the space shuttle Challenger's 1986 disintegration.Great depiction of Richard Feynman. 8/10
- DirectorTheodore MelfiStarsTaraji P. HensonOctavia SpencerJanelle MonáeThe story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program."A touching, real-life story. 8/10"
- DirectorHoward DaviesStarsStephen ReaDaniel CraigFrancesca AnnisA television adaptation of Michael Frayn's celebrated and award-winning stage play about the meeting between physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg in 1941 Copenhagen. At this time the young Heisenberg was leading a faltering German research program into nuclear energy, while the middle-aged and apparently isolated Bohr was in contact with allied agents, and still held a position of great influence in the nuclear physics research community. After the meeting the two men put different interpretations or impressions of why Heisenberg requested the meeting, and what he hoped to gain from it, a theme which mirrors the ambiguity of the "Copenhagen" interpretation widely used in quantum physics. Did Heisenberg go to the avuncular Bohr to seek his blessing for his role in nuclear research? Why did Heisenberg concentrate on the development of a nuclear reactor, and not perform the calculations which would show that a bomb could be made to work via a fast-neutron reaction in Uranium 235? These and other questions feature in the plot, although unsurprisingly there are few certain answers.Great cast and performances, very good atmosphere. 8/10
- DirectorFarhad SafiniaStarsMel GibsonSean PennEddie MarsanProfessor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsGwyneth PaltrowAnthony HopkinsHope DavisThe daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician, recently deceased, tries to come to grips with her possible inheritance: his insanity. Complicating matters are one of her father's ex-students, who wants to search through his papers, and her estranged sister, who shows up to help settle his affairs.An interesting movie with an amazing cast. 7/10
- DirectorMike NewellStarsJulia RobertsKirsten DunstJulia StilesA free-thinking art professor teaches conservative 1950s Wellesley girls to question their traditional social roles.7/10
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsMichael CaineJulie WaltersMichael WilliamsAn alcoholic professor has been hired by a working-class girl for higher education.
- CreatorSam ShawStarsRachel BrosnahanMichael ChernusChristopher DenhamIn 1943 Los Alamos, New Mexico, a team of government scientists is working on the top-secret Manhattan Project in a race to produce an atomic bomb before the Nazis. Meanwhile, their families adjust to life on the military base.
- DirectorJon AmielStarsPaul BettanyJennifer ConnellyIan KellyTorn between faith and science, and suffering hallucinations, English naturalist Charles Darwin struggles to complete 'On the Origin of Species' and maintain his relationship with his wife.7/10
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsJodie FosterMatthew McConaugheyTom SkerrittDr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.7/10
- DirectorAlek KeshishianStarsJoe PesciBrendan FraserMoira KellyConvinced his thesis will have him graduate with honors from Harvard University, a stuffy student finds himself at the mercy of a homeless man's demands when he holds the papers hostage.Unrealistic but fun if there is nothing else to watch. 6/10
This is where I draw the line: bad movies to follow. - DirectorTimothy LanzoneStarsDanny BarclayEric BloomDavid John ColeFour mathematicians are hired by the US government to solve the most powerful problem in computer science history.Mediocre and overdramatized. Still, relevant. 6/10
- DirectorShi-Zheng ChenStarsYe LiuAidan QuinnMeryl StreepBased on actual events, a Chinese university student responds violently when his chances for a Nobel Prize are dashed by school politics.Mediocre. The actors are brilliant but the script/story exudes awkwardness. Unrealistic situations pop out of nowhere and the story is unraveling at a weird pace. 6/10
- DirectorAndrew DavisStarsKeanu ReevesMorgan FreemanRachel WeiszTwo researchers in a green alternative energy project are put on the run when they are framed for murder and treason.Mediocre at best. Still, relevant.
5/10 (It would be a 3/10 but Morgan Freeman saves the day) - DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsElijah WoodJohn HurtLeonor WatlingAt Oxford University, a professor and a grad student work together to try to stop a potential series of murders seemingly linked by mathematical symbols.Awful movie. AWFUL. Still, relevant.
3/10