The Arts
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): This dry-humor comedy takes place in a fictional, European land called Zubrowka, and most of the images were created without the use of CGI technology. The architecture, framing, and graphic illustrations of this film are truly remarkable, and every shot leaves viewers mesmerized.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003): Quenton Tarantino’s use of anime, Japanese aesthetic principles, and unique mise-en-scène are sure to catch the eye of any emerging artist.
Math
The Imitation Game (2014): Experience the moving story of mathematics professor Alan Turing who used his knowledge to break the German Nazi Enigma code in WWII and shorten the bloodshed by nearly 14 years.
Good Will Hunting (1997): No explanation needed. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s about time to check this one off your list. Math majors, especially you.
Psychology
Whiplash (2014): Andrew Neiman’s hopelessly-obsessed artist character is a psychoanalyst’s personal sudoku puzzle.
Boyhood (2014): Watch Mason’s character grow through childhood adversity, teen angst, and identity achievement as his life is documented from age 6 to 18. Mason’s story provides infinite possibilities for analysis from any emerging developmental psychologist.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991): This one’s for the brave-hearted. If you haven’t seen this best picture winner yet, tune in to this fascinating thriller about the mind of the psychiatrist with antisocial personality disorder (sociopathy).
Sociology
Roma (2018): The jarring experience of a housemaid, Cleo, points to real-life persistent disparities in race, socioeconomic status, and gender.
Parasite (2019): The most recent best picture winning film, which points out the unfortunate implications of capitalism and colonialism, infrastructural collapse, and poverty with suspense and sickening twists. It is definitely not for the easily disturbed.
Moonlight (2016): This one weaves in questions of identity with its breathtakingly honest depictions of the struggles faced by the developing gay African American male, in a society ridden by drugs, violence, and strictly held gender-role norms.
Philosophy
The Wizard of Oz (1939): Just trust me. You’d be shocked at the amount of Jungian concepts and religious (or atheist) allegory that you can pull from the curious story of Dorothy.
Life Of Pi (2012): This rich and dynamic tale of a man stranded at sea will have you pondering your spirituality, self-perception, and faith, and ultimately lead to questions of what really constitutes truth.
History
La vita è bella (1997): A magnificent Italian historical fiction, which follows a happily married couple and son whose life changes within minutes as they are taken to a concentration camp amidst WWII.
Les Misérables (2012): A musical depiction of the French Revolution in another riveting historical fiction.
Selma (2014): Watch this one for an accurate film adaptation of one of America’s most significant social protests, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers march for suffrage.
Biology
The Andromeda Strain (1971): A chilling techno-thriller film about a satellite containing a deadly, microscopic organism crashing onto the Earth, and a group of scientists determined to contain the disease.
Gattaca (1997): A captivating film about genetics. Watch as Vincent Freeman fights his fate by purchasing genes and assuming another’s genetic identity.
Chemistry
Layer Cake (2004): This may be a stretch, but it’s an exciting film regardless. An unnamed cocaine dealer must perform a series of difficult tasks while trying to stray away from a life of crime.
The Martian (2015): This moving film is highly scientifically accurate. Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, is stranded on Mars and must get creative with his biology and chemistry expertise to sustain himself.
Physics
The Theory Of Everything (2014): This goes without saying, but this film will move you to tears. Get an inside look into the life of the greatest cosmetologist of our time, Stephen Hawking.
Interstellar (2014): This epic science fiction movie is certainly a trippy one. This movie follows a NASA physicist who is working to transport Earth’s population to a new home.
Environmental Studies
Jurassic Park (1993): No explanation needed for this one. If you haven’t seen it already, there is nothing left to wait for.
Avatar (2009): Aesthetically beautiful and emotionally captivating, this film tells the story of the consequences of colonization, environmental exploitation, and the value of culture through the story of an ex-Marine who is thrust into life on the fictional planet Pandora, populated with intelligent beings.
Health and Exercise Science
I, Tonya (2017): Figure skater Tonya Harding’s world seems to come to a screeching halt when she becomes associated with one of the biggest scandals in sports history.
G.I. Jane (1997): This one screams girl power like no other. Lieutenant Jordan O’Neil is chosen specifically for her femininity to enter a training program to incorporate the integration of women into service. This one is sure to fire up anyone’s motivation.
Engineering/Technology
Her (2013): If you’ve seen Black Mirror, get your hands on this one. The idea of falling in love with an AI robot seems quite bizarre at first glance, but the movie takes you on an emotional journey to realize just what further technological advancement can mean for our society, for better or for worse.
Ex Machina (2015): Caleb Smith learns he has been chosen to take the Turing test to determine the capabilities of an AI robot named Ava. The firm soon realizes just how aware and conscious Ava truly is.
Business
The Social Network (2010): Learn about how Mark Zuckerburg came to invent Facebook and become one of the youngest billionaires until he receives two lawsuits.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006): A classic chick-flick for the female entrepreneur. Watch how female designer, Andy (Anne Hathaway), handles working with a truly evil editor without compromising her success.
Language/Linguistics
Nell (1994): Nell is a feral child, and upon her discovery by Dr. Lovell, the language that she has developed becomes a great fascination.
The Lord Of The Rings (2001-2003): Okay, it may sound like a stretch, but the fact that John R.R. Tolkein constructed an entire fictional language for a fictional world in middle-earth is pretty earth-shattering. Maybe you can pick up Sindarin and speak like the elves!
A Clockwork Orange (1971): You’ve been warned about this one. A Clockwork Orange takes place in a future dystopian world where teenage gang members speak in Nadsat, which is similar to English, with elements of Russian and English slang. Just don’t expect an “appy polly loggy” (apology) when the images from this film haunt your dreams!
English/Literature
Big Fish (2003): A beautiful fantasy film that seems to tell the story of a father and son, but is really a story about storytelling. A must-watch for any writer or literature junkie.
Finding Forrester (2000): Inspired by the infamous American-lit novelist J.D. Salinger, a university student befriends a hermetic writer in order to improve his writing and accept his identity.