# Great moments in otherwise mediocre movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252 "2009-10-18T22:12:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/81 "2009-11-30T23:10:08Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > _Under Siege_ wasn’t a great movie, but damnit, Erika Eleniak popping out of that cake is great. One other great scene - Segal’s _Unstoppable Killing Machine_ is working as a cook on the ship. He gets locked in a cooler, and yells “Get my pies out of the oven!” That, and Tommy Lee Jones. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I didn’t see the movie version of _The Puppet Masters_ but it sounds like it’s different from the book it’s based on. The character you’re describing as Donald Sutherland’s bodyguard was “Sam”, the main character in the book (which was written from his first person perspective). Sutherland’s character, the “Old Man”, was a supporting character. “I can fly a helicopter!” They really need to do a new version. Are there any decent movies of a Heinlein book? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/82 "2009-12-01T17:09:04Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is from the utterly mediocre flick _Captain Ron_. The other great thing about _Captain Ron_ is how Kurt Russell is wearing less clothing with each subsequent scene. 😃 My nomination is Michael Keaton’s _Multiplicity_, which sucked sucked sucked. But it had one great little scene. He’s been making clones of himself, and in a scene straight out of _Calvin and Hobbes_, while he’s away, the clones make a clone of themselves. But the 2nd-gen clone is a little . . . off. The marble collection is incomplete. The 1st-gen clones explain: “You know how when you make a copy of a copy, and it’s not quite as sharp as the original?” That line cracked us both the hell up, and it still does. Wouldn’t watch the whole movie again if you paid me, though. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/83 "2009-12-01T17:19:54Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > The other great thing about _Captain Ron_ is how Kurt Russell is wearing less clothing with each subsequent scene. 😃 > > My nomination is Michael Keaton’s _Multiplicity_, which sucked sucked sucked. But it had one great little scene. He’s been making clones of himself, and in a scene straight out of _Calvin and Hobbes_, while he’s away, the clones make a clone of themselves. But the 2nd-gen clone is a little . . . off. The marble collection is incomplete. The 1st-gen clones explain: “You know how when you make a copy of a copy, and it’s not quite as sharp as the original?” > > That line cracked us both the hell up, and it still does. Wouldn’t watch the whole movie again if you paid me, though. Wasn’t that the ad copy for the movie, or something? As I recall it was that line that made me realize I didn’t ever want to see the movie, because it was essentially the whole plot. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/84 "2009-12-01T19:22:14Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Having seen the film again not all that long ago, I’d say Sam was the main character. I also kind of liked the scene where he’s recovering from a seriously traumatic event\* and breaks down in the shower; I thought it had real emotion in it. Plus it was nice to see a hero who wasn’t totally immune to awful events aside from, perhaps, it just making him madder at their opponents. > > \*Having been taken over recently by an alien parasite and temporarily mentally assimilated into their hivemind, only to be freed later. Please, read the book. Take into account it was written at the height of the cold war, and sometimes Heinlein does not age well, but it is still a great book, way better than the movie. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/85 "2009-12-01T19:27:25Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > While I disagree that the rest of the movie is only “mediocre” that is a REALLY great example. I have to agree, I liked Monster Squad. People tend to dismiss kid movies, but there have been some great ones out there, which goes to demonstrate that you do not need to have blood or sex to have a good movie. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/86 "2009-12-01T19:32:26Z")
In ‘Way of the Gun’ Ryan Phillipe and Benicio del Toro are leaning against some dude’s car. They start getting yelled at by Sarah Silverman who is talking up how her boyfriend is gonna kick their asses. So the boyfriend is like, “Fuck now I have to get into a fight because my girl is talking smack.”, so he goes and gets in their faces, and she undercuts him over and over talking mad trash, so Ryan Phillipe decks her instead, because she’s the one actually trying to start shit. Sarah Silverman’s performance is great. As guilty as I feel about thinking a scene where a woman gets beaten by a man is hilarious, it’s hilarious. It’s the funniest performance by Sarah Silverman ever. It also has one of the best lines: “Why don’t you shut that bitch up before I come over there, fuck a hole in her head and come some sense into her.” A guilty pleasure, but Sarah Silverman was being a trash talking cunt looking to get her boyfriend jacked up. It’s the first two minutes of the movie. You can stop it there. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/87 "2009-12-01T19:43:04Z")
Whether or not _Darkman_ counts as medicore, I was partcularly impressed by villain’s mini-monologue at the end, with the city skyline behind him. “Look about you! It’s all mine! Because I _built_ it! I built it all!” ---
**Author:** ![Rattlehead02](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rattlehead02/32/3944_2.png) [@Rattlehead02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlehead02)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/88 "2009-12-01T19:43:51Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > “Why don’t you shut that bitch up before I come over there, fuck a hole in her head and come some sense into her.” I hate to nitpick, but the actual quote is: “Shut that cunts mouth or I’ll come over there and fuckstart her head!” For some reason though your version of it is cracking me up. Like a bad English to Japanese then back to English translation or something. No offense intended, honest. 🙂 Here’s the link, btw. NSFW unless you have headphones. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5xsaMcw69D8/hqdefault.jpg "The Way of the Gun - Opening Scene") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xsaMcw69D8) ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/89 "2009-12-01T19:55:35Z")
The Last Starfighter: “What do we do now?” _Red lens flips down_ “We die.” ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/90 "2009-12-01T20:00:53Z")
If _Sister Act_ is on, I always try to flip back the channel in time to see Lauryn Hill singing “Joyful, Joyful”. Not that the whole movie sucks - that’s just the only part I am compelled to see. The rest is interesting and mildly amusing. And then the song gets stuck in my head for long periods of time. Like now. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/91 "2009-12-02T03:05:53Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > The recent Liam Neeson revenge thriller ‘Taken’ was actually pretty decent, but the scene where his daughter is taken and he hears it through the phone is GOLD. I bet that sucker got greenlit on that scene alone. Clip takes place at the end of the scene. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y\_Wu36wIEM&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y_Wu36wIEM&feature=related) I actually get stuck on what Neeson did just before that – figuring out in real time what was about to happen (possibly aided by his reading the script), and being able to suppress his emotional response in order to tell her what she absolutely needed to do: Something like, “They’re going to grab you, and you’ll only have a few seconds, so yell out anything you can regarding what the men look like.” Then, when she’s being dragged away, she yells something like, **"Right hand, tattoo, moon!"** Okay; maybe that stuff just happens in movies, but it really struck me. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/92 "2009-12-02T03:18:31Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > [DC Cab](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085387/) wasn’t good for much, but it was good for a scene in which the cabbies have, with some trepidation, agreed to form their own cab company. As the decision is reached, Gary Busey jumps up on the hood of a cab and says to the assembly (in grave earnest): > > "I just want to get one thing straight: I don’t work on January 8… > > …'cause that’s Elvis’s birthday." > > (At which point Busey commences Elvis-style gyrations and the other cabbies burst into laughter.) > > I use that line in every job interview. Busey also had the excellent lines: “Goddamn! Why women are so uptight! They got half the money and _all_ the pussy!” “Myrna! I know a good motel down in Spartenburg. How’d about it, you and me, 10 grand, a case of cuervo gold, and my lucky rubber?” Damn I love that movie. Gonna go watch it again right now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/93 "2009-12-02T03:33:20Z")
> [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > My favorite line was when Adam Baldwin tells his wife that he’s made the cabbies partners in the company. He adds somsthing like, “Honey, you’ve got to have faith in people.” > > She replies, “No. You have faith in God. You have faith in your country. You do \*not \*have faith in the _eight stooges_!” > > Busey firing up his new sound system and preaking every window in his cab is funny too (IIRC). [nitpick] That wasn’t Adam Baldwin’s character; that was Max Gail. [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/94 "2009-12-02T03:56:15Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > In ‘Way of the Gun’ Ryan Phillipe and Benicio del Toro are leaning against some dude’s car. They start getting yelled at by Sarah Silverman who is talking up how her boyfriend is gonna kick their asses. So the boyfriend is like, “Fuck now I have to get into a fight because my girl is talking smack.”, so he goes and gets in their faces, and she undercuts him over and over talking mad trash, so Ryan Phillipe decks her instead, because she’s the one actually trying to start shit. Sarah Silverman’s performance is great. As guilty as I feel about thinking a scene where a woman gets beaten by a man is hilarious, it’s hilarious. It’s the funniest performance by Sarah Silverman ever. It also has one of the best lines: > > “Why don’t you shut that bitch up before I come over there, fuck a hole in her head and come some sense into her.” > > A guilty pleasure, but Sarah Silverman was being a trash talking cunt looking to get her boyfriend jacked up. > > It’s the first two minutes of the movie. You can stop it there. I have shown this opening scene to more than 50 people. Everyone loves it. No one I have shown it to has ever seen more than another 20 minutes of the movie before they let me turn it off. I have loaned it to 3 people; none of them finished it. Probably the best opening scene for an action movie, ever… but the whole rest of the movie sucks ass. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/95 "2009-12-02T04:15:04Z")
The pot scene from Super Troopers. It starts out as a bad ripoff of Cheech and Chong but is still pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/96 "2009-12-02T06:55:32Z")
I just watched **DC Cab** again (for like the 60th time), and I gotta say: goddamn the '80s had some great comedies. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/97 "2009-12-02T08:08:06Z")
\*\*\* My Cousin Vinny\*\*\*: overall pretty mediocre. But I’ll watch it again and again for Marisa Tomei’s scenes. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/98 "2009-12-02T08:09:46Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > _Under Siege_ wasn’t a great movie, but damnit, Erika Eleniak popping out of that cake is great. Actually, \*Under Siege \*is a pretty great movie. It’s weakest link? Eleniak. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252/99 "2009-12-02T08:22:02Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > There’s a scene in _Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure_ where they have to get into the police station. Ted (or it may have been Bill) says something like “hey, remind me later to go back in time and hide my dad’s keys under this rock.” Then they lift the rock, and the keys are right there. > > That elevates the whole movie for me, at least a little. That one clever idea convinced me the rest of the movie’s stupidity was strongly tongue in cheek. No, you missed a wonderfully stupid movie. Fawgawdsake!, they played twister with Death!! Now Death isn’t funny anymore now that The Family Guy has Death as a pal, but back when Death played chess with Max Von Sydow for his soul in The Seventh Seal, and it was boring but the high point of an artsy movie, this was pure gold I tells ya! Maybe I’m thinking of Totally Bogus Journey. For my own contribution, Super Troopers was thoroughly dull and predictable except for the opening sequence, which was piss my pants funny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-moments-in-otherwise-mediocre-movies/514252.md?page=4)