The Vern’s 20 favorite scenes in movies. Vol 1

So over on the site A Fistful of Films.  There was a cool Blogathon that asked it’s readers to pick a number and then write a post about their favorite movie scenes.  I was a tad too late to participate in that actual event.  But I still urge you to check out all the great participants by clicking the link below .

http://afistfuloffilms.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-fistful-of-moments-blogathon.html

What follows is a list of my favorite scenes in movies as of today.    There are tons of moments that I’m sure I forgetting to include, but for right now. These are my favorite. I should note that the following list is not the 20 best scenes of all time, just a few of my personal favorites.  Enjoy.  Oh Shit before I begin and yes this will be an edit.  Here are the rules.

1) Pick a number between 1 and 100 (any more than 100 is just gaudy)
2) Choose that many cinematic moments that are either your all time favorites or ones that could, on any given day, be your all time favorites
3) Post them on your blog (or Tumblr or whatever) with the above header (or one you create for yourself)
4) Send me the link by either posting it here in the comments or getting ahold of me on Twitter ( @fististhoughts )

Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtues of Ignorance) 2014 – Relevant

There are a lot of great moments that I could have used in this movie. The floating cinematography when Riggen(Micheal Keaton) is shown flying around New York is classic. But the scene that really stuck out in my mind is the one where his daughter Sam(Emma Stone) goes off on him for wanting to be relevant. Her monologue is one that has become for me an important mantra in my life. As a blogger and writer, I too want to be well known for what I do. But in the end, does it really matter.

 

Pulp Fiction 1994 – Mia Overdoses

Tarantino is a master of dialogue and I could have chosen any scene that helps reflect that. Instead I chose this moment where Mia(Uma Thurman) pops on “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon” By Urge Overkill and starts dancing. I don’t know why but I tear up every time this scene plays because it’s so beautiful. It’s a very simple scene and yet I love it so much. Vincent’s(John Travolta) monologue in the bathroom mirror is also funny and I love how the two scenes interplay with each other.

 

Dr. Strangelove (Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb) 1964 – The President calls France

Who would have ever thought that Stanley Kubrick could make a movie that would make me laugh. The man behind such great mind twisters like “Eyes Wide Shut” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” made just that flick. “Dr. Strangelove..” is indeed a funny one but a very dark one too. The movie is about a U.S.Army general who takes a plane to drop a bomb on another country. The scene is the phone conversation between our President(Peter Sellers) and theirs. The scene works because all we see and hear is just Sellers and it remains hilarious no matter how many times I see it.

 

Manhattan Murder Mystery 1993 – Together Again

I could have chosen any scene from “Annie Hall” and that would have been just fine. But my favorite Woody Allen and Diane Keaton feature is one that most people would not mention. “Manhattan Murder Mystery” is about an aging couple who discover that their next door neighbor could be a killer. Keaton’s character becomes fascinated with this because it gives her some adventure in her life. I consider this movie to be a somewhat quai sequel to “Annie Hall“. If those characters stayed married. This is what would happen.

 

Frances Ha – 2012 – Frances dances in the street.

“Frances Ha” is about a girl(Greta Gerwig) who is uncertain about her future. I was not crazy about this movie when I first saw it, but it is fast becoming a favorite. The scene where she is running after receiving her tax refund is awesome. Especially her reaction at the end. We get these moments that make us feel happy and do silly things. But we soon feel kind of stupid afterwards

 

American Psycho 2000 – Hip to be Square

The Business card scene almost made the list, but it was this one that had Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) discuss the importance of Huey Lewis and The News  to Paul Allen(Jared Leto) that really stood out for me. This is the moment where the satirical tone of the book was put into full effect and the end result was a lot of fun.  If you were not on board after this moment.  It’s clear, this movie is not for you.

 

The Royal Tenenbaums 2001 – Margo Tenenbaum’s file

In this scene we get the history of Margo Tenenbaum all done to the music of the Ramones. All montages should have this.

 

Lost in Translation 2003 – Suntory Times Ad

Hilarious moment that shows Bob Harris(Bill Murray) shooting a whiskey ad for a Japanese company. The scene remains funny no matter how many times I see it. I just love Murray’s expression as he tries to understand his director. I have seen this with subtitles, before and it doesn’t have the same effect. It work much better when you don’t understand what the director and the translator are saying.

 

Bringing Up Baby 1937 – David Meets Baby

Older movies don’t get much respect amongst most movie fans. Especially the comedies. However Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn have such great comedic timing that this scene and many others are still funny even to this day

 

Dogtooth 2009 – Dance Party

This is an Oscar nominated feature about a family who lives in isolation. The children know nothing of the outside world and the parents tell them nothing but lies throughout their lives. When an outsider shares a video with one of them. They get to understand more. This is a great movie, but it is a really weird one. As this scene will clearly show. This takes place after one of the girls sees the video. You can see references in her dance number to “Flashdance” and I think “Dirty Dancing” too.

 

Mulholland Dr 2001 – This is The Girl

I know there are a lot of scenes I could have used from this movie, and I’m not quite sure why I chose this. For me there is something absolutely sinister and somewhat unsettling about this scene. Its a pretty pop song and all, but there is something unnerving about it and I like that.

 

Toy Story 2 1999 – Jessie’s Story

Grab a hold of some tissues cause this next scene will make you cry. Hearing Jessie the cowgirl talk about how she was discarded by her best friend is heartbreaking. It made me wish I didn’t give away all my toys all those years ago. The scene becomes even sadder because you got Sarah McLachlan singing during the montage.

 

The Social Network 2010 – Opening Scene

This opening scene with Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara is just classic. These are two really good actors doing what they do best. The dialogue is real and doesn’t feel scripted.  OK well maybe it is scripted, but it’s a damn good one.   I love how David Fincher has all the background noise at full volume. This makes the viewer pay attention to what the characters are  saying even more. I love it when it gets  kind of quiet and Rooney calls him an asshole.

 

Heathers 1988 – “I did not want him dead”

This takes place right after JD (Christian Slater) and Veronica(Winona Ryder) have killed Kurt and Ram and made it look like they were suicidal gay lovers. I love it when they start bickering and Veronica puts her fingers in her ears and starts singing “Mary had a Little Lamb”. Oh shit, did JD just light his cigarette on Veronica’s hand after she tried to burn it,Damn.

 

Melancholia 2011 – It’s the end of the world and I feel fine

Never before has the end of the word been as beautiful as it is done through the eyes of Lars Von Trier. The use of pristine slow motion images mixed with the music of Richard Wagner is intoxicating.

 

Serial Mom 1994 – Prank Phone Call

This movie holds a special place in my heart because it is one that I watched with my mom and the rest of the family when I was 14. This was the first John Waters movie they showed me and after this, I saw”Hairspray“, “Pecker“, “Pink Flamingos“, and “Cecil B Demented“. Kathleen Turner is awesome and the whole movie is very funny.

 

Batman Returns 1992 – Catwoman

I love this moment when Selina Kyle(Michelle Pfeiffer) freaks out and becomes Catwoman. I have no real reason, I just love it.

 

12 Monkeys 1995 – Get out of my chair

I’m glad that Brad Pitt was given a best supporting actor nomination for his role in this because he was really good. He could have easily just coasted by with his looks back then, and I’m glad he chose the other route instead.  It kind of upsets me that Terry Gilliam did not get nominated, but I hope he gets one before a lifetime achievement award.  I have yet to see the TV series, but this still stands alone as a good movie.

 

Robocop 1987 – Oh my god. They killed Kenny

What makes “Robocop” stand out from all other action movies is the way violence is portrayed. It doesn’t try at all to be serious and this moment when Ed-209 is introduced, clearly shows that. Poor Kenny is shot far beyond any recognition and in the director’s cut. It keeps on going to absurd lengths. I laughed when someone asks for a paramedic and when the President of OCP tells Dick Jones that he is very disappointed in him. It’s funny because he clearly doesn’t care that someone died. He’s just upset that this new machine he spent tons of money on is now broken.

 

Akria 1988  Ride Tetsuo Ride

Even by today’s standard, “Akria” is still regarded as one of the best animated movies of all time. After you start watching it, you forget that you are watching what is  basically a cartoon. The city landscapes and the way characters interact with them are very realistic.  It feels like a live action feature I also love that this movie doesn’t use a traditional orchestra or even a techno like score. Which is something I’m afraid the live action remake will(If they ever do make that movie and I hope they don’t).

What are your favorite scenes in movies? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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