I don't know what to make of this list. As mentioned in the title these movies are "mentions", and necessary doesn't mean that they are recommendations. Having said that if the movies aren't recommendation ( like say, what movie an entrepreneur must watch? ), does the mere mention of the movie means either author of comment is influenced by the movie, to use it as a metaphor for something he is saying or trying to say. In effect, Is a movie name being dropped in conversation by a HNer the movie might be more likable by you ?
OP here. Good points! The idea is that if something comes up in discussions often then it's part of our collective memory. Studying and drawing inspiration from it seems valuable and interesting.
