"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!