Horror Scenes I Love: Daybreakers

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Arleigh

[spoilers!!] [spoilers!!] [spoilers!!]

I know some people like and even love the vampire film Daybreakers when it arrived in theaters in early 2010. I’m not one of those who love Daybreakers as my review can attest, but I did like some of the ideas brought up by The Spierig Brothers who wrote and directed the film. One could say that I begrudgingly like the film despite its many flaws.

One of the things I did like about this film was how unabashed it was in keeping the whole affair a rated-R affair. Unlike most vampire films which have come out the last decade or so this one doesn’t shy from the grue that others have. Daybreakers was definitely not of the Twilight branch of the vampiric subgenre.

My favorite scene in the film happens pretty much around the end of it. It saved the film from becoming a total dull, boring affair into one worthy of being talked about if just for this one scene. One could come into the film just at this scene alone and forget that they’re watching a vampire film but a zombie one instead. The gore was just so over-the-top and it’s staging so well-done that I couldn’t stop from having a silly grin of enjoyment from escaping.

Horror Scenes I Love: Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Arleigh

Anyone who have gotten to know me throughout the years (decades even) know one indisputable fact and that’s one of my favorite films of all-time is George A. Romero’s classic horror masterpiece, Dawn of the Dead.

This film is not just a great horror film, but just a great film. Sure, some have said that it hasn’t aged well, but those detractors only see the era it was filmed in. If one looks part that then they can see that Dawn of the Dead works just as well now as it did when it premiered in 1978.

One of my favorite scenes in the film is actually the beginning of the film. It’s rare that a film can fully capture and explain an overriding theme in the film’s narrative right from the beginning, but Romero did it and did it well.

The scene I’m talking about is the film’s intro that’s set in a chaotic Pittsburgh TV station. It’s a scene of chaos because the zombie apocalypse is already in full swing and people have begun to lose their trust in the fourth estate. In times of crisis the people depend on the news to bring to them answers or, at the very least, the correct information to survive said crisis. In Dawn of the Dead, the fourth estate has failed as in that they’ve become just as unreliable as the rest of the mechanisms which make civilization operate.

Even when the right information was being relayed by the the guest scientist in the scene, the audience reaction (the tv station crew themselves) was one of exasperation and disbelief. This scene would influence future zombie apocalypse stories both in film, tv and print in that the people would lose faith and trust in the very institution who were supposed to be trusted to be objective and informative.

This is just one of several scenes from Dawn of the Dead which I consider a favorite, but then the entire film I would consider a favorite scene as a whole in a story that hasn’t ended.

Dance Scenes That I Love: The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I really probably shouldn’t share this scene until I actually post my review of The Perks of Being A Wallflower. But I’ve still got three other Back to School films to review before I get to Perks and I want to share this scene now! In this dance scene that I love, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller take over the dance floor in spectacular fashion!

Scenes I Love: Guardians of the Galaxy (Spoiler)

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Arleigh

(image by aktheneroth)

I just had to make sure I posted this scene the moment Marvel Studios released it for all to see and enjoy. For those who have already seen the film knows of what scene I speak of. It’s the one scene that cemented for many who have fallen in love with Guardians of the Galaxy why they love it so.

I know that my co-founder Lisa Marie just adores and loves this scene. I would describe the scene itself, but I think there’s still a few people out there who hasn’t seen Guardians of the Galaxy. So, with “spoiler tag” in the title I’ll just let the video speak for itself.

WE. ARE. GROOT.

Scenes That I Love: Lauren Bacall, R.I.P.

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

“You know how to whistle, don’t you”

From 1944’s To Have And Have Not.

RIP, Lauren Bacall.

Scenes I Love: Transformers – The Movie

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Arleigh

I will have my review of Michael Bay’s latest explosiotravaganza, but until I get that up here’s my favorite scene from the best film made about the Hasbro toys that were more than meets the eye.

On a side note, any kid who grew up during the 80’s would’ve seen or have heard of this animated film. Whether they were scarred for life would depend on how much the Transformers had become part of their day-to-day life. This scene actually shows Optimus Prime at his most badass while remaining a robotic avatar of the John Wayne ideal. Live-action Optimus Prime this one is not and never would be. The live-action version has become somewhat problematic as an onscreen hero and I shall expand more on that in the review.

For now, just enjoy….”One shall stand. One shall fall.”

Also, FUCK YOU HOT ROD!

Scenes That I Love: Eli Wallach Searches For The Gold In The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I just heard that, earlier today, the legendary character actor Eli Wallach passed away at the age of 98. Wallach made his film debut in 1956’s Baby Doll and made his final film appearance 54 years later in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. I have to admit that I don’t really remember much about Wall Street or Wallach’s performance in the film. However, I do remember his wonderful cameo appearance in The Ghost Writer.

And, of course, everyone remembers Eli Wallach’s best role, that of Tuco in Sergio Leone’s classic spaghetti western The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. In the role of a comedic yet ruthless bandit, Wallach brought a lot of life to Leone’s epic portrait of greed in the west. His unabashedly flamboyant performance provided a wonderful (and much-needed) contrast to the more stoic performances of Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef.

For me, the best scene in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly is one in which not a single bullet is fired nor a word uttered. In this scene, Tuco has finally discovered the cemetery where a stolen shipment of gold has been buried. All he has to do is find Arch Stanton’s grave and he’ll be a very rich man. What Tuco did not take into consideration was just how many other graves there would be in the cemetery.

This is a rare moment in the film in which Tuco is not speaking but just watch Wallach’s performance here to see how much a great actor can do with just body language and facial expressions. (Needless to say, Ennio Morricone’s classic score helps out as well.)

Eli Wallach, R.I.P.

Scenes I Love: Centurion

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Arleigh

In honor of tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones which was once again directed by the great British filmmaker Neil Marshall I’ve chosen a favorite scene from his last film as the latest Scenes I Love.

Tonight’s episode saw the pivotal Battle of Castle Black which showcases the battle of Mance Rayder’s 100,000-strong Wildlling army against the few hundred Night’s Watch defenders of Castle Black and The Wall. It was a very bloody affair that saw more than a few important deaths. It also highlighted the fact that Neil Marshall has to be one of the great action directors of this era. He’s able to work both with CG and practical effects and definitely do so on a budget (yet still making the whole episode look cinematic).

For those who have followed Marshall’s work they won’t be surprised by his work on Game of Thrones. He’s done large-scale battles before and none more bloody, brutal and chaotic as the ambush battle in the forest in Centurion.

Scenes That I Love: The Fashion Show From The Adventurers

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I’ve never actually seen The Adventurers but everything that I’ve read about it (and the film is mentioned in just about every “Terrible Movie” book that I own) would seem to suggest that this 1970 film is pretty bad. In fact, just about every review that I’ve read has referred to the film as being lurid, trashy, melodramatic, and over-the-top.

However, that’s not really a problem for me. That’s what a lot of people say about the Valley of the Dolls and that’s one of my favorite movies, precisely because it is so lurid and ludicrous. (Lurid and ludicrous are two Ls that equal love, as far as I’m concerned.)

I was recently doing a YouTube search on The Adventurers and I came across the following video, which is described as being the “amazing fashion show from Lewis Gilbert’s The Adventurers.” Having watched the video, I can agree that this fashion show is pretty amazing. In fact, it pretty much epitomizes everything that I love about the over-the-top, big budget event films of the late 60s and early 70s. As I watched this scene, I especially enjoyed the random jump cut and the unnecessary use of the split screen. It’s just so 1970!

I may not have seen the entire film but this scene from The Adventurers is still a scene that I love.

Lisa Goes Back To College: Toga! Toga! Toga!

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, all good things must come to an end and that includes my cinematic trip back to college. Now, just in case you’re feeling that my trip back was a bit too overly critical and snarky, allow me to conclude things with a scene that I truly love. This is a scene that so epitomizes everything that’s great about college. The film takes places in the 60s and was filmed in the 70s but National Lampoon’s Animal House is a truly a timeless film.

And the Toga Party is a timeless scene.