"Death Proof" Ship's Mast

"Death Proof" from Quentin Tarantino was part of The Grindhouse twofer. This film follows the exploits of a killer named Stuntman Mike whose car is Death Proof. He can crash it and live. He uses this car to kill women in other cars. Here we have a scene of Zoe (Zoe Bell) is playing a game where she rides the hood of a car called Ship's Mast and Stuntman Mike takes this opportunity to go after the ladies. This scene is set in Lebanon, TN, although not filmed there. The white car in the scene is very recognizable it is a 1970 Dodge Challenger, identical to the car featured in the fantastic movie Vanishing Point (Tarantino chose it specifically because of this). Enjoy!

"Touching the Void" An Impossible Choice

Note: This video is an advertisement for the movie playing on an ABC affiliate somewhere, it is however a scene and the only indication of the ad is at the very end. "Touching the Void" is a DocuDrama, the real life individuals are telling their story of survival while it is being reenacted. Taking place in 1985, this movie recounts a successful but ultimately disastrous ascent of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates became the first to climb the West Face of the mountain. On their descent down the difficuly North Ridge Joe Simpson slipped breaking his leg badly. To get his friend down the mountain Simon Yates rigged a rope to lower his friend Simpson 300 feet at a time. He would have to have Simpson brace halfway through the lowering to get around a knot that connected two ropes. Because of blizzard conditions Simon inadvertantly lowers Simpson over a ledge at which point it becomes a struggle for Simon to hold his friend and not slide over the edge himself. With Simpson's broken leg and frostbite setting in Simpson was not able to ascend the rope to save them both. Simon Yates had to make a choice, cut himself free and maybe kill his friend or go over the edge and likely die himself along with Simpson as the snow was giving way to Simon's footing with the weight of Simpson. This movie is an amazing story of Survival for both me and yes Spoiler they both live. Enjoy!

"Anchorman" Brick Killed a Guy!

"Anchorman' is a very funny movie. The story of Ron Burgundy and his news team is a classic of comedy. A sequel is coming, which is great news, and I figured I would put up one of my favorite scenes from the movie. Here the news team is relaxing after their big fight with all the other news teams in San Diego (a great scene too). They then get onto the topic that Brick killed a guy. Enjoy!

"12 Angry Men" Prejudice

"12 Angry Men" is one of the best movies about the US system of Justice. The entire movie takes place in a Jury Room full of 12 men tasked with determining if a young man murdered his father. 11 of the men enter the jury room with their mind made up that the accused is guilty. However, 1 lone Juror, they are never given names (Save for 2 in a passing reference), played by the great Henry Fonda is not so sure. Fonda's Juror #8 is not certain of the Accused's innocence but he is sure that they have to get the decision right. From that one Juror the men listen and begin to look critically at the evidence they were presented from both sides and come to a unanimous decision based not on their initial knee jerk reaction, but on a critical though process of sifting through the evidence and looking at it all as one and not just a fractured picture of the scene of the murder. The Jurors also come to realize that it is no easy task to hold a young man's life in their hands. In this scene, Juror #9, Joseph Sweeney, displays his prejudice against the accused and people like him, saying he is "one of them" (in the film the accused is an Italian Young man.) Instead of listening to this kind of ridiculous rant from a clearly biased individual, all the rest of the Jurors tune him out, and many stand up and turn their back on him. Juror #9 soon relaizes his point has alienated him and is devastated that his opinion is making an enemy of him to all the other Jurors. Great film directed by the late Sidney Lumet. Enjoy!

"Jaws" USS Indianapolis

"Jaws" from Steven Spielberg is an outright terrifying film. The story of a rogue Great White Shark terrorizing a resort town of Amity Island. In order to rid the town of the threat, Quint (A Shark Hunter), Hooper (A Shark Expert), and Chief Brody (Chief of Amity Police) go out on a boat The Orca to hunt down and kill the Great White. If you have not seen Jaws I am not sure what to say, it is one of the great American Classics. In this scene, which follows a terrific scene of Hooper and Quint comparing scars, Quint talks about his experience with the USS Indianapolis after it was sunk by a Japanese Sub in Shark Infested waters after delivering the Bomb to drop on Japan. This was a real event and Quint's story lines up perfectly with the true story. Enjoy!

"Memento" Leonard's Curse

Warning: Explicit Language! "Memento" is the second film from Christopher Nolan. It follows (no pun intended) another terrific film, Nolan's First, called "Following." If you have seen neither I highly recommend you check them out. "Memento" follows the story of Leonard Shelby who was injured in a home invasion and now has no short term memory and is unable to form any new memories. He has no ability to remember anything for more than 30 seconds to one minute. This makes Leonard very vulnerable to manipulation by anyone who is familiar with his condition. Leonard is on a quest to find the man who he believes caused his condition and murdered his wife, a man he believes is named John G. In order to help him he keeps a record on his body in tattoo form and writes massive amounts of notes and takes many Polaroid pictures. Despite this system, he has many lapses. This scene shows just how he can be manipulated. What you do not see in this seen is Carrie Ann Moss' character hiding every pen she can find in the home. This is a great movie. Oh and another note, the movie's timeline is wacky, it essentially is shown in reverse order. We follow Leonard from the end, which is the start of the movie, to the beginning, which is the end of the movie, all the while we are given a black and white section of the movie which goes in the proper order, and some flashbacks and a story of Sammy Jankis (Stephen Tobolowsky) that is something Leonard can remember. It sounds much more complicated than it ends up being. You must see this movie, a classic. Enjoy!

"Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Worrying and Love the Bomb" Strangelove Explains the Bomb

"Dr Strangelove" is a great movie. From Stanley Kubrick in the early part of his career, he made one of the great American classics. "Dr. Strangelove" stars Peter Sellers in three roles including Strangelove and The President in this scene. Also in the scene you get a small helping of George C. Scott as General Turgidson. Also in the film is Slim Pickens, in one of the most memorable roles in Cinema, but he is not in this scene. Watch the movie to see Slim. In this scene, Dr. Strangelove explains to the President and Russian Ambassador the need for the existence of a Doomsday Bomb and why it cannot be a secret. This scene with two roles by Peter Sellers shows just how great sellers was in adapting to a role. This is a terrific scene. Enjoy!

"Batman" (1989) I'm Batman

 "Batman" was a huge film when it premiered in 1989. Tim Burton applied his interesting style to the gritty world of Batman and it worked well. Granted liberties were taken when Burton adapted the story to his liking. However it was still Batman, and Michael Keaton was an unbelievably good Batman and Bruce Wayne. And even better was Jack Nicholson as the Joker. The reboot of Batman by Christopher Nolan has been ridiculously successful, but that has not tarnished my memory of this classic. Here we have the second half of the opening scene. Two junkies have just robbed a family at gunpoint, even pointing the gun at the child. This would obviously not sit well with Batman considering his family history. He appears and takes care of the junkies with ease and announces "I'm Batman." Great intro. Enjoy!

"Crossroads" Cuttin' Heads

"Crossroads" is from 1986. Not particularly a notable film and it is likely the least well known film I have posted on this blog. It is however a pretty decent movie, and has some really terrific music in it. Spoiler though, this is from the end of the movie. Eugene Morone (Ralph Macchio) is a classically trained guitarist who longs to play the blues and find a long lost song. He soon meets Willie Brown (Joe Seneca) who is in a nursing home. Willie sold his soul to the devil many years ago, and convinces Eugene who he nicknames Lightning Boy, to get him out of the home and go on a journey for the song. What Willie does not tell Eugene is that he is actually going to meet the devil at the Crossroads (made famous by Robert Johnson) to try and reclaim his soul. They make the journey and Eugene meets the Devil with Willie. However the Devil refuses to return the soul, so Eugene offers his soul in a competition of Cuttin' Heads (a duel between Guitarists) to win back Willie's soul. The Devil accepts and puts Eugene up against his best, Jack Butler (legendary Gutarist Steve Vai). What follows is an amazing display of Guitar prowess. Steve Vai plays most of the guitar of both contestants along with Ry Cooder doing a lot of the blues slide Guitar. Amazing scene from a just okay movie. Enjoy!

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" Randall Returns

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" directed by Milos Foreman is one the great Jack Nicholson performances. Nicholson is a somewhat rebellious man who is committed to a mental ward with an interesting cast of characters, played by a number of amazing actors including Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and Brad Dourif. The ward is overseen by Nurse Ratched (Louis Fletcher) who is in Randall's word more dictator than nurse. Randall has no love for Ratched, but unlike others in the ward he is also not afraid of her. She despises him. In this scene, Randall returns from a stint of electroshock therapy, which in this ward is being used more as a punishment than an actual healing tool. He returns acting as if he has been completely lobotamized, but then breaks out of his act much to the joy of the other patient and to the chagrin of Nurse Ratched. Great Film. Enjoy!

"Once Upon a Time in the West" Two Horses Too Many

"Once Upon a Time in the West" directed by Sergio Leone is one of the great Spaghetti Westerns. Harmonica (because he plays one, not given an actual name), played by Charles Bronson, is on a quest for a man named Frank. He arrives by train at a station where he is to meet Frank. However, Frank had better ideas and sends three men to intercept him. These three men rode three horses. Jack Elam and Woody Strode play two of the hired guns. Harmonica asks if they brought a horse for him, eliciting only grins from the men and an obvious no as they brought 3 horses for 3 men. Harmonica then tells them they brought "two horses too many." This is a really terrific scene and happens to be the opening scene of the film. Enjoy!

"North by Northwest" Crop-duster

Hitchcock the Master of Suspense. Having just watched "Hitchcock" about the making of Psycho (which is great) I decided to put an iconic Hitchcock scene up today. This scene from "North by Northwest' may be one of the most iconic in all of cinema. In the scene Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), who has been mistaken for government spy George Kaplan by foreign agents, is on the run for his life. He comes to a bus stop in the middle of nowhere, where he believes he will be meeting the real George Kaplan. After a bit of waiting and speaking to a man who is not George Kaplan he is attacked by a crop-duster that was dusting empty fields. This is an amazing scene, and along with the scene just before it builds suspense very well. Enjoy!

"Reservoir Dogs" Mr. Pink does not tip!

Warning: Explicit Language! Reservoir Dogs is Quentin Tarantino's first feature film, and man is it a great beginning to a great career. Say what you will about Tarantino as a person, but the man can write some impressive dialogue that feels real and does not hold back one bit. Granted these days Tarantino has been delving into to some different areas of faux history, but this single scene in my opinion shows his innate ability to write the most compelling of dialogue about the most inane subjects. Here the crew who is to pull off a heist together is eating at a diner with their bosses. Nice Guy Eddie, the late Chris Penn, instructs everyone to toss in some cash for a tip for the waitress. Everyone does, except Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi). What follows is a conversation featuring all the main players of the film about tipping with Mr. Pink giving a compelling but jerk argument about why he does not tip. Great movie. Enjoy!

"In the Heat of the Night" They call me Mr. Tibbs

"In the Heat of the Night" is the story of a black detective who comes to work in the small town of Sparta, Mississippi quite by coincidence. He is profiled as a murderer by the small town police because he is black. However, when Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger) finds out that this black man is the head of Philadelphia homicide, he drafts him, reluctantly, to help solve the murder. Virgil Tibbs is played by Sidney Poitier, and this is one of the best scenes in the movie. Virgil has examined the crime, and determined Gillespie has the wrong man for the murder. As Gillespie exits his office, Tibbs brings his concerns to Gillespie, and Gillespie takes it none too well. What follows is one of the greatest scenes in film history and one of the most famous lines uttered in cinema. "In the Heat of the Night" is a classic, and won the 1967 Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Enjoy!

"Stalag 17" When Johnny Comes Marching Home

"Stalag 17" is a movie about Airmen in a German POW Camp in WWII. In this scene the men of the Stalag are gathered an are singing a rousing song. They have beaten a man whom they assumed was a spy passing messages to the Germans and he can be seen in a bed in the scene. The real spy however is the main focus of this scene. Price, played by Peter Graves, takes the opportunity of the men being distracted by their fun to retrieve his hidden pack and provide a message to his bosses. He inserts the message into a chess piece and pulls down the light to indicate the message is there, he then returns to the celebration, with everyone none the wiser except perhaps the beaten suspected spy. Watch the movie to find out, it is a great film. Enjoy!

"Rushmore" Heaven and Hell, A Play by Max Fischer

"Rushmore" is one of my top ten films of all time. Wes Anderson has made some great movies but this in my opinion is his best. Here Max Fischer (Jason Schwarztman) has adapted the great war movie Heaven and Hell to a stage play and has set it up to be done in his High School. The play is extremely detailed and has ridiculous stage effects. This is an amazing scene in a great movie. Enjoy!

"The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) Sir Robin of Locksley

"The Adventures of Robin Hood" is my personal favorite incarnation of the somewhat mythical figure of Robin Hood. Played by the terrific Errol Flynn this version in color is a sight to behold. It is a true gem of early Cinema. Here Robin enters upon a dinner hosted by John, the brother of King Richard. John is a vile man who is robbing England blind in the absence of King Richard, and has seated himself in power against the wishes of King Richard. Robin will not take it, and enters upon the dinner with a large deer on his shoulders to present to the faux King. Sir Guy of Gisbourne seethes at the sight and voice of Robin who is not afraid of anyone in the room and commences insulting anyone and everyone to get his point across, even Maid Marian. Flynn is a cool character and every fabric of his coolness is in his Robin Hood. He is unforgiving and witty. This scene stops short of the amazing fight scene, so I suggest you look that up too, but the whole exchange between Robin and John is amazing and well done. Enjoy!

"The Great Escape" Motorcycle Chase

"The Great Escape" is one of the essential WWII films. The cast is amazing, the story is amazing, and the music is amazing. This is just an all around great film. The premise is that there is a group of allied soldiers in a German Prison Camp and of course they are constantly trying to escape, with little success, but their plans are great. In this scene, the Cooler King, Steve McQueen, has gotten out and is on the run. He is in a German uniform and riding a Triumph T6, but his cover is blown, so he revs the cycle and makes a run for it. Enjoy!

"Dead Man's Shoes" It was Me. (Explicit Language)

"Dead Man's Shoes" is a British Independent film from 2004. It follows Richard (Paddy Considine) as he plots his revenge against the group of Men who tortured his brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell) while he was away in Military Service and unable to do anything. He begins small using tactics to put the men on edge, his tactics become much more aggressive later in the film. In this Scene, Sonny (Gary Stretch) leader of the gang of bullies, confronts Richard when they see him outside of Sonny's home. Sonny approaches Richard and says that they suspect it was Richard who was in Sonny's home and messing with the group while they were passed out. Without fear, Richard proclaims "It was Me."  Enjoy!

"Kelly's Heroes" Showdown with a Tiger (Spoiler)

Note: This is from the very end of the movie, you have been warned. "Kelly's Heroes" is a great WWII movie about a group of soldiers who go AWOL when they hear about a stash of gold that they can get their hands on. Led by Kelly (Clint Eastwood) they make their way across enemy lines and into German Territory to quest for this gold. To help in their quest they recruit a Tank Crew headed by Oddball (Donald Sutherland), who gets his name honest. This is not your typical WWII film, it falls significantly into the Comedy area while still providing some great drama and action throughout. If you have not seen Kelly's Heroes, please go out and watch it. It is really terrific. Supporting Cast includes Don Rickles, Telly Savalas, Carroll O'Connor, Harry Dean Stanton, and Gavin McLeod among many others. Enjoy!

"The Limey" You Tell Him I'm Coming (Explicit Language)

"The Limey" is a film from 1999 directed by Steven Soderbergh. It is a terrific film about an Englishman named Wilson, played by the always great Terrance Stamp, who is on a quest in LA to find the man he thinks is responsible for his daughter's death. Wilson is a career criminal with a rather violent streak and he will stop at nothing to find this man. In this scene Wilson has gone into a warehouse to get some information, he is thrown into the street and told in no uncertain terms to leave and never come back by three large men. The three men leave Wilson on the ground. As the three men enter back into the building Wilson gets up, draw his firearm from his waist and enters the building. The beauty of this scene is we do not actually see what Wilson does, but we hear it and it is awesome. One man runs from the building and Wilson returns to the outside as well yelling to the man, "You tell him I'm Coming." Amazing Scene. Enjoy!

"Punch-Drunk Love" Calm Fury

Today we have a short selection from my absolute favorite performance from Adam Sandler. "Punch-Drunk Love" was a large departure for Adam Sandler and his character Barry Egan is a hugely introverted character, unlike Sandler. The movie is directed by the great Paul Thomas Anderson, and is a great film that must be seen. In this scene, thugs sent by The Mattress Man (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who is blackmailing Barry, crash into Barry's car as he and his lady friend are returning to home. After a very cool shot of the car spinning, Barry finds his lady friend Lena (Emily Watson) is bleeding and injured. He exits the car and brings some justice to the backwards rednecks in one of the calmest furies you will ever see. Enjoy!

"Basquiat" Ignorant Art

"Basquiat" the story of an Artist. This is a pretty terrific look at the genius of Jean Michel Basquiat. A great cast compliments the terrific story of Basquiat, played by Jeffrey Wright. In this scene, Basquiat encounters Andy Warhol, played by David Bowie, and approaches him to sell his "Ignorant Art". Warhol is impressed but will only pay $5 per card, and makes his friend Bruno (Dennis Hopper) actually pay for them. The quirkiness of Bowie fits Warhol well. This is an interesting scene from an interesting movie following a very troubled man who died far too young. This scene was inspired by the fact that the great Jeffrey Wright has been cast as a character in "Boardwalk Empire." Enjoy!

"The Dirty Dozen" A General's Inspection

"The Dirty Dozen" is a classic. A movie that is both action packed and very funny. With a Stellar Cast including Lee Marvin, Donald Sutherland, Jim Brown, and Telly Savalas among others, the movie is one of the best of the last century. In this scene for today, Colonel Breed (Robert Ryan), is expecting a General to visit his base, but what he is really getting is the rag tag group of prisoners. Pinkley, Donald Sutherland, is picked to pretend to be a General and relishes the moment. The entire Dozen cracks up at the fact that Pinkley is wholly unfit for the job as any of them would be. A classic Scene from a great movie. Enjoy!

"Schindler's List" The Girl in the Red Coat

If there is one movie that I consider a Masterpiece it would be "Schindler's List." However it is a movie that I can never watch again. It is a tough movie to watch. Everyone should see it, as it covers a part of history that is the darkest ever, but also tells the story of a man who gave everything he had to save people he did not even know. It is a powerful film, all in Black and White, except for this single scene with a small child wearing a red coat, Oskar Schindler looks on with horror as the Nazi's round up the Jewish of the Ghetto and execute many, while this one lone child runs through the streets. Powerful and amazing scene, possibly one of Spielberg's greatest moments. This scene was inspired by a Yahoo! article on the now woman who played the little girl.

"Amadeus" Play Salieri

Another Oscar Winner for you today. This is from the great film "Amadeus." This is a terrific film, that I feel is a bit under appreciated. This is the one scene that sticks in my mind often from the film. Mozart in his genius is also a bit of a handful in the film. At a party he is showing his skill with the crowd asking him to play a selection, when a masked Salieri (whom the story is being told by in the film) says "Play Salieri". Mozart proceeds to play it, insulting Salieri deeply in the process. Enjoy!
Note: The title above the video says play Peter Griffin, as Family Guy spoofed this entire scene with much success. Check that spoof on Youtube after you watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w9cY3fjCcY

"Chariots of Fire" (Opening)

What better way to start A Scene a Day than with an opening scene! This may be one of my favorite opening scenes of all time. Chariots of Fire is an amazing movie and this opening is a simple way to introduce the characters we will be following and to introduce the amazing score by Vangelis. If you have not seen Chariots, I hope this entices you to see it, amazing film and won Best Picture at the 1981 Oscars. Enjoy! Let me know in the comments if you have a suggestion for tomorrow.

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome to A Scene a Day! For this blog I intend to post a shortish scene from a movie I like. I will choose the scene and talk a bit about why I chose it and about the movie. The scene will be the biggest part of each post, with limited reading required. Each day I welcome comments for what movie I should choose a scene from next, you ask me for a movie and I will choose a scene, or I will just ignore your comments and choose something I want. However if I take your suggestion you get the credit. So enjoy!