Category Archives: Significant Scenes

Social Distancing in The Silence of the Lambs

I had fun spotlighting some of the absurdities of modern life against the backdrop of Young Frankenstein. And I’m happy to say that that’s not the only film that has some cathartically funny lessons we can learn to help us … Continue reading

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This Is What I Aspire to Do with Movies

I went a little overboard with my verbosity in the last few weeks, so I will be brief this time to balance it out a bit. There are many people I admire and respect, and Bill Whittle is one of … Continue reading

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Social Distancing in Young Frankenstein

Remember when social distancing was the stuff of comedy, not intended to be real-life drama? Just take this scene near the start of 1974’s Young Frankenstein. In it, Dr. Frankenstein is bidding a tender farewell to his love, but she … Continue reading

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Asking a Simple Question: Does It Make Any Sense?

Have you ever seen a lie so big and audacious that is repeated so many times, you actually started to believe it? It seems impossible that anyone would be so brazen as to lie to your face to get you … Continue reading

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3 Superb Indiana Jones Standoffs

I realized immediately after writing last week’s article about great movie standoffs that I had missed three of the very best ones. And they come from three of the best action movies ever made: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana … Continue reading

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10 Great Standoffs in Movies

Standoffs are great because they create instant drama and force characters to reveal important parts of their personalities by how they react. When two or more characters face a situation in which they can’t win by taking direct action, they … Continue reading

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What Makes Superman Super

What makes Superman super? Is it his superpowers? Is it his heroics? Is it the red S on his chest? All of those are elements of it, but they’re not the whole answer. The real answer to this question is … Continue reading

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Movies That Force Heroes to Make an Impossible Choice

Great movies force their protagonists to make hard choices that help us understand their true character traits and motivations. Sometimes those choices are extremely difficult, messy, and uncomfortable while others only have the appearance of being like that while they … Continue reading

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I’ve Never Found Cruelty Funny

When I was a kid, I remember being really uncomfortable as I watched one particular episode of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon show entitled “Michelangelo’s Birthday.” In it, Michelangelo is excited one morning because it’s his birthday, and … Continue reading

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Jim Carrey at His Finest

In 1997, Jim Carrey received a then-almost-unheard-of $20 million paycheck for his role as a lawyer named Fletcher Reede in Liar Liar. He’s brilliant throughout the movie, but there is one scene in particular in which he really earned every … Continue reading

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