Tag Archives: Scenes I Love

Scenes That I Love: Who Was Really “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance?”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

John Ford was born 131 years ago today and it seems appropriate that today’s scene of the day should come from his final great film (even if it wasn’t the last film that Ford directed).

In 1962’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, frontier lawyer Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) comes to political prominence due to his notoriety for being the man who, in self-defense, gunned down notorious outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin).  Stoddard, an intellectual who opposes violence, is not happy about this.  When Stoddard considers refusing to be a delegate to the upcoming statehood convention, he is reprimanded by Tom Doniphon (John Wayne).  Stoddard and Doniphon are friends but they’re also romantic rivals, both being in love with Hallie (Vera Miles).  In this scene, Doniphon reveals the truth about who shot Liberty Valance.

Scenes That I Love: That Iconic Moment From Tough Guys Don’t Dance

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Norman Mailer was better-known as a writer than a filmmaker but, over the course of his limited directorial career, he did come up with one scene that will never be forgotten.  That scene is a scene that I love from 1987’s Tough Guys Don’t Dance.

Take it away, O’Neal!

Scenes That I Love: The Nightmare From The Conversation

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we wish a happy 95th birthday to the great actor-turned-writer Gene Hackman!

Today’s scene that I love comes from one of Hackman’s best films, 1974’s The Conversation.  In this scene, Hackman’s surveillance expert has a nightmare inspired by his fear that his latest job may cause two people to be murdered.  Hackman won two Oscars over the course of his career and was nominated several times.  The fact that he was not nominated for The Conversation was a huge oversight on the part of the Academy.

Scenes That I Love: Meet Rick Deckard in Blade Runner

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Continuing our theme of dystopian noir, today’s scene of the day comes from 1982’s Blade Runner.  In this scene, we not only meet Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) but we also get a look at the future of Los Angeles, from both the sky and the ground.

(Of course, the film takes place in 2019 so its future is our past!)

This is one of the best world-building scenes that I’ve ever seen, one that works because it takes place in a world we can recognize but which has obviously developed and changed over the years.  Plus, I just like Harrison Ford wearing a trench coat and looking grumpy.  He should have done more noirs.

Scenes That I Love: Mozart Meets The Emperor in Amadeus

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Mozart’s birthday so, of course, today’s scene from the day comes from 1984’s Amadeus.  In this scene, the Emperor (Jeffrey Jones) delivers his critique to Mozart (Tom Hulce) and anyone who has ever had to deal with an idiotic critic will be able to relate.

“There’s too many notes!”

What really makes this scene work, along with Hulce’s reaction, is Jones’s blandly cheerful manner.  The Emperor really thinks he’s being helpful!

Scene That I Love: The “Knife Fight” from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today would have been Paul Newman’s 100th birthday!

For today’s scene that I love, we have Paul Newman winning a fight in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

“There aren’t any rules for a knife fight.”

Scenes That I Love: The Opening Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since today is Tobe Hooper’s birthday, it seems fitting that today’s scene of the day should come from his best-known film.  The opening of 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is genuinely unsettling, from the opening narration to the scene of the body being dug up to the news reports of grave robbery.  Even the opening credits feel ominous!

The narration was, of course, provided by a young John Larroquette, who has since said that he was “paid in marijuana” for what would become his first feature film credit.

 

Scenes That I Love: John Belushi’s Motivational Speech From Animal House

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today would have been the 76th birthday of actor John Belushi.

Today’s scene that I love comes from Belushi’s first film, 1978’s Animal House.  In the scene, Belushi (playing Bluto) gives the greatest motivational speech of all time.  My father was quite a fan of Mr. Belushi’s.  I’d like to think that this speech was the reason why.

 

Scenes That I Love: “That’s Bird Seed!” from The Oscar

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Have you ever wondered what it takes to win an Oscar?  The 1966 film, The Oscar, revealed to audiences just how sleazy a world Hollywood can be.  Frankie Fane (Stephen Boyd) does everything he can to win an Oscar and he doesn’t care who he hurts!  But fear not — Hollywood may not be perfect but it has no room for someone like Frankie Fane!  At the end of the movie, a man named Frank does win the Oscar but his last name is Sinatra and Frankie Fane is left humiliated.  That’ll teach him to try to pull one over on the Academy!

The Oscar is an incredibly silly film but it’s also a lot of fun.  In this scene that I love, Frankie’s best friend — played by Tony Bennett, in both his first and final film — confronts Frankie about the type of star that he’s become.

“That’s birdseed!”

Scenes I Love: The Raid 2

Posted on by Arleigh

Yesterday, I highlighted one of my more recent guilty pleasures, Timu Tjahjanto’s unhinged action thriller The Night Comes for Us, and today I highlight an action scene from an earlier film that helped propel Indonesia’s action film scene to most Westerners with a little sequence from Gareth Edwards’ The Raid 2. A sequel to his own earlier film, The Raid.

This sequence stars the character only known as Hammer Girl and played Julie Estelle who is also in The Night Comes for Us. I would’ve picked her scene from that film to highlight but it spoils a major part of the film so I decided on this scene in The Raid 2 that got her noticed with action film aficionados worldwide.

It’s a simple set-up. Girl with two claw hammers in a crowded train silently squares up against a train car full of yakuza members. What comes next is a masterclass in action choreography that induces many a visceral response form the viewer yet hard to look away from.