Discussions

Great Movie Scenes

Posted by drjay1966 • 9/30/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: cool hand luke, movies, paul newman, scenes

There've been tons of threads about favorite movies, but not favorite scenes.

One of mine is the fight scene from Cool Hand Luke, featuring the late great Paul Newman, which I just wrote a blog post about:

yogaforcynics.blogspot.com/2008/09/handful-of-nothin.html

What are some of yours?

User Comments

9/30/08

zawadi

My Favoite Movie Scene of all time is fom the movie Amistad...

Before the last arguments of the Trial:

"John Adams: ...the test ahead of us is an exceptionally difficult one.

Cinque: We won’t be going in there alone…

Adams: Indeed not, no, we will have right on our side, we will have righteousness at our side…

Cinque: I meant my ancestors. I will call into the past, far into the beginning of time, and beg them to help me at the judgment. I will reach back and draw them into me. And they must come…for at this moment I am the whole reason they have existed at all."

[reply]
9/30/08

Jeunelle

In Gone With The Wind
The part where Mamie told the white people to
"Get off my porch white trash"...that part was hilarious

What's that rustling noise I hear
That's the petticoat you got for me
Pull up your pettycoat so I can see
Oh Lordy Mister Rhett you is bad hoo hoo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FMnNsFULos&feature=related

[reply]
1. 10/02/08
  
  DocNicole
  
  The part where she beats the horse and yells at it for frothing at the mouth and falling to the ground in exhaustion...always gets to me from that movie.
2. 10/02/08
  
  Sebastyne
  
  Oh there's tons of great scenes in Gone With the Wind! Mammy is my favorite too! Her yelling after Scarlett in the beginning that it ain't fittin' for a white girl walk around without scarf, and when Scarlett isn't listening, she turns around and mutters to herself: "It ain't fittin. It just ain't fittin'. It AIN'T fittin!"
  
  And not long ago I was thinking of the scene (today I think it was) when Rhett buys a dance of Scarlett to raise money "for the cause". She says "One more dance and my reputation is gone forever." and he says "You are brave enough to live without reputation."
3. 10/02/08
  
  Anniepooh
  
  "I's don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies, Miss Scarlett!"
9/30/08

wakeuposleeper

virginia woolf at the train station in the movie The Hours:

whateveretcamen.blogspot.com/2008/04/hours.html

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9/30/08

deejames

A walk to remember.

when Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore) was about to die days ahead.. Landon Carter (Shane West) done everything to Jamie what she has to achieve in her life...naming a star to jamie, having married and that's being a miracle to jamie.

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9/30/08

blogonsmog

Bruce Lee in "The Coliseum". This is a classic fight scene. Bruce Lee is battling Chuck Norris and losing inside the coliseum in Rome. So Bruce breaks into a Muhammed Ali shuffle and turns the tide. Too bad it wasn't for real. We wouldn't have to suffer through Texas Ranger all these years.

www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=3163097

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9/30/08

Shiley

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ7z6hpO57c

The world's greatest movie scene.

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9/30/08

Jeunelle

One of the best
Scarlett...here she comes, there she goes.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_NWhzd6OT4

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9/30/08

ThriftShopRomantic

Bogey and Katharine Hepburn going down the rapids in "The African Queen"

The bashing the office equipment scene in "The Office."

The scene in "To Kill a Mockingbird" where Scout's innocent demeanor helps avert a lynching

[reply]
1. 9/30/08
  
  ThriftShopRomantic
  
  Sorry, meant Office Space, not The Office. Brain broke there for a minute. Must be a case of the Tuesdays.
2. 9/30/08
  
  LGramlich
  
  That scene from Office Space is brilliant.
9/30/08

Jeunelle

Casablanca's Final Scene
I am such a sucker for old movies
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwjRwAJXuYM&feature=related

[reply]
1. 9/30/08
  
  drjay1966
  
  That's a great one--but I'm partial to the scene when Sam plays "when time goes by"....
9/30/08

annaswan

"High Fidelity" - when Cusack (Lloyd Dobler) holds up the boom box and lets Steve Wariner say the things he can't. It's subtle - you have to watch very closely - but he actually ever so slightly pushes the boombox forward on certain words that he FEELS the most - like he's trying to make the message get there just that tiny bit faster.

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9/30/08

DrowseyMonkey

One of my favourite scenes is the final sword fight at the end of Rob Roy. Liam Neeson and Tim Roth (I think that's his name) are amazing.

You can watch it here:
stevenhartsite.wordpress.com/category/the-best-swordfight-movies-of-all-tim...

[reply]
1. 9/30/08
  
  ekim941
  
  That's a good one Drowsey.
  Here's my favorite swordfight (I can't believe I found it on youtube).
  I think the dialog was very well written
  
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMxr5Dh1Crs
2. 9/30/08
  
  DrowseyMonkey
  
  Good lord, the acting was unwatchable! LOL What the heck was that from?
3. 9/30/08
  
  ekim941
  
  Oh no you didn't?!?!?
  
  That was from a show called firefly. It only lasted one season but I love that show
4. 9/30/08
  
  DrowseyMonkey
  
  lol...okay. I've heard of it, but never seen it. Isn't it by the same guy who did Buffy?
  
  The acting was lame dude! (not on Buffy, that show rocked.)
5. 9/30/08
  
  ekim941
  
  Yep, Joss Whedon. I actually didn't think the acting was that bad for television. The dialog was very funny.
6. 9/30/08
  
  drjay1966
  
  Joss definitely knows how to write dialogue--Buffy the Vampire Slayer never ceases to amaze me....
7. 9/30/08
  
  ekim941
  
  So, I guess the question is does good dialog save bad acting?
8. 9/30/08
  
  DrowseyMonkey
  
  Excellent question ekim.
  
  I say no.
9. 9/30/08
  
  thebigandyt
  
  Firefly rocked, i only got into it recently and loved it. I didn't think the acting was too bad, I really believed in the characters.
10. 9/30/08
  
  ekim941
  
  @thebigandyt- Heck Ya!!!
  
  @drowsey- if good actors were spewing out dribble rather than a good script, would it hold your attention for 2 hours?
11. 9/30/08
  
  DrowseyMonkey
  
  Yeah, I know what you mean, but I think that would be easier to take ... I'm thinking of Star Wars, the one with Liam Neeson in it. Either way, a combination of both is preferred.
  
  If not, Liam Neeson in a kilt reading the phone book badly would work for me.
12. 9/30/08
  
  ekim941
  
  He's amazing (Not for the kilt). I thought he was great in "batman begins".
9/30/08

ranist22

When Tony Leung whispers his secret to the hole in the treetrunk...can't beat that! In the Mood For Love by Wong Kar-Wai. And what was the secret? A-ha!

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9/30/08

ekim941

Bill Pullman in Independence Day.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRGUqd_M6Mg

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9/30/08

thebigandyt

The Sicilian scene with Walken and Hopper in True Romance. Great stuff

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YU9OrGbbYnY

although it might be a bit violent/racist having watched it again. great scene though

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9/30/08

pumpkinlights

I always feel so low class in discussions about film.

My great movie scenes all come from the Harry Potter series.

[reply]
1. 9/30/08
  
  thebigandyt
  
  Most of these films are hardly high brow, you should check a couple of them out
9/30/08

Bayho

movies are gret.. i love them.. there just great.. i love weatching them and listening to the songs.. and just the overall whole experince haha but rreally i do liek them and i swear im not crazy im just bored here at work.

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9/30/08

AngieSS

Deep End Of The Ocean scene when Michelle Pfeifer's character breaks down at the hotel (I bawl like a baby every time)
"Kill Bill" fight scene between Elle and Bea (kick arse)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDscluTJ540
"The Sweetest Thing" when Jane gets -- stuck (hilarious)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3MqTun92PI

I could go on and on so I will stop at these.

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9/30/08

polybore

2001 a Space Odyssey. The first scene, then every scene until the last one.

[reply]
1. 10/01/08
  
  drjay1966
  
  You don't like the last one?
  Clearly you haven't been on the right drugs when watching that movie....
2. 10/02/08
  
  polybore
  
  I don't like it because it is the end. No drugs required for this movie, it is a trip in itself. lol
9/30/08

freeatlast

that scene in that one movie where that one guy finds out that the other guy who he thought was a bad guy is actually a good guy.

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9/30/08

aningeniousname

I like the scene in Plan 9 from outer space when the vampire alien turns up at the pilots house.

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9/30/08

LGramlich

Without a doubt; www.youtube.com/watch?v=o76WQzVJ434

[reply]
1. 9/30/08
  
  drjay1966
  
  definitely exposes the violence inherent in the system....
2. 9/30/08
  
  LGramlich
  
  You saw him, didn't you?
3. 9/30/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  See what happens when we fail to ratify purely external affairs by a 3/4 majority?
9/30/08

kdawg68

The whitest basketball game ever played. At roughly :38 the music kicks in and it totally rulez from there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=30sYk9B4OqU

"Win in the end....I'm gonna win in the end."

[reply]
9/30/08

kdawg68

C'mon, what kind of responses did you expect from me?

Here's me and my boys (apparently a group of street tuffs) jammin' out to some sweet beats. Until this girl came up that was totally dope and off the hook with her rhymes.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ00laVt62c

Edit: I'd also direct everyone's attention to "CocoNelly":
www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/cat-rap

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9/30/08

josephgelb

the opening scene in greatful dawg where they do slow mo on jerry and david and it makes me feel like them is larger than life

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9/30/08

foodbeast

gotta love this fight scene from anchorman!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSnu6NqFWV

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9/30/08

LGramlich

Also this; www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpCVrzVr97M

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9/30/08

LGramlich

The "I'm mad as hell & I'm not going to take it anymore" speech from Network; www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_qgVn-Op7Q
& the turn off your TV bit; www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Gf0VKXk5Q&feature=related
Both even more relevant today than when Network came out in '76, unfortunately.

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9/30/08

TheWorldsDresser

"My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die"
is second ONLY to
"You remind me of the babe? What babe? The babe with the power."

[reply]
10/01/08

Arcticulates

When Ricky is trying to learn how to drive with a travel trailer... On the Long Long Trailer starring Ricky and Lucy Ricardo... I love that movie makes me laugh every time I watch it.

Then of course.. Rhett's "Frankly my dear... I don't give a damn."
Gone with the Wind, my most favorite movie!

[reply]
10/01/08

roadgurl5

Ooooh, so many, just a few:

Cool Hand Luke's Captain: "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
A Few Good Men: Kaffee: "I want the truth!"
Jessep: "You can't handle the truth!" ...Jessep's ensuing rant is especially entertaining...spoiler warning if you haven't seen the movie!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo&feature=related

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10/01/08

earthlingorgeous

I like the Mummy series better than the Matrix series

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10/02/08

clioandme

Take any scene from Blazing Saddles, say the opening one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPcLPzItOQs

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10/02/08

DocNicole

My favorite scene of all time would be when Willy got "freed" in Free Willy. I think that is how I will feel when the government no longer owns me with student loan debt!

The Pie Eating Contest in Stand By Me when everyone is projectile vomitting all over is also a classic moment that never shall be forgotten.

[reply]
1. 10/02/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  the benevlolent order of Elk!
2. 10/02/08
  
  RTBjr73
  
  "Lardass?"
10/02/08

Puffmatty

My favorite puke scene (next thread?) is the Monty Python movie with the fat man puking all over the restaurant.
"One, tiny,leetle mint?"

or Gary puking in the alley in "Team America"

[reply]
1. 10/02/08
  
  LGramlich
  
  To be honest I couldn't pick just one scene from Team America...there are too many good ones! That's a classic, though. The 1st time I saw it I thought I was going to pee my pants.
2. 10/02/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  Gary puking is classic! Especially the epic music in the background with each round of vomit.
  
  Although, how can one mention Team America without referencing the marionette love scenes?
  
  "Only a woman, could love me like you do. All I ask is that you're a woman....or a man."
10/02/08

kdawg68

I think I've posted this before....

One of my all-time favorites - the "movie theater scene" from Donnie Darko. I like it because it's a fortelling of the final confrontation between Frank (the mutant bunny) and Donnie at the end of the film.

Notice how in the ending the girlfriend is laying dead on the street, while in this scene she's laying asleep in between Frank and Donnie. Even their entire dialogue revolves around the final confrontation. (i.e., Frank saying "I'm so sorry" when asked "what happened to your eye?").

The haunting music in the background is perfect for the scene. Admittedly though, this is the original theatrical release version of the scene. I much prefer the Director's cut, but alas it is not available on youtube in it's entirety.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QijM3k4jiAg

[reply]
10/02/08

RTBjr73

Field Of Dreams..

Ray Liotta playing Shoeless Joe Jackson...

"It was a game!...shoot, I would have played for food money."

I cry every time I see that scene. No beleive me? Just ask my wife.

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10/02/08

blogonsmog

The Shining (with Jack Nicholson):

" A crazed Jack is rapidly transformed into an axe-wielding homicidal madman with a deformed limp. He suddenly appears to murderously pursue his wife - he takes a long-handled fireman's axe to their apartment's front door and greets her with a familiar TV sitcom greeting for a suburban family:

Wendy, I'm home."

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10/02/08

kdawg68

One more...if I had to pick my favorite "scene" of all-time, it's the part of the Ken Burns award-winning documentary "The Civil War" (to my knowledge the most watched documentary in the history of television)that focused on Pickett's Charge and the climax of the battle of Gettysburg.

It's so beautifully done. The quotes used are so descriptive. And of course, visually it focuses on the famous Cyclorama painting.

It's enough to move you to tears, and for those that don't know the story of what occurred in my back yard 145 years ago, behold:

Part 1:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=upjmliBwbVU

Part 2:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUVpnM49v5A

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10/02/08

jafabrit

Peter Lorre in Fritz Lang's M final scene where he tries to explain why he is a serial killer
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g-sfrQnwwg

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10/02/08

Anniepooh

Almost anything in Braveheart - but especially the scene that ends with the King saying, "Bring me Wallace; alive if possible - dead, just as good."

And this scene from Gettysburg - the one where Chamberlain is talking to the deserters:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy3iiGUfAsk

[reply]
1. 10/02/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  You know you just melted me by referencing Gettysburg.
2. 10/02/08
  
  rmaxwell142
  
  I agree that the Gettysburg scene is a good one!
10/02/08

faithsju243

One of my fav movie scenes is in "Primal Fear" when Richard Gere's character finally realizes that his client lied to him.

[reply]
1. 10/02/08
  
  RTBjr73
  
  That was an AWESOME scene!
  
  My wife and I made it a point to see any movie with Ed Norton in it since.
2. 10/02/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  have you been watching Entourage? Ed Norton's been a recent theme in several episodes.
3. 10/02/08
  
  faithsju243
  
  @kdawg....sorry I am boycotting my local cable provider and my HBO privileges have been revoked.
  
  @rtbjr...I've pretty much been a fan after I saw his performance as well. To date I think I liked him the best in American History X.
4. 10/02/08
  
  RTBjr73
  
  @faithsju243, my wife also has that on DVD. I had a hard time watching that movie. I grew up with a bio-mom that was "racist-light"...you know, the type that said "I don't mind blacks and Mexicans, they just need to stick with their own" type of crap. So watching a movie like that was hard. But I agree, he protrayed his character VERY well.
  
  @kdawg - sorry, never heard of that show.