Favorite scene evar?

[danzibr]

If you think of all the media you've observed, movies/shows/books/et cetera, what's your single favorite scene? I'll offer two.

Mine: in the recent Justice League film

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When Superman returns, not quite himself, the Flash is running around, outspeeding everyone as usual, then the focus is on Superman's face and he turns his gaze upon the Flash. Man, got goosebumps just thinking about it.

My dad's: in an oldish King Arthur movie (Excalibur, I think), a young Arthur pulls the sword from the stone. The sword, the symbol of the king. But Arthur's not even a knight. So he finds a knight to knight him, gives this guy the sword. The knight takes the sword in his hands, Arthur kneels. The knight grips the sword, looks at the sword, looks at Arthur, and you know in his mind he's thinking he can kill the boy, take the sword for himself, and be king. But no, he does the right thing and knights Arthur.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I don't know about ever, so many scenes to choose from, but I lately had a "that is a really cool shot" reaction to the latest season of The Strain.

Spoiler: death scene spoiler, don't click if you are watching The Strain but haven't caught up yet

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There is, in this series about vampires taking over New York, a character named Angel (/Angelo/he gets called a couple of names in two languages), he used to be an incredibly famous luchador (those Mexican pro wrestlers who never take off their masks), well known enough to have his own movie series. But he had to stop when he was injured filming a movie where he takes on Dracula. The character eventually gets bitten in a by itself kind of pointless sequence, so he stays behind and holds the vampires off while his buddy runs (that part is handled well, so many movies and series make that situation incredibly weird). When the vampires stop coming Angel looks over his shoulder and sees his buddy made it to safety and is looking back at him. So he strikes a victory pose just as the toppled bus he's standing on bursts out in flames. As the flames surround the guy and he disappears from view for a split second you see him wearing his old costume again, back in his glory days. I thought that moment was really cool.

[comicshorse]

My dad's: in an oldish King Arthur movie (Excalibur, I think), a young Arthur pulls the sword from the stone. The sword, the symbol of the king. But Arthur's not even a knight. So he finds a knight to knight him, gives this guy the sword. The knight takes the sword in his hands, Arthur kneels. The knight grips the sword, looks at the sword, looks at Arthur, and you know in his mind he's thinking he can kill the boy, take the sword for himself, and be king. But no, he does the right thing and knights Arthur.

I think it is Excalibur, in fact its probably this scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWT6t2SsLy0


For me the first scene that jumped into my head is, probably predictable it would crop up, the duel between Wesley and Inigo form 'The Princess Bride'

And, probably hugely politically incorrect, but the defence of the redoubt in 'Zulu'

[danzibr]

I don't know about ever, so many scenes to choose from, but I lately had a "that is a really cool shot" reaction to the latest season of The Strain.

Spoiler: death scene spoiler, don't click if you are watching The Strain but haven't caught up yet

Show

There is, in this series about vampires taking over New York, a character named Angel (/Angelo/he gets called a couple of names in two languages), he used to be an incredibly famous luchador (those Mexican pro wrestlers who never take off their masks), well known enough to have his own movie series. But he had to stop when he was injured filming a movie where he takes on Dracula. The character eventually gets bitten in a by itself kind of pointless sequence, so he stays behind and holds the vampires off while his buddy runs (that part is handled well, so many movies and series make that situation incredibly weird). When the vampires stop coming Angel looks over his shoulder and sees his buddy made it to safety and is looking back at him. So he strikes a victory pose just as the toppled bus he's standing on bursts out in flames. As the flames surround the guy and he disappears from view for a split second you see him wearing his old costume again, back in his glory days. I thought that moment was really cool.

Whhhoooaaaa. I know nothing of the show (well, other than that now), but man, that sounds epic.

I think it is Excalibur, in fact its probably this scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWT6t2SsLy0


For me the first scene that jumped into my head is, probably predictable it would crop up, the duel between Wesley and Inigo form 'The Princess Bride'

And, probably hugely politically incorrect, but the defence of the redoubt in 'Zulu'

Nailed it!

And yeah, I love that fight scene. Never seen Zulu though.

[Sinewmire]

Luke's decision, in The Return of the Jedi.

It's a powerful moment where Luke emphatically chooses love over hate.

"You've failed, your Majesty. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

It's easy to make Evil cool, but that is one of few scenes I've seen that makes Good seem awesome.
I know it's cheesy as hell, but I love it.

The fight scene around the bridge from The Winter Soldier. It's punchy, realistic to my untrained eye, and has smart combatants on both sides, finishing with that duel between the Cap and the Winter Soldier.

[Leewei]

Dr. Strange's ending fight in Hong Kong as the city has an apocalypse in reverse is close.

My favorite, though, is in Pacific Rim when Gypsy Danger clubs a kaiju with a freaking oil tanker. Damn the laws of physics, the rule of cool wins.

[Anonymouswizard]

Babylon 5, the Episode 'Any Means Nessecary'.

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Sinclair has been spending the entire episode trying to convince the government negotiator and striking dockworkers to come to a peaceful arrangement, only for neither side being willing to move (the workers because the last time promises of 'next year' were made they weren't kept). Sinclair even does some maths and works out that the money in the military budget that he's not using is enough to meet the demands. Everybody but the government negotiator wants a peaceful solution in one way or another. The threat of the Rush Act being invoked has been hanging over his head, and he's told that it'll be enacted tomorrow and for him to be ready to use the station's security personnel to stop the riot.

In the morning Sinclair enters the breaking down negotiations with members of the security team in full gear. Once he has everybody's attention he asks the negotiator if he has invoked the Rush Act, and upon getting confirmation immediately agrees to the dockworker's demands by using the money in the military budget. It establishes the character more effectively than any other scene as somebody who'll use the most efficient tool at his disposal and will enact his plan as soon as he has the authority to do so. It's a fitting climax to an episode that has been establishing that Sinclair cares about people under his command, and when backed into a corner he'll spend all night carefully picking apart his exact orders to find a way he's comfortable with.

Low key compared to most, even the Star Wars example, but it's the one time I can think of when the climax of an episode is 'plan A is finally put into motion and succeeds'. You don't need anything big for an amazing scene, it just has to pay off all the scenes that some before it and help to develop the characters.

[Lord Joeltion]

My favorite, though, is in Pacific Rim when Gypsy Danger clubs a kaiju with a freaking oil tanker. Damn the laws of physics, the rule of cool wins.

My favourite would be the part where they deploy the sword. It was so anime moment I actually cheered in the middle of the theater with my friends. And I never cheer while watching a movie.

But I'm not sure I have a favourite scene of all times. Most books/comics/shows/films that hugely created in impact on me, had me like that throughout most of the work. There are very few pieces of work that created a bump in the road big enough to single out just like that. And the ones who did... well, they weren't part of great works, that's the real issue.

I know I will be burned at the stake for mentioning this, but the Anakin/Obi-Wan showdown in RotS was a huge moment for me, when I first watched it. I distinctly remember Obi's voice thundering "you were the Chosen One!" right through my chest. So was the great performance of the actors during the scene, I guess (McGregor more than anyone else). In retrospective, it isn't a great movie, but the scene is at least worth mentioning.

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Actually, you know what? If I'm allowed to stretch the definition of "scene" to "training montage", then I guess I have a definitive winner:

Spoiler: Best composition ever

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I know it's the single scene that convinced me of watching the show, and now I'm a big fan. I still think the lyrics and the idea behind the song is just too powerful for a kids show*. But hey, maybe that's just me.

*I don't mean kids shows are minor entertainment. Quite the contrary. I mean that the scene is powerful enough to break the boundaries of any single genre or style.

[The Hellbug]

From 'In Bruges':

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Long story short, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell play hitmen who are laying low in Bruges,
Belgium after Farrell accidentally killed a child as collateral damage. The order then comes through to Gleeson from their boss to kill Farrell because 'killing a child just isn't something you can do.' In fact, they were sent to Bruges specifically because the boss remembered it fondly and, seeing Farrell's death as more of a necessity than pleasure, wanted to give him something good on the way out. Either way, Farrell has hated the place, and, struggling with his own guilt over the death, goes to kill himself. Gleeson, going to kill Farrell, finds him in the middle of committing suicide and stops him, inadvertently also revealing that he was on his way to kill him. This affirms his resolve to make sure that Farrell lives so he sets him on train out of town and calls their boss to say he's gone and he won't find him.

Now, to the actual scene. The boss arrives and meets with Gleeson up at the top of a clock tower. Gleeson explains his stuff and their boss eventually decides 'hey, nothing I can do about this now, I'm not going to kill you' and shoots Gleeson in the foot (you didn't expect nothing after that, right?) Well, unbeknownst to anyone, Farrell has returned to the city and is spotted at the bottom of the tower by someone working for the boss, and as Gleeson and he are coming down the tower (Gleeson limping on his shot foot) the goon reveals that Farrell is right there, bottom of the tower. The two struggle, but the boss finally wins, wounding Gleeson further and going down to do his thing. Gleeson, with no way to catch up wounded as he is, goes back up to the top of the tower, hoping to get a shot at his boss from there, but when he gets there, it's too foggy to see the ground. He then realizes there's only one thing he can do (and he's already been willing to trade his life for Farrell's once before) so he leaps from the tower, hoping that his gun will survive the fall and help Farrell out. It doesn't 100% work, and he dies which then leads into the climax of the movie. The point where he gets to the top of the tower, sees the fog, and resolves to trade his life for his friend's (having only just gotten done putting his life on the line and being spared) brings a tear to my eye every time.

Wow, that ended up being super long. Shorter answer is just 'go watch In Bruges; it's a fantastic movie'.

[Bobb]

Luke's decision, in The Return of the Jedi.

It's a powerful moment where Luke emphatically chooses love over hate.

"You've failed, your Majesty. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

It's easy to make Evil cool, but that is one of few scenes I've seen that makes Good seem awesome.
I know it's cheesy as hell, but I love it.

Pretty much this. When Luke sees the wires from his father's hand, then inspects his own mechanical hand, given him by same said father...

chills man.



Another would be from Hacksaw ridge:

"But you didn't kill him?"

In my heart, I did.

*scene of his father reduced to a sobbing heap*

So that's when I made my promise to God 'I ain't never gonna touch a gun again.'

[HandofShadows]

Babylon 5: https://youtu.be/S0n2vurSBIQ

[Debbie_D1]

When the Hulk grabs Loki and proceeds to rag doll him 3 or 4 times

[Pex]

Hard to say. There are lots of good ones that I don't even remember anymore, so I suppose since I don't remember them they couldn't have been that good. However, not remembering could be I would remember if I took a moment to contemplate. However, there are still plenty I do remember but hard to pick my favorite. Therefore, I have to pick a criteria. I pick the scene that made me literally cry tears of joy.

End of Star Trek IV The Voyage Home. The shuttle bringing the crew to their new ship bypasses the Excelsior and leads them to the new Enterprise A.

[Peelee]

Wow, that ended up being super long. Shorter answer is just 'go watch In Bruges; it's a fantastic movie'.

Holy crap, I was still working at a theater when I saw the trailer for In Bruges. Turned to one of my Asst. Manager friends (pre-release screening, we watched the movies with whoever wanted to hang out at the time) and told her immediately it was going to be amazing. We get the movie months later, and it's everything I could have hoped for and more.

One thing I didn't expect was just how incredibly dark it was, thematically. Imean, I was promised a dark comedy, but damn, that was way darker than I ever thought it would be. And it was just that much better for it.

Spoiler: Big, big spoilers. They wouldn't be going to the top of the tower, if you know what I mean.

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The whole ending scene, with the fog and the snow.... That really hammered home what the boss was talking about when he kept saying Bruges was like a fairy tale. It absolutely was like a fairy tale in that ending scene. It was gorgeous and magical and just jawdroppingly beautiful. And I have to say, I really, really loved how the boss stuck to his guns. If you'll excuse the pun. I love how he had this massive moral issue about no kids, ever, and when he accidentally shoots Jimmy and thinks he just killed a kid, he doesn't even hesitate. His morals were messed the hell up, but he completely believed in them and didn't waver when he thought that he himself stepped over the line. That was nothing short of fantastic, and it's one of the many reasons I love that movie so much.

In Bruges is right up there with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang for best dialogue in a movie, for the whole damn movie. There are just so many great back-and-forths.

As for my favorite scene in a movie.... That's hard. There's very hard. Gun to my head, I'd say when the Iron Giant says, "Superman." Always makes me cry.

[Jan Mattys]

Really difficult, but if forced to state a single scene, I'd say the "You're gonna need a bigger boat" scene with Roy Scheider in Jaws

The look on his face while he takes those steps back just sells it imho.

[Mith]

In Bruges, when "Raglan Road" starts just blew my mind. I knew of Luke Kelly and the Dubliners before, but I only ever hear their music play when I put it on. So it really surprised me along side everything else.

As far as favourite scenes ever, I don't think I really have one. It's more the awesome moments of well done movies and books.

For books, I will say I always enjoy the dramatic elements of the stories of Druss the Legend by David Gemmell. Druss is really an awesome character.

I also advise people to see In Bruges. It's great.

[Marillion]

Literally every episode of Breaking Bad, ever.

One that's captured my heart recently though is this scene from the first season of Mad Men.

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Don using pictures from the early, happy years of his own failing marriage to sell something on the power of nostalgia? That slide showing the name of the product and you think the presentation's over, but then it flips to one last picture? Absolute heart-wrenching brilliance.

[Yora]

Luke's decision, in The Return of the Jedi.

It's a powerful moment where Luke emphatically chooses love over hate.

"You've failed, your Majesty. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

"So be it... Jedi."

[Some Android]

This scene with Two-Face from Dark Knight Returns:

Warning: Potential Spoilers

The ending to The Killing Joke is also great.

[Gnoman]

One of my favorites from the Dresden Files is from late in the series. I think it is in Skin Game, but possibly Cold Days (I'm away from the books at the moment, and can't check)


Major spoilers

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It is the conversation between Harry and Michael regarding Harry's daughter Maggie. Harry goes into the usual "what if my enemies try to use her against me?" spiel, and Michael calmly explains that anyone who might consider the idea would strongly take into account that somebody already tried that, and Harry's response was to genocide them.

[DemonicAngel]

Something that I watched recently and springs to mind - John Wick. Except all the great action scenes, there's this one where Vigo calls the auto-shop to see why the guy there hit his son and that almost defeated "Oh" he says after he hears the reason is a sight to behold.

[2D8HP]

Only one scene?

Forget that, as my favorite depends on my mood, and how high it's simmering, but all involve doing what's right instead of seeking happiness, and are old and perhaps trite.

The first is the next to last scene in Casablanca

Spoiler: Rick and Ilsa

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Rick: Last night we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I've done a lot of it since then, and it all adds up to one thing: you're getting on that plane with Victor where you belong.

Ilsa: But, Richard, no, I... I...

Rick: Now, you've got to listen to me! You have any idea what you'd have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of ten, we'd both wind up in a concentration camp. Isn't that true, Louie?

Captain Renault: I'm afraid Major Strasser would insist.

Ilsa: You're saying this only to make me go.

Rick: I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.

Ilsa: But what about us?

Rick: We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.

Ilsa: When I said I would never leave you.

Rick: And you never will. But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that.

[Ilsa lowers her head and begins to cry]

Rick: Now, now...

[Rick gently places his hand under her chin and raises it so their eyes meet]

Rick: Here's looking at you kid.

But that bit of Casablanca only works in the total context of the film, and if you haven't seen it...

"Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra"

and

"Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel"

....then we have a language barrier.

---

My next choice, while better if you've seen the film (or read the book) may still work by itself:

Spoiler: Tom Joad's farewell scene in the Grapes of Wrath

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Tom Joad: I been thinking about us, too, about our people living like pigs and good rich land layin' fallow. Or maybe one guy with a million acres and a hundred thousand farmers starvin'. And I been wonderin' if all our folks got together and yelled...

Ma Joad: Oh, Tommy, they'd drag you out and cut you down just like they done to Casy.

Tom: They’d drag me anyways. Sooner or later they’d get me for one thing if not for another. Until then…

Ma: Tommy, you’re not aimin’ to kill nobody.

Tom: No, Ma, not that. That ain’t it. It’s just, well as long as I’m an outlaw anyways… maybe I can do somethin’… maybe I can just find out somethin’, just scrounge around and maybe find out what it is that’s wrong and see if they ain’t somethin’ that can be done about it. I ain’t thought it out all clear, Ma. I can’t. I don’t know enough.

Ma: How am I gonna know about ya, Tommy? Why they could kill ya and I’d never know. They could hurt ya. How am I gonna know?

Tom: Well, maybe it’s like Casy says. A fellow ain’t got a soul of his own, just little piece of a big soul, the one big soul that belongs to everybody, then…

Ma: Then what, Tom?

Tom: Then it don’t matter. I’ll be all around in the dark – I’ll be everywhere. Wherever you can look – wherever there’s a fight, so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever there’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad. I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry and they know supper’s ready, and when the people are eatin’ the stuff they raise and livin’ in the houses they build – I’ll be there, too.

Ma: I don’t understand it, Tom.

Tom: Me, neither, Ma, but – just somethin’ I been thinkin’ about.

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Since my first two choices are "non-genre" and more about the dialog rather than the visuals, my third pick is actually the three or four scenes involving the Grail quest of Sir Percival in the film Excalibur:

Spoiler: This has Helen Mirren!

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Spoiler: What happens

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Despite her being played by Helen freakin' Mirren, Sir Percival resists Morgana, achieves the Grail, brings it to King Arthur, and heals him (and the land with him).

[Fri]

This scene from "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," which is my favourite action movie of all time. It's a gonzo korean western set in manchuria in early 20th century, where there's rumour of this treasure and all kind of people are aiming for it. There's the japanese army, the korean liberation front, bounty hunters, desert bandits, and all sort of free agents. And at the end, everyone collides in one big cluster**** with awesome soundtrack. It's great out of context, but it's much greater when you watch it after watching the whole movie, where everyone maneuvre around the desert and shooting each others in cool ways and at the end collide together in a whole chaotic climax.



And not show here is that after all that, it topped with a mexican standoff between the three titular character.

[Anonymouswizard]

Babylon 5: https://youtu.be/S0n2vurSBIQ

Although I still prefer the invocation of the Rush Act just because it's the climax of an entire episode and the look on the negotiator's face when he realises his plan has backfired is amazing.

Also don't forget, that Vir gets (almost) what he asks for.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I guess this is also the right topic to confess my love or opening scenes and other early film bits. I love the one in Lawrence of Arabia for instance, where they're playing with matches:
Oooh! It damn well hurts.
Certainly it hurts
Well, what's the trick, then?
The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.

It's so simple yet establishes the character perfectly. I also love the warehouse scene early in The Terminator, where Kyle Reese ditches the cops while stealing some clothes and nicking their gun. It screams "badass" while saving everything that can be done using violence for later in the movie.

And let's not forget the start of Starship Troopers, a simple flash forward that keeps you watching through an hour of high school drama and tongue in cheek bootcamp scenes.

It's not even just in good movies. The for the most part forgettable B-movie P-51 Dragon Fighter manages to improve on even the drinking scene introducing Marion In Indiana Jones Raider of the Los Ark by featuring a drinking game where you drink a shot, and then punch your opponent. Last men standing wins. An awesome bit of flavor none of the rest of the film manages to live up to.

But the master of the opening scene is Luc Besson. Even an early and tight budgeted work like Subway already featured an awesome chase scene ending in a car crashing down a subway entrance. Leon/The Professional had a briljant bit of assassening introducing the male lead, and Banlieue 13 (which he produced but didn't direct) spent a third of its total run time on an introduction each for both of the heroes. And it's awesome. His opening scenes are so good the endings of his movies have a habit of disappointing for not topping their own beginnings. But the best he's done is the opening to Nikita. The story has been remade as at least one movie and two television series, and to be fair those all have their strong points, but the start of the original is to me simply one of the best scenes ever. Just tell me this doesn't make you want to watch the whole thing (again): WARNING for very much R-rated.

Yeah, that one is definitely one of my favorites.

[Peelee]

"Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra"

and

"Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel"

....then we have a language barrier.

That was a helluva episode.

[Kid Jake]

I'd say it's probably a tossup between this

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and the opening montage of the Watchmen movie.

[GolemsVoice]

I really liked the scene in the Netflix Daredevil series. The villain's right hand has captured the girl, and puts a gun on the table, to threaten and taunt his captive, goading her into taking it. She finally manages to snatch the gun, he still continues to be smug as all hell, going through the standard villain stuff along the lines of "Oh, you wouldn't shoot an unarmed man" or "Like I would leave a loaded gun there". But she pulls the trigger, the gun WAS loaded, and we see the smug look of satisfaction drain from the guys face, along with his blood. Powerful moment!

[Traab]

I liked a number of scenes from the anime of One Piece. Its the only series that can make you sob like a little girl with a skinned knee over a boat. And yes, the funeral of the Going Merry is probably my favorite. Its just such a moving scene. The whole crew is watching as the ship is given basically a viking funeral and as it burns they hear its voice. The ship had its own soul and it talks to them. Not to scream in pain, or to cry, but to declare how much it regrets not being able to go on. How it wanted to carry them forever because it felt so loved. This SHATTERS the captain who is sobbing about how he is the one who should apologize. He did a ****ty job of steering, he broke her mast, the rest of the crew kept breaking things too and the only guy who tried to repair her sucked at it. It was just so sad, even as someone who hasnt exactly watched the entire series in order to get the full impact.

Other scenes would include anything that on youtube is titled "walks to...." Walk to arlong ark, walk to enis lobby, walk to fishman island, etc. These are all moments where comedy is put aside, something very serious is happening and the crew of the show are getting ready for war. Its got great music, great animation, you can feel their determination and the feeling of how things just got serious. All with barely a word spoken.

Last one. The scene where they are rescuing robin from enis lobby. Its a big stand off, the straw hat crew on one side, the government on the other. The chief bad guy is mocking them, saying they cant stand against the world government. Luffy tells his sniper crew mate to destroy their flag and when everyone gasps in shock at this, since its a literal declaration of war, he screams out "BRING IT ON!" then demands robin tell him that she wants to live. Its super emotional, dramatic as heck, and a serious moment of badassery.

[FreddyNoNose]

I don't know if the best, but a great scene from a great show.