Favorite Movie Scenes

There's an Internet meme that pops up from time to time asking one to name one's favorite movie scenes. I don't usually like to do memes (because they end up getting you tagged for millions of other memes, most of which are stupid or uninteresting), but I rather liked this one because I love movies. In this regard, I'm right up there with one of my favorite singing groups, the Statler Brothers ...

And so I'll share with you, Dear Readers, some of my favorite movie scenes (and I apologize in advance for some of the ads that come up before the clip starts ... they're a pain, but they're the price of YouTube) ...

From "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King": in the face of overwhelming odds, King Theoden* rallies his troops at the siege of Gondor:

The first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan":

The battle between the Enterprise and the Reliant in "Start Trek: The Wrath of Khan"**:

Taylor finds the wreckage of the Statue of Liberty on the beach in "Planet of the Apes":

Although it's no longer politically correct nowadays to honor or show any sympathy for those who fought for the Confederacy, this scene of Pickett's Charge from the movie "Gettysburg" has to call forth respect for the courage of those who charged at the Union line:

And finally, from the same film but from the other side's perspective, the 20th Maine on Little Round Top, outnumbered and out of ammunition, routs the Confederate attack with a bayonet charge led by ... of all people ... General Joshua Chamberlain, an English professor from Bowdoin College:

I have a lot of other "favorite" scenes ... what are some of yours? Leave a comment.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* I love the acting by Bernard Hill ... the way his expression starts with one of desperation and horror, then sets into one of, "screw you, orcs, we're coming for your heads!"

** The starships are much better actors than William Shatner.

Movie Review - Star Trek Into Darkness

Yesterday afternoon Agnes and I and our friend Nadja visited the local multiplex cinema (are there any more single, freestanding movie theaters any more?) to see "Star Trek Into Darkness." Bottom line up front (or "BLUF," as we say in Pentagon shorthand): I loved it, and the negative reviews are all from doo-doo-heads who don't know how to enjoy a movie.

As you know from previous posts about movies, I don't like to see movies in theaters much any more. There are usually too many ass clowns who want to yak or text on their cell phones, film the movie surreptitiously with their minicams, or carry on their noisy conversations that are more important than the film they paid $10 or more to see. Movies in theaters are also far, far too loud ... we always leave the theater feeling like we've been in the front row for the 1812 Overture, in front of the cannons. There are, however, some movies that I think just need to be seen on the Big Screen. The first installment of "The Hobbit" was the last one. I think "Ender's Game" will be the next. "Star Trek" was this one.

Okay, here's your spoiler alert - if you've been avoiding movie reviews and spoilers until you can see the movie yourself, stop reading now and come back after you've seen it so we can compare notes. Otherwise, read on.

Basic stuff: the special effects were wonderful, the acting workmanlike, and the volume overwhelming.

Viewers who are long-time Star Trek fans will either love (as I did) or hate all the references back to (and alternative timeline twists on) episodes and events in the original TV series (tribbles, anyone?) and the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Yes, actor Benedict Cumberbatch plays a character who turns out to be famous Star Trek villain Khan Noonien Singh, and he does it with a brilliantly-calibrated degree of both subtle menace and carpet-chewing intensity ... a terrific  performance. I'll never be able to watch him in the BBC update series "Sherlock" the same way again.

The other cast members were, I thought, superbly selected. Christopher Pine perfectly captures the cocky attitude of the original William Shatner version of Captain James Kirk, and Zachary Quinto does a wonderful version of Mr Spock. The actors playing Dr McCoy (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Chekhov (Anton Yelchin), and Sulu (John Cho) were all great, especially Karl ("Dammit, I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician!") Urban. Pegg and Yelchin perhaps played Scotty and Chekhov a little too much for laughs, but were superb in their roles; John Cho was an excellent Sulu (Dr McCoy had the great line, "Mr Sulu, remind me never to piss you off!"). I didn't think the romantic relationship between Lt Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Mr Spock was all that believable in context, but it was well-played.

Were there plot holes, strange scenes*, and occasional script weaknesses? Of course. But I don't go to the movies to look for reasons not to enjoy the show. And I really enjoyed this one.

Bilbo gives "Star Trek Into Darkness" two thumbs up.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* Such as the Enterprise hiding on the bottom of an ocean, and Alice Eve (as a PhD weapons scientist) peeling down to her bra and panties for no apparent reason ... although both were entertaining images.

Movie Review: Skyfall

Just a short post today.

Agnes and I don't go to the movies very often. Agnes usually doesn't like to go because the sound is always too loud, and she usually leaves with a headache after getting her head dolbyized for two hours. I don't go very often because the theater is usually full of ass clowns who can't quit using their phones or chatting with each other, and look at you like you're the idiot if you ask them to cut it out. The last movie I saw in a theater was Prometheus, and neither of us could remember what the last one we saw in a theater together was.

But we decided yesterday to grit our teeth and go to the local multiplex to see Skyfall, the new James Bond movie.

And we're glad we did.

We've seen and more-or-less enjoyed all of the James Bond movies, although they grew more and more far-fetched and overly cheeky with time. When Daniel Craig took the role in Casino Royale in 2006, I was happy that the series seemed to be getting a bit more back to its roots - he was a man I could see as a ruthless, cold-blooded killer with a veneer of polish and sophistication ... the first Bond since Sean Connery in Dr No that came across to me that way. The second movie with Craig as Bond, Quantum of Solace, was disappointing - Craig was excellent and the movie was visually exciting, but the film itself was a disconnected mess with no discernable plot.

Which brings us to the local cineplex yesterday, and our decision to see Skyfall.

Here are the key points (with spoilers avoided, so feel free to read on):

1. Solid, understandable plot based on revenge.

2. Good, believable action scenes (well except, perhaps, for that motorcycle chase at the beginning).

3. Javier Bardem as a great, make-your-skin-crawl psychopathic villain.

4. More emphasis on character development and backstory than any other Bond movie.

5. Wonderful cinematography.

6. Generally great, tight dialog without an overload of tiresome tongue-in-cheek Bond one-liners (although they're there). The best line in the movie went to Albert Finney as Kinkade, the groundskeeper at the Skyfall estate - "Welcome to Scotland" (you'll need to see the movie to understand).

7. Two words: "Eve Moneypenny."

8. Ben Whishaw as the new "Q" - "I can do more damage on my laptop in my pyjamas than you can do in a year in the field."

That's enough for now. If you're looking for an entertaining, well-acted, well-directed, and well-filmed action flick, look no further. Bilbo gives it two thumbs up ... but only because I only have two thumbs.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

P.S. - We got the senior discount on the tickets. I can feel decrepit to save $3.00.

B.