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I edited out some I don't know or don't like to keep the post brief, but the url is at bottom. Any you want to add? I'll post my own later. - Perdita
Even if it's 2 a.m., they're hard to resist. Most movies have their moments - Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle Movie Critic, July 13, 2004
So Michael Corleone is in the Italian restaurant, meeting with Sollozzo and that corrupt cop. He goes into the bathroom, looking for the hidden gun and -- well, this is no time to get up and make a sandwich.
Movies have their highlights. Sometimes, going around the dial, we'll stop at a movie and think, "Oh, this is the one that has that great scene. I think I'll watch up to that part." Actually, "The Godfather" has all great scenes, so watching is like falling into quicksand for three hours. "Showgirls" is also like quicksand, though for a different reason: Each scene is so unimaginably appalling that it's very difficult to tear oneself away.
But these are exceptions. With most movies, even great movies, there's usually The Scene. The one that defines it, encapsulates it, embodies its appeal or contains its signature moment. What follows is a list of some popular and classic films and their don't-miss moments.
"Algiers" (1938): Charles Boyer, as a crook stuck in the Kasbah, tells Hedy Lamarr that she "is Paris" and that she reminds him of the subway. It's very romantic.
"All About Eve" (1950): Broadway diva Bette Davis stands on the staircase, at her cocktail party, and says, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night."
"Amadeus" (1984): The one scene not to miss comes near the finish, when an ailing Mozart (Tom Hulce) dictates his requiem to Salieri (F. Murray Abraham).
"Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944): Cary Grant sees a dead body in the window seat, closes it, looks again and freaks out.
"As Good As It Gets" (1997): The big scene is the one in which Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt "You make me want to be a better man."
"Autumn Sonata" (1978): Hands down it's the tense, complex scene in which Liv Ullmann plays a Chopin piece for her concert-pianist mother, and then the mother (Ingrid Bergman) completely deflates the daughter by sitting down and doing the same piece 10 times better.
"Ben-Hur" (1959): It's hard to imagine even Michael Moore switching the dial on Charlton Heston before the chariot scene.
"The Big Easy" (1987): Years later, people still talk about the steamy sex scene between Ellen Barkin and Dennis Quaid.
"The Big Picture" (1989): It's the scene in which J.T. Walsh, as a genial but demented producer, keeps trying to turn Kenneth Bacon's screenplay into a film about lesbians.
"Camille" (1936): Marguerite (Greta Garbo) and her wealthy lover (Henry Daniell) banter cynically at the piano, while ignoring her new lover, who is outside ringing the doorbell.
"Casablanca" (1942): This is only here because people will look for it on this list. Actually, it's another quicksand movie like "The Godfather," with too many signature moments to list. Among them: "I came to Casablanca for the waters." "Play 'As Time Goes By.' " "You played it for her, you can play it for me!" "Play 'The Marseillaise!" (Notice how somebody is always trying to make someone play something, either on a musical instrument or at the roulette table). "I'm shocked -- shocked!" And "The problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."
"City Lights" (1931): The profound and ambiguous ending, in which the Little Tramp meets the blind flower girl, whose sight has now been restored.
"Cries and Whispers" (1972): Harriet Andersson's death scene is harrowing and unforgettable.
"Dinner at Eight" (1933): The end -- Jean Harlow says she was reading a book, and Marie Dressler almost falls down in shock. This is followed by a classic exchange.
"The Divorcee" (1930): Norma Shearer's cheating husband comes home from a business trip, only to hear her tell him, "I've balanced our accounts" -- and she's not talking about the check book.
"Freeway" (1996): Reese Witherspoon, on trial for shooting a psycho (Kiefer Sutherland) who tried to murder her, sees him getting wheeled into the courtroom, looking horrible. She says, "Is that you, Bob? You are so ugly, Bob! " This is a great film, terrifically funny; RW is brilliant.
"Gilda" (1946): Rita Hayworth sings "Put the Blame On Mame."
"Goodfellas" (1990): There are many terrific scenes, but the one not to miss is the nightclub scene, in which Joe Pesci terrifies everybody by asking Ray Liotta, "You think I'm funny?"
"The Great Dictator" (1940): Chaplin's first scene as the dictator, in which he parodies Hitler with a nonsense mix of Yiddish, German and gibberish, is priceless comedy.
"I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" (1932): Asked by his former fiancee how he lives, the fugitive (Paul Muni) answers, "I steal!"
"In a Lonely Place" (1950): Bogart, a screenwriter with a violent streak, talks about how a particular murder might have been committed -- and expresses such suppressed anger that he becomes a suspect. I love this movie; terrifically tragic love story.
"Intermezzo" (1939): The highlight is the romantic scene in which concert violinist Leslie Howard and piano student Ingrid Bergman walk the streets at night and get acquainted -- culminating in the playing of "The Rustle of Spring" on the soundtrack.
"Joe" (1970): If you miss Peter Boyle's crazy opening monologue, you may as well not watch the movie.
"Key Largo" (1948): The climax is tense: Bogart has to kill all the gangsters on his motorboat or else get killed himself.
"The Killers" (1964): You haven't really lived until you've seen Ronald Reagan smacking Angie Dickinson.
"The Lady from Shanghai" (1948): The shootout in the hall of mirrors is classic.
"Microcosmos" (1996): The mating scene between two snails is surprisingly moving.
"Never On Sunday" (1960): There's lots of magic in this, but the best is the scene in which Melina Mercouri sings about her Greek island.
"One True Thing" (1998): Mom (Meryl Streep) tells her daughter (Renee Zellweger) that, contrary to what Dad says, less isn't more, "More is more." And we suddenly realize that this character who we've underestimated is the wisest person in the movie.
"Out of the Past" (1947): Bad girl Jane Greer insists she didn't steal $40,000, but investigator Robert Mitchum just wants to kiss her and says, "Baby, I don't care."
"The Public Enemy" (1931): Tommy (James Cagney) wishes his girlfriend (Mae Clark) was "the wishing well, so I could tie a bucket to you and sink you. " Whatever that means, it's definitely not pleasant, because seconds later, he's hitting her in the face with a grapefruit.
"Queen Christina" (1933): The queen (Garbo) goes around the room where she has just spent three days with her lover (John Gilbert). She touches all the objects, trying to commit them to memory, because she knows, "In the future, in my memory, I shall live a great deal in this room."
"Shane" (1953): "Shane! Come back, Shane! Shane! Come back!"
"Shanghai Express" (1932): It's the close-up on Marlene Dietrich, as she tells her former lover, "It took more than one man to change my name to 'Shanghai Lily.' " Dietrich at her best.
"A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951): "Hey Stella" is the iconic moment, but the big scene is the climactic one in which Brando says, "Well, I say, ha! Ha- ha!" My fave scene is Blanche (V. Leigh) with the paperboy, unutterably beautiful and sad.
"Swing Time" (1936): Even if it's on at two in the morning, you have to keep watching until the "Never Gonna Dance" number, a lengthy, elaborate dance, most of it done in a single shot.
"The Third Man" (1949): Orson Welles' cuckoo clock monologue. Honorable mention: The sight of him framed in a doorway.
"Taxi Driver" (1976): "You talkin' to me?"
"Touch of Evil" (1958): If you miss the opening shot, wait until it's on again. You've also got to see Charlton Heston as a Mexican!?
"Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948): The obligatory scene is the one in which the bandit tells the prospectors, "We don't need no stinkin' badges."
"True Romance" (1993): The winner: The one between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper, in which Hopper discusses Walken's Sicilian heritage. Honorable mention: The one in which Gary Oldman asks Christian Slater if he thought it was "white boy day." I love this movie too; one of Oldman's kookiest bad guy roles.
full article & pics
Even if it's 2 a.m., they're hard to resist. Most movies have their moments - Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle Movie Critic, July 13, 2004
So Michael Corleone is in the Italian restaurant, meeting with Sollozzo and that corrupt cop. He goes into the bathroom, looking for the hidden gun and -- well, this is no time to get up and make a sandwich.
Movies have their highlights. Sometimes, going around the dial, we'll stop at a movie and think, "Oh, this is the one that has that great scene. I think I'll watch up to that part." Actually, "The Godfather" has all great scenes, so watching is like falling into quicksand for three hours. "Showgirls" is also like quicksand, though for a different reason: Each scene is so unimaginably appalling that it's very difficult to tear oneself away.
But these are exceptions. With most movies, even great movies, there's usually The Scene. The one that defines it, encapsulates it, embodies its appeal or contains its signature moment. What follows is a list of some popular and classic films and their don't-miss moments.
"Algiers" (1938): Charles Boyer, as a crook stuck in the Kasbah, tells Hedy Lamarr that she "is Paris" and that she reminds him of the subway. It's very romantic.
"All About Eve" (1950): Broadway diva Bette Davis stands on the staircase, at her cocktail party, and says, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night."
"Amadeus" (1984): The one scene not to miss comes near the finish, when an ailing Mozart (Tom Hulce) dictates his requiem to Salieri (F. Murray Abraham).
"Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944): Cary Grant sees a dead body in the window seat, closes it, looks again and freaks out.
"As Good As It Gets" (1997): The big scene is the one in which Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt "You make me want to be a better man."
"Autumn Sonata" (1978): Hands down it's the tense, complex scene in which Liv Ullmann plays a Chopin piece for her concert-pianist mother, and then the mother (Ingrid Bergman) completely deflates the daughter by sitting down and doing the same piece 10 times better.
"Ben-Hur" (1959): It's hard to imagine even Michael Moore switching the dial on Charlton Heston before the chariot scene.
"The Big Easy" (1987): Years later, people still talk about the steamy sex scene between Ellen Barkin and Dennis Quaid.
"The Big Picture" (1989): It's the scene in which J.T. Walsh, as a genial but demented producer, keeps trying to turn Kenneth Bacon's screenplay into a film about lesbians.
"Camille" (1936): Marguerite (Greta Garbo) and her wealthy lover (Henry Daniell) banter cynically at the piano, while ignoring her new lover, who is outside ringing the doorbell.
"Casablanca" (1942): This is only here because people will look for it on this list. Actually, it's another quicksand movie like "The Godfather," with too many signature moments to list. Among them: "I came to Casablanca for the waters." "Play 'As Time Goes By.' " "You played it for her, you can play it for me!" "Play 'The Marseillaise!" (Notice how somebody is always trying to make someone play something, either on a musical instrument or at the roulette table). "I'm shocked -- shocked!" And "The problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."
"City Lights" (1931): The profound and ambiguous ending, in which the Little Tramp meets the blind flower girl, whose sight has now been restored.
"Cries and Whispers" (1972): Harriet Andersson's death scene is harrowing and unforgettable.
"Dinner at Eight" (1933): The end -- Jean Harlow says she was reading a book, and Marie Dressler almost falls down in shock. This is followed by a classic exchange.
"The Divorcee" (1930): Norma Shearer's cheating husband comes home from a business trip, only to hear her tell him, "I've balanced our accounts" -- and she's not talking about the check book.
"Freeway" (1996): Reese Witherspoon, on trial for shooting a psycho (Kiefer Sutherland) who tried to murder her, sees him getting wheeled into the courtroom, looking horrible. She says, "Is that you, Bob? You are so ugly, Bob! " This is a great film, terrifically funny; RW is brilliant.
"Gilda" (1946): Rita Hayworth sings "Put the Blame On Mame."
"Goodfellas" (1990): There are many terrific scenes, but the one not to miss is the nightclub scene, in which Joe Pesci terrifies everybody by asking Ray Liotta, "You think I'm funny?"
"The Great Dictator" (1940): Chaplin's first scene as the dictator, in which he parodies Hitler with a nonsense mix of Yiddish, German and gibberish, is priceless comedy.
"I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" (1932): Asked by his former fiancee how he lives, the fugitive (Paul Muni) answers, "I steal!"
"In a Lonely Place" (1950): Bogart, a screenwriter with a violent streak, talks about how a particular murder might have been committed -- and expresses such suppressed anger that he becomes a suspect. I love this movie; terrifically tragic love story.
"Intermezzo" (1939): The highlight is the romantic scene in which concert violinist Leslie Howard and piano student Ingrid Bergman walk the streets at night and get acquainted -- culminating in the playing of "The Rustle of Spring" on the soundtrack.
"Joe" (1970): If you miss Peter Boyle's crazy opening monologue, you may as well not watch the movie.
"Key Largo" (1948): The climax is tense: Bogart has to kill all the gangsters on his motorboat or else get killed himself.
"The Killers" (1964): You haven't really lived until you've seen Ronald Reagan smacking Angie Dickinson.
"The Lady from Shanghai" (1948): The shootout in the hall of mirrors is classic.
"Microcosmos" (1996): The mating scene between two snails is surprisingly moving.
"Never On Sunday" (1960): There's lots of magic in this, but the best is the scene in which Melina Mercouri sings about her Greek island.
"One True Thing" (1998): Mom (Meryl Streep) tells her daughter (Renee Zellweger) that, contrary to what Dad says, less isn't more, "More is more." And we suddenly realize that this character who we've underestimated is the wisest person in the movie.
"Out of the Past" (1947): Bad girl Jane Greer insists she didn't steal $40,000, but investigator Robert Mitchum just wants to kiss her and says, "Baby, I don't care."
"The Public Enemy" (1931): Tommy (James Cagney) wishes his girlfriend (Mae Clark) was "the wishing well, so I could tie a bucket to you and sink you. " Whatever that means, it's definitely not pleasant, because seconds later, he's hitting her in the face with a grapefruit.
"Queen Christina" (1933): The queen (Garbo) goes around the room where she has just spent three days with her lover (John Gilbert). She touches all the objects, trying to commit them to memory, because she knows, "In the future, in my memory, I shall live a great deal in this room."
"Shane" (1953): "Shane! Come back, Shane! Shane! Come back!"
"Shanghai Express" (1932): It's the close-up on Marlene Dietrich, as she tells her former lover, "It took more than one man to change my name to 'Shanghai Lily.' " Dietrich at her best.
"A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951): "Hey Stella" is the iconic moment, but the big scene is the climactic one in which Brando says, "Well, I say, ha! Ha- ha!" My fave scene is Blanche (V. Leigh) with the paperboy, unutterably beautiful and sad.
"Swing Time" (1936): Even if it's on at two in the morning, you have to keep watching until the "Never Gonna Dance" number, a lengthy, elaborate dance, most of it done in a single shot.
"The Third Man" (1949): Orson Welles' cuckoo clock monologue. Honorable mention: The sight of him framed in a doorway.
"Taxi Driver" (1976): "You talkin' to me?"
"Touch of Evil" (1958): If you miss the opening shot, wait until it's on again. You've also got to see Charlton Heston as a Mexican!?
"Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948): The obligatory scene is the one in which the bandit tells the prospectors, "We don't need no stinkin' badges."
"True Romance" (1993): The winner: The one between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper, in which Hopper discusses Walken's Sicilian heritage. Honorable mention: The one in which Gary Oldman asks Christian Slater if he thought it was "white boy day." I love this movie too; one of Oldman's kookiest bad guy roles.
full article & pics
