Geez, all this serious stuff. I was thinking of the scene in “Stardust” (since I just watched it last night) where Robert DeNiro and Ricky Gervais are haggling over the price of lightning bolts. DeNiro was good, but Gervais was perfect. Amazing timing.
Well, I dunno if I’m qualified to really post this, since I haven’t seen all the movie, but…Daisy Earles in Freaks, during the wedding reception scene (Gooble gobble!), just wells up with tears, without saying a word, at the ill treatment of her unrequited love by his new wife.
Like I said, I haven’t seen the rest of the movie, yet…but it was more impressive than most of what I’ve seen out of hollywood for awhile (specifically including, but not limited to, Ben Affleck).
After that, Harris Yulin in Deep Space Nine’s Duet, during his final “confrontation” with Kira (at about 6 minutes in, specifically).
Ha, I love Rushmore! A movie filled with wonderful scenes, just like all of Anderson’s films. Post after you’ve seen There Will Be Blood and let me know what you thought of That Scene.
This isn’t a serious scene, but I loved it. In Knocked Up, Leslie Mann’s Debbie and Katherine Heigl’s Alison are trying to get into a trendy club and is stopped by the doorman. Debbie loses it and goes off on the doorman. You really feel sorry for him, but then he comes back with the perfect comeback. (this is from IMDB and I don’t think it’s completely accurate, but I don’t have the movie to check. In any case, it’s close)
Michael Hogan as Col. Saul Tigh in the latest incarnation of Batttlestar Galactica should have at the very least been nominated for an Emmy and, I think, should win one, for the episode “Exodus, Part 2.” He steps out of the Raptor and Adama says, “you did it Saul, you brought them home.”
Hogan just looks out with that one eye, and simply says, “not all of them,” with that little choke in his voice. Makes me tear up every single time I see it.
I love this show, so maybe I hype it a little more than strictly necessary, but there is some damn fine acting on it, and I think Hogan deserves wider recognition.
On Criminal Minds, Kirsten Vangsness’ character had been more-or-less a one-note comic relief computer wiz throughout the first season, but in the first episode of season 2, she had a scene where she had to stand up and say that a serial killer had got access to the FBI computers because of her mistake – it was a very small moment, but absolutely pitch-perfect.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding you - but aren’t those different Andersons (Wes vice Paul Thomas)? Both have great little character scenes though (in particular there were a number of scenes in Magnolia that I thought were great acting, even in a pretty bloated and not-great movie - the ones in the bar with William H. Macy in particular).
I’m not at all a Ben Stiller fanatic, but I really think the look in his eyes from horror-to-wicked-delight during the ‘hairgel’ scene in There’s Something About Mary was just masterful.
Argh, nevermind Equipose - I see that I did misread you! Too many Mr. Andersons…
I might be remembering this wrong, but I think Hanks (as Gump) says, “Is he smart, or is he …” and he can’t finish the thought, but he touches his chest. Obviously he intends to say " … or is he dumb like me?"
That scene makes me cry every time I see it. Hanks plays Forrest Gump as such a selfless, simple, wonderful character, and to see him belittling himself in that way … man, it absolutely kills me.
I love the character development in the film Thelma and Louise. In particular I thought Susan Sarandon gave a very nuanced performance. I love the scene where she says goodbye to her long-time boyfriend (played by Michael Madsen) in a roadside diner. Her words are casual, but you can tell by the look on her face that she knows it’s the last time she’ll ever see him. Her face expresses both fear and bravery; she’s scared of the future, but also showing a confidence and certainty she’s never had before.
In The Remains Of The Day, there’s a scene between Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, not even a SCENE, it’s about ten seconds, tops…but Anthony Hopkins is playing a very stuffy, reserved butler, English, no feelings, you know. And Emma Thompson is the house matron (head of maids, majordomo, whatever) and she’s slightly more emotional and pleasant. But you know that he is in love with her although throughout the movie it’s never spoken or realized.
Anyway, in this scene, he’s standing in the library with his book and she comes in and asks him if she can see what he’s reading. He says no, that it’s not appropriate for her to read such a thing and she giggles and tries to pry the book from his hands, and there are no words, but the way his eyes bore into her as she happily tries to get the book, his face so full of yearning to say, do, anything…is just absolutely heartbreaking and wonderful.
Somebody mentioned one with Tilda Swinton upthread - there’s a bit in The War Zone, which is a movie that will absolutely tear you apart, where she has this little scene in the hospital where her son sort of tries to tell her about her husband and you can see on her face that she suspects, and all her guilt - she’s just an amazing, fantastic actress.
LOTR: Return Of The King. The look on Hugo Weaving’s face when his character Elrond presents his daughter Arewn to Aragorn to marry. Weaving’s face is a mix of joy for his daughter’s happiness and the knowledge that she will be mortal and he’ll never see her again.
Not exactly a heavy film, but clearly Samuel L. Jackson’s role as Jules in the beginning of Pulp Fiction. He’s not acting, that’s actually what Sam Jackson would do in that exact situation. You can just tell.
Tara just told Buffy her mother died of cancer.
Buffy: I’m sorry. Was it sudden?
Tara: No…and yes.
Great line and great scene. Nailed by the girl who plays Tara.
I’ll nominate Spanky Ham in his scene during the musical elimination episode of Drawn Together. His performance is just perfect and he totally nails it. He even says so himself.
“Nailed it!”
I’ll nominate a funny scene. My PBS station shows My Family as part of it’s Brit Coms and it’s one of our favorites. There’s an episode where Nick (played by Kris Marshall according to IMDB) chooses acting as his career of the day. During one scene Ben and Susan are having a conversation on the couch in the livingroom when Nick walks into the background and just starts doing things in the background without speaking to his parents. Pretty soon, some strange woman walks in in a police uniform, then some man with a newspaper and they all start interacting with one another. It took me a minute to figure out that he and his acting buddies were rehersing being background actors. The whole scene just had me rolling because the background action is so incongruous with the foreground and Nick and the other people did such classic tv/movie street background action that it was a fantastic parody at the same time as being another perfectly rediculous stunt by Nick. Classic moment. Just thinking about it gets me giggling still.
I’m not sure this fits the OP, but it was the first thing to go through my head when I saw the thread title.
From LOTR: the Fellowship of the Ring
Everyone is fighting with each other as the council tries to decide who will bring the ring to Mordor. Frodo says: I’ll take it.
But he has to speak up to be heard of the argument.
The look on Ian McKellen’s face is so pained. It’s a very brief close up, but absolutely nailed indeed.
Wilford Brimley did an amazing turn as the Ass’t US District Attorney at the end of Absence of Malice. Brilliant stuff. Nailed the scene, reduced Bob Balaban to the trashy slimy level he truly lives at. ( Well. His character. I’ve worked for Bob. He’s a nice fellow. )
Great bit role. Just classic.
Cartooniverse
Except that scene shows that he’s not all that simple, after all. He goes through his life saying “stupid is as stupid does” and giving people the impression that he’s perfectly content with himself, and in a single moment the whole facade breaks and we realize that it’s all an act. It redefines his entire character.
To me, that one scene makes the movie.