Favorite Movie Scenes

[rab302]

One movie scene that never fails to choke me up is at the beginning of Woody Allen's other masterpiece, Manhattan. In voice-over he is attempting to compose the beginning of a novel while a montage of black and white scenes of New York flash on the screen. After several false starts an idea begins to gel.

Exactly one beat after the the last syllable of the phrase," New York was his town and it always would be," Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue reaches its driving crescendo. This is probably, for me, the absolute perfect cinematic moment.

Never could get in to Woody Allen movies, too New York centric for me.

 

[Hooper_X]

Never could get in to Woody Allen movies, too New York centric for me.

I love New York stories... movies, plays, books (especially Arthur Nersesian & Philip Roth), television shows. At this point I don't know which came first, Woody or NYC. I have all of his films on DVD. And, most of my favorite movies tend to have in common a lady I like to call Manhattan ... or Paris... but mosty Manahattan.

 

[rab302]

I love New York stories... movies, plays, books (especially Arthur Nersesian & Philip Roth), television shows. At this point I don't know which came first, Woody or NYC. I have all of his films on DVD. And, most of my favorite movies tend to have in common a lady I like to call Manhattan ... or Paris... but mosty Manahattan.

I just can't get into it. Like I hate movies that stereotype Louisiana, my home state. I have never in my life heard those bad accents. The best most authentic Louisiana accent I have heard was from Pruitt Taylor Vince (the narrator in the Legend of 1900, also Father Hennesy the priest that drank himself to death in Constantine). PTV is from Baton Rouge, my hometown and doesn't have a heavy, backwoods southern accent.

 

[nctoddmc]

One of my favorite scenes would have to be from "The Godfather", where Michael (Al Pacino) arrives at the house after the assassination attempt on his father and his cheek is broken. Sonny (James Caan) is raving mad, and wants to go to the mattresses, but Michael tells him "It's not personal, it's business" when he wants to be the one to kill Solozzo. Italians have a complex ethos with business and family combined.

 

[Hooper_X]

The best most authentic Louisiana accent I have heard was from Pruitt Taylor Vince (the narrator in the Legend of 1900, also Father Hennesy the priest that drank himself to death in Constantine). PTV is from Baton Rouge, my hometown and doesn't have a heavy, backwoods southern accent.

Well can't speak to the authenicity of the Baton Rouge accent. In fact had someone asked me before reading this thread, I'd have guessed that people in Baton Rouge spoke with Cajun and/or Creole French accents. By the bye, that PTV guy was in two of my favorite movies. Jacob's Ladder and Natural Born Killers.

 

[Willow123]

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[nctoddmc]

Chevy Chase snorting the salt, sucking on the lemon, then chucking the tequila over his shoulder. Playing the piano, "I was born to love you, I was born to lick your face,..." Just frigging hilarious.

Also, "Na nu na nu" on the putting green.

Caddyshack. What a great movie.

 

[Guest]

Another GREAT GREAT scene is the one in Crash (the Oscar Winning one) where Thandie Newton is trapped in the car and Matt Dillon goes to her aid...

I won't spoil it by saying what happens, but it was a fantastic scene, and you are holding your breath the entire time.....

Brilliant...

 

[Hooper_X]

Another GREAT GREAT scene is the one in Crash (the Oscar Winning one)

I thought "Crash" was a fine, albeit two dimensional, film rife with stereotypical characters. However, I definitely think that "Brokeback Mountain" was much more deserving of the best picture Oscar. I believe that there was a hesitance to award the best picture Oscar to a film about male homosexuals. While lesbians are perceived as chic, sexually in-your-face male homosexuals are not. In the end, the motion picture academy decided that multiculturalism and racism in L.A. was a slightly safer subject in George Bush's America than the love that dare not speak its name.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with the scene you described... So, more to the point, my favorite scene from "Crash" was when Ludacris' character *SPOILER* highlight to see...> liberates a group of enslaved Asian immigrants, telling them something to the effect of you're free now, this is America.

 

[witch_fire]

I love the presidents speech scene at the end of Independence Day. Gives me shivers and i'm not even a yank.

 

[doppelbock22000]

Top Gun, when the tower guy is screaming at the Squadron Commander about buzzing the tower and the coffee spill, and the Commander looks at the guys and says, "well that about covers fly bys"

 

[Hooper_X]

I love the presidents speech scene at the end of Independence Day. Gives me shivers and i'm not even a yank.

When Randy Quaid says goodbye to his kids before flying into the mothership, I tear up like a little girl with a skinned knee.

 

[witch_fire]

When Randy Quaid says goodbye to his kids before flying into the mothership, I tear up like a little girl with a skinned knee.

Yeah, and when he fly's into the ship. "Hello boy's, i'm baaaaack" Makes me laugh everytime.

 

[Guest]

I thought "Crash" was a fine, albeit two dimensional, film rife with stereotypical characters. However, I definitely think that "Brokeback Mountain" was much more deserving of the best picture Oscar. I believe that there was a hesitance to award the best picture Oscar to a film about male homosexuals. While lesbians are perceived as chic, sexually in-your-face male homosexuals are not. In the end, the motion picture academy decided that multiculturalism and racism in L.A. was a slightly safer subject in George Bush's America than the love that dare not speak its name.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with the scene you described... So, more to the point, my favorite scene from "Crash" was when Ludacris' character *SPOILER* highlight to see...> liberates a group of enslaved Asian immigrants, telling them something to the effect of you're free now, this is America.

Yep... good scene also there Hooper!!

I have to disagree with you on Brokeback though.... I thought it was an absolutely awful film. Boring, slow, mumbling unhearable dialogue. Nice scenery... that about summed it up for me... but hey that's what movies are about. I understand about people's opinions on Crash, but I loved it... I loved the fact that you sympathised with Dillon's character even though he was racist (the scene with him and his father was touching), I loved the way it showed how helpless Terence Howard was, and his standoff with the police, I loved the scenes with the keymaker and his daughter. I realise I live in the UK and may not know the situation in much detail, bit it DID bring a lot of stuff to my attention and showed that not everything in the world can be black and white... there are always shades of grey.

That's the great thing about movies for me though, and what makes them fun for me... the discussions afterwards... if we all agreed on everything it'd be pretty boring.

 

[Hooper_X]

Yep... good scene also there Hooper!!

I have to disagree with you on Brokeback though.... I thought it was an absolutely awful film. Boring, slow, mumbling unhearable dialogue. Nice scenery... that about summed it up for me...

I shudder to imagine what you must think of a good deal of British Cinema e.g., any film starring Vanessa Redgrave or Emma Thompson or the pre-Fight-Club Helena Bonham Carter or the pre-Silence-of-the-Lambs Anthony Hopkins. For me, Brokeback Mountain was completely engrossing. Even though the narrative centered on gay cowboys, a group to which I have virtually zero connection, the themes of deprized love, isolation and being constrained by the arbitrary dictates of society were pretty much universal.

But, as you implied, people bring different experiences and expectations to the cinema. I grew up watching a lot of imports from your country. Our public television network comprises a good deal of rehashed BBC period piece fare. And, with the exception of The Pythons, The Goodies and Benny Hill, most of it was pretty serious dialog-heavy reflections on how characters inner lives conflicted with the mores and rigid stratification of Victorian and Edwardian societies. I'm talking about the likes of "Flambards" "Up Stairs, Down Stairs," "The Jewel in the Crown" "Madame Bovary" etc. So, basically I have to lay the blame for our disparate opinions regarding the relative merits of "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain" squarely on the shoulders of one Alistair Cooke--who upon emigrating to the U.S. during the run-up to WWII immediately set about trying to class the joint up.

 

[Shimp]

http://lancemannion.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/bull_durham.jpg

 

[Guest]

I shudder to imagine what you must think of a good deal of British Cinema e.g., any film starring Vanessa Redgrave or Emma Thompson or the pre-Fight-Club Helena Bonham Carter or the pre-Silence-of-the-Lambs Anthony Hopkins. For me, Brokeback Mountain was completely engrossing. Even though the narrative centered on gay cowboys, a group to which I have virtually zero connection, the themes of deprized love, isolation and being constrained by the arbitrary dictates of society were pretty much universal.

But, as you implied, people bring different experiences and expectations to the cinema. I grew up watching a lot of imports from your country. Our public television network comprises a good deal of rehashed BBC period piece fare. And, with the exception of The Pythons, The Goodies and Benny Hill, most of it was pretty serious dialog-heavy reflections on how characters inner lives conflicted with the mores and rigid stratification of Victorian and Edwardian societies. I'm talking about the likes of "Flambards" "Up Stairs, Down Stairs," "The Jewel in the Crown" "Madame Bovary" etc. So, basically I have to lay the blame for our disparate opinions regarding the relative merits of "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain" squarely on the shoulders of one Alistair Cooke--who upon emigrating to the U.S. during the run-up to WWII immediately set about trying to class the joint up.

Don't get me wrong Hooper. I love slow dialogue heavy films. I love M. Night Shyamalan for instance, and most of the Brit stiff you meantion. Also 'Elizabeth', 'Madness of King George' and 'Gosford Park' I would recommend if you liked those.

I really don't know why I didn't like with Brokeback. I'm not homophobic or anything, and I also think Crash is pretty dialogue heavy and slow in places as well. I just couldn't follow the mumbling and couldn't connect with it at all. I found myself looking at my watch throughout the movie. Sorry... It seems both Crash and Brokeback are films people either love or hate for some reason..

I will be honest though and say we Brits can't understand you Yanks liking Benny Hill. He was never that popular here.

As I said I love discussing films, and it's nice to interract with you on it.

 

[doppelbock22000]

As Robert Wagner said to Steve McQueen in War Lover, "I don't think you'll make it", am worried here. Two of my favorites are Benny Hill and Major League and neither can be accused of being very deep. H

 

[Hooper_X]

I will be honest though and say we Brits can't understand you Yanks liking Benny Hill. He was never that popular here.

Well, I liked both films. But, I loved Brokeback. To be honest, I didn't think that I would like it until I actually saw it. Then it blew me away.

Benny Hill was HUGE in the United States. Personally though, my favorite British television show of all times was the one that chronicled the adventures of the intrepid boys from The Dwarf. "Are You Being Served" is also very big, even to this day, in the U.S. "Black Books" was another favorite of mine, though it didn't catch on as much.

 

[Guest]

Well, I liked both films. But, I loved Brokeback. To be honest, I didn't think that I would like it until I actually saw it. Then it blew me away.

Benny Hill was HUGE in the United States. Personally though, my favorite British television show of all times was the one that chronicled the adventures of the intrepid boys from The Dwarf. "Are You Being Served" is also very big, even to this day, in the U.S. "Black Books" was another favorite of mine, though it didn't catch on as much.

Like you more and more mate!!

Black Books and Red Dwarf are favourites of mine.....

 

[SueDreamer1960]

*****

 

[Hooper_X]

"We are commodities brokers, William. Now, what are commodities? Commodities are agricultural products, like coffee that you had for breakfast, wheat, which is used to make bread, pork bellies, which is used to make bacon, which you might find in a bacon and lettuce and tomato sandwich."

The first time I saw Don Ameche say that I very nearly shat myself.

 

[rab302]

The Serpent and the Rainbow

Man without pants tied in chair. Hammer. Big frickin' nail. Ouch. No blood, just the sound, very graphic. I flinch every time.

 

[Demos Straxus]

Predator 2, unveighling scene. Comedy gold

"You're one ugly-"

"MUTHA FUCKAR!"

 

[Hooper_X]

Tombstone (1993)

( Turkey Creek Johnson speaking to Doc Holliday, who is in a posse tracking down the killers of Wyatt Earp's brother despite being terminally ill with tuberculosis)

Turkey Creek Jack Johnson: “Doc. You ought to be in bed. What the hell you doin' this for, anyway?”
Doc: “Wyatt Earp is my friend.”
Johnson: “Hell, I got lots of friends...”
Doc: “I don't.”