Most Memorable Scenes Ever

Here are some of the scenes which are memorable. Memorable can mean both bad and/or good, but these are just the good. Some have pics, some don't, deal with it. As of this writing, I only have six scenes, but I'll always be adding more as I think of them.

THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; The Godfather

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - The Graveyard Shootout
In Sergio Leone's epic, genre-defining western, there is one scene that stands out: the final scene. The good, the bad and the ugly (title alert!) have all found their ways to a graveyard that contains the treasure that the three have been searching for. This scene is a prime example of how to use close-up shots well. Leone has nothing but music for the better part of one minute. Blondie (Eastwood), writes the name of the grave which contains the treasure on the bottom of a rock and places it at the centre of a large, circular stone terrain. He back up, and the other two takes respective places, ready to run to the rock. For the next minute, all we see are close-up shots. Shots of Blondie's face, Tuco's face, Angel Eyes' face, the three of them reaching for their guns...and then...*bang*. Angel Eyes misses anyone and everyone, Tuco goes for Blondie, Blondie shoots Angel Eyes. Tuco WENT for Blondie. But, did he get him? Oh no. He got nobody. His gun wasn't loaded. Blondie, being the clever badass he is, emptied it of all of its bullets the night before. Smart, eh? And then, the pivotal moment, with some of the best dialogue ever:
"There are two kinds of people in this world: those with loaded guns...and those who dig. You dig."
Totally awesome, made even better with Enrico Moriccone's memorable score.


The Godfather - Murder at the Tollbooth
[no picture]
One of two scenes from Francis Ford Coppola's epic gangster film appearing on this "list", the murder at the tollbooth is a perfectly executed scene. Sonny drives up to the tollbooth, pays the guy, who then ducks. Why? Because he knows what's coming. BAM! out of nowhere, a hundred (hyperbole) rival gangsters appear, and pump Sonny full of sweet, sweet lead. Sure, it's more than a bit ridiculous that Sonny didn't keel over and croak immediately, but it's a movie people, do you really expect it to be 100% realistic? Sonny dies, Michael gets called, things change, people get pissed. Awesome scene in an even awesomer movie.

The Godfather - Baptism and Murder
[no picture]
In a stroke of genius editing, Francis Ford Coppola sets us up for a biggie. Michael Corleone is attending his Godson's funeral (making him the Godfather- title coincidence? Hardly), and intercut with that, we see some people getting stuff ready. More specifically, guns (I know what you're thinking- guns, in a mobster movie? What are the odds!?).
"Michael Corleone, do you renounce Satan?"
[cut to: rival gangster being shot]
"I do renounce him"
"...and all of his empty promises?"
[cut to: someone else being shot]
"I do renounce them"
Best death? Moe Green, shot through his thick-rimmed glasses right into his eye! Talk about deadly accurate.


[your eyes are fooling you, it DOESN'T say "Filming the Siege of Cyberdyne"]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Cyberdyne Shootout
Does it bother anyone else that all of my scenes so far have involved shootings?
James Cameron's faced a lot of backlash after Titanic sunk the competition at the Oscars in early 1998 (pun very much intended), but people tend to forget: Cameron's the visionary who invented the Terminator franchise, and directed the best action movie of the 1990s, T2. T2 is a rare type of action film, in the vein of Die Hard: it's got butt-kicking action, AND it's well-made, specifically this scene. In the middle of Arnie crankin out one-liners, Edward Furlong's voice squealing like a weak mobster, and Robert Patrick morphing into things, Arnold, voice crack boy, voice crack boy's mom, and random computer genius break into said computer genius' company and destroy all of his research. Sounds silly, doesn't it? Well, not when your research will lead to a big nuclear war. Makes a bit more sense now, don't you think? Well, breaking into a huge computer company's HQ usually gets you in trouble with the cops, so, the cops show up. Helicopters and all. Oh yes, they're going all-out for THIS special occasion. So, being a bit irked by the presence of police, the T-800 goes a bit mean on everyone and shoots up a fair bit of cars, gases a few people, very standard actions, really. But, he keeps his promise, and doesn't kill anyone. Smooth. In all, a well-made piece of action filmmaking, featuring an explosion that would make Hans Gruber drool.

Pulp Fiction - Ezekiel 25:17
(another one with shooting. oh dear)
In Quentin Tarantino's profane gangster film, it's hard to pick out just one scene. So, consider this as recognition for the whole film. Near the beginning of the film (but not of the storyline), after a nice little discussion about foot massages ("Cause, you know, I'm real tired, I could use a good foot massage"), long-haired Vincent and Bible-reading Jules go see Brett. Who, as we find out later, has some stuff for Marcellus Wallace (our possibly soul-sucked bald man). When asking for a description of Wallace, Jules gets more than just a bit angry, as you would expect someone to do if the person they're talking to has a limited vocabulary (all together now: "Say what one more time!"). So, before pumping him full of lead, Jules decides to recite a passage from the Bible. "Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the week through the valley of darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper, and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and fuuuurious anger, those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will KNOW my name if the LORD. When I lay me vengeance upon thee".
*cue gunshots*

JFK- The Magic Bullet Theory
One of the most controversial Oliver Stone-directed films about an American President with the initials "JFK" ever, JFK is a great movie. No surprise there. It's chock full of memorable scenes and performances (Mr. X, namely), but one really stands out. So much so, that it was even parodied by Seinfeld (sign #1 that you're successful- something you've done is parodied on Seinfeld). In one of many great courtroom scenes, Jim Garrison (New Orleans D.A, played by Kevin Costner) demonstrates the ridiculousness of the US government's alibi that there was only one assassin of President Kennedy (see bottom of this entry for further thoughts on that). The star of this scene is the editing. Actually, the star of the whole movie is the editing, by Oscar winners Pietro Scalia and Joe Hutshing. Intercut with actual footage of the assassination, the Magic Bullet scene delivers a powerful punch, straight to the gut of the viewer...and the U.S. Government.
Like I said, I'd mention the alibi once again at the end of this entry. Since the trial in the 70s, it (the theory) has been discussed many times, and has been proven that it actually could have been one bullet. But, I'm still not convinced. In a recent ABC Special, they showed a computer-animated diagram (because everything computer-animated HAS to be true) of how the bullet could have flown in one, straight trajectory. But, they forgot to mention the wound in Governor Connelly's thigh. That's where I stop caring about their fancy little diagram. Use a pointer and some bristol board next time, and try not to forget any other wounds.