Since today is Raoul Walsh’s birthday, it only makes sense that our scene that I love should come from one of Walsh’s best films.
In 1948’s White Heat, James Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a gangster who loves his mother and goes out like a raging inferno. Here, for those who don’t mind a spoiler or two, is the end of Raoul Walsh’s White Heat.
I’m a huge fan of actor Chuck Norris. His films SILENT RAGE, LONE WOLF MCQUADE, MISSING IN ACTION, and especially CODE OF SILENCE are some of my all time favorites. Fox 16 out of Little Rock seemed to play LONE WOLF MCQUADE on repeat when I was growing up in the 80’s. I always thought this opening scene was so badass. In honor of Norris’ birthday, I share this with all of you! Thanks Chuck, for all the great memories! Enjoy, my friends!
Today is Chuck Norris’s birthday and to celebrate, today’s scene that I love comes from one of his best films. In this sequence from 1985’s The Delta Force, Chuck shows that even his motorcycle is a force to be reckoned with.
Alain Delon was left out of last week’s Oscar memorial montage but that doesn’t mean we can’t honor him here. In today’s scene that I love, Alain Delon walks with style. This is from the end of 1960’s Purple Noon, a French adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley.
It’s never a bad time to revisit the bar shootout at the beginning of John Woo’s THE KILLER (1989). I’ve loved actor Chow Yun-Fat from the moment I first saw this scene in the mid-90’s. Enjoy my friends!
It would be hard to overstate how much I loved THE KARATE KID (1984) when I was growing up. The movie came out when I was 10 years old, and I think it would be fair to say that I wanted to be the karate kid. I was a scrawny little runt, and the whole storyline about getting the better of the big bullies appealed to me. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita will always be special to me because of their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi. It’s also fair to say that my very first movie crush was Elizabeth Shue. I thought she was so beautiful as “Ali with an I,” and I still do!
It was so easy to hate Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and his band of bullies. The show, COBRA KAI, has finally helped me get over my anger at them. And then there’s Martin Kove as John Kreese, the head of that snake that was cobra kai. He is such an asshole in the movie! When I saw it was his birthday, I had an excuse to share one of my favorite scenes in cinema!
Happy Birthday, Martin Kove! Enjoy, my friends!
*spoilers*
The film Brothers, released in 2009, came and went with little fanfare, but it was a film that stuck with me when I saw it a couple years later.
It has definitely made an impression on me after seeing it again while convalescing the summer of 2019. The film deals with PTSD with soldiers coming home from the wars in the Middle East. Yet, it also does a great job of portraying of someone going through severe PTSD after experiencing a major tragedy in their life.
One doesn’t have to have been at work to experience PTSD.
Tobey Maguire does such a great job of acting as the tormented Sam Cahill that one feels discomfort at watching his performance. A performance that shows such unrestrained rage and helplessness in the midst of “drowning” in one’s trauma.
Happy Mardi Gras!
For today’s scene that I love, here is the Mardi Gras sequence from 1969’s Easy Rider. Featuring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Karen Black, and Toni Basil walking through the streets of New Orleans, this scene was actually filmed during Mardi Gras. Those are real Mardi Gras floats and real Mardi Gras participants staring at the camera. That’s an actual citizen of New Orleans with whom Dennis Hopper appears to have nearly gotten into a fight. Personally, I relate to Toni Basil in this scene. She is having a good time no matter what!
I just love how Toni Basil can’t help but dance, no matter what.
Today’s scene of the day comes from the original Mad Max, directed by George Miller and starring Mel Gibson as Australia’s favorite apocalypse survivor. In this scene, Max — who is still trying to be a servant of law and order — chases The Night Rider!
The Night Rider has become a bit of a fan favorite, which is saying something for someone who really isn’t in the film for that long. As Mad Max takes place before the total collapse of civilization, it’s temping to see The Night Rider as a harbinger, letting Max and his other police colleagues know what the future for holds all of them.
Through the Shattered Lens 