Forget best lines, what about best scenes?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

When Harry Met Sally: I bet everyone thinks I’m going to say the Deli scene, but no. I love the look on Harry’s face when he’s out walking alone on New Year’s Eve and he suddenly realizes what an idiot he’s been and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with Sally, and while he’s thinking, he starts walking a bit faster, and then running…I love that scene. I also love the old couples on the couch, especially the ones who grew up within blocks of one another and worked in the same building and never met until they stayed in the same hotel in Chicago. He met her on the elevator, and he rode up nine extra floors just to talk to her. Nine extra floors.

I have to second the “Hit Weezer” scene from Steel Magnolias.

Another good look-on-the-face-of-dawning-realization scene is the one in Chasing Amy where they go to the party at the Meow Mix and Alyssa gets up to sing. The scene at the beginning with “Black Rage!” and the one about permanent injuries are also classics.

The escape scene from The Shawshank Redemption is incredibly powerful. When Andy spills out of the sewer into the rain and looks up at the sky as a free man for the first time in years, it gives me chills.

The scene where Kevin Spacey blackmails his boss in American Beauty is awesome. I especially love the letter he writes to describe what he does for the company.

The best scene Keanu Reeves ever had as an actor was in Parenthood. His character was this dumbass young guy, but he had one really poignant scene in which he makes it perfectly clear that he’ll turn out okay. He’s talking to his mother-in-law about the problems with her son’s relationship with her ex-husband, and says, “You need a license to drive a car, to own a dog–hell, you need a license to catch a fish. But any asshole can be a father.”

That’s it for now. I’m sure I’ll think of more five seconds after I hit Submit.

“Buffalo Bills? Oh, yeah. The guys that always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.” --WallyM7

42

oooo scariest?

Poltergiest - the clown scene

Candyman - When the female lead (forget her name now) wakes up covered in blood holding a knife and you hear the lady who had the baby screaming in the next room, and you’re unsure what you’ll see next

Sleepy Hollow - when the child is trying to hide from the headless horseman after his parents get beheaded

If you feel that you must suffer, then plan your suffering carefully–as you choose your dreams, as you conceive your ancestors.

43

oooh, I forgot When Harry Met Sally, BurnMeUp! My favorite it right after yours, the “I love you because you order everything on the side” speech. A ** celebration ** of neurosis! And Usual Suspects, I ** always ** call the ending to movies long before they’re over, but in that one, I was in shock.

And though I may be hated or loved for it, I thought Fight Club was the most brilliant movie of '99. The scene where Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are talking about how they grew up without fathers was SO right on with a lot of my male frieds. That, and “I am Jack’s Obgoola Oblongta” or whatever the hell it was.

Habit rules the unreflecting herd. - Wordsworth

44

Amadeus: When Salieri riffles through the sheet music Constanza Mozart has brought him and realizes just how wonderful it is.
And it’s kid stuff, I know, but I loved the scenes in “Jurassic Park” where the velociraptors stalk the kids through the kitchen and then get snapped up by the T-Rex.

45

Great topic … here are a scene or two that I have the time to think of at work. I’ll most likely think of more, but the Metro isn’t conducive to posting. Not like being at work, anyway.

Manchurian Candidate There is a scene in there that gives me chills every time I see it. Any description of it would be a spoiler, so I won’t say anything here ‘cept I’m talking about the one about two-thirds of the way through. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. If not – GO SEE IT!

Evil Dead III – Army of Darkness Near the end… Ash back at S-Mart (Shop Smart!) and the Deadite pops up. “Name’s Ash… Housewares.” Then jumps up on the cart, does the Rifleman thing… great.

Das Boot Last scene in the movie. My god.

Hunchback of Notre Dame The Charles Laughton (?) version, (NOT Disney) where he rescues Ez.

Enough for now… need to look productive.

Once in a while you can get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right…

46

One to add from The Usual Suspects, in addition to the spectacular ending: when the lawyer, Kobayashi, is riding up in an elevator flanked by two goons. All goes dark, you hear two silenced gunshots. Lights come up, Kobayashi is alone, with a blood smear on the wall on either side of him. Sweet.

Alien The chestburster scene.

Aliens “Get away from her you BITCH!”

Blair Witch Project The house.

Carrie The moment it goes to splitscreen, the doors slam, and Carrie turns on the red lights.

Contact The opening pull-back, out beyond the solar system, with radio signals fading and getting older the farther you go…

Das Boot ping…ping…

Halloween Jamie Lee thinks she’s killed Michael, and his face melts out of the darkness behind her. Oooo…

It’s A Wonderful Life “I want to live again…” on the bridge.

Psycho The chair turns around to reveal Norman’s mother…

Runaway Train The finale. Those of you who haven’t seen this movie, go rent it. Jon Voight and Eric Roberts are both amazing in it.

A Shot In The Dark Clouseau playing pool. The funniest movie in the Pink Panther line (although the Pink Panther is never mentioned in the film, go figure).

Young Frankenstein Inspector Kemp’s first appearance.

I bet I could list a million more, but this’ll do for now…

47

I saw Ran in the theater when it first came out and again on video a few years later, and have just acquired it on DVD. I shall watch it again soon when I have an extra four hours :slight_smile:

While I’m at it:

Much Ado About Nothing (The Branagh version) The wedding scene. The ugly scene, which seems in reading to have dropped in from a different play, makes perfect sense in this version.

To Live The whole movie, but especially the couple’s reunion, when she pretends to have named their son “Don’t Gamble.”

Ed Wood The whole movie, but especially when Ed dances in harem garb for his friends. I don’t know, he just looks so happy.

Catrandom

48

Ooooooooooooh! THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE! How did I forget this one?

Either the scene where Leslie Parrish, dressed as the Queen of Diamonds, walks into the study during the costume party…or the scene where the black soldier has the “dream” and all of the members of the ladies’ garden club are black, too.

Uke

49

AHHH! How could I forget Much Ado? It was July 4, the year I was 13 when my mother took me to see it. I went in expecting to intellectually enjoy it, but not be entertained. And I walked out on tip-toes. I fell in love with Shakespeare that day, and have always been greatful to Kenneth Branagh for that. I’m taking a Shakespeare in Film course right now, and talked the professor into working it into the syllibus (which wasn’t hard, because he has a MAJOR crush on Emma Thompson. :)) My favorite scene is the first Beatrice and Benedict fight “Scratching could not make it worse, if 't were such a face as yours were.”

And this is my last post in this topic for the day.

Habit rules the unreflecting herd. - Wordsworth

50

Also in Ran…the beheading scene. The violence is so elegant, and so richly deserved.

51

Speaking of Kurasawa, how about the end of “Throne of Blood”? T. Mifune’s army decides he’s a loser, and they absolutely fill him with arrows. It should be funny, but it’s chilling.

Or the gorgeous end to “Rashomon”, when the poor carpenter renews the monk’s faith in mankind.

52

Manturian Candidate is great! I bought the DVD and the voiceover by the director writer and frank rules!

If you feel that you must suffer, then plan your suffering carefully–as you choose your dreams, as you conceive your ancestors.

53

Tombstone: When Wyatt Earp confronts Ike at the train station. “You tell 'em I’m coming and Hell’s coming with me, you hear? Hell’s coming with me!” The scene between Wyatt and Doc is fantastic.

Dances With Wolves: At the end when Kevin Costner’s character is riding off with his woman to keep the tribe safe and his friend is up on the ridge.

The Princess Bride: I’ll try to limit myself to one…After they’ve captured Buttercup and Vincinni is fussing about the rhymes. “No more ryhmes, I mean it!” “Anyone want a peanut?”

Steel Magnolias: The “hit Weezer” scene. Simply great.

A Christmas Story: When Ralphie has to try on that pink rabbit outfit on Christmas morning and his kid-brother starts cracking up. And, of course, when Ralphie finally gets his Red Rider BB gun.

Ever After: When Margaurite (sp?) throws a fit in front of the Queen at the mention of Danielle “whom you like to call Cinderella.”

Singing in the Rain: The Make 'em Laugh scene.

It’s a Wonderful Life: When George Bailey has been given back his life and goes home.

That’s all I can think of at the moment. Great topic, by the way. Makes me want to go out and rent all these great movies.

54

Young Frankenstein ‘Put Zee Candle back!!’

The Court Jester ‘The pellet with the poison is in the challace with the palace.’ & ‘I could beat you like that!’ snaps fingers, becomes klutz.

>>Being Chaotic Evil means never having to say your sorry…unless the other guy is bigger than you.<<

—The dragon observes

55

Ooh, something I forgot earlier:

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels: The poker scene, the ending, and the scene involving a rather large machine gun coupled with slo-mo photography.

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
-H.P. Lovecraft, “The Call of Cthulhu”

56

I agree, Cat and Swimming, that version of Much Ado is simply the best I’ve ever seen. Any Shakespeare that he touches turns into pure gold. Take his Hamlet, for instance. I love the part where they’re all hiding behind the mirrors and he looks that way. Maybe it’s just the look on his face, I don’t know. But I always liked it.

As for Much Ado, I love any scene where Beatrice and Benedict are fighting. They’re two of my favorite characters out of all Shakespeare’s plays.

When are you going to realize being normal isn’t necessarily a good thing?

57

Narile, one of my favorites! How could I forget The Court Jester? Danny Kaye was just excellent in that and I really liked the Jean character. Thanks for reminding me of that one :slight_smile:

When are you going to realize being normal isn’t necessarily a good thing?

58

Nine Months: 1) The scene where both women are giving birth and there’s like total mayhem in the delivery room. And the bonus is when Gail screams that whole sentence of curses at her husband. “You did this to me you miserable…” 2) When they’re in the toy store and Samuel and Marty beat up Arnie.

Never Been Kissed: The scene where Josie saves Aldys at the prom and makes that whole big speech about how the world out of high school is so big and it what you were in high school won’t matter when you graduate.

Steel Magnolias: The scene at Shelby’s funeral when M’Lynn totally breaks down. It’s really sad, and I always cry when I see it, but it’s such a powerful scene. Oh, and “Weezer” is actually spelled “Ouiser.”

Terms of Endearment: The scene where Aurora is screaming and demanding that the nurses give her daughter medication for the pain that she’s in and she screams until they finally run and do it.

Mulan: The scene when Mulan finally goes home and presents the sword and medal to her father and he throws them on the ground and hugs her. “The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter.”

Lady and the Tramp: The spagetti scene at Tony’s.

American Pie: The apple pie scene.

A League of their own: When they’re at the try-outs and Kit and Dottie meet Doris and May for the first time. Doris turns and throws the ball really hard in their direction and Dottie catches it in her bare hand.

Shining Through: Then end scene where Ed carries Linda across the border.

59
  • Terminator 2: The mall scene in the hallway, where Arnold pulls the shotgun out of the box of roses - in slow motion. Four stars, couldn’t have been done any better.
  • Ferris Bueler: -the part where the sister is driving home from school (-where people are taking up collections because they think that Ferris might need an operation-) and she sees the workers painting “SAVE FERRIS” on the water tower. - MC
60

Braveheart: the scene where the English soldiers break up a wedding party to take the bride away for “first night”.

Amistad: the scene on the Takura(sp?) where the slaves are thrown over the side. It is hands down the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

Also from Amistad: the “Give us free!” scene. What can I say, it’s probably the most well directed film I’ve ever seen.

Gotta get a plug in for “Hit Weezer!”