Movie Scenes You Could Watch Over And Over
 

There are some movies scenes that are just so amazingly awesome that they can be watched again and again just for the sheer artistry of them.

The one I just watched was the final shootout scene in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

It turns out that the scene is built in solid gunfighting physiology. The first person to draw is at a disadvantage in that the person responding to someone drawing is using a different type of muscle enervation and moves much faster. So the three men standing there, knowing that the first one to draw was going to lose and seeing who cracked first is one hell of a scene.

What single scenes could you watch over and over?

Salma Hayek as Santanico Pandemonium in From Dusk Till Dawn, dancing with the snake. Mrawr!

I'm trying to think if I've got any not born out of prurient interest, but I'm having trouble thinking now. Let me go...do something, then we'll see what I come up with.

There are three I can think of off the top of my head:

1. Contact. The scene where Ellie and Palmer Joss are sitting looking at the stars, and Palmer remarks that if there isn't other life out there, "it would be an awful waste of space." Jodie Foster does an incredible job of riveting her attention on him when he says that--it's something her deceased father said to her when she was little, and it's one of the things that draws her to Palmer in spite of their religious differences. She completely captures the magic and surprise of that connection.

I also love the scene where she's saying over and over that she's OK to go, even though she's being shaken to pieces in the machine. She's scared and getting tossed around, but she's not giving up.

2. The Matrix. When Trinity and Neo show up at the building where Morpheus is being held and they set off the security alarms. The guards ask if they're carrying anything metal, and Neo opens his jacket to reveal an arsenal. Then the fight begins.

I also like the scene at the start of the movie where Trinity is fighting the cops and then running from the agents. Trinity is awesome, and she's one of the reasons I love the movie. She doesn't take any shit, but she's not afraid to have a soft side too.

3. LOTR-Fellowship. When Strider is talking to Frodo after Boromir has tried to take the ring and Frodo's sword glows blue and they realize orcs are near. Strider tells Frodo to run, and turns to face the orcs. I absolutely LOVE Viggo Mortenson as he turns to make that confrontation. They are so totally screwed and outnumbered, but the look of calm resolve on his face completely thrills me. And there's something about the camera angle that communicates it beautifully.

Come to think of it, I think that's why I like the scene in The Matrix, too. Neo and Trinity are walking into what is supposed to be certain death, but they're meeting it head on. They refuse to be prey.

The D-Day beach landing scene at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan is terrifying awesome. I love car chases, so I'm partial to the chase through Paris in Bourne Identity--same with the hand-to-hand combat scene in Bourne Ultimatum.

The very end of The Princess Bride.

Kill Bill I - The scene where Lucy Liu jumps up on the conference table, runs the length of it and slices off Boss Tanaka's head, then proceeds to draw a line in the sand.

An Ideal Husband - Sir Robert Chiltern's wonderful speech to Parliament.

Clerks II - The jail scene.

Wenz, if you like that scene in Kill Bill, you'd probably like "The Yakuza" with Mitchum. There is this amazing sword fight in it that was designed by someone who really knew about sword fighting. There is a guy up on a table fighting a bunch of guys and he keeps making these little moves until he gets the distance and then slash! another dead guy.

"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses."

"Hit it."

The Flight of the Bumblebee scene near the end of Shine (don't worry, it doesn't spoil the movie or anything).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-QrSc_Jw3g

A few that have been mentioned- Falcon's Contact & Matrix descriptions were spot on.

The scene from Sideways between Miles and Mia, starting in the kitchen and moving out to the porch, where they're discussing wine and she asks him why he loves pinot. There's so much sexual tension there and the entire scene is orchestrated so perfectly.

True Romance, in the trailer between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper.

There are so many more; I'll probably drop back in as I remember them.

Thanks for the tip. :: off to Netflix::

There's also some pretty cool stuff in Sanjuro, which I just watched for the first time a few days ago. Although now that I've mentioned it, I think I should go re-watch Yojimbo.

How can be be a dozen posts in without anyone mentioning the chariot race in Ben-Hurr Durr (sorry, I spend too much time here) Ben-Hur? Amazing stuff.

Falcon: I forgot how much I loved that scene in Contact where Ellie was in the sphere. I also love that the shaking was caused by non-design chair they added.

This is from a TV show instead of a movie, but it is definitely in the top 5 for me:



And I'm surprise we've come this far without:



ETA: Found a clip for Pulp Fiction that allows embedding.

- Royale with cheese from Pulp Fiction
- Bible quote scene from Pulp Fiction (see video in an earlier post)
- Presidential speech at the end of The American President
- Holy grail scene near the end of The Last Crusade
- They've gone to plaid from Spaceballs (that whole move is a "favorite scene")
- The "turning the launch keys" scene from The Day After
- "There's always a back door" scene from War Games

More later. Actual work needs to be done.

That film is just full of amazing scenes, but I think you've nailed it right there.

I saw that at the cinema in Leicester Sq when if first came out. I looked around me and there were maybe a thousand jaws, dropped. Another good call.

It's a lot like Airplane in that regard. Loads of awesome jokes, parodies and pastiche... and infinitely quotable for pendejos like me

I'll need to look it up though I'm sure I've seen it, but wasn't that a TV movie? I seem to recall that the production values were excellent despite that. In the UK we had Threads, (which I actually saw as a 10-year-old while I was in the States), which was also a TV movie by the BBC and was equally well-done.

My contribution would be the drop-ship sequence from the Director's Cut of Aliens. From the minute they line up, to the minute Faro drops the APC and dusts off. The computer tech and graphics are hopeless outdated, but it still works for me.

The whole Mines of Moria sequence, from beginning to end, from Fellowship of the Ring.

The barroom massacre scene from Unforgiven.

The argument between Eve Harrington and Addison Dewitt in her hotel room, where he reveals he's got the goods on her and she'd better become his mistress or he'll expose her, in All About Eve.

The two scenes in So I Married An Axe Murderer that feature Charlie MacKenzie's father Stuart. Comedy gold.

He'll cry himself to sleep tonight on his huge pillow!

I cry every.single.time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7ZT5sajkys


Also: I love the trailer fight scene in Raising Arizona between Nicholas Cage and John Goodman. SO FUNNY

Michelle Pfeiffer brushing her teeth in "Frankie and Johnny". The most erotic piece of cinema I've seen...

Oh yes! I love the Glaswegian accent...

"Heed! Doon!"

"Ahm no kuddin. Tha' bouy's heed uss liek Spootnik! Sphericul, but queet pointeh ut parts! Noo, thaht wus offsiede wussun-eh? Hull crie hisself tae sleep t'neet awn hus hooge pillae!"

Singing In The Rain. The actual "Singing In The Rain" dance number. The single best musical number ever filmed.

Manhunter. The bit where Will Graham (William Peterson) in the hotel room figures out that the Tooth Fairy has seen the home movies of the dead families. Which means that the killer they are looking for works at the lab that processed the two films.

Raid On Entebbe. In the plane on the way to Uganda, one of the Israeli commandos starts singing to himself while playing a board game and everyone joins in.

Good call on Singing in the Rain. I love the Good Morning song.

Same here, every time; also when Celie's kids show up is another sobfest.

Definitely agree with 2 and 3. I couldn't restrain an audible "holy shit" at the end of the lobby scene in The Matrix.

The two duel scenes in Rob Roy. Speaking as a guy who knows his swords from a hole in the wall, this choreography was amazing.

Also the entire cliff sequence from Last of the Mohicans. This could be the best combination of soundtrack and scene, EVAR.

The "lesser of two weevils" joke in Master and Commander cracks my shit up every time.

Apologies for a slight hijack.

Yes, it was a TV movie. Caused a lot of controversy at the time. I've seen Threads many, many times. A very well done and very frightening in the context of the times. Another well done film is Testament, which was a Public Television (in the U.S.) production. It was about the aftermath of a nuclear war. It wasn't about the nuclear attacks or about what lead up to it, but rather it was about a small community and what happened to them.

I'm a nuclear war movie junkie, so I've seen many films, both well known and more obscure.

As am I. My favorite is HBO's "By Dawn's Early Light."

The "Men of Harlech" scene in Zulu. Such an act of defiance, you may kill us, you will not break us.

When the brachiosaurus appears in Jurassic Park. I still have a feeling of wonder when I watch it.

The piano duel in "The Legend of 1900." I can watch it over and over and it still makes me catch my breath.

Stand By Me, the pie-eating contest scene.

The farewell scene in Casablanca.

A Walk on the Moon when Pearl realizes that she cannot go with the Blouse Man. (hell, that whole movie I could see again and again)

LOTR: When Eowyn takes Aragon to task for leaving on the eve of battle. They both play that scene so well.

High Fidelity when John Cusak's character takes his old HS girlfriend out to dinner and she confronts him with the truth about their relationship.



Too many more to post, really.

I really love the opening scene in Once Upon A Time In The West. (The director's cut.) Three men ride up to a small train station and fidget while they wait for the train to arrive. The scene lasts 15 minutes, nothing happens and it is riveting. That is movie making.

I'm rather partial to "Make 'Em Laugh" in that movie. But every song and dance number in that musical is strong and rewatch worthy. Even the very long climatic scene.

I'm outing Zombies here (sorry!) because she's never seen the movie but she has gotten the gist of the movie from all the references made to it over the years. I told her she *has* to watch it one day, if only for the pie-eating contest. The gurgling noises, the story narration...so perfect.

I'll definitely agree with the last thought - it's quite a long movie and yet I'd pretty much always be up for watching it.

On a different note in tone if not genre, the opening scene of Silverado is a good one for re-watching.

A hospital? What is it?

It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.

That scene in Kingpin where Woody Harrelson uses his body to pay off his rent and then blows chunks in the toilet. Hilarious!

Oh, and lookin at the tags, is it OK to mention scenes from pornos?

The "cheerleader" scene in A History of Violence.

No.

I initially read this as "Woody Allen."

Inigo Montoya avenges his father. 'Nuff said.

The fistfight between Craig (Ice Cube) and Deebo at the end of Friday. I don't know why, but it always struck me as one of the most realistic I've ever seen in a movie, even though I'm sure it's not.

The scene when Gomer Pyle blows away GySgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. Perfect combination of darkness, tension, and insanity in that scene. The fact that Gomer Pyle shot him after graduation the night before shipping out made him that much more insane.

Another vote for the Battle of Normandy in Saving Private Ryan.

And saving the best for last...

"THIS IS SPARTA!!!" I can never restrain myself from screaming that when Leonidas does, much to the annoyance of my girlfriend. :D

The near plane crash in Almost Famous
The museum scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

And seconding the "Men of Harlach" scene from Zulu, but I also liked the whole ending sequence where they celebrated as if they'd won, and then called the roll.

The opening monologue of Patton

No.[/QUOTE]
:( :( :( :( :( :( :(

Damn you screwed up the coding about as badly as possible.



(Still not right, but at least it makes sense now.)

The Binary Sunset from Star Wars, no fake CGI filling every inch of screen, just Luke the setting suns and the music. Gives me chills every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEUGF3NGbPg

Wenz, Wenz!!! Look also for a Thai film called 'Chocolate'. There are no swords, I'm afraid, but it's a wonderful, beautiful film. I never tire of any of it, but I guess the best scene might be in the meat factory. Here's the trailer. The film's strapline undersells it, i'm afraid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmqn_a1i_2U

Ah, the Thai trailer doesn't have the strapline that was in the American one: "A story about a special needs girl with a special need - to kick some ass!'