The first was an old movie with Peter Lorre. Lorre, and a couple of other guys’ plane crashes into the ocean. The guys resignedly light cigarettes, and wait for the end, as the plane sinks.
The other movie was, I believe, a sword and sorcery type. A king, in order to impress his visitor, commands the two flunkies next to him to hang themselves, which they promptly do. Sorry I couldn’t be more vague 
I’m pretty sure the first movie is Crack-up.
Editing to add a quote from Wikipedia on the plot:
With death imminent, as water fills the cabin, Ace shoots the baron and gives Joe the only life jacket, along with the bomber blueprints, so that he will be rescued by a nearby steamer. The three doomed men left on board smoke a last cigarette as the “Wild Goose” sinks.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s Good to be The King!
The cable TV watchers’ prayer: O Lord, please don’t let it be Beastmaster again!
I think in college on The Movie Channel I saw the whole movie four times, and most of it about a dozen more. (And yet, I don’t remember that scene,)
The scene is very early in the movie. The evil high priest is trying to impress the king by ordering the flunkies to hang themselves. The king is not impressed. So the priest sets out to kill the king and his unborn son. The son eventually grows up to be the Beast Master.
That explains it. When you’re watching at random between classes, you always miss the beginning.
Aw, you spoiled for me 
Only about 10 minutes. You can still enjoy the rest of the movie, with the Beastmaster doing cool stuff.