Top Five Cinematic Moments

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

These are movie “moments”, rather than scenes. The death scene from Imitation of Life, for example, would not be appropriate here. Although it is indeed one of the greatest scenes in any movie ever, it lasts a while. These are simply moments that you remember kind of like snapshots.

Here’re my picks? What’re yours?

5. Now it puts the lotion in the basket. — Silence of the Lambs

I had held out some hope for the poor girl in the hole until the delivery of this line. After the line, hope is merely another torture for her. She is nothing more than an “it”. Like a bug. [shiver…]

4. The sack. — Rudy

I cry like a baby everytime I see this moment. You think of the work. You think of the years. You think of the unmitigated glory and the sheer it-was-meant-to-be-ness of this moment. It is nearly enough to make an atheist believe in God.

3. The hair straight up. — There’s Something About Mary

You just can’t belp but savor the anticipation of this moment. You simply can’t wait for the camera to switch after he sort of cocks his head and glances up from her eyes to her hair. Even after multiple views, it is good for a really hardy belly laugh.

2. The sledgehammer against the foot. — Misery

Wow. She slams a sixteen pound sledge into his foot, and during his scream, looks at him lustily, and demures, “God, I love you!” For her entire role in this movie, she turned in some of the most memorable work in cinematic history.

1. Are you ready for me, Ralph? — Risky Business

[Gulp…] Time and space begin to dissapate as Rebecca DeMornay approaches the open window, lifts her silky leg, and places her dainty foot on the sill. This moment is the end of the scene, after a very fortunate and sustained gusty breeze playfully lifts and tosses her light satin skirt, flashing strobe shots of her smooth flesh and gentle curves. Hey, the only way Ralph coudn’t be ready is if he’s dead.

2

Hmmmmms…

1)What a waste of sword training The swordman scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. One of the classic off the cuff scenes in moviedom. First time seen, unexpected and beautiful.

2)ByeBye, Mr. Bond It is one of the great lines, and because of that, one of the best moments…“You expect me to talk?” “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” Goldfinger
I’ll have to think on the others…not in movie thought mode at the moment.

3

Oh Yes…

3)Ride 'em coyboy!!! What a way to go, Slim Pickens rides the ultimate bronco…A hydrogen bomb. YeeeHaaaa!!! Dr.Strangelove [sub]or, how I stopped worrying, and learned to love the bomb.[/sub]

4)I have you now!!Oops Star Wars You know it is going to happen, but when Han Solo blasts the enemy Tie and helps Luke blow up the Death Star, that is a great moment, the adrenaline hits the roof there.

5)We are alllll Barbarians The Lion in Winter The final denoument(sp) scene, where everyones cards are on the table, and King Henry realizes that even if he wins, he has lost.

4

  1. The light falling across Orson Welles’ face in The Third Man.

  2. Grace Kelly pointing to the wedding ring and Raymond Burr noticing it and looking straight up into Jimmy Stewart’s (and OUR) eyes in Rear Window.

  3. Mary Philbin yanking Lon Chaney’s mask off in The Phantom of the Opera.

  4. The lighting technician turning the spotlight on Gloria Swanson on Cecil B. DeMille’s soundstage in Sunset Boulevard.

  5. Virginia Cherrill realizing just who that funny-looking bum is in City Lights.

5

Not in any particular order –

John Cusack holding a stereo over his head in * Say Anything*. Perhaps more memorable since the picture’s on the front of the soundtrack album, but as a symbol of love it stuck in my head long before I bought the record.

Mogwa gets it in * The Last of The Mohicans*(recent version with Daniel Day-Lewis, don’t know if there’re others). Almost a scene, but the ‘moment’ occurs when Mogwa receives such a crippling blow from the very start that there’s not even a fight going on there, just a killing.

The point when the rain begins and the rabbits are getting out in Jean de Florette. It always sounds funny to relate it that way, since it doesn’t seem like much, but it all relies on what built up to it. You realize that Cadoret’s (Gerard Depardieu’s char.) dreams are simply failing, irregardless of the plans against him. You simply see it from his point of view, an expression of despair.

The processional in The Mission. Specifically, the shot of the child holding the cross up in the face of all the fighting around him. It is a beacon of hope, and also a sign of the insanity of violence. Fits well with the verse used in the movie (John 1:5) “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it.”

And a couple that fall under “the moment at the end that makes the movie worth it” :

When Nickie realizes just why Terry didn’t meet him in An Affair To Remember. No doubt one of the sappiest moments in cinema, but it works.

And of course, since the movie is hardly watchable without it, the very last shot in The Blair Witch Project. The number one cause of nightmares in the US for a few months.

panama jack

“I’ve been looking forward to this for a very long time.”
-“Yeah, I’ll bet you have.” – Han Solo

6

Uke, you rock.

And for me,
In Casablanca, when Ilsa had insinuated herself into Rick’s office, we see her in the corner, in the shadows, and there is a luminosity about her that makes our breath catch (black and white kicks definite ass).

In the Manchurian Candidate when Angela Lansbury shows up as the queen.

The freeze frame of Butch and Sundance as they break cover.

Claudette Colbert’s leg.

Paul Baumer and the butterfly.

7

I agree with hobbleing of James Caan in ‘Misery’.
Then there’s the end of ‘Field of dreams’ where Costner realizes his dad is the catcher.
And the entire Normandy invasion scene in ‘Saving Private Ryan’.
And the scene in ‘Manchurian Canidate’ where the Senator is shot through the carton of milk.
And finally, the ending of ‘Usual Suspects’ where Spacey begins to show he’s not crippled after all.

8

Citizen Kane–the burning of the Rosebud sled.

The Wizard of Oz–the melting of the wicked witch.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers–the moment when Miles discovers Becky has become one of them is one of the most depressing ever.

The final moments in Don’t Look Now, The Godfather, and Chinatown.

9

Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras. The scene where the reporter asks a woman in a zip-up patent-leather vest, “What do you think of this “zombie” stalking the streets of New Orleans?” and she answers, “What do you think of these titties stalking the streets of New Orleans?” Ziiiiiip! Flash! Then a montage of Mardi Gras street scenes set to surf music by The Royal Pendletons.

A Bucket of Blood. After Watler Paisley (Dick Miller) inadvertently kills a cop (Burt Convy), the scene shifts to the coffee house where he works. A guitarist is singing, “Go down, you murderer, go down!” and Walter sheepishly walks across the screen.

Always. Near the beginning, Richard Drefuss is in trouble. As he barely clears the trees after being out of sight for a moment, there’s a close-up of Holly Hunter. Something about that one shot of her expressing relief gets me every time.

Dr. Strangelove (or “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”). Slim Pickens riding the bomb.

The Right Stuff. The juxtaposition of the astronauts being celebrated at a “Texas-style” barbeque, and the depiction of a solitary Chuck Yeager testing the NF-104 (which had the potential of reaching space… if only its reaction jets worked).

10

  1. Mel Gibson yelling “Freedom!!!” during the torture scene in Braveheart.

  2. The switch to color in The Wizard of Oz.

  3. The shark coming out of the water while Chief Brody is chumming in Jaws. Also the image of the shark passing under the bridge over the inlet, when you see the huge dark shadow and realize what an enormous creature this is.

  4. The end of American Graffitti, when Kurt looks down from the airplane, and sees the white T-Bird cruising away up the highway.

  5. The Shining, when Danny rounds the corner on his Big Wheel, and the twin girls are standing there.

  6. The moment in Rocky as the bell sounds to end the fight, Creed says "Ain’t gonna be no rematch, " to which Rocky replies “Don’t want one.”

  7. The Sixth Sense, when the kid gets up to pee in the middle of the night, then as he is peeing, you see the ghost pass behind him.

  8. Speaking of grab-you moments, how about where Jason comes out of the lake at the end of the first Friday the 13th?

  9. Gary Cooper throws his badge into the dirt in High Noon.

  10. Can’t think of the movie title, but when Buster Keaton is sitting on the connecting rod of the locomotive, the train starts up, and Keaton is going up and down with the connecting rod.

11

  1. The Great Hall of Babylon in “Intolerance.”

  2. Gloria Swanson descending the staircase in “Sunset Boulevard.”

  3. Joan Crawford’s beaded-curtain entrance in “Rain.”

  4. The final close-up of Garbo in “Queen Christina.”

  5. William Hurt breaks in on Kathleen Turner in “Body Heat.”

Lots and lots more, but these came to mind first . . .

12

**Spoke-: **It’s The General. I was thinking of picking a moment in that movie, too, but I was leaning toward the one where the bad guys have dumped two enormous wooden beams onto the railroad tracks about a hundred yards apart in an effort to derail Buster’s train (which THEY think is loaded with Confederate troops, but which in actuality is loaded only with Buster).

Buster climbs down onto the cowcatcher and manages to lift up the first beam, struggling and staggering and you’re thinking Ohmigod he’s gonna drop it, Ohmigod he’s gonna fall in front of the train, Ohmigod what about the SECOND beam…and then Buster suddenly drops the first beam ONTO the edge of the second beam, both of them fall harmlessly aside, and the train steams ahead.

I’ve seen this film a dozen times in theaters, and this moment NEVER fails to elicit a simultaneous gasp of relief and giddy charmed laughter from even the most jaded of audiences.

13

To Kill a Mockingbird…when the old black man tells Jim to “stand up son, your Daddy’s passing.”

Jaws…The “Indianapolis soliloquy”. Jaws was on network over the weekend and Spielberg said this was his favorite scene too.

Aliens…When Ripley comes out with that loading suit on and tells the Alien; “Get away from her you bitch!” and whacks her in the jaw. Damn! I’ve always wanted to drive one of those suits!

Apocalypse Now…the puppy scene.

Booty Call…the Saran Wrap scene/and the two Indian convenience store clerks teasing them by singing; “You got to lick it before you stick it…”

Wizard of Oz…Ray Bolger’s “You gotta have a brain”

Hawaii…When the old king knocks out his teeth at the death of his wife.

The Ghost and Ms. Muir…when Rex Harrison comes back at the end to take her away.

Plenty more…

Needs

14

Uke-

Thanks. I thought that was it, but wasn’t sure.

I love Keaton’s stuff. I also thought about the stunt where the side of a building falls on him, but he happens to be standing in the one spot where an open window lands, so that the wall falls to the ground around him but leaves him standing, unharmed.

Of the silent comedians, I actually prefer Keaton to Chaplin, which probably puts me in the minority.

15

Oh, I’m with you, spokes—and I know a lot of other people who are, too. Chaplin always left me cold. His early stuff was all “throw a brick at a cop” and his later stuff was “sad little clown sniffing a rose.” Feh!

Keaton and Lloyd had it all over Chaplin, as far as I’m concerned. Besides the fact that Chaplin was a royal SOB in real life . . .

16

-An Officer and A Gentleman - When Richard gere comes to the factory for Debra Winger in his naval whites (I’m a sucker for a man in uniform)
-Hope Floats- The shot of Sandra Bullock on the talk show at the beginning, the light is just reflecting off the unshed tears in her eyes, it’s perfect
-Steel Magnolias- two scenes, when Julia Roberts is begging her mom to be happy for her pregnancy and at the end when Sally Field explodes at the cemetary
-Poltergeist - When the kid realizes the clown is not in the cair and rolls over and it’s right behind him.
-The Exorcist- The writing on Blair’s belly
-The Exorcist III - When the possed guy floats behind the nurse
-Twin Peaks- The shot of Bob at the foot of the bed
-Field of Dreams - When “Moonlight Graham” steps out to save the girl

17

  1. How can the WIZARD OF OZ not be on my list, pick any scene…the long walk down the emerald hall used to scare the shit out of me.

  2. Lisa Kudrow in ROMY AND MICHELLE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, when she gets hit by the limo, almost peed my pants.

  3. Jada Pinket getting slashed in SCREAM 2…Emotion is a powerful acting tool, and i felt sooooo bad for her

  4. HALLOWEEN, when they say, He is pure evil and the little boy is sitting in the chair…actually parts of that movie ar all classics.

  5. there is a part in JAWS 2 when the girl saves the little brother by helping him get onto the over turned boat…while she is in the water. She utters one line “i can’t get up” and then the shark grabs her…that one line is cinema at it’s finest…i don’t think she has ever been in anything since, but the fear and desperation in her voice…shivers.

  6. the scene in ALIVE when the plan crashes…HOLY CRAP!!!

  7. BILLY’S HOLLYWOOD SCREEN KISS…the scene where they are lying n bed, unsure if anyone is going to make a move, the tension. ugh, the tension.

  8. SCREAM 1…the opening scene with Drew Barrymore managed to reboot her career and to escalate the level to which Horror movies were produced tenfold.

  9. the scene in EYE FOR AN EYE with Sally field. well, she wasn’t in the scene too much, but when her daughter is at home getting ready for the paty, and the whole rape/beating up/ice block broken over her head, and the anxiety when she is on the phone with sally field…oh my god, nightmares. So well done that it makes you hurt inside, and be full of so much hate and anger and sadness. One of those moments you hate to love because you weren’t aware how much anger and disgust you really had in you.

i’m sure i could have gone on…but those are mine…i will check out everyone else’s, please look for mine…i think they show that we still have some amazing movies today.

18

i just realized that several of mine are scenes, and i got away from the topic…sorry, however all of those things are sharp memories in my mind…i still apologize, and hope i don’t start a trend of not paying attention to what i was supposed to do.

19

Ghost – when Patrick Swayze floats the penny over to Demi Moore, makes me bawl every time.

Gone With the Wind –when the camera keeps pulling back to reveal more and more wounded until it’s overwhelming.

1984 – when Richard Burton shows John Hurt himself in the mirror, this is the moment when you know there is no hope.

Mary Poppins – there’s something about Mary floating down from the sky when she makes her first appearance that always makes me feel good.

The Crow – when Brandon Lee drops a match and the outline of a crow gradually appears in flames, it’s just too cool.

20

Ukelele Ike and Eve, your votes are my votes. Just reading about Gloria Swanson’s descent on the staircase gave me the shivers again, and anything that can do that on a Monday morning at work is pure gold.

May I add:

Al Pacino’s face, when he is trying to bring himself to shoot the policeman and the other man in the restaurant – The Godfather

Bette Davis, dying from syphilis in an asylum – Of Human Bondage. I believe I read somewhere that she refused all makeup for the scene, and the her face looks that way because she was able to make it look that way.

The characters Addison Dewitt and Eve Harrington (sorry, I don’t know the actors’ names), in the hotel room, when the venomous Dewitt reveals that he’s on to all of Harrington’s lies – All About Eve

Cary Grant’s face, when he first realizes his two sweet old aunts are serial murderers – Arsenic and Old Lace

All of the passengers, in wordless agreement, leaping on, beating, and pushing overboard the German passenger, after they realize he murdered William Bendix, and kept all available water secretly for himself – Lifeboat

What can beat the alien larva eating its way out of John Hurt’s chest in Alien? It’s Hurt’s acting that makes it horrifying, not the nasty little grub or the blood.

Judy Holliday reading the words inscribed around the inside of Washington’s memorial to Thomas Jefferson. May I paraphrase the quote from memory? I think it goes: “I have sworn eternal hostility against all forms of tyranny over the minds of men.”