Fast forwarding past the opening filler (probably lots of open spoilers)

Share a movie that you enjoy seeing repeatedly but usually fast forward to a certain scene or moment where you’ll begin. In most movies, I guess, the first part is orientation and character development. Unless that part itself is really really good (as with Goldie Hawn in Overboard), I like to move on to where the fun part begins.

I do this, for example, with Ghost. I fast forward to the scene where he first encounters and contacts Oda Mae Brown at her seance. Whoopi Goldberg honestly steals the show in this movie. Another one for me is Star Trek IV, which I fast forward until they’re ready to land in the park in San Francisco. Pretty Woman is one that I take waaaaaay forward to where she’s in the office with the innkeeper.

Now, I don’t do this with every movie. I’ll watch Groundhog Day from the very first scene with Phil at the blue screen because frankly, that’s a really good scene. Also, Rudy. I like how the movie opens.

What are some of yours?

I very rarely do this, but I do skip the opening narration of Dark City. Even after having seen the movie umpteen times, that shit annoys me.

I skip the newsreel in Citizen Kane.

Yeah, I know, but come on. Do I really need to see it again? I acknowledge the exposition; might as well just get on with it.

Skinamax movies typically start with a sex scene or naked dancing to prevent exactly this sort of unseemly behavior!

They’re onto you, boys.

In Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban I usually skip to the scene with Arthur & Harry just prior to when the trio leaves on the Hogwarts Express. Thereby missing the standard Dursleys-torturing-Harry bit, the Knight’s Bus ride, and the endless Monster Book of Monsters and getting straight to the important stuff: the introductions of Sirius Black and (in the train) Remus Lupin.

I tend to skip the scenes with the Dursleys in the first 3 Harry Potter movies. They finally omitted the Dursleys entirely from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, for which I was grateful. I won’t be able to skip the scenes with the Dursleys in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, since they are necessary to advance the plot.

I skip straight to the rock-throwing contest in Braveheart every time. I’ve seen the developmental scenes before that enough times to quote them.