Great Moments in Movie History

The best way to get to know someone is by looking at their collection of books, movies, music and reading their blog. Although long, this blog entry takes a brief (thus not all inclusive) look at my favorite movie moments.

Probably the earliest memory of such a moment came when I was very young in Return of the Jedi. Toward the end, Luke and his father, Darth Vader, destroy the Emperor. This costs Darth Vader his life. Before dying, Vader asks Luke to take off his (Vader's) mask. I remember looking at the face behind the mask. He was just an old man! I was thinking, "This is the guy that caused all those problems for the galaxy? That choked people mercilessly for tiny mistakes?"

THAT is power in film, I said to myself. Someone out there can create a story and a character that is so evil and menacing, and yet be revealed in the end as someone's father.

To Kill A Mockingbird must also be mentioned, the part where Atticus Finch is defending Tom Robinson. Atticus Finch spoke with such power that the court room was ear-splittingly silent. I was so emotionally involved in the movie that I had to pull myself out for a moment to realize that my family was also frozen in our viewing places! We were just as enthralled as the courtroom audience. Good films have a way of doing that. They can draw the audience in so that they feel like they are in the courtroom.
 
Being somewhat of a Romantic myself, I have my fair share of favorite romantic-moments in movies. At the top of my list are the typical While You Were Sleeping, Sleepless In Seattle, etc. But those movies go without mention, because I like the whole movie in those cases.

Ever seen Big Fish? The main character is in love with a girl engaged to his childhood rival. He wins her heart by standing outside her dorm window in a veritable sea of daffodils, awaiting her to open the window. The way the music swells combined with the cinematography and the contrast of the characters' blue wardrobes against the brilliant yellow of the daffodils are what carry the scene.

Not far behind Big Fish is the moment in Dan In Real Life when Dan sings "Let My Love Open the Door" on his guitar. It's at that moment when Marie can no longer deny her feelings for Dan, forcing her to brake up with Mitch (Dan's brother). A very well done sequence.

Another movie I think of when I think of great moments is Pixar's UP. Two moments come to mind. The beginning sequence almost makes me cry as it depicts two people very much in love growing old together. Half of the reason it's so beautiful is because there is little-to-no dialogue and the soundtrack conveys all the emotion necessary.  In addition, there's a quote that Russell makes regarding his dad. "My dad made it sound so easy. He's really good at camping, and how to make fire from rocks and stuff. He used to come to all my sweat lodge meetings. And afterwards, we'd go get ice cream at Fenton's. I always get chocolate and he gets butter brickle. Then we sit on this one curb right outside, and I'd count all the blue cars and he counts all the red ones, and whoever gets the most, wins.
I like that curb. It might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most."

I often find myself remembering the boring stuff the most.