# Favorite "movies within movies" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033 "2013-11-04T05:07:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/21 "2013-11-05T15:56:55Z")
[“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark… and Hamlet is taking out the trash.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z9Ismh1elM) ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/22 "2013-11-05T16:11:12Z")
Weird Al Yankovic’s **UHF** might qualify, but it was much more of a TV show inside of a movie. > **[UHF (1989) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098546/)** > > UHF: Directed by Jay Levey. With 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards. An unemployed visionary becomes the manager of a local television station. The station becomes a success, with all sorts of hilarious sight gags... ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/23 "2013-11-05T16:17:18Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Truman Sparks’ flight to pick up the girl was another good short piece within Fandango. As a matter of fact, he’s the star of the whole movie to me. Yeah, some pretty nifty stunt flying, driving his plane down suburban Dallas streets and holding his arm out to signal lane changes, pulling up to the home and his ‘plane horn’ playing _La Cucaracha_. Truman was a keeper. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/24 "2013-11-05T16:18:08Z")
There’s also _The Truman Show_, which might qualify, as it was a TV show within a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/25 "2013-11-05T17:03:27Z")
If you want to include TV shows… Robocop “I’d buy that for a dollar!” 101 Dalmations watching the show about Thunder the dog. Dumbo has a nifty opening sequence. It’s dark and stormy but then the stork flies out of the cloud and everything is OK. It’s basically a mini-version of the movie you’re about to watch. Bad things-fly-good things ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/26 "2013-11-05T17:07:18Z")
The greatest cartoon-within-a-cartoon-ever: _Itchy & Scratchy_ on _The Simpsons_. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/27 "2013-11-05T17:12:52Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The greatest cartoon-within-a-cartoon-ever: _Itchy & Scratchy_ on _The Simpsons_. Definitely. I was very disappointed that the Simpsons movie didn’t include the Itchy & Scratchy movie, just another short. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/28 "2013-11-05T17:14:44Z")
_ **Pineapple Express 2** _ in _ **This is the End** _. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/29 "2013-11-05T22:35:04Z")
Oh, does the Fruity Oaty Bar ad count? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/30 "2013-11-05T23:00:42Z")
All of the small clips of McBain from _The Simpsons_, when put together, make up a movie. See [here](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/216daf534a/mcbain-the-full-movie). I’m also a huge fan of [The Scary Door](http://videosift.com/video/Futurama-The-Scary-Door-The-Ultimate-Evil). (I would love to see them all in one video, but can’t find such a thing) ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/31 "2013-11-05T23:32:55Z")
[Living In Oblivion](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113677/?ref_=nv_sr_1) I don’t think many people saw it but I liked it. _Living In Oblivion_ is the title of a low budget movie being made by an indie film maker (Steve Buscemi). ---
**Author:** ![sylmar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@sylmar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sylmar)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/32 "2013-11-05T23:42:14Z")
The vampire opera in _Forgetting Sara Marshall_ ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/33 "2013-11-05T23:48:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > During _Kentucky Fried Movie_ there was a mini-movie parody of _Enter The Dragon_ called \* A Fistful Of Yen\* that is funny on its own, but doubly so if you’ve seen the original. I saw _Fistful of Yen_ years before _Enter the Dragon_ - I hadn’t known _Yen_ was a parody of a specific film, and was a lot more entertaining to boot. The opening scene of _WarGames_ could be a tense short film by itself, though by the more conventional usage of “film-within-a-film” (and I think most people opening the thread have the same idea), I’m fond of _Mant!_, the background subject in 1993’s _Matinee_. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/34 "2013-11-05T23:52:36Z")
[The landlord’s stage production](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLU_dAlyRz8) in _The Big Lebowski_. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/35 "2013-11-06T02:14:05Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The opening scene of _WarGames_ could be a tense short film by itself, though by the more conventional usage of “film-within-a-film” (and I think most people opening the thread have the same idea), I’m fond of _Mant!_, the background subject in 1993’s _Matinee_. Oh, hey, actual films or TV spots inside a films are OK too. Thanks for the suggestions so far. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/36 "2013-11-06T02:20:53Z")
The “Escape From Prison” sequence in “The Last Remake of Beau Geste.” ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/37 "2013-11-06T02:23:01Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > [Living In Oblivion](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113677/?ref_=nv_sr_1) > > I don’t think many people saw it but I liked it. _Living In Oblivion_ is the title of a low budget movie being made by an indie film maker (Steve Buscemi). And Peter Dinklage in his first film role… > [@](#): > > Tito: Why does my character have to be a dwarf? > Nick: He doesn’t have to be. > Tito: Then why is he? Is that the only way you can make this a dream, to put a dwarf in it? > Nick: No, Tito, I… > Tito: Have you ever had a dream with a dwarf in it? Do you know anyone who’s had a dream with a dwarf in it? No! I don’t even have dreams with dwarves in them. The only place I’ve seen dwarves in dreams is in stupid movies like this! “Oh make it weird, put a dwarf in it!”. Everyone will go “Woah, this must be a fuckin’ dream, there’s a fuckin’ dwarf in it!”. Well I’m sick of it! You can take this dream sequence and stick it up your ass! A great scene between Nucky Thompson and Tyrion Lannister, arguably two of the biggest stars on HBO at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/38 "2013-11-06T08:14:04Z")
“Put that thing back where it came from, or so help me…” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/39 "2013-11-06T08:24:48Z")
The [Brooks Hatlen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kotNxb2YApk) sequence as Andy Dusfresne reads his letter in _The Shawshank Redemption_. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033/40 "2013-11-06T09:09:34Z")
I mentioned this before, but Pan’s Labyrinth would have been a much better movie if it had been a 30 minute long story of the girl’s encounter with the supernatural. As for TV shows within TV shows I always hoped they would put out a collection of the Brown Hornet cartoons that they used to show on The Fat Albert Show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-within-movies/673033.md?page=3)