Wednesday, July 06, 2005
THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
Wow, I have really been neglecting the blog, although it's not as if I've seen a lot of films recently and have been too lazy to write about them. No, the last one I saw was My Summer of Love, which I dutifully reviewed. I plan to get back into going to the movies imminently, but, in the meantime, inspired by the Cinetrix, here are some of my favorite movie moments. I've assigned the moments numbers, but that in no way implies a ranking:
1. Rio Bravo - Ward Bond to John Wayne: "A bum-legged old man and a drunk. That's all you got?" Wayne: "No, that's WHAT I got."
2. The Third Man - Orson Welles's entrance and Alida Valli's exit.
3. Blue Velvet - Dean Stockwell and Dennis Hopper "singing" Roy Orbison's "In Dreams."
4. The Bad News Bears - Timmy Lupus's catch in the final game.
5. Tokyo Story - "If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have been kinder to her."
6. Dazed and Confused - Matthew McConaughey's entrance about halfway through the movie. Just when the film is starting to drag, Wooderson shows up and kicks the film into another gear. I can't think of another moment where such a late-appearing character provides such a lift to a film. Maybe The Third Man, but at a certain point you expect Harry Lime to show up. Wooderson is completely unexpected.
7. Bringing Up Baby - Cary Grant escorting Katherine Hepburn - minus the back of her dress - out of the restaurant. "I'll be with you in a minute, Mr. Peabody!"
8. Jules and Jim - Jeanne Moreau singing Le Tourbillon de la Vie.
9. 8 and a Half - Guido's flashback to childhood: "Asa Nisi Masa! Asa Nisi Masa! Asa Nisi Masa!"
10. Dumber and Dumber - Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels drive their moped through the Rockies into Aspen: "We're there, man! Got a little nippy goin' through the pass, didn't it, Harry?"
11. Viridiana - Paco Rabal buys the dog that a peasant has been dragging under his cart. As he hands over the money, he notices another cart going by dragging another dog beneath it.
12. Love and Death - Countess Alexandrovna: "My bedroom at midnight?" Boris Grushenko: "Perfect. Will you be there too?"
13. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - Anton Wolbrook in close-up, looking directly into the camera, delivering a nearly five-minute monologue about life in Nazi Germany.
14. Blow Up - David Hemmings developing the photographs.
15. The Unbearable Lightness of Being - The look on Daniel Day-Lewis's face as Juliette Binoche slowly dances up to him across the crowded room at the inn. His character is finally in love with hers for the first time - just hours before their deaths.
16. Last Tango in Paris - Brando's soliloquy over the body of his dead wife.
17. 2001 - HAL 9000 singing "A Bicycle Built For Two" as he is shut down by Dave Bowman.
18. Once Upon a Time in America - A young Jennifer Connelly reading the Song of Solomon to an admirer, pausing to interject her own caustic comments.
19. It's A Wonderful Life - Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed on the phone. "He says it's the chance of a lifetime, George."
20. Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory - Veruca Salt: "Snozzberry? Who ever heard of a snozzberry?" Willy Wonka [grabs Veruca's chin and gives her a menacing look]: "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams." ¶ 8:16 AM
1. Rio Bravo - Ward Bond to John Wayne: "A bum-legged old man and a drunk. That's all you got?" Wayne: "No, that's WHAT I got."
2. The Third Man - Orson Welles's entrance and Alida Valli's exit.
3. Blue Velvet - Dean Stockwell and Dennis Hopper "singing" Roy Orbison's "In Dreams."
4. The Bad News Bears - Timmy Lupus's catch in the final game.
5. Tokyo Story - "If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have been kinder to her."
6. Dazed and Confused - Matthew McConaughey's entrance about halfway through the movie. Just when the film is starting to drag, Wooderson shows up and kicks the film into another gear. I can't think of another moment where such a late-appearing character provides such a lift to a film. Maybe The Third Man, but at a certain point you expect Harry Lime to show up. Wooderson is completely unexpected.
7. Bringing Up Baby - Cary Grant escorting Katherine Hepburn - minus the back of her dress - out of the restaurant. "I'll be with you in a minute, Mr. Peabody!"
8. Jules and Jim - Jeanne Moreau singing Le Tourbillon de la Vie.
9. 8 and a Half - Guido's flashback to childhood: "Asa Nisi Masa! Asa Nisi Masa! Asa Nisi Masa!"
10. Dumber and Dumber - Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels drive their moped through the Rockies into Aspen: "We're there, man! Got a little nippy goin' through the pass, didn't it, Harry?"
11. Viridiana - Paco Rabal buys the dog that a peasant has been dragging under his cart. As he hands over the money, he notices another cart going by dragging another dog beneath it.
12. Love and Death - Countess Alexandrovna: "My bedroom at midnight?" Boris Grushenko: "Perfect. Will you be there too?"
13. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - Anton Wolbrook in close-up, looking directly into the camera, delivering a nearly five-minute monologue about life in Nazi Germany.
14. Blow Up - David Hemmings developing the photographs.
15. The Unbearable Lightness of Being - The look on Daniel Day-Lewis's face as Juliette Binoche slowly dances up to him across the crowded room at the inn. His character is finally in love with hers for the first time - just hours before their deaths.
16. Last Tango in Paris - Brando's soliloquy over the body of his dead wife.
17. 2001 - HAL 9000 singing "A Bicycle Built For Two" as he is shut down by Dave Bowman.
18. Once Upon a Time in America - A young Jennifer Connelly reading the Song of Solomon to an admirer, pausing to interject her own caustic comments.
19. It's A Wonderful Life - Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed on the phone. "He says it's the chance of a lifetime, George."
20. Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory - Veruca Salt: "Snozzberry? Who ever heard of a snozzberry?" Willy Wonka [grabs Veruca's chin and gives her a menacing look]: "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams." ¶ 8:16 AM
