HappyGilmore2, the sequel to my favorite golf movie, is currently available on Netflix. I’ll be watching it later today. I have no idea if it’s any good or not. I’m hoping for the best, though.
Anyway, this seems like a good time to share the best scene from the original HappyGilmore. In this scene, Happy and Bob Barker team up for a celebrity tournament. It does not go well. Reportedly, Barker initially turned down this cameo and only changed his mind after he was assured that he would win the fight.
96 years ago today, the English director Peter Yates was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. Yates would go on to direct films in almost every genre but today, he’s perhaps best-remembered for directing what is considered to be one of the first great cop films, 1968’s Bullitt. I already shared the film’s classic car chase film for Steve McQueen’s birthday so today, I’m going to share the airport showdown.
100 years ago, on this date, Joseph Sargent was born in New Jersey. Sargent would go on to become one of the busiest directors of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, working in both film and television. Though he would never receive the type of critical attention as some of his contemporaries, Sargent was a skilled director who specialized in making entertaining, no-nonsense films. Though his reputation was tarnished a bit by the fourth Jaws film, it should be remembered that Sargent was also responsible for films like Colossus: The Forbin Project,Tribes, Nightmares, and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
1974’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three has come to be recognized as a genre classic. It’s certainly one of my favorite films about how New Yorkers will be rude to anyone in any circumstances. You can see an example of this in today’s scene that I love. Having hijacked a train, Robert Shaw calls in his last of demands and gets a very New York response.
In honor of the late Norman Jewison, today’s scene that I love comes from my favorite film to have been directed by him.
In this scene from 1973’sJesus Christ Superstar, Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman) attempts to comfort Jesus (Ted Neeley) while Judas (Carl Anderson) tries to pull Jesus away from her. This scene showcases both Elliman’s angelic voice and Anderson’s ferocious intensity as Mary and Judas present two very different sides of a spiritual journey.
Apollo 13 (1995, dir by Ron Howard, DP: Dean Cundey)
Today we have an absolutely beautiful scene from 1995’s Apollo 13. In this scene, astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) takes a look at the moon and, for a minute, thinks about what could have been, if only a malfunction hadn’t scuttled Apollo 13’s moon landing and left Lovell and his two crewmates apparently stranded in space. Though Lovell may dream of walking on the moon, he knows it won’t happen and that his only concern now is getting both himself and his crew back home.
Some critics have a tendency to dismiss Ron Howard as just being a director who makes middlebrow films but this scene shows him to be a director who instinctively understands not only what it’s like to dream but also what it’s like when reality intrudes on those dreams. This scene features both Howard and Tom Hanks at their best.
Today’s scene is from Abel Ferrara’s 1990 gangster epic, KingofNewYork. Featuring Christopher Walken and a host of familiar faces, it’s one of those scenes that simply just has to be seen.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to director Paul Verhoeven. This scene that I love is from Verhoeven’s 1997 sci-fi epic, StarshipTroopers. Over-the-top, satirical, and violent, this scene epitomizes the aesthetic of Verhoeven’s American films.
Today would have been Donald Sutherland’s birthday. Today’s scene that I love comes from one of my favorite Sutherland performances, as the professor who dislikes John Milton in Animal House.
The scene below is, of course, from Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece, The Shining.
In this scene, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) stumbles into the Overlook Hotel’s ballroom, still fuming over having been accused of abusing his son. A recovering alcoholic, Jack sits at the bar and thinks about how he would give up his soul for just one one drink. And, on cue, Lloyd (Joe Turkel) appears.
As I was watching this scene, it occurred to me that, way back in 1980, there probably was some guy named Lloyd who saw this movie in a theater and was probably totally shocked when Jack suddenly stared straight at him and said, “Hey, Lloyd.”
The brilliance of this scene is that we never actually see Lloyd materialize. We see him only after Jack has seen him. So, yes, Lloyd could be a ghost. But he could also just be a figment of Jack’s imagination. Jack very well could just be suffering from cabin fever. Of course, by the end of the movie, we learn the truth.
Everyone always talks about Jack Nicholson’s performance as Jack. Some people love it and some people hate it. (I’m in the first camp.) However, let’s take a minute to appreciate just how totally creepy Joe Turkel is in this scene. Turkel was a veteran character actor and had appeared in two previous Kubrick films, The Killing and Paths of Glory. Two years after appearing in The Shining, Turkel played what may be his best-known role, Dr. Eldon Tyrell in Blade Runner. Today, incidentally, would have been Joe Turkel’s 98th birthday.
From Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, here’s Jack Nicholson and Joe Turkel:
Through the Shattered Lens 