Top 100: Scenes in films you think are just grebt but don't know why

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100. Spirited Away, the bit where Chihiro, No-Face, the baby and the cheeky little bird thing get on the train to Jubaba's sister's house and slip silently through the night. So much peace in a world of confusion but also a whistful sense of longing and loneliness. Beautiful.

99. The opening chords of "Head Over Heels" by Tears For Fears herald one of the best opening scenes in any film. Camera swoops around Middlesex playground and introduces us to all the characters in the film. This is why I like Donnie Darko, it's not the weird plot or the clever script, it's the excellent direction - and this scene leaves me with a lump in my throat every time I see it.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:07 (twenty-two years ago)

98. Monty Python and the Holy Grail: At the end where King Arthur and Sir Launcelot see the Castle Aarg and the dragon boat thing. Shouldn't be grebt but is.

― (I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and) Whittle Away My Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:15 (twenty-two years ago)

99: Nosferatu: The bit where he goes to see his orthodontist.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:19 (twenty-two years ago)

97 An early Hal Hartley film, either the Unbelievable Truth or Trust I think. Two girls both dressed in white, on a bike, with one of them sat on the handlebars, cycling happily through town in the dark. Scene lasts about 5 seconds.

Totally beautiful moment.

― Bidfurd, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:23 (twenty-two years ago)

96 The teeth-brushing scene in Bring It On (this is cheating because i do know why it's grebt, sorry)

― pete b. (pete b.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:28 (twenty-two years ago)

95. The Fog for Blakes spooky voice on the radio station promos ; "Something like an albatross around his neck. No. More like a millstone. A plumbing stone. By God. Damn them all."

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:28 (twenty-two years ago)

94. Charlton Heston wandering round the completely deserted city in The Omega Man.

― robster (robster), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:29 (twenty-two years ago)

93. Daisies. All of it.

― Tag (Tag), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:42 (twenty-two years ago)

94. entering the hangout in slo mo to Hurricane in dazed and confused
93. meg ryan sitting in the chair cryig after goose dies in Top Gun

― lukey (Lukey G), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:43 (twenty-two years ago)

86. The opening shot of A Clockwork Orange, pulling out from Alex in the moloko bar

127. Pulling away from Sam to the view of the torture chamber [silo] in Brazil

3.1415926: The pivotal moment in Japanese Story

― (I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and) Whittle Away My Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:53 (twenty-two years ago)

93. Daisies. All of it
yey!

― zappi (joni), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:55 (twenty-two years ago)

92. All the Real Girls - when Paul and Noel are in the "fort" at the hotel.

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:58 (twenty-two years ago)

91. The Garlic cutting scene in Goodfellas. There;s so many scenes that are grebt that I know exactly why they are grebt, but this one endures more.

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:03 (twenty-two years ago)

94. entering the hangout in slo mo to Hurricane in dazed and confused

! This is exactly the scene that came to mind when I read the thread title!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:27 (twenty-two years ago)

90. Real Genius - when the neighborhood children jump into the huge mound of popcorn.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:38 (twenty-two years ago)

89. The scene in Donnie Darko where Frank and Donnie are on the golf course and Frank says the world is going to end, and Jake Gyllenhaal gets this bizarre twisted grin and says "why?" in a really creepy way... gives me shivers.

88. Pi - Max Cohen's talking to Lenny Mayer in the cafe and Lenny tells him about how everything is spirals, and it cuts to a shot of smoke spiralling out of Lenny's mouth, and milk spiralling in a cup of coffee. Lovely bit of filming.

OK so I'm a crappy indie filmhead.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:46 (twenty-two years ago)

87. The scene in Rear Window when Grace Kelly comes into the apartment wearing some kind of green and white outfit, and takes the nonessential bits of it off gradually as she walks around doing things and talking with Jimmy Stewart: hat, gloves, then coat, and her clothes keep looking more and more fabulous.

86. Also, Hildy's (I think that's her name?) walk through the newsroom during the opening of His Girl Friday--she's sassy, cosmopolitan, also wearing a great suit, totally in charge, and speaking in fast-news-gal style with the witty banter.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:06 (twenty-two years ago)

91. The Garlic cutting scene in Goodfellas. There;s so many scenes that are grebt that I know exactly why they are grebt, but this one endures more.

daveb you are so 100% OTM!! have you ever sliced garlic without thinking of this scene?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Since I saw the film, no. I've cut my fingers with knives in an attempt to get the garlic sliced so thin that it liquifies in the pan with just a little oil.

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:31 (twenty-two years ago)

i know! i still want to try it with an actual razor blade!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

You need to be in prison for the effect to work properly.

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

i am

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

goodfellas has a lot of great indelible moments like that one, like the slow push into robert deniro smoking at the bar, "sunshine of your life" on the soundtrack

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:36 (twenty-two years ago)

or when lorraine bracco hides the gun! I LOVE GOODFELLAS & I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:36 (twenty-two years ago)

whenever i'm running around, crazy busy, i think of that wicked sequence with the coke and the spaghetti sauce and the helicopter

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry to break-up the Goodfellas love fest ("am I a fucking CLOWN to you?"), but...

85. The egg scene in Tampopo.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

84. Jaws, Any scene with Robert Shaw in it really.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

the bit in _The Gift_ were Giovanni Ribisi freaks out with a tire iron

― Kingfish of Burma (Kingfish), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:17 (twenty-two years ago)

82. Will Farrell, Seann William Scott, little kid's birthday party, horse tranquilizers. Old School. Although I guess I do know why I love it so.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

81. The scene close to the end of 'Jacob's Ladder' where his Chiropractor/Guardian Angel, Louie, is explaining about how the Demons he sees are really Angels and how he must let go so those Angels can take him away to be at peace, then Jake gets up and walks a few faltering steps and Louie, with a beautific smile clasps his hands and says quietly 'Hallelujah'.

Gets me every damn time...

― mzui, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

80. for some reason the
caddyshack post-coital scene,
lacey and danny

talking and laughing--
kind of sweet and intimate,
then all hell breaks loose

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

94. entering the hangout in slo mo to Hurricane in dazed and confused

and wooderson does that slo mo point to someone off screen. perfect.

79. gregory's girl. the moment the camera pulls back as they're lying down dancing, and it's just giggling and waving arms and sunset.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Awwwww....Gregory's Girl. Let's not forget Phil Menzies' and Dorothy's dancing football moves.

― Tag (Tag), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

78. Once Upon A Time In the West, when Jason Robards turns to leave Claudia Cardinale's home, stops at the door and says "You know, Jill, you remind me of my mother. She was the biggest whore in Alameda and the finest woman that ever lived. Whoever my father was, for an hour or for a month - he must have been a happy man." It's the slow push in one her as he says this along with the Ennio Morricone music that makes this moment.

― Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

77. I'm sure this would be a popular one but the cafe dancing scene in "Band of Outsiders" is to me one of the most perfect moments in all of film.

― rasheed wallace (rasheed wallace), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

76. the fireman's ball, when the lights come back on after the brief outage. the prize table has been pillaged and everyone has clearly been misbehaving, and there's a few seconds of perfect, sheepish, guilty silence.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

75. Cabaret, when Brian's just arrived and Sally's showing him (and viewer) around and he/we look out of his bedroom door across the hall and see into her bedroom for the first time. It's a fantastic bedroom. I want to get all that stuff and put it in my room.

― Madchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

whenever i'm running around, crazy busy, i think of that wicked sequence with the coke and the spaghetti sauce and the helicopter

Me, too, especially if "What Is Life" is on the radio. The one single thing that always sticks out to me about this sequence is

74. How Henry Hill's wide-eyed peeking around the kitchen door is edited to repeat itself twice.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:50 (twenty-two years ago)

73. "Oh Warriors, come out to PLAYEEAY."

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:48 (twenty-two years ago)

OTM on the cafe scene in "Band of Outsiders", I love that part.

72. Maggie cheung walking down the stairs in "In The Mood for Love" in one of her sexy high-necked dresses past Tony Leung without acknowledging him as he turns around and watches her go down to the noodle bar.

71. Donnie Darko sitting in the theater asking "why do you wear that stupid rabbit suit?" and Frank replying "why do you wear that stupid man suit?"

― webcrack (music=crack), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

70. Yojimbo: any time Mifune is slowly walking with his hands in his outfit.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:28 (twenty-two years ago)

69. dad and son, in the middle of a wedding, slip out for macdonalds, for the kid, in yi-yi - the head-on shot of the both of them, the dad diffident or distant I can never remember which, the kid near-obsessionally hungry munching his tiny burger from his tiny hands.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

68. The kid floating away at the end of Waking Life.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

67. The dog's dreams in Triplets of Belleville.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

66. david bowie looks like david bowie and no-one else does in the man who fell to earth and sits down, on a reclining dentist-like chair, and turns on all the tellies and shouts 'all of yous get out of my head now' or somesuch, all clipped english like, no one else ever in the history looked like david bowie looked when he looked like that.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:36 (twenty-two years ago)

66a. capable of being utterly stop-you-with-lights-on-green beautiful in any outfit, as well as the one he was wearing at the time.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:37 (twenty-two years ago)

65. valley girl - deborah foreman takes off the bracelet her tyrant-dork jock boyfriend has given her and flings it out the window, as she and nicholas cage zoom off in a white stretch limo to the valley sheraton. i melt with you blares triumphantly.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

65. Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo on the back porch late at night, smoking, in You Can Count on Me. (Also, the way she waves at him from inside the restaurant when he first comes to town.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

(that should be 64, obv)

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

63. chungking express - the snack bar girl falls back onto her secret beloved's bed during the california dreaming montage.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:45 (twenty-two years ago)

62. Royal Tenenbaums - When Margot Tenenbaum goes to meet her Richie at the docks and a group of sailors walk behind her while Nico plays on the soundtrack.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

61. Ferris Bueller's Day Off, when Sloane and Cameron are talking about the future whilst Ferris is dicking about on the parade floats. Just reminds me of people I know.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 18:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Ohh, #62 is totally one of mine also.

#60. Rock'n'Roll High School - When the Ramones drive into town in their convertible playing "I Just Wanna Have Something To Do."

― St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

#59. Barton Fink - All of it really, but esp. the scene where Fink first comes to the hotel and rings the bell for the bellboy and it reverberates for about a solid minute, and nothing happens at first but then you hear faint footsteps getting louder and then Steve Buscemi appears out of a trapdoor in the floor.

― St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 18:33 (twenty-two years ago)

60. "un café avec du pain, beurre et confiture!" or something like that, la regle du jeu

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

58. the dance sequence at the end of talk to her, where the dancers do this two-step hip swing in unison to the music

― dave k, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

57. The Abominable Doctor Phibes - When Vulnavia (hottie mute assistant of mudering Phibes) is cleaning up at the fake bar in Phibes' estate, "One More for the Road Is Playing" and she stops her work, sits up by the edge of the piano and lights a cigarette (in one of those long holders, IIRC).

What purpose does this scene serve in the movie? Hell if I no, but it's a fantastic moment.

― Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

56. Miller's Crossing - One gangster recommends shaving with cold water, because cold makes metal contract, making the razor sharper. I think about this scene almost every time I shave, wondering whether he's right or not.

― vexxyAnswers, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

55. or the dance sequence in the middle of The Conformist, with the two women dancing so exquisitely in WWII France and the crowd's reaction. Then they pull the whole floor outside with them as the protaganist betrays his professor and they come back in and ensare him in the middle of the floor. The die is cast and he is trapped, everyone swirling around him ...

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:03 (twenty-two years ago)

(RE #56: I think that's from The Man Who Wasn't There, isn't it? Jon Polito's character? Anyways, I think about that when I shave too, and I use cold water.)

― St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:04 (twenty-two years ago)

haven't seen that one, but maybe it's in there, too. Might be Cohen family wisdom. I use hot water, because I believe it's about the face, not the blade, but as I said... MYSTERY.

― vexxxyAnswered, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Eh, it probably is Miller's Crossing and I'm misremembering.

― St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

#63 OTMFM and I would add...

54. at the end of Chungking Express

"Where do you want to go?"

"Wherever you want to take me."

― Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:37 (twenty-two years ago)

This is def. the best moment mentioned so far. There's just plain no excuse for mentioning Donnie Darko three times here and Rules of the Game once.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 23:47 (twenty-two years ago)

(Hastening to add that I actually like DD, probably better than the other movies on that thread.)

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 23:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Big Lebowski

Walter turns to The Dude after Jesus' tirade and says, "8 year olds Dude".

― The Velvet Overlord (The Velvet Overlord), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

53. The Straight Story, where Richard Farnsworth is riding his tractor down the highway, Lynch pans up to the sky like a big epic shot and then comes back down to Farnsworth being about five feet further

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 24 June 2004 00:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry to come in late, but:

daveb you are so 100% OTM!! have you ever sliced garlic without thinking of this scene?

I thought I was the only mentalist who did/thought this. And Ive never even watched the whole film, but I always think "get those slices thin, its the best way". Weird!

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 24 June 2004 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

O and:

68. The kid floating away at the end of Waking Life.

That reduces me to tears and I dont know why. I love it.

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 24 June 2004 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

It's funny about the Donnie Darko thing - I really like the film simply because bits of it give me the chills. I've had to watch it again and again as if it's a bit of music I really like more than a piece of cinema, just so I can relive those bits I like best.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 24 June 2004 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

53. The bathroom scene in The Shining, where Jack meets Delbert Grady (Philip Stone). Stone's deadly, ruthless stare (in complete contrast to the cheerful, easygoing butler manner he had given Nicholson just seconds earlier), chilling intonation, and rolling of the Rs combine with superb, understated dialogue:

"Did you know, Mr. Torrence, that your son is attempting to brrring an outside party into this...situation? Did you know that?"

"My girls, sir, they didn't care for The Overlook at first...one of them actually stole a pack of match-ES and tried to burn it down. But I corrrrrected her."

"Perhaps he needs a good...talking to, if I may be so bold, sir. Perhaps something more..."

Not over-the-top enough to be the most memorable scene in the movie, but certainly one of the most effective.

― Joe (Joe), Thursday, 24 June 2004 01:29 (twenty-one years ago)

52. Tootsie: "..........you slut."

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 24 June 2004 01:41 (twenty-one years ago)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

51. The final scene of Once Upon a Time in America, with Noodles (De Niro) in the den of the Chinese theater. In and of itself represents barely a fragment of the main plot, and on the face of it, very anticlimatic relative to other possible endings. Yet, without even using any words, ending it there summarizes Noodles and perfectly captures the core, bittersweet quality that pervades the entire film.

One of the things I've always thought was cool with that ending is looking at the other people in the background of the den, each in their own opium nirvana, both men and women, some looking wealthy and others poor. We've seen Noodles' story, but what were their stories? What demons were they escaping from? For me, Leone really had a way of creating this universe and drawing one in...

― Joe (Joe), Thursday, 24 June 2004 01:48 (twenty-one years ago)

50. From Last of The Mohicans When Madeline Stowe jumps from a cliff.

― jim wentworth (wench), Thursday, 24 June 2004 01:51 (twenty-one years ago)

49. "Just keep movin'. Lance, keep your hands away from the guns." Willard and what's left of the P.T. Boat crew in Apocalypse Now enter the first tier of Kurtz's riverbed compound in Apocalypse Now. A floatilla of mud-smeared montagnard warriors in standing boats silently part for the boat, then close behind it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 24 June 2004 02:51 (twenty-one years ago)

48. Grosse Pointe Blank: after shooting up all the FBI and hitmen guys and annoucing his life story and love to Minnie Driver, John Cusack pops his head into the bathroom where she and her father are hiding and, blood-splattered, asks her to marry him.

The dad weakly groans "well you got my blessing" and passes out in the tub. Hilarious =)

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 24 June 2004 02:53 (twenty-one years ago)

47. Towards the climax of The Shining, shit has started to go bonkers, nutzoid, haywire in the Overlook Hotel. Jack's roaming around with an axe after Danny. Wendy is roaming the halls with a knife, climbs a flight of stairs, looks to her left.....typical Kurbcik ZOOOM to the end of the hall, revealing a guy in a bear suit going down on a guy in a tux. They both look up and over at Wendy like she's the freak.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 24 June 2004 02:54 (twenty-one years ago)

46. "Let's Go For a Spin in Earl's Caddy!!!" Joe Strummer's entire performance in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 24 June 2004 02:56 (twenty-one years ago)

45. "Tonight is Mohawk Night." Griffin Dunne's Kafka-cribbing exchange with a largely unsympathetic bouncer at Club Berlin in Scorcese's After Hours.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 24 June 2004 02:57 (twenty-one years ago)

44. The Silencio scene from Mulholland Dr., remarkably powerful given that it's completely incoherent.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 24 June 2004 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't get enough of Ed Harris' disco dance moves in the first Creepshow segment.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 03:58 (twenty-one years ago)

43. Golfball rolling past doorway in Funny Games

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Thursday, 24 June 2004 04:04 (twenty-one years ago)

42. Trading Places:
"No, I'll be having dinner with Penelope tonight"
"Oh, lucky you"
"It's not luck....*bidding adeiu* Todd"
"a-hoo-hoo-hoo-ha-hoo"
"mnh mnh mnhhhh"

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 24 June 2004 04:21 (twenty-one years ago)

41. That scene in Two-Lane Blacktop when Laurie Bird leaves the restaurant and takes off with the kid on the motorcycle.

― Star Hustler, Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:07 (twenty-one years ago)

40. That scene in Teen Wolf when Teen Wolf rides on the Wolfmobile.

― Star Hustler, Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:14 (twenty-one years ago)

The climax of Manhunter where the killer bursts through his living room wall with a shotgun in perfect Miami Vice chop-motion. OH SHIIIIIT! It isn't scary or startling or creepy, it is just AWESOME.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:35 (twenty-one years ago)

That's #30.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:35 (twenty-one years ago)

That's #39 I mean!

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:36 (twenty-one years ago)

why you so mean?

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't help it; I just so mean!

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:41 (twenty-one years ago)

38. Paper Moon: the scene where Tatum sucessfully hides the money from the cops. I know there's grebter scenes in that movie, but it's been awhile since I've seen it and can't remember any. She smokes a cig at one point, doesn't she?

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 24 June 2004 06:35 (twenty-one years ago)

37. Withnail & I: As the boys peel out up the M1 in their crappy old Jag, Withnail leans out the window and hollers "SCRUBBERRRRSSS!!" at two passing schoolgirls, who shout "up yours grandad!" back.

Shot of car cruising up motorway with "All Along the Watchtower" playing.

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 24 June 2004 06:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Trainspotting: When Spud (his name was Spud, right?) purposely blows his job interview, esp the manner in which he shakes the interviewers' hands and the rhythm of his speech.

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 24 June 2004 06:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe a bit obvious.

2001 - Bone goes up, spaceship comes down...

― mzui, Thursday, 24 June 2004 08:04 (twenty-one years ago)

34. The press conference in The Right Stuff. Shepard, Cooper, Grissom etc. stiffen in front of the cameras and threaten to turn the event into a big lead balloon. Media-savvy John Glenn (Ed Harris) saves the day with a rousing off-the-cuff speech that whips the journos into a frenzy. "They're eatin' it up!" sez Quaid.

― robster (robster), Thursday, 24 June 2004 08:35 (twenty-one years ago)

33. Point Break - When The Busey asks Utah to get him a meatball sandwich. "Two!"

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Thursday, 24 June 2004 10:04 (twenty-one years ago)

32. The bit in Mad Dog and Glory where David Caruso fronts up to the bad cop in the bar. Particularly when the fat gangster says "you should try that shit with me some time" "Yeah well, different strokes for different folks". I also wholeheartedly endorse the Miller's crossing entry.

― Matt (Matt), Thursday, 24 June 2004 11:06 (twenty-one years ago)

31. Bottlerocket - James Caan practicing karate in his underwear.

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Thursday, 24 June 2004 11:32 (twenty-one years ago)

30. Another Big Lebowski vote, but for the whole scene with the peeing on the rug and 'obviously, you're not a golfer'.

29. Audrey Hepburn on a ladder in the bookshop wearing a pinafore dress in Funny Face.

28. Sitting on the table with a birthday cake at the end of Sixteen Candles.

(And of course I second or third or fourth Goodfellas.)

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 24 June 2004 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

27. The old woman telling the story of the Headless Horseman in Curse Of The Cat People .

26. The house decorated with posters from a travel agent in It's A Wonderful Life.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Another 2001 entry: Keir Dullea about to make suicidal leap into vacuum. The look in his eyes as be braces himself for the explosion and his likely death is ace.

― robster (robster), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:14 (twenty-one years ago)

25. Another Point Break moment....when Utah and Clam Shack girl go to Bodhi's party and Hendrixs "If 6 Was 9" is playing on the radio and body shots ensue.

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

ok a lot of these seem to me to be great scenes but it should be obvious why (like the 2001 bone/spaceship one which is pretty iconic & classic), but who cares i'm still going to play along anyway!

24. my best fiend - the last shot with the butterfly

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I think we're all ignoring the 'why' part of the question, hell I was anyway.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:55 (twenty-one years ago)

but i like that part of the question! otherwise it's just stone-cold classic scenes

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 25 June 2004 06:24 (twenty-one years ago)

OK, my whys for:

41. Two-Lane Blacktop: They're at this cafe, Dennis "the Mechanic" Wilson and James "the Driver" Taylor with the little tramp that they hooked up with on their journey across the American landscape The existential hotrodders don't really give a fuck but they're truly hurt when she takes off with one of Apollo's sons on his two-wheeled horse that has a name. Monte Hellmann at his best.

40. Teen Wolf: Self-explanatory I hope. A teenage werewolf that likes hoops and his party dude best buddy have a big truck they call the Wolfmobile and a wereworlf is doing backflips on the top of it in small-town Nebraska to the tune of "Surfin' USA." Rad.

23. Gleaming the Cube: When Christian Slater and Max Perlich hook up with the Bones Brigade to save the day, but Tony Hawk is a pizza delivery boy for Pizza Hut with a little red truck. The scene is when the Pizza Hut truck and the Bones Brigade appear over the hill and descend Wild Bunch-style to thwart the villain as Christian Slater (the greatest all-around skater of all-time who isn't even sponsored) pursues him. I really don't know why that's a great scene, but it contains Powell, Pizza, and Perlich so how can it possibly not be awesome.

― Star Hustler, Friday, 25 June 2004 07:37 (twenty-one years ago)

22. Chris Penn learning-to-dance montage in Footloose

― oops (Oops), Friday, 25 June 2004 08:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never watched gleaming the cube, but always think I should, I never realised Hawk was in it!

― chris (chris), Friday, 25 June 2004 08:11 (twenty-one years ago)

21. Big Night The very last scene where, in an unbroken shot, Stanley Tucci cooks an omelette from scratch, halves it, and he and his brother eat it in silence. Then the film ends. Beautiful.

― Huey (Huey), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:31 (twenty-one years ago)

20. "Leon"/"The Professional": Crooked Cop Gary Oldman and his cronies come back to the apartment to execute young Natalie Portman's family. During the proceedings, an old lady neighbor pokes her head out to chastise and is warned by an Oldman lackey to go back inside. She doesn't. Oldman casually fires off a round or two in her direction. "HE SAID, GO BACK INSIDE!"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

...just because Oldman's performance is so over-the-top that he's clearly relishly every hilariously malevolent moment of it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:41 (twenty-one years ago)

19. Every single instant in "Picnic at Hanging Rock" wherein the pan-flute theme is heard, ominously unfurling itself like a beautiful poisonous flower.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:44 (twenty-one years ago)

18) The scene in Dinner Rush where the warring head chef and sous chef come together to cook a meal for Sandras Bernhard's awful restaurant reviewer.

― Matt (Matt), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)

17) The brief, color sequence flashbacks of Shock Corridor.

― Joe (Joe), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:14 (twenty-one years ago)

16. The Wanderers - when the ducky boys show up at the end and the huge brawl takes place.

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:15 (twenty-one years ago)

15) The first ten minutes of Morvern Callar where she's totally ignoring her boyfriend's corpse. It's the Christmas lights that do it for me.

― Matt (Matt), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:18 (twenty-one years ago)

star hustler they don't count if you DO know why!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 25 June 2004 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

13) When the Great Risuli (Sean Fuckin' Connery) and his band of Berbery Pirates bust into Candace Bergen's Morocco villa, bust shit up, slit tea-sipping Edward up a treat, kidnap Candy and her two bratty kids and ride off into the desert in the sprawling and undersung "The Wind & the Lion".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:13 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

The Wind & the Lion might have had the potential to be good, but it was ruined by all the actors who for some reason though it was a farce and acted accordingly. Like that one american diplomat, what was up with his voice? It was just so bizarre to have some characters acting straight (or at least straight for an adventure movie) and other characters acting like they were in something by Gilbert & Sullivan.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Friday, 12 November 2004 02:27 (twenty-one years ago)

65. Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo on the back porch late at night, smoking, in You Can Count on Me. (Also, the way she waves at him from inside the restaurant when he first comes to town.)

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), June 23rd, 2004.

and the way Ruffalo nonchalantly flicks away the moth that has landed on his arm. i love this scene (and have said so before on another thread).

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 12 November 2004 03:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The scene in Fitzcarraldo where Klaus is standing on the river boat when he hears natives playing drums playing in the forest. Fearing that he is about to be attacked, Fitz sets up the Victrola on deck to play Caruso to the forest. Caruso plays, along with the drums in the forest, and you see a profile shot of Fitz and the lush green forest scrolling by. Absolutely one of the most beautiful moments I have ever seen captured on film and the reason I love film today.

The flashback scene in 8 1/2 which explains why Guido was thinking Asa Nisi Masa while the guy was trying to read his mind.

The scene in the Tin Drum where Oskar is sitting beneath the bleachers of the Nazi rally. He starts playing his drum and changes the cadence of the Nazi band, causing the whole group to descend into chaos.

The scene in Andrei Rublev where the nude pagens are running through the forest.

The scene in Wings of Desire where Nick Cave is performing.

Peter Lorre's speech at the end of Fritz Lang's M.

Jessy's song and dance number in Greaser's Palace

A dozen different scenes in Yi Yi. Take your pick.

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Friday, 12 November 2004 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

The scene in 'Silent Movie' when the three friends are so desperate to get into Burt Reynolds house and have tried everything so they resort to climbing one on top of the other to fake a giant man in a long overcoat with a glandular disease. Then they knock on Burt's door and say 'I have a glandular problem, may I use your telephone?' And he's just like, 'Why yes, of course,' as if glandular disorder people always need to use the telephone. And even though they're about 4 metres above the doorframe he says 'mind your head'. Then they try to get in and of course don't make it and fall backwards. So Burt, thinking it's one giant man with a gland problem, rushes to try to catch them. Then they all get tangled together in the giant overcoat and roll over and over down a hill onto the road. In the rolling the middle two come out and only Burt at the bottom of the overcoat and the guy at the top are left. Then a steamroller rolls over the middle of the overcoat and the driver faints because he thinks he killed a giant man.

― xx, Friday, 12 November 2004 06:06 (twenty-one years ago)

why on earth did we not do the last 12?

12) The scene in Brother when Danila tells his coworkers he will take care of the man who accidentally walked in on the hit scene and instead spins around and shoots his coworkers instead, and then procedes to chat with the terrified man about the CD he's looking to purchase.
11) The scene in Gross Pointe Blank right before the big shoot up where John Cusak explains that he's having a totally life altering experience and then it cuts to Dan Akroyd telling the other hitman that that bastard must be having a life altering experience.
10) The scene in Man on the Moon when Andy Kaufmann watches himself get had by the shaman faith-healer.

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Friday, 12 November 2004 06:17 (twenty-one years ago)

9) The scene where Nathalie confronts Baptiste and Garance in Children of Paradise

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Friday, 12 November 2004 06:17 (twenty-one years ago)

and Lauren OTM about Fireman's Ball since I brought up Foreman again myself.

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Friday, 12 November 2004 06:18 (twenty-one years ago)

i like xx's

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 12 November 2004 06:20 (twenty-one years ago)

and the way Ruffalo nonchalantly flicks away the moth that has landed on his arm

OH YEAH!

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 12 November 2004 06:24 (twenty-one years ago)

The scene in Iron Giant where Hogarth watches scary movies under a blanket! It's - and I say this without hesitation - the most nostalgiainducing moment I can recall.

11) The scene in Gross Pointe Blank right before the big shoot up where John Cusak explains that he's having a totally life altering experience and then it cuts to Dan Akroyd telling the other hitman that that bastard must be having a life altering experience. = OTM

The moment in one of the Antoine Doinel movies where Leaud sits in front of a mirror and recites his name over and over and over again to a manic, screaming climax.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Friday, 12 November 2004 06:31 (twenty-one years ago)

8.) romy and michele's high school reunion: romy and michele and alan cumming have a three-way dance to cyndi lauper's "time after time."

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 12 November 2004 07:54 (twenty-one years ago)

7.) the scene in citizen kane where walter thatcher asks kane what he wishes he could have been and he responds, with years of loathing in his voice - "everything you hate."

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 12 November 2004 07:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Great thread

6. The scene in Punch-Drunk Love where Barry and Lena are heading back from the hospital and just as they are pulling into his driveway, the Brothers' van smashes into them, spinning the car round. Cut to the car interior, with car spinning and then a trickle of blood down Lena's face. Barry leaps out, grabs his tire-iron and proceeds to beat the fuck out of their attackers. I nearly whooped when I saw this the first time.

(On a PTA tip also, the "Wise Up" singalong in Magnolia is too perfect for words as well)

― Bill A, Friday, 12 November 2004 16:53 (twenty-one years ago)

#?) The whole scene in Les Invasions Barbares where they all watch Isabelle Blais' last video on the laptop.

― alex in montreal, Friday, 12 November 2004 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

i know kung fu

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Friday, 12 November 2004 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

6. The part in Dead Alive/Brain Dead where he straps on the lawnmower and walks through the room full of zombies, spilling gallons and gallons of blood all over the house.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 12 November 2004 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

3. possession (1982) - imposible to pick a single scene.

― :| (....), Friday, 12 November 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

five years pass...

2. Breathless, when Belmondo and Seberg just laying around talking nonsense.

― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Thursday, 22 April 2010 13:05 (sixteen years ago)

1. The skateboarding kids in Bertolucci's La Luna.

― Bill A, Thursday, 22 April 2010 14:44 (sixteen years ago)

0. In Chopper when his mate is repeatedly stabbing him in prison - I think my "why" might be something to do with the matter-of-factness of it all. It isn't played like the horrific attempted murder it clearly should be. Chopper is all "what are you doing mate?" "look, if you keep stabbing me you're going to kill me..."

― broad layering (onimo), Friday, 23 April 2010 10:50 (sixteen years ago)

-1. The Spanish version of "Crying" in Mulholland Drive - we're told in advance it's all "recorded sound", but it's still a shock when the singer passes out and the music carries on.

― village idiot (dog latin), Friday, 23 April 2010 10:57 (sixteen years ago)

one of my fav scenes in any movie ever^

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Friday, 23 April 2010 14:17 (sixteen years ago)

And I just realised it's been mentioned already on this thread.

― village idiot (dog latin), Friday, 23 April 2010 14:23 (sixteen years ago)

*spoiler warning*

I was ambushed by unexpected emotion during the "showdown" scene in Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky. Without this scene it wouldn't have been half the film it was, but this bit:

Scott: "You had no intention of learning how to drive. You had one thing in mind. To reel me in. And why? Because you have to be adored. You've got to be wanted. And you drink it in. And you leave me with a spring in your step and you go off and you fuck your boyfriend and you fuck your girlfriend. And you all drive around in that stupid, little yellow car!"

It's gold - and that actor is gold in everything I've seen him appear.

― village idiot (dog latin), Friday, 23 April 2010 14:29 (sixteen years ago)

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