Your favorite movie sequences! I wanna know right now
February 18, 2025 1:41 AM - Subscribe
Inspired by this recent post to the Blue, what are your alltime favorite movie sequences?
I'll prime the pump with this lovely few minutes from Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter. Rollin' on the river!
I'll share more later, God willing, since lately I've been thinking of Spielberg's films.
I'll prime the pump with this lovely few minutes from Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter. Rollin' on the river!
I'll share more later, God willing, since lately I've been thinking of Spielberg's films.
Aw, geez. So many.
That's a great scene, though, rabia.elizabeth. I love how the farm house and barn are shot.
Since Star Wars is my biggest jam, I'll pick a scene (there are many) from each of the films! Some are dear, others I'm just picking for variety's sake.
posted by Atreides at 6:40 AM on February 18 [1 favorite]
That's a great scene, though, rabia.elizabeth. I love how the farm house and barn are shot.
Since Star Wars is my biggest jam, I'll pick a scene (there are many) from each of the films! Some are dear, others I'm just picking for variety's sake.
- Phantom Menace - the invasion sequence as the Trade Federation ships depart from their capital ships and land on the surface of Naboo
- Attack of the Clones - Jango/Kenobi asteroid chase WHOMMMMM!
- Revenge of the Sith - Order 66 montage oof
- A New Hope - Binary Sunset ftw
- Empire Strikes Back - I Love You / I Know scene
- Return of the Jedi - the latter half of the Vader Luke duel
- Force Awakens - Rey opening sequence
- Last Jedi - Speeder attack on Crait
- Rise of the Skywalker - Rey lightsaber maneuver vs Kylo Ren TIE
- Solo - Two vs One fight between Qi'ra/Han and Dryden Vos
- Rogue One - Death Star test firing on Jedha
posted by Atreides at 6:40 AM on February 18 [1 favorite]
A few more... some unabashed theism below.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" blew me away, as it did so many, in 1981 when it was first released. What I didn't grok at the time is that it's a film that celebrates the power and mystery of God, which for a major Hollywood studio release was and is astonishing. Perhaps it was the fact that the film was set in the forties, during Hollywood's golden age, that allowed the filmmakers a bit more freedom than usual to refer explicitly to the Divine.
Spielberg's craft as a director of actors and a master of subtle camera movement was already mature.
I don't think Spielberg or the team on this film were or are overtly religious, and they certainly weren't trying to sell viewers on religion, which makes the awe-full moments that much more powerful.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 10:55 AM on February 18 [1 favorite]
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" blew me away, as it did so many, in 1981 when it was first released. What I didn't grok at the time is that it's a film that celebrates the power and mystery of God, which for a major Hollywood studio release was and is astonishing. Perhaps it was the fact that the film was set in the forties, during Hollywood's golden age, that allowed the filmmakers a bit more freedom than usual to refer explicitly to the Divine.
Spielberg's craft as a director of actors and a master of subtle camera movement was already mature.
I don't think Spielberg or the team on this film were or are overtly religious, and they certainly weren't trying to sell viewers on religion, which makes the awe-full moments that much more powerful.
- So here we have Indiana Jones and his department head telling a skeptical G-man and his companion about the importance of a few seemingly obscure artifacts from Old Testament times. There's hardly any "action" in this scene, but the flow of the camera movement and the strategic scoring weave together with performances of utter conviction. The close-up of what is probably artwork created for the film is an unforgettable closer to this scene.
- The beautifully "acted" map room scene. Just as the location of the Ark is about to be illuminated, notice the slow descent of the camera onto Ford's expectant, solemn face. Ford & Spielberg put across awe of the Divine as few ever have, even in films more ostensibly about the power of God.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 10:55 AM on February 18 [1 favorite]
The movie sequences that seem to resonate most with me are usually attached to a strong musical score composition.
In no particular order;
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - Kirk and crew steal the Enterprise (to James Horner's "Stealing the Enterprise")
Quantum of Solace (2008) - the opening chase between Bond's DBS V12 and two Alfa Romeo 159s (to David Arnold's "Time to Get Out")
Edge of Tomorrow (2014) - the early beach landing montage right up to "Find me when you wake up" (to Christoph Beck's "Find Me When You Wake Up")
Ghost in the Shell (1995) - after Motoko's night dive we see scenes of the inner city, other citizens with the same cyborg body, and inert mannequins (to Kenji Kawaii's "Making of a Cyborg")
V for Vendetta (2005) - Evey's interrogation and eventual rebirth in the rain (to Dario Marianelli's "Evey Reborn")
Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) - everything from the moment Lane's helicopter touches down at the Quai de Bercy to Nathan escaping the Gendarmes (to Lorne Balfe's "Escape Through Paris")
posted by Molesome at 9:09 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]
In no particular order;
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - Kirk and crew steal the Enterprise (to James Horner's "Stealing the Enterprise")
Quantum of Solace (2008) - the opening chase between Bond's DBS V12 and two Alfa Romeo 159s (to David Arnold's "Time to Get Out")
Edge of Tomorrow (2014) - the early beach landing montage right up to "Find me when you wake up" (to Christoph Beck's "Find Me When You Wake Up")
Ghost in the Shell (1995) - after Motoko's night dive we see scenes of the inner city, other citizens with the same cyborg body, and inert mannequins (to Kenji Kawaii's "Making of a Cyborg")
V for Vendetta (2005) - Evey's interrogation and eventual rebirth in the rain (to Dario Marianelli's "Evey Reborn")
Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) - everything from the moment Lane's helicopter touches down at the Quai de Bercy to Nathan escaping the Gendarmes (to Lorne Balfe's "Escape Through Paris")
posted by Molesome at 9:09 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]
Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr. has a dream sequence which starts when Keaton's projectionist character falls asleep in the projection booth. It starts with him dreaming that people he knows from his own life getting magicked into the film running on the screen - but then he dreams he can step into the film himself, which has hilarious consequences as the scene changes around him. (This was a film from the 1920s and Keaton had to work with a team of surveyors to line the various shots up just right.)
There's a just-barely-into-the-talkies-era French film called Le Million, with a scene where a bunch of guys are playing keepaway with a jacket which may or may not have a lottery ticket in it. The fun part is - the sound for the whole sequence is a recording of the audience cheers from a rugby game.
I'll think of more.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:27 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]
There's a just-barely-into-the-talkies-era French film called Le Million, with a scene where a bunch of guys are playing keepaway with a jacket which may or may not have a lottery ticket in it. The fun part is - the sound for the whole sequence is a recording of the audience cheers from a rugby game.
I'll think of more.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:27 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]
Ok, so a lot of mine are visual things that benefit from being seen on a big screen instead of a phone, just saying.
There's a sequence in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence where a character goes to a city and there's a big temple festival parade happening. It's amazing, a truly great sequence.
The final dance number in Anybody Can Dance is phenomenal. The movie is pretty cheesy, but it does the work to earn the big emotional payoff. I'm not sure if the number has as much impact if you haven't watched the rest of the movie, but I was blown away by it. The first few minutes are pretty standard for the genre, then it develops.
In Peter Greenaway's Belly of an Architect, he deprives you of the color blue for pretty much the whole film, then at one point Brian Dennehy's character looks at the sky, and you realize how thirsty your eyes have been for that color.
Adolph Caesar's monologue in the bar about his experiences in France in the film A Soldier's Story is expertly performed and shot. It uses practical lighting effects, a big mirror, blocking and sound design to make the bar disappear and take you into the character's mind. Truly outstanding, and a great film. The monologue starts about a minute and a half into that clip, but watch the whole thing, it gives some context. The use of theatrical effects like the practical lighting is a nod to the script's theatrical origins - the play version (A Soldier's Play) won a Pulitzer.
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (one of the Andrew Garfield ones), Jamie Foxx's character (Max/Electro) develops electrical super powers.He escapes captivity by turning into pure electricity. I was stunned when I saw it, the effect was surprising and extremely well executed. It's at about 1:50 in that clip.
There's a moment in Pacific Rim where a Kaiju pushes one of the giant robots into a building, but instead of the building backstopping the robot, the robot crashes right through it and the Kaiju and the camera follow. It's just a moment, but it's a really cool looking moment. Probably better on a big screen than on a phone. It's about 1:50 into the clip.
There's the scene in Rear Window where Jimmy Stewart is looking at Raymond Burr's dark apartment, then you just see the glow of a cigarette ember in the darkness.
The Happiness of the Katakuris is a gonzo and genre-bending movie, if you can find it. In the clip, a song breaks out at about 1:14. Watch what happens to the captain at about 2:55. It's exactly my kind of humor, so I thought it was hilarious.
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould is a wonderful movie, here's one sequence with Colm Feore being awesome while doing almost nothing.
I could go on and on, and would if I had more time.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 6:27 PM on March 11 [2 favorites]
There's a sequence in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence where a character goes to a city and there's a big temple festival parade happening. It's amazing, a truly great sequence.
The final dance number in Anybody Can Dance is phenomenal. The movie is pretty cheesy, but it does the work to earn the big emotional payoff. I'm not sure if the number has as much impact if you haven't watched the rest of the movie, but I was blown away by it. The first few minutes are pretty standard for the genre, then it develops.
In Peter Greenaway's Belly of an Architect, he deprives you of the color blue for pretty much the whole film, then at one point Brian Dennehy's character looks at the sky, and you realize how thirsty your eyes have been for that color.
Adolph Caesar's monologue in the bar about his experiences in France in the film A Soldier's Story is expertly performed and shot. It uses practical lighting effects, a big mirror, blocking and sound design to make the bar disappear and take you into the character's mind. Truly outstanding, and a great film. The monologue starts about a minute and a half into that clip, but watch the whole thing, it gives some context. The use of theatrical effects like the practical lighting is a nod to the script's theatrical origins - the play version (A Soldier's Play) won a Pulitzer.
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (one of the Andrew Garfield ones), Jamie Foxx's character (Max/Electro) develops electrical super powers.He escapes captivity by turning into pure electricity. I was stunned when I saw it, the effect was surprising and extremely well executed. It's at about 1:50 in that clip.
There's a moment in Pacific Rim where a Kaiju pushes one of the giant robots into a building, but instead of the building backstopping the robot, the robot crashes right through it and the Kaiju and the camera follow. It's just a moment, but it's a really cool looking moment. Probably better on a big screen than on a phone. It's about 1:50 into the clip.
There's the scene in Rear Window where Jimmy Stewart is looking at Raymond Burr's dark apartment, then you just see the glow of a cigarette ember in the darkness.
The Happiness of the Katakuris is a gonzo and genre-bending movie, if you can find it. In the clip, a song breaks out at about 1:14. Watch what happens to the captain at about 2:55. It's exactly my kind of humor, so I thought it was hilarious.
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould is a wonderful movie, here's one sequence with Colm Feore being awesome while doing almost nothing.
I could go on and on, and would if I had more time.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 6:27 PM on March 11 [2 favorites]
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ending of Call Me By Your Name.
Or the ending of Dangerous Liaisons.
And then there's the At The Ball, That's All sequence from Laurel and Hardy's Out West.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:40 AM on March 14
Or the ending of Dangerous Liaisons.
And then there's the At The Ball, That's All sequence from Laurel and Hardy's Out West.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:40 AM on March 14
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posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:55 AM on February 18 [2 favorites]