Category Archives: Scenes I Love

Scenes I Love: John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The legendary director John Ford was born 132 years ago today, in Maine of all places.  He may have been born in New England but few directors have done a better job of capturing, on film, the forces that shaped America.

He also directed one of my favorite films, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.  Today’s scene that I love comes from the end of that 1962 film and it features a line that would become a classic.  “Print the legend.”  That was a line that Ford clearly understood and I imagine it’s one that all great filmmakers eventually come to appreciate.

Happy Birthday in Cinema Heaven to Character Actor, Stuart Margolin!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

I love the character actor Stuart Margolin. He’s well known for his work as Angel Martin on the James Garner TV series THE ROCKFORD FILES, but I’ll always appreciate him the most for his important performances with director Michael Winner and actor Charles Bronson in the movies THE STONE KILLER and DEATH WISH. Margolin passed away in 2022 but his legacy on film and TV live on forever!

For a bit of 70’s cinema trivia, if anyone ever asks you who gave Paul Kersey his Colt revolver in the original DEATH WISH, the answer is Aimes Jainchill, played by Mr. Margolin. Join me in celebrating his legacy by watching this scene from the vigilante classic!

Scenes That I Love: Catherine O’Hara and Fred Willard in Waiting for Guffman

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

When I heard that the actress Catherine O’Hara had passed away, I immediately thought of Waiting For Guffman.

I know that a lot of people immediately thought of Schitt’s Creek.  And I imagine that a lot of people thought of her as the desperate mother in Home Alone.  And definitely, there are a lot of people on twitter who are posting clips of her work on SCTV right now.  But I’m a theater nerd and, when you’re a theater nerd, Waiting for Guffman pretty much feels likes watching your life on film.

The entire cast of Waiting for Guffman is brilliant.  It’s definitely the most emotionally satisfying of all of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries.  But I’ll have a special place in my heart for Catherine O’Hara and Fred Willard as the community theater superstars.  Today’s scene that I love features O’Hara and Willard giving the audition of a lifetime in Waiting For Guffman.

A Scene That I Love: John Belushi On The Weather

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Today would have been the 77th birthday of the great John Belushi.

I was planning on watching and reviewing The Blues Brothers today but that was before the winter storm hit.  Instead, here’s Belushi on Saturday Night Live in 1976, talking about the weather.  John was 25 here and it’s hard to believe that, in just 6 years, he would be gone.

 

Happy 64th Birthday to legendary South Korean Actor Choi Min-sik!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

I’m a big fan of the South Korean actor, Choi Min-sik, especially due to his performance in the film OLDBOY (2003). I remember buying the foreign DVD when the movie came out. I had a region-free DVD player so I was able to watch it back in the early 2000’s before everyone else knew about it. Back in those days, it felt like I knew something that nobody else knew, and it was pretty awesome. Choi would soon go on to star in movies like LADY VENGEANCE (2005) and I SAW THE DEVIL (2010), cementing himself as an icon. On his 64th birthday, I invite you to celebrate this fight scene from his legendary performance in OLDBOY!

Happy Birthday, Choi Min-sik!

Scenes That I Love: The Pendulum Starts To Swing From The Pit and The Pendulum

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s scene that I love is from the 1961 Roger Corman-directed Edgar Allan Poe adaptation, The Pit and The Pendulum!

Not only is that pendulum nightmarish as Hell but check out that set design!  One can see that Corman definitely took some inspiration from the work being done in the UK by Hammer.  Watching this scene, it is easy to see why Corman devoted so much of the early 60s to directing Vincent Price in various Edgar Allan Poe adaptations.

Enjoy!

Scene that I Love: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman Are Notorious

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The great Cary Grant was born 122 years ago today.

In honor of Cary Grant’s legendary career and screen charm, today’s scene that I love comes from one of my favorite Cary Grant/Ingrid Bergman/Claude Rains/Alfred Hitchcock movies!  From 1946’s Notorious, here is a scene that I love.