Lloyd Dobler holds up his boombox.
Michael Corleone avenging his father in Godfather.
Scarface introducing us to his leetle friend.
The car chase in The French Connection.
Daft Punk’s legendary performance at Coachella. The video doesn’t do it justice. I believe that was the very first appearance of the pyramid.
While all the adults ran for their lives.
I’m surprised I managed to go through the whole thread and no mention of the Doctor at all?
My personal favorite moment was from the new series 4, the end of the Forest of the Dead episode: “Oh, look at that! I’m very good!” That last sequence sends chills up my spine every time I see it. I partially blame the awesome musical score.
Link to the scene (But it’s a spoiler for the end of the episode)
And of course, the episode with the original quote back in the first series of the new series. “Just this once Rose, EVERYBODY LIVES!”
Also from Buffy, Season 7: After Buffy goes into the alternate dimension to find out how to fight the First Evil, and the big horned demon thing comes out and kicks Spike’s ass. He (having spent all of the season so far moping about in a turtleneck sweater and being off-and-on insane in the incoherent sense), goes to the high school basement where his things are, and takes his duster jacket out of a foot locker, then proceeds to find the demon and kill it, leading up to the kickass scene…
puts a cigarette in his mouth “I don’t know about you mate, but a fight like that… reaches down to strike a match on one of the dead demon’s horns and lights his cig …is good for the soul.”
Same season, Buffy’s non-fight with Preacher Caleb, where she simply dodges him so he can’t lay a hand on her, making him angrier and more frustrated as they go. Considering that the last two or three times she has encountered him (once at her daytime job even), he beat her senseless, it was so satisfying to have her running circles around him and taunting him into a frenzy.
It was intercut with a fight scene with Faith and a bunch of Slayer Potentials up against a bunch of those creepy no-eye bad guys. At one point, the marching band girl does a warcry and just beats the shit out of a guy with her crossbow after she runs out of bolts.
The scene from Zelazny’s Amber novels,where Benedict finally catches up to Corwin always got to me. Riding out of the burning forest on a black and red striped horse. Drawing his long sword with his one arm, then following Corwin into the trees as he retreats. Cutting down the trees that get in his way with almost casual swipes as he strides forward.
His Creatures of Light And Darkness had some awesome moments as well. The fight between Wakim and the Steel General, thousands of temporal duplicates smashing at each other as the world is devastated around them. Set in his battle against Jehovah, grown to vastness and leaving mushroom clouds in his footsteps. Set’s comment to Anubis when he breaks one hand free of his restraints and raises it : “Come, Anubis ! You, your Staff and all your power against the left hand of Set !” as his eyes blaze like twin suns - and Anubis comes no nearer.
The Blade Itself: The First Law: Book One by Joe Abercrombie
Logen Ninefingers goes berserk, the first time the reader experiences it, after being cornered by the Practicals in Adua. You finally learn why he was called The Bloody Nine and feared by everyone.
It is a fantastic book for those that haven’t read it, quite evil.
The final chapter of David Drake’s “Ranks of Bronze”. The Roman legion that’s been fighting battles for an interstellar trading company for 2000 years has finally revolted, taken over the ship, and captured the Commander and crew. They’ve ascertained that the Commander doesn’t do anything but give orders, only the Pilot and Medic are necessary to run the ship. One of the centurions is talking to the crew:
Since everyone’s telling their favorite Buffy moments - Spike killing his second Slayer on the subway in New York from “Fool for Love” was the best fight scene on the show, hands down. The way both characters were so in their element, loving every minute of the fight was fantastic. “That one - she had a bit of your style. I could have danced all night with her.” Alas, it was the last time Spike was truly awesome.
Futurama - there were other moments that made me cry harder, but the reveal and destruction of Fry’s message in the sky in “Time Keeps on Slipping” was probably my favorite. So close, Fry. So. Close.
Supernatural - Sam decapitating Gordon with nothing but a piece of barbed wire and his bare hands. I challange you to think of a cooler scene from anywhere in the series.
I like Theoden’s speech at Minas Tirith.
The Venture Bros; Season 2, Episode 1
Dr. Venture and Brock Sampson reminicing/explaining to Orpheus about the boys and the 14 times they’ve been killed in the past - and how.
It’s just so comically bizarre. Laughing and joking about how his own kids have been killed 14 times over.
The entire !Viva Los Muertos! episode, with both the Venturestein plot and the Scooby-Doo parody.
Of course, like Buffy and Babylon 5, I find the whole series just chock full of Awesome goodness.
Raiders of the Lost Ark:
Indy is thrown out the front of the truck – and figures out how to get back in from the back.
Well, my brother went and got my hooked on a TV series that has a far above average rate of crowning moments of awesome:
Excellent cast. Phenomenal writing.
In the first episode, Detective Charlie Crews and his partner investigate the murder of a boy who’s father is in prison. Their main suspect is the ex-con father of another kid in the boy’s Scout troop. The troop was specifically for boys with fathers in prison.
After talking to the victim’s father and finding no reason anyone would kill the boy to get to him, they bring in the main suspect for questioning. They know it’s him, but they don’t have enough evidence. During the questioning, the suspect ignores the picture of the boy and refers to him as “just a kid”.
Detective Crews announces the boy’s name, and the suspect looks at him, confused.
“That’s his name,” Crews says. “The next time I ask you to say his name, you will.”
They have him arrested for parole violation (his partner was a felon), and he’s taken to prison. Crews and his partner are waiting for him when he gets off the bus. So is the boy’s father.
“Hey, isn’t that so-and-so’s dad?” Crews yells.
The suspect freaks, realizing that he is only so many pounds of dead meat as soon as he walks through the gate, and he starts babbling his confession, begging not to be put in there.
“What’s his name?” Crews asks.
“What?”
“What. Is. The. Boy’s. Name!”
And the suspect screams it.
Funny I should find this thread while watching Star Trek Six, The Undiscovered Country.
It has one of my all time favourite moments of awesome… Where McKoy and Spoc perform ‘surgery’ on a torpedo and once fired it arcs round and finds it’s target… “To be or not to be” and destroys it… The target being a cloaked klingon warbird (emphasis on ‘cloaked’)
That is a gorgeous moment in film.
The look of pure revengeful malice in Kirk’s face when he gives the order “Fire!” is perfect.
And then Zulu, captain of his own starship “Target that explosion and fire!”
The helicopter assault in Apocalypse Now - “Dun-da-da-dun-dun”
Sulu is his name, incidentally, I also love the brief scene after yours where Enterprise and Excelsior pummel the bird of prey into scrap between them.
Inigo Montoya: Offer me money
6 Fingered Man: Yes
IM: Power too promise that!
6FM: All that I have and more. Please.
IM: Offer me everything I ask for.
6FM: Anything you want.
IM: I want my father back you son of a bitch.
STAB!
Also, this may not be as popular a choice, but I love the end of Clerks 2. Dante and Randall are in jail, with their friendship falling apart, and Randall starts talking about going into business and opening the Quick Stop. There’s a short bubble of hope for the two friends, which Dante then bursts with “We don’t have that kind of money.” Then Jay quietly breaks the silence with “We do.” I love that part, where the whole generally aimless bumbling adventures of the Kevin Smith world kind of come together, and the 2 useless convenience store clerks have a dream come together and find a point to their existence, all with the help of the two most worthless, aimless goofballs of the whole series, who finally come through as the heroes that make Randall and Dante’s dream a possibility.
Unforgiven: Who’s the fella that owns this shithole?
The Two Towers: The Last March of the Ents
From Buffy season 2 finale, “Becoming”, Buffy and Angelus’ sword fight:
Angelus: Now that’s everything, huh? No weapons… No friends… No
hope. Take all that away… and what’s left?
Buffy: Me.