Tag Archives: Scenes I Love

Scenes I Love: The Opening of Shaft

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is the birthday of Richard Roundtree so, of course, today’s scene that I love could only be the classic opening of 1971’s Shaft.

By doing something as simple as walking down a street in New York, Roundtree shows us exactly who Shaft is and why Shaft does what he does.  This is one of those scenes that’s been parodied so many times that it’s actually surprising to rewatch and see how just defiant and sexy Richard Roundtree’s confident strut actually was.

On another note, I enjoy seeing all of the names of the movies that were playing on 42nd Street when this scene was filmed.

Scene I Love: Tom Cruise Dances In Tropic Thunder

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 61st birthday to one of the last remaining movie stars, Tom Cruise!

While it’s tempting to celebrate this day by sharing a scene from a film like Top Gun: Maverick or one of the Mission Impossible sequels or maybe even something like Magnolia, Jerry Maguire, Edge of Tomorrow, or Risky Business, I am going to go with a clip from 2008’s Tropic Thunder.  There’s a lot talent in this particular scene, with Bill Hader and Matthew McConaughey both giving good performances.  But, of course, the whole thing is dominated by Tom Cruise’s wonderfully demented performance as Les Grossman.

“We do not negotiate with terrorists!”

Scenes I Love: Julie Christie Meets Connie White In Nashville

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In this scene from Robert Altman’s 1975 masterpiece, Nashville, Julie Christie plays herself as a famous visitor to the city for which the film is named.  She is introduced to Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson), Haven’s lawyer, Delbert Reese (Ned Beatty), political advance man John Triplette (Michael Murphy), and country music star Connie White (Karen Black).  Julie Christie may be a star in Hollywood but Connie is the star of Nashville.

Karen Black, who was born on this date in 1939, improvised her dismissive line about Julie Christine not even being able to comb her hair.  It was a moment that reportedly shocked the rest of the cast and the crew but it was also a line that perfectly summed up both Connie as a character and Altman’s version of Nashville.

Scenes That I Love: Freddie and Dodd’s Final Meeting From Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s scene that I love comes from 2012’s The Master, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (who is celebrating his birthday today).

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix were never better than they were in Anderson’s enigmatic story of two very different men who become unlikely friends.  Phoenix plays Freddie Quill, a World War II veteran who has never figured out how to adjust to life during peacetime.  Hoffman plays Lancaster Dodd, a writer who claims to have all the answers but who is actually a charlatan.  In this scene, Freddie and Dodd meet for one last time and, though they are both characters about who most viewers will have mixed feelings, there’s something undeniably poignant about their final moments together.  Both of them realize that the time they had is over.  And indeed, watching this scene today is all the more difficult because it reminds us of what a talent we lost when we lost Philip Seymour Hoffman.

From Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master:

Scenes That I Love: Ash Replaces His Hand In Evil Dead II

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wish a happy birthday to the one and only Bruce Campbell!  And what better way to celebrate and to get the day started than with an iconic scene from 1987’s Evil Dead II?

Scenes that I Love: The End of Dirty Harry

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we wish a happy 93rd birthday to Clint Eastwood!

Today’s scene that I love comes from 1971’s Dirty Harry, in which Clint finally confronts the the Scorpio Killer (Andy Robinson) and asks him if he feels lucky.  Eastwood himself later said that Callahan’s badge must have been attached to a rubber band because he was somehow able to get it back in time for Magnum Force.

Scenes I Love: James Stewart Explains The Four Ways To Defend Murder In Anatomy of a Murder

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

On this date, in 1908, James Stewart was born in Pennsylvania.  Over the course of a long career that saw him become a favorite of every director from Frank Capra to John Ford to Alfred Hitchcock to Anthony Mann, Jimmy Stewart gave a series of amazing performances.  My favorite Stewart film is, of course, It’s A Wonderful Life.  But I also love Stewart’s performance in 1959’s Anatomy of a Murder.  Playing a somewhat cynical attorney, Stewart received his final Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his work in this classic and influential film.

In today’s scene that I love, James Stewart explains to his client (played by Ben Gazzara) that there are four ways that he can defend a murder charge.  The contrast between Stewart’s classic style and Gazzara’s intense method style makes for an intense scene between two very talented and unique actors.

Scenes That I Love: Senator Smith Tells Off The Establishment In Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Frank Capra’s birthday!  Capra was born 126 years ago, on this date, in Sicily.

Now, if you’ve been reading this site for a while, you should know that my favorite Capra film is It’s A Wonderful Life.  However, a close second is 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.  In today’s scene that I love, Sen. Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) holds the Senate floor as he denounces the corruption that he sees all around him in Washington.  There’s a reason why Senator Smith is still held up as the ideal public servant.  It’s just a shame that he was a fictional character.

Scenes That I Love: The Airport Chase and Shootout From John Woo’s Face/Off

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 77th birthday to director John Woo, the man who did the most to popularize the idea of the slo mo of doom!

Today’s scene that I love comes from Woo’s 1997 film, Face/Off.  In this scene, John Travolta pursues Nicolas Cage by both car and helicopter.  While Cage’s criminal has the time of his life, Travolta’s no-nonsense federal agent reveals just how obsessed he is with capturing his prey.  No one has switched faces yet but the action is already wonderfully over-the-top.  Cage and Travolta both do what they do best in this scene and so does John Woo.