Wanna Take You Higher Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cultural and racial

"The Hundred-Foot Journey" (2014), directed by Lasse Hallstrom, stars Helen Mirren, Om Puri, and Manish Dayal. In a small French village are two restaurants, one owned by an East Indian family, the other an upscale French eatery with aspirations. They battle it out, with just a small road, but a vast cultural and racial distance, between them. When the haughty Madame Mallory (Mirren) takes Hassan (Manish Dayal) as an apprentice, his gifted cooking blends cultures in the food, and invites strangers to cross the street.

A fabulously uplifting movie about ambition, relationships and food is "Burnt" (2015) with Bradley Cooper. Watch "Babette's Feast" (1987) where love is rekindled, wrongs forgotten and angels enchanted. Also "Chocolat", where food and community will lift you up.

The photo hint shows horses of different colors, of a kind yet distant, as we often find ourselves regards culture and race.

Answer: Use the Force

"Star Wars" began in 1977, morphing into nearly 20 films by 2018, igniting each generation of an international audience. In this science fiction series the young Jedi Knight Skywalker often hears, "Use the Force, Luke" as he races toward peril or a rescue--a courageous, imperfect knight fighting alongside others against an empire of evil.

There is little detail given about "the Force". Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi said simply that the Force is "an energy field created by all living things". We're left to our own conclusions as we watch it manifest in different situations and characters. Some are seduced into lust for power; others have an affinity and the discipline to use it for selfless acts of good.

Lucas also presents the afterlife. Masterful characters can "become one with the cosmic Force" after death, and continue to guide and protect from beyond. As an audience we experience fun and joy, conflict and love, striving and sacrifice--in short the "New Hope"--that lifts us higher. May the Force be with you, always.

The photo hint suggests perhaps one bird encouraging the other to "use the Force" for some Luke-like amazing acrobatic flying.

Answer: A massive dam

"The Emerald Forest" (1985) is about US engineer Bill Markham (Powers Boothe) assigned to build a massive dam in the rain forest of Brazil. Directed by John Boorman, starring Charley Boorman (teen Tommy) and Rui Polanah (tribe member Wanadi), a tribe of Invisible People take the "sad" engineer's son, and a father struggles to understand, once he finds the boy. The story is based on true accounts of non-aboriginal kids assimilated into remote South American tribes, who when found years later, chose to stay with the tribe.

Often exposure to communities very different from our own is elating, fascinating, and enlarges both heart and mind. Enjoy "Eat Drink Man Woman", "Dances with Wolves", "Coco", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Bend it Like Beckham", "Crooklyn", "Witness", "The Gods Must be Crazy", "The Help", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Her" for a lift into different worldviews.

The photo hint is a beaver, known for building sometimes massive dams.

Answer: Groundhog Day

Directed by Harold Ramis (1993), "Groundhog Day" features Phil Connors (Bill Murray), a self-centered, cynical weatherman caught in a timeloop, forced to re-live the same day over and over. Through trial and error he learns that authentically kinder, more thoughtful behaviors have positive consequences, such as earning the respect of romantic interest Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell).

Ironically the long-standing working partnership between Murray and his director fell apart during filming. But for us, this witty film conveys that although becoming a better self isn't easy, the rewards of deeper connection and happiness are worth it. There's also a sense of magic or perhaps a higher power, that wants Phil to wake up and do better. Robert Frost wrote, "Our very life depends on everything recurring 'til we answer from within."

The movie world is rich with films about characters who change their hearts, notably "The Christmas Carol" and "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". The photo hint is a groundhog in the snow, presumably looking for his shadow.

Answer: Passionate love

In "City of Angels" (1998) an angel named Seth (Nicolas Cage) is intrigued and moved by the angst of surgeon Maggie Rice (Meg Ryan) when her patient dies. Seth falls in love with Maggie, then throws himself out of the heavens to become human so he can be close to her. But God has other plans. This film explores the sweetness of love, heavenly and earthly views of death, the role of free will, and the joys life offers. The film was directed by Brad Silberling, based loosely on a 1987 film "Wings of Desire". Gabriel Yared composed the soaring musical score. The film overtook "Titanic" at the box office and won Nicolas a Favorite Actor award, though some critics found the movie sappy, saying Cage should stick to action.

Engaging movies about the mysteries of other life forms include "Ghost" (1990), "Michael" (1996), "Contact" (1997) and "Frequency" (2000)-- each either sumptuous or schmaltzy as you like, but all about the divide between life and afterlife, connection between life forms, and the uplifting gift of love. "Oh, God!", "Bruce Almighty" and "Meet Joe Black" are great, too. The photo hint suggests "Phantom of the Opera", where the phantom lives in a different world from the girl he passionately loves.

Answer: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is a 1939 comedy-drama starring James Stewart (Jefferson Smith) and Jean Arthur, with Claude Rains and Edward Arnold, directed by Frank Capra. Smith is seen as a naive bumpkin and therefore selected by corrupt forces in the US Senate to replace a deceased senator. The media is pressured into slandering Smith, after his winning honesty and sincere concern for the people make him a liability. But Smith has his own moral compass, and wins the day.

Initially attacked as "pro-communist" and "dangerous to national security", the head of censors at the Hays Office, Joseph Breen, felt obliged to retort, "The Senate is made up of a group of fine, upstanding citizens, who labor long and tirelessly for the best interests of the nation." Despite all the hubbub, the film was nominated for 11 Oscars, Stewart won a Best Actor award from the New York Film Critics, and the Library of Congress selected this movie as one of the greatest films of all time, because it depicts the profound difference one good person can make.

James Stewart (1908-1997) became the American Film Institute's third pick for greatest American male actor. There is a story he and his close friend Henry Fonda got into a literal fistfight over politics in 1947, being on opposing sides of the aisle, but they mended fences and remained close for nearly 60 years. Stewart's most well-known film, "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), explores again the theme that one good man uplifts everyone. Also try "Dolemite is My Name", "Erin Brockovich", "The Power of One" or "Pay It Forward" for inspiration about one admirably unstoppable human being.

Answer: Kundun

"Kundun" (1997) is based on the life and work of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Tenzin Gyatso (born 1935), his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who was exiled from his homeland of Tibet in 1959. The film begins with the search for the "next incarnation" of the Dalai Lama, and his new life learning to become "kundun", the Presence, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet.

Since his exile Gyatso has devoted himself to creating peace for Tibet, and around the globe. Due to much political turmoil around the search for the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama after Gyatso's death, Gyatso said in 2021 perhaps he will not reincarnate at all, ending the role for Tibet. The controversy is perhaps difficult to understand (as some say the movie is). Still, films such as these open our eyes to how vast the world of spirit and religion is, thereby enlarging our individual worlds.

"Kundun" won several awards, primarily as a "feast of sight and sound". "Seven Years in Tibet" starring Brad Pitt came out the same year, about a mountain climber who befriends the Dalai Lama. The photo hint is a temple in Tibet. Other stunning films about spirit, culture and unique worldview include:

"The Drummer" (2007)
"Baraka" (1992)
"Bom Yeoareum Gaeul Gyeoul Geurigo Bom" (2003)
"Ashes and Snow" (2005)
"Whale Rider" (2002)
"Amongst White Clouds" (2005)
"The Dhamma Brothers" (2008)
"Samsara" (2011)
"Embrace of the Serpent" (2015)
"The Matrix" (1999)
"Avatar" (2009)
"Lucy" (2014)

Answer: Black Beauty

"Black Beauty" is narrated by the horse, as he endures hardship and loss, kindness and cruelty, finally coming to a safe and happy life. Anna Sewell wrote the novel, educating her readers and inspiring them to better treatment of horses. The 1946 film was remade in 2020, without great success.

Here are just a few of the uplifting movies about seeming impossible odds for characters with such inner strength they never give up hope: "White Fang" "Rabbit-Proof Fence", "Castaway", "Once We Were Warriors", "The Perfect Storm", "Lion", "12 Years a Slave", "Life of Pi", "The Martian" "Flight of the Phoenix", "Castaway on the Moon", "I Am Legend", "Mad Max: Fury Road", "Hacksaw Ridge" and a gorgeous, brave film starring an aged Robert Redford called "All is Lost" (2013). The photo depicts a thin-looking dark horse, shown kindness it accepts.

Answer: The Dark Horse

Beautifully photographed, "The Dark Horse" (2014) is based on the real-life story of homeless New Zealand Māori Genesis Potini (1963-2011), a gifted speed-chess player with crippling bipolar disorder. Potini and friends form a hodgepodge chess club with a goal to winning a championship, in hopes of lifting up local youngsters involved in crime and gangs.

Best Performance by an Actor winner Cliff Curtis (born 1968) gained 60 lbs (27kg) and "played chess every moment" as he studied with New Zealand's chess master Ewen Green for the role. James Napier Robertson directed. Where the club takes Potini and his kids is the journey of a dark horse, a little known contender, unexpected to succeed, like WALL-E compared to Iron Man in the photo. There's no perfect, happy ending, yet this movie is all about dreams, possibilities, and a passionate, near-desperate leap of faith.

This movie won Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Score at the New Zealand Film Awards. The earlier documentary film about Potini (2003) was also called "Dark Horse". Try "The Pursuit of Happyness", "The Blind Side", and "The Soloist" as well as a host of sports-related movies like "Iqbal", "Cinderella Man", "Chak De! India" and "Kung Fu Panda" for uplifting dark horse themes.

Answer: Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie played Mariane Pearl, a French Cuban living in Pakistan with her American "Wall Street Journal" husband Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman). They are in Pakistan after the September 11 attacks to investigate Afghanistan. Daniel sets up a dangerous interview, is taken hostage and disappears. Much of the film is about his wife's desperate attempts to negotiate this foreign land and find her husband. Daniel's real-life wife Mariane Pearl is the author of the book, "A Mighty Heart".

There are many such distressing though captivating and vital films about real human strife and global incidents. Stories like these can deepen our spirituality, wisdom and compassion. The deeper our understanding, the greater global healing. We might even be moved to take action.

Jolie has received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, penned some 200 articles for various causes, created many videos, worked for dozens of charities, donated millions of dollars and visited multiple countries as well as adopting several children, to help heal the world. She is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency. It's no surprise many of her roles are about facing great odds, or battling injustice. The photo hint shows pearls. Try some of these astounding films about world events and personal struggle:

"The Impossible" (2012)
"Hotel Rwanda" (2004)
"Life is Beautiful" (1997)
"Munich" (2005)
"Supernova" (2021)
"12 Years a Slave" (2013)
"Schindler's List" (1993)
"Fruitvale Station" (2013)
"Desert Dancer" (2014)
"Spotlight" (2015)
"22 July" (2018)
"The Lemon Tree" (2004)
"United 93" (2006)
"Lone Survivor" (2013)