Starting Monday. 7 motivating movies that will make you start moving towards your goal

7. "Slumdog Millionaire"

• 2008
• Great Britain
• Melodrama, crime, drama
• Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan
• Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Mahesh Manjrekar
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an orphan from an Indian slum, is a contestant on the show "Kaun Banega Crorepati". He effortlessly answers questions that other people would struggle to know the answers to, and the guy doesn't even have a basic education. The guy's phenomenal luck makes the organizers of the show suspect him of cheating. To find out Malik's secret, they start interrogating him between rounds of the game. But there's no secret. It's pretty simple: each question relates to a different story in Jamal's life. He was eager to confess his love to a girl (Freida Pinto) and realized — participation in the final quiz is his only chance.

"Slumdog Millionaire" is the first Indian film in history to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

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6. "The Pursuit of Happyness"

• 2006
• USA
• Drama, biography
• Director: Gabriele Muccino
• Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

San Francisco, 1981. Christopher Gardner's career is not going well. Tired of being broke, his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves him with a son, five-year-old Christopher Junior (Jaden Smith). Along with the child, Chris is forced to spend the night in homeless shelters. His only hope for a better life is a junior position at a brokerage firm. Except that the unpaid internship lasts six months, and 19 other people are applying for the only position. Despite this, the man decides to take a chance.

The basis of the movie was a true story about Chris Gardner, an American businessman, who went through a difficult path from a homeless single father to the founder of a large investment company. The picture brought Will Smith nominations for Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actor.

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5. "The King's Speech" 

• 2010
• UK, USA
• History, biography, drama
• Director: Tom Hooper
• Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

Albert (Colin Firth), Duke of York, second son of Britain's King George V, grew up the unloved of two sons and never expected to take the throne. Because of a scandalous marriage, his brother abdicates the throne, and Albert prepares to take his place. However, he realizes that his stammer and fear of public speaking could be a serious obstacle, especially as England prepares to enter the war. Albert's wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) turns to a little-known Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). His methods are controversial but effective. Through persistence, the lessons help the future king overcome his speech impediment and become a pillar of the nation in the upcoming challenge of World War II.

The movie was nominated for Academy Awards in 12 categories and won in four of them: Best Film, Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler). With a budget of $15 million, the film earned over $414 million at the worldwide box office.

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4. "Into the Wild" 

• 2007
• USA
• Biography, adventure, drama
• Director: Sean Penn
• Starring: Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone
• IMDb Rating: 8.1

Christopher (Emile Hirsch) was born into a family that didn't need anything, but that didn't help the young man realize where his true purpose lies. After a college graduation ceremony, he makes a decision to radically change his life. Giving up everything he had, the guy sets off on a journey across America — to learn the world.

Motivating movie for everyone who is afraid to live the way he wants, won the Golden Globe for Best Song (Guaranteed). The film was also nominated for Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Hal Holbrook) and Best Editing.

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3. "Million Dollar Baby"

• 2004
• USA
• Drama
• Director: Clint Eastwood
• Starring: Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter
• IMDb Rating: 8.1

Maggie (Hilary Swank), a waitress, comes to practice boxing at a gym owned by grumpy old trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood). He steadfastly refuses to train Maggie, as he does not train women on principle. The loss of his best student and the girl's great successes along with her persistence push Frankie to take Maggie under his wing.

The film won numerous awards, including four Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actress (Hilary Swank), Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman) and Best Director (Clint Eastwood). Steven Schneider included "Million Dollar Baby" on his list of "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die".

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2. "Front of the Class"

• 2008
• USA
• Biography, drama
• Director: Peter Werner
• Starring: James Wolk, Treat Williams, Dominic Scott Kay, Sarah Drew, Kathleen York
• IMDb Rating: 8.1

Brad (James Wolk) has Tourette's syndrome. This disease is expressed by an inability to control body movements and speech. He is bullied by his classmates and his teachers insist that he be home-schooled. Despite the bullying from the environment, Brad decided not to give up and achieve his cherished goal — to become a school teacher.

The film is based on Brad Cohen's autobiographical book, in which he told the story of the struggle for the opportunity to live like everyone else and work at the job he loves.

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1. "Whiplash"

• 2014
• USA
• Drama, music
• Director: Damien Chazelle
• Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell
• IMDb Rating: 8.5

Andrew Niemann (Miles Teller), a freshman at the conservatory, lives for music and spends all day and night playing the drums. One day he is noticed by maestro Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) and takes him under his wing. However, his teaching methods are equal to sadistic: humiliation, threats, insults, physical violence. The guy will have to prove that he is ready to endure everything to become a great musician and join Fletcher's orchestra.

The film received three Oscars: for editing, sound mixing, and J.K. Simmons was recognized as the best supporting actor. Among the dozens of awards "Whiplash" also has three BAFTAs, one Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), and one Golden Globe.

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