h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm hiding indoors from the sun, watching a few films. One of them was Harry Potter 3 - and there's a fabulous scene in it, very brief, where professor Snape jumps between the Warewolf and the children to protect them from it. It's very revealing actually, and one of my favourite scenes in a film.

So, what are your favourite scenes? (for the acting, the way the lighting is or whatever...)

In no particular order...

The first gig - "Heroine Kills" - in The Commitments.
Gene Hackman deteriorating into 'shut the f up' in Crimson Tide.
The pre-credits sequence of Goldeneye.
The curry house scene in the pilot episode of Jonathan Creek.
The card game from Lock Stock.
Geoff and the Israeli girl attempting to make conversation in Coupling.
The ID lineup from The Usual Suspects.
Niles' attempt to get ready for a date in the 'Three Valentines' episode of Frasier.
"Boom Boom Boom Boom".
Rick Mayall and Adrian Edmondson spending some twenty minutes buggering about and paying no attention to the plot in the middle of Act II of the Bottom Live stage show (the first one).
Hawaii 5-0 being played at the Ambassador's reception in The Dish.
"So what is it?" "I've never seen one before; no-one has." White Hole, Red Dwarf, Series IV. Tied equal in the RD canon with "It's a banana"
Free Love on the Freelove Freeway.
The near-final scene from Dead Poets Society. 'Cause I'm a blubbering softie, really.

B

In Game of Thrones: Tyrion reaching out to comfort his sister but not being able to do it.

Buffy: at the end of Lie to Me when Buffy asks Giles if life is always going to be so hard - "What do you want me to say?" "Lie to me" "No, it all gets terribly simple..."

Serenity: the opening shot of Serenity, flying around the ship with the oboe music in the background.

Atonement: when James McAvoy's character is driven away, Keira Knightley is stood watching in this beautiful green dress, bathed in red light from the car, with pitch darkness behind her.

Garden State: Natalie Portman's dance in front of the fire.

West Wing: at the end of Two Cathedrals (imo the best episode of TV ever made), Bartlet puts his hands in his pockets, turns and smiles. As someone on here said one time, only fans will know the joy of that moment.

Being Human: George - "I'm doing this because I love you" Iago

"Left turn Clyde"

We live in a world where so many movies [and TV shows] get made that no two people can possibly have seen the same ones. Oh, well.....

The scene in "Somewhere in Time" where the Christopher Reeve character is standing around in early 20th Century mackinaw Island, and he happens to reach into his pocket for the penny that is there. When he sees it, he sees the year that he has come from, and the scene shrinks away to nothing. he has broken the spell.

I liked the scene in the film "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" where Ford and Arthur are wandering across the Vogon Planet. Every time they say anything logical or intelligent, sticks come out of the sand and slap them. This is literally slapstick.

I liked the scene where Jean Valjean is in a church, and the ghost of Fantine comes gently up to him. She is beautiful and sings like an engel. This is in the film "Les Miserables."

In the film "Chicago," I like the scene where Queen Latifah sings her song about doing things for Mama so Mama will do things for you.

Judy Garland has a long bravura scene in "A Star is Born," where she sings at least a dozen songs including "I was born in a trunk."

The "boy band" parody in "Rock of Ages" is hilarious.

What have I liked so far this year? Well, there's the scene in "Epic" where the girl and her companions are walking across the rug in her family's house, and the dog comes up to them. "No kissing" she screams, as she is now much tinier than she used to be.

I liked the tomato scene in "Turbo." I had no idea that snails liked tomatoes so much.

I've seen Helen Mirren in a lot of movies [including the nauseating "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife, and her Lover" ], but nothing compares with her ability to look stylish while firing machine guns in "Red" and "Red II".

That's partial list.

The Two Towers, Aragorn opening those double doors. Lovely (cliché but lovely)

And also in that film Theoden getting his armour put on and making the speech about hate.

And in the film Water when... but spoilers! so
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the band turn up at the United Nations and you realise all that talk about knowing Clapton et al is true

Rutger Hauer, Bladerunner, "Tears in the rain", painting pictures with words.
James Gandolfini, Sopranos, final scene - a real wtf? moment
Leonardo di Caprio getting shot in the head in The Departed - total shock value!
Steve Buscemi, Reservoir Dogs, the scene in the restaurant where they are discussing tipping etiquette
Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken, True Romance, the Sicilian scene
Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump, the scene where he meets his son for the first time and asks "Is he, is he s..s..smart?" - genuinely made me cry

oh and in that last one the little lad saying "hello, Mister Gump" so cute.

The scene in Black Hawk Down when the helicopters take off in the early dawn light. And also in that film when the sergeant (Eric Bana) tells Josh Hartnett's character that they should probably was the blood out of the humvee before they go out again.

And for shock value. The Russian Roulette scene in The Deer Hunter. Makes me bawl. Every time.

Oh for bawl value, Meryl Streep in Sophies Choice.

Or the scene in Saving Private Ryan where the mother collapses to the floor as the army car drives up to her door.

The last scene in Pulp Fiction, where Samuel Jackson is simply dazzling - 'Point the gun at me, Yolanda!!'

There's a bit near the start of Star Trek II where the Enterprise docks at a space station. It was beautiful, and I've loved SF ever since.

And the last scene of The Godfather II, where Michael's sitting in an armchair looking colder than ice, and it fades back to the scene in The Godfather when he tells the family he's joining the army after Pearl Harbour.

Two scenes immediately spring to mind.

Luke vs Vader in Return of the Jedi - the bit when Luke just loses it and starts hammering at Darth Vader with his lightsaber as if it was a baseball bat. None of the twirly dancy crap in the prequels matches that. Mark Hamill really sells it.

Wash's "This land..." scene in the Firefly pilot. It's just brilliant.

It's very sad but my favourite scene ever is from Grey's Anatomy, the Season 5 finale. They have a John Doe patient who's been hit by a bus and in a critical condition. When I realised who it was I actually tried to crawl backwards off the sofa it was such a shock. Best TV moment ever for me.

Oh, and of course every scene in Fight Club where Brad Pitt gets his top off. Makes you praise the powers that be for the pause button

Deb

Mrs Ottershaw hands her husband, Gordon, the teapot in Ripping Yarns, Golden Gordon.

Someone already said Bladerunner

Leeloo slaps some aliens in The Fifth Element

Ride of the Valkyries scene from Apocalypse Now

Mark tells the truth to Juliet with flash cards in Love Actually

The crew aboard the Nostromo come out of hibernation early in Alien

Rick's goodbye to Ilsa in Casablanca

Closing credits, Carrie

Write it out 100 times in Life of Brian

Archery practice on horseback in Brave - just stunning animation

Polymorph shrinking shorts in Red Dwarf

The Needs of the Many, Wrath of Khan

Indiana draws his gun in Raiders of the Lost Ark

"Good Wood God" I Didn't Know You

The selection interview in Men In Black