Tag Archives: Scenes I Love

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.

Scenes That I Love: Prewitt Fights Back In From Here To Eternity

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In honor of what would have been Fred Zinnemann’s 116th birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from 1953’s From Here To Eternity, one of the two Zinnemann-directed films to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

In this scene, Private Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) proves that he’s still a skilled boxer.  That’s not something that Prewitt wants the world to know because he’s still guilt-stricken over accidentally blinding one of his sparring partners.  Captain Holmes wants Prewitt to fight on the regimental team.  Prewitt would rather just play the bugle but, as he shows in this scene, he can still throw a punch if he’s forced to.  It leads to a lot of drama, the majority of which is forgotten in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Scenes That I Love: Michael Corleone Visits Las Vegas In The Godfather

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to the great Al Pacino.

Today’s scene that I love comes from 1972’s The Godfather, in which Al Pacino plays Michael Corleone.  In this scene, Michael, having just taken over the Corleone family, pays a visit to Vegas.  He meets his brother Fredo (John Cazale), who has certainly changed from being the meek person that he was in New York.  He meets the singer Johnny Fontana (Al Martino), who owes a favor to the Corleones.  And he meets Moe Greene (Alex Rocco), who soon discovers that the Corleones cannot be intimidated.  Most importantly, Michael proves that he is now in charge of the family.  At the end of the scene, Michael gives Fredo an important warning and sets up the tragic ending of the The Godfather Part II.

Scenes I Love: “Avenge Me!” from Red Dawn

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to a true Hollywood iconoclast, John Milius!  In honor of Milius and his career and his legacy, today’s scene that I love comes from Milius’s 1984 film, Red Dawn.

After their small town is taken over by a combination of Cuban and Russian soldiers, a group of teenagers flee to the hills.  After a few months, they sneak back into town.  In this scene, two brothers (Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen) discover that their father (Harry Dean Stanton) is one of the many townspeople who have been sentenced to a reeducation camp.  Their dad says a few final words to them, knowing that he’ll probably never see them again.  He leaves them with one final instruction: “AVENGE ME!”  Not even the propaganda film playing in the background can cover the sound of their father demanding vengeance.

And, of course, they do get their revenge, sacrificing their lives so that America might once again be free.  It’s a classic John Milius moment and an appropriate scene with which to celebrate his birthday.

Scenes I Love: The Beginning of The Fifth Chapter of Inglourious Basterds

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This is, without a doubt, one of the best sequences that Quentin Tarantino has ever directed.  Along with the perfect visuals of Shoshanna getting ready for the premiere, Tarantino makes perfect use of Theme From Cat People, reinventing the song from a somewhat silly horror theme to an anthem of revolution and revenge.

Scenes That I Love: The Match-to-Desert Cut In Lawrence of Arabia

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The great British director David Lean was born 115 years ago today.

In honor of his films and his legacy, here is a scene that I love from Lawrence of Arabia.  In this scene, Peter O’Toole blowing out a flame transports us straight to a sunrise in the desert.  Though Lean started out his career directing small-scale but emotionally rich films like Brief Encounter and Great Expectations, he ultimately became best-known for directing historical epics and cinematic spectacles.  This scene shows us why.  Even to this day, it seems as if any epic film is destined to be compared to the work of David Lean.

Scenes That I Love: George Smiley Confronts Bill Haydon In Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Gary Oldman’s 65th birthday and, in honor of the occasion, here’s a scene from one of my favorite Oldman films, 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

In this scene, British intelligence officer George Smiley (Gary Oldman) confronts his colleague and Russian mole Bill Haydon (Colin Firth).  This scene is a masterclass of good acting, put on by both Firth and Oldman.  As Haydon tries to justify his behavior, Smiley listens with deceptive calmness.  When I first saw this film, Oldman suddenly raising his voice made the entire audience jump.

Scenes That I Love: Kurt Russell Kicks Elvis

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to one of our favorite actors, Kurt Russell!

Here’s Kurt, at the age of 11, making his film debut and kicking Elvis Presley in 1963’s It Happened At The World’s Fair!  Reportedly, they had to do fifteen takes of this scene so Kurt got to kick Elvis a lot.

Later, of course, Kurt Russell would become one of the first actors to play Elvis when he starred in John Carpenter’s 1979 film of the same name.  Carpenter was so impressed with Russell’s performance that he went on to cast Kurt in Escape From New York and The Thing.  Kurt would also go on to provide the voice of Elvis in the 1994 Best Picture winner, Forrest Gump.

Scenes That I Love: Michael Caine in The Dark Knight Rises

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 90th birthday to Sir Michael Caine.

With 177 acting credits listed on the imdb, Michael Caine has been working regularly since 1956.  (Though he actually made his acting debut, at the age of 10, in a made-for-TV movie in 1946).  There are many great Michael Caine performances and scenes to choose from but, for today, I decided to go for a scene from 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.  Caine was 79 when he played Alfred in this film and he showed that, after decades of work, he hadn’t lost a step as a performer.  As well, he also showed his ability to take a character who could have been ridiculous — the loyal butler of a superhero — and instead make him surprisingly poignant.