Expectation Vs. Reality in (500) Days of Summer
This film and When Harry Met Sally are perhaps my absolute favorite romantic comedies of all time. They are very well-written and manage to strike a chord in some way or another. In this film, it’s the expectations versus reality scene. I’ve experienced this before. It really is as sad as it’s portrayed.
Imitating Zombies in Shaun of the Dead
It was difficult to pinpoint just one scene in this film to use for this post, but in the end I felt this particular scene matched my sensibilities the most. I had always wondered if you could just fool the zombies by imitating them and this addressed those concerns.
Cristof in The Truman Show
Almost as interesting as Jim Carrey’s character is that of Cristof, played by Ed Harris.
Bike Chase Scene in Akira
This film was my introduction to anime, and what an introduction it was! Great story, great animation and great action. I was hooked from frame one until the last. I need to re-watch this again at some point.
Maximus Goes “Home” in Gladiator
After all the turmoil, Maximus finally gets to see his loved ones once again. It’s quite the bittersweet moment and why I really liked this film.
Skid Row from Little Shop of Horrors
It’s an awesome song. Not much else to explain. I would love to re-visit this film at some point since I don’t really remember much about it.
Crowding the Cabin in Night at the Opera
The Marx Brothers are hilarious and this scene is an absolute delight. It’s a shame I hadn’t seen these films sooner.
Pyramid Head in Silent Hill
While the movie wasn’t by any means great, it had the whole atmosphere thing down pat. The result is perhaps my favorite film adaptation of a video game ever. This scene is pretty grotesque, so watch with caution.
Lizzy Caplan in Cloverfield…
Current film crush. It’s such a shame that [spoiler]she explodes after being bitten in the subway scene[/spoiler] in this film.
…and Mean Girls
And then there’s this film. It’s great, and she’s great it in it.
Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner
Just watch Rutger Hauer face off against Harrison Ford in the rooftop scene to see what I mean. Absolute greatness.
The Final Subway Scene in Crocodile Dundee
Surprisingly, this scene doesn’t exist on the internets at large. Tried youtube and vimeo and found nothing. Basically, Paul Hogan climbs over a bunch of people in a crowded subway to apologize to Linda Kozlowski. It’s total cheese, but that’s what I like about it.
Sam Rockwell in Moon…
My favorite performance of the past few years. Sam Rockwell knocks it out of the park. Almost cried during some of this film.
…and in Galaxy Quest
Let the video clip speak for itself. Sam Rockwell pretty much steals this film as the “red shirt” of the film.
Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
I’ve always liked what Wilder brings to the table and it’s no surprise that he won me over as the titular character.
Delving Through The Memories in Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
Easily Jim Carrey’s best role ever. Such a great film and such a great moment from said actor.
The Opening to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
This opening is rather silly, and I like silly things. I also like my silly things to be somewhat raunchy. Can you see now why this scene made it onto my list?
The Talent Show in Revenge of the Nerds
The electro-violin part in particular is iconic and memorable for me.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie
Seeing this in the theaters as a young boy was such a treat. I was such a hardcore TMNT fan back then and this was the adaptation I had been waiting for. I still look back on this fondly.
Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own
Such a great performance from Tom Hanks. This is the scene I come back to whenever I think of him.
This Exact Moment in Super Mario Bros.
Or the whole damn movie. This is kind of a guilty pleasure for me.
Mitch Finally Speaks in Waiting
If you take out the stoner busboy subplot, this film is amazing. My favorite scene is the one linked below where the newbie Mitch finally gets a chance to speak his piece. Not safe for work.
The Breakfast Scene in Peewee’s Big Adventure
I feel a similar nostalgia for this film as I do TMNT, and for this scene in particular. There are days when I wish that Tim Burton would go back to this kind of wacky and forsake the parody of himself that he’s been prone to do lately.
The Drinking Contest in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Couldn’t really decide on one specific scene in this film. There were just too many to choose from. In the end, I picked this scene because I prefer this romantic entanglement to the others in the series.
Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins
Such a beautiful song from one of my favorite live action Disney films. I get chills when I hear this.
Marla Singer from Fight Club
Helena Bonham Carter’s finest role. She kind of steals the film for me.
Expressionist Cinema ala The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
This is my absolute favorite style of cinema.
Sid Learns His Lesson in Toy Story
The first film remains my favorite out of the bunch, although the others are technically better on every level. There was such an innovation here that captured my imagination when I saw it for the first time and it was neat to see the possibilities of computer animation. This scene in particular won me over.
The Title Sequence to North By Northwest
I can’t believe it took me until 2011 to see this film! An absolutely great film, with an exceptionally exciting opening credit sequence.
The Final Shootout in Mr. & Mrs. Smith
I like the juxtaposition of Brad Pitt’s and Angelina Jolie’s characters shooting their way out of the department store with the music that played when they first met.
And there you have it. 100 Things I Love About My Favorite Movies! Now go out and watch some of these.
I’m blaming you now for the hours I’m going to spend doing the same exercise! Curse you, Hardesty! But, also, well done, sir. The cabin scene in A Night at the Opera was one of the very first to leap mind for me and will be on my list as well.
Thank you! I had fun putting this list together. And that Night at the Opera scene pretty much takes the cake. If I had to organize this into any sort of order, that scene would have probably made it to the top. :)
Nicely done — Saw this @cdogzilla and I may borrow the meme also.
Go ahead! It’s quite the fun meme to participate in. I linked to a few others in the beginning of the post who also did this meme and they also had some good stuff listed.
I just now discovered that I didn’t comment a month ago when I read this! Terrific choices, all, and more than a few I wish I’d thought to include in my own list. Seriously, I’m ashamed “Bohemian Rhapsody” in Wayne’s World isn’t on my list, because whenever I think about music in movies, that’s one of the first things that comes to my mind. How I overlooked it, I have no idea.
Full credit for the meme goes to Beau Kaelin, though, and I would be remiss not to acknowledge this. He originated the prompt. Also, the original prompt was simply, “100 Things I Love About Films.” They could be things you love about movies you don’t love, or even more general ideas and concepts. For instance, one of the things on my list is the thrill I get of walking into a movie theater. It was exciting as a child, and it’s exciting now. I don’t say this to nitpick your tremendous list; you’re, of course, free to tinker as you see fit, but for those who might take this idea and run with it, I thought it prudent that they know the original concept did allow for selections outside their 100 favorite movies.I’m thinking about revising mine at the end of the year to reflect some of the things I’ve seen and fallen in love with since creating my initial list. Not sure I’ll go all out with video clips like you and others have done. I’m impressed by the work you guys have put into these lists since taking up the challenge, though!
I’m quite proud of how the list turned out, actually. It seems to be a good mix of everything that encapsulates my film influences and experiences, and some of the clips even get a nice little look into my psyche. But more than anything: this list was just plain fun to make.
I had thought about going beyond the films themselves and discussing elements from the “theater experience” that really grabbed me, but most of that was just working at the theater and not so much attending. I’ll definitely go back into my post after this comment and add the credit to Beau Kaelin for the prompt. I had really only looked to the few I read before this that finally made me take the plunge. :)
As to the whole revising idea: I’m intrigued. There are certainly a few films this year that could be added to this list in terms of moments and experiences. I’ll be interested in seeing what you come up with!