Scenes I Love: Transformers – The Movie

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Arleigh

I will have my review of Michael Bay’s latest explosiotravaganza, but until I get that up here’s my favorite scene from the best film made about the Hasbro toys that were more than meets the eye.

On a side note, any kid who grew up during the 80’s would’ve seen or have heard of this animated film. Whether they were scarred for life would depend on how much the Transformers had become part of their day-to-day life. This scene actually shows Optimus Prime at his most badass while remaining a robotic avatar of the John Wayne ideal. Live-action Optimus Prime this one is not and never would be. The live-action version has become somewhat problematic as an onscreen hero and I shall expand more on that in the review.

For now, just enjoy….”One shall stand. One shall fall.”

Also, FUCK YOU HOT ROD!

Scenes That I Love: Eli Wallach Searches For The Gold In The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I just heard that, earlier today, the legendary character actor Eli Wallach passed away at the age of 98. Wallach made his film debut in 1956’s Baby Doll and made his final film appearance 54 years later in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. I have to admit that I don’t really remember much about Wall Street or Wallach’s performance in the film. However, I do remember his wonderful cameo appearance in The Ghost Writer.

And, of course, everyone remembers Eli Wallach’s best role, that of Tuco in Sergio Leone’s classic spaghetti western The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. In the role of a comedic yet ruthless bandit, Wallach brought a lot of life to Leone’s epic portrait of greed in the west. His unabashedly flamboyant performance provided a wonderful (and much-needed) contrast to the more stoic performances of Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef.

For me, the best scene in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly is one in which not a single bullet is fired nor a word uttered. In this scene, Tuco has finally discovered the cemetery where a stolen shipment of gold has been buried. All he has to do is find Arch Stanton’s grave and he’ll be a very rich man. What Tuco did not take into consideration was just how many other graves there would be in the cemetery.

This is a rare moment in the film in which Tuco is not speaking but just watch Wallach’s performance here to see how much a great actor can do with just body language and facial expressions. (Needless to say, Ennio Morricone’s classic score helps out as well.)

Eli Wallach, R.I.P.

Scenes I Love: Centurion

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Arleigh

In honor of tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones which was once again directed by the great British filmmaker Neil Marshall I’ve chosen a favorite scene from his last film as the latest Scenes I Love.

Tonight’s episode saw the pivotal Battle of Castle Black which showcases the battle of Mance Rayder’s 100,000-strong Wildlling army against the few hundred Night’s Watch defenders of Castle Black and The Wall. It was a very bloody affair that saw more than a few important deaths. It also highlighted the fact that Neil Marshall has to be one of the great action directors of this era. He’s able to work both with CG and practical effects and definitely do so on a budget (yet still making the whole episode look cinematic).

For those who have followed Marshall’s work they won’t be surprised by his work on Game of Thrones. He’s done large-scale battles before and none more bloody, brutal and chaotic as the ambush battle in the forest in Centurion.

Scenes That I Love: The Fashion Show From The Adventurers

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I’ve never actually seen The Adventurers but everything that I’ve read about it (and the film is mentioned in just about every “Terrible Movie” book that I own) would seem to suggest that this 1970 film is pretty bad. In fact, just about every review that I’ve read has referred to the film as being lurid, trashy, melodramatic, and over-the-top.

However, that’s not really a problem for me. That’s what a lot of people say about the Valley of the Dolls and that’s one of my favorite movies, precisely because it is so lurid and ludicrous. (Lurid and ludicrous are two Ls that equal love, as far as I’m concerned.)

I was recently doing a YouTube search on The Adventurers and I came across the following video, which is described as being the “amazing fashion show from Lewis Gilbert’s The Adventurers.” Having watched the video, I can agree that this fashion show is pretty amazing. In fact, it pretty much epitomizes everything that I love about the over-the-top, big budget event films of the late 60s and early 70s. As I watched this scene, I especially enjoyed the random jump cut and the unnecessary use of the split screen. It’s just so 1970!

I may not have seen the entire film but this scene from The Adventurers is still a scene that I love.

Lisa Goes Back To College: Toga! Toga! Toga!

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, all good things must come to an end and that includes my cinematic trip back to college. Now, just in case you’re feeling that my trip back was a bit too overly critical and snarky, allow me to conclude things with a scene that I truly love. This is a scene that so epitomizes everything that’s great about college. The film takes places in the 60s and was filmed in the 70s but National Lampoon’s Animal House is a truly a timeless film.

And the Toga Party is a timeless scene.

Scenes That I Love: William Shatner Deals With The Explosive Generation

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ever since I first saw it on TCM last year, The Explosive Generation has been a favorite of mine.

This 1961 film deals with sex, peer pressure, censorship, juvenile delinquency, and civil disobedience. The Explosive Generation is one of those films that was made to try to understand the wild and crazy youth of the early 60s, with their crazy rock and roll music, hip way of talking, and their habit of occasionally showing up for high school in a coat and tie. As is typical of low-budget youth films of the period, the film is occasionally clueless and occasionally insightful. In short, it’s a lot of fun and, if you’re a history nerd like I am, it’s a valuable time capsule for the way the world used to be (or, at the very least, the way that people used to think the world was).

Even better, it stars a youngish, intense, and slim William Shatner as an idealistic high school teacher who encourages his students to have a frank and honest discussion about sex. If The Intruder (which was made roughly around the same time) is a film that proves that Shatner was capable of being an intelligent and insightful actor, The Explosive Generation is all about Shatner being Shatner. This performance is everything that you’ve probably come to expect from William Shatner and, as a result, it transcends mundane concepts like good and bad.

Below are two scenes of William Shatner dealing with the Explosive Generation. Be sure to keep an eye out because I’m sure The Explosive Generation will show up on TCM again at some point in the near future!

“Good Luck, Everyone”

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I can still remember the day that my high school history teacher decided to teach us about World War I by showing my class the final episode of the classic BBC sitcom Blackadder Goes Forth. At first, I was just happy to get a chance to watch television in class but, by the end of the episode, I was simply devastated.

There’s something very appropriate about the fact that one of the best depictions of the futility and destructiveness of war came at the end of a comedy.

And during this Memorial Day weekend, as we pay respect to the men and women who have died in the course of fighting the countless number of wars that have been waged over the course of this country’s history, it seems to me that this final scene is far more eloquent about the costs of war than I could ever hope to be.

Scenes I Love: Noah

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Arleigh

One of the best films (at least in this blogger’s honest opinion) of the year also happens to be one of it’s most controversial. It’s Darren Aronofsky’s follow-up to his equally critically-acclaimed and just as controversial Black Swan. I am speaking of his Biblical epic Noah and the story of the Flood.

It’s a film that doesn’t feel religious yet full of spirituality. It’s a film that dares to take a look at text seen as hallowed by billions in a way that doesn’t take a stand on the debate of science versus religion (though some feel that Aronofsky’s atheist background paints the film on the side of science). Noah has a scene in the beginning of it’s third act (one that some have called the dealbreaker for how they thought of the film in the end) that best exemplifies the conjoining of science and religion. It’s the best retelling of the Creation Story that I’ve heard and/or seen.

Courtesy of Protozoa Pictures…The Creation scene from Noah.

Scenes I Love: Godzilla vs. Megalon

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Arleigh

It’s just 17 more days til the King of Monsters return to the big-screen. What better way to make a path for his triumphant return than showing you one of my favorite Godzilla scenes ever.

This scene was what got me totally hooked on Godzilla and his monster buddies. While Godzilla vs. Megalon was never one of the brightest stars in the history of the Big Guy’s filmography it definitely showed that Godzilla was more than just kicking and smashing buildings down and burning things with his atomic breath.

Say hello to the Godzilla’s Tail-Slide Double-Kick!

Scenes I Love: Saturday Night Live (feat. Eddie Murphy)

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Arleigh

With the trailer for the James Brown biopic now out for people to watch I just thought it would be appropriate I share one of my favorite scenes from the many years of watching Saturday Night Live.

Before he became a mega superstar during the 80’s, Eddie Murphy was just part of the ever-changing cast of comedians for Saturday Night Live. One of the funniest skits had Eddie as James Brown doing the intro to his very own talk show, Celebrity Hot Tub.