"WOW!" Moments in the Movies (1 Viewer)

[Shawn Bridges]

hmmm so many...

LoTR - Opening battle sequence

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - The ending

Matrix - Trinity's first scene

The Hiding Place (1975)- When the weak and unwanted were sent to the "showers". I was ten when I saw this and to this day I feel it was far to intense for a child that age.

Jurassic Park - Trex first appearance

Saving Private Ryan - Beach landing

 

[Jordan_E]

Probably my biggest, longest "WOW!" at a movie theater was years ago when I went to a sneak preview (back in the days when you went not knowing AT ALL what the movie would be), when the lights went down, the movie started, and it turned out to be RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK! The entire theater burst into screams. We knew this was going to be something special and it was! Terrific, unexpected (I had seen a few dogs at sneaks before), and always remembered.

 

[Chris Atkins]

the movie started, and it turned out to be RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK!

That's one of the coolest movie experiences I have ever heard of.

Was there a lot of buzz for RAIDERS before it was released?

 

[Jordan_E]

Was there a lot of buzz for RAIDERS before it was released?

No, not really, as this was WAY before the Internet! There were things in various magazines, but people weren't on top of productions like now. But when we saw that A LUCASFILM LTD. PRODUCTION of A STEVEN SPIELBERG FILM on the screen it was obvious that we were in for a ride! Man, those were the days!

 

[MarkHastings]

Man, those were the days!

Not like todays world where we hear of a movie starting production and we're all asking when the DVD is coming out

 

[Sean Campbell]

Sanjuro - final duel (a guaranteed immediate replay and watch again for any first-time viewer)

It's actually chocolate sauce you know
And you're right about the replay value for first time viewers... I had to check again because I couldn't believe what I'd just seen.

 

[StephenK]

1) King Richard revealing himself to Robin Hood in the Adventures of Robin Hood

2) USS Indianapolis speech from JAWS

3) Neo & Trinity Lobby shootout in Matrix

4) The 2 floor, 5 min, no cut, master shot of the Hospital shootout from Hard Boiled

5) The Paris car chase from Ronin, beats the one from French Connection, imo.

6) The first glimpses of the alien derelict ship in Alien

7) The final "coda" in Unforgiven , scolling over that amazing piece of music.

 

[Peter Kline]

The roller coaster sequence in "This Is Cinerama". (Actually the bob sled sequence in the follow-up film, "Cinerama Holiday" is even more exciting).

Ursula Andress (fondly remembered as Ursula Undress by some!) coming out of the ocean in her white bikini in "Dr. No."

Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell tap-dancing to the song "Begin The Beguine" in the film "Broadway Melody of 1940".

Gene Kelly dancin' and singin' in the rain.

 

[Nathan V]

"I knew it was you." -Godfather II

Most of 'Heat,' particularly the bank shootout.

Jim Cavaziel's fate in The Thin Red Line. Incredible.

Memento- the revelation at the end.

Seeing Apocalypse Now Redux at the Cinerama.

Fight Club- the realization.

"Roxanne" in Moulin Rouge.

The finale of Last of the Mohicans.

The last 10 minutes of Godfather III; makes up for the whole movie, in my opinion.

The final shot of Scorsese's Last Temptation.

And of course, the mother of all "whoa's," nearly all 138 minutes of the Matrix.

Props to Jordan, for creating what might be the best thread in HTF history, a thread that forces us to revisit those moments which are the reason why we go to movies in the first place.

Regards,
Nathan

 

[Steve_Ch]

OK, I guess nobody's going to do this, so I am going to kick it off ..

EMMANUELLE, "encounter" in the plane.. (Saw it in 1974, WOW!! WOW!!)..

 

[Jordan_E]

Thanks, Nathan V, for the props, and this is from one Cinerama patron to another! I fondly remember the 70mm marathons they had there years ago, with people in their sleeping bags, staying all through the night and staggering out the next morning! But I missed Apocalypse Now Redux there. Dang!

 

[Christ Reynolds]

great thread.

vertigo, the last scene in the bell tower

2001, when hal locks out dr bowman

boogie nights, the opening and closing long shots

magnolia, the frogs, and what they bring to officer kurring

brazil, the ending

donnie darko, most of the whole movie

fargo, the whole thing, really.

CJ

 

[Christ Reynolds]

double post

 

[OcieB]

Pulp Fiction - The dance scene. this is the best dance scene, ever.

Pulp Fiction - "If any of you motherfuckers even move i'm gunna execute every last one of you" credits roll. I think this is the most powerful shot in modern cinema, especially with the picture freezing at the least second.

Jules and Jim - Her face right before she drives off the bridge


A Clockwork Orange - The shot of alex and his four droogs backlit from the tunnel.

Punch-Drunk Love - When adam and emily run to eachother in hawaii (the movie poster).

Ronin - Car chase(s).

Traffic - the airplane flying over at the very beginning.

Requiem for A Dream - the climax. the combination of the sound and visuals is so beautiful, and at the same time excruciatingly unbearable to watch.

North by Northwest - The airplane sequence.

Seven Samurai - The battle scene at the end.

Mulholland Dr. - The lesbian sex scenes (jk. put in for humor, they did make me go "wow" though.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

triple post?

 

[OcieB]

Pulp Fiction - The dance scene. this is the best dance scene, ever.

Pulp Fiction - "If any of you motherfuckers even move i'm gunna execute every last one of you" credits roll. I think this is the most powerful shot in modern cinema, especially with the picture freezing at the least second.

Jules and Jim - Her face right before she drives off the bridge


A Clockwork Orange - The shot of alex and his four droogs backlit from the tunnel.

Punch-Drunk Love - When adam and emily run to eachother in hawaii (the movie poster).

Ronin - Car chase(s).

Traffic - the airplane flying over at the very beginning.

Requiem for A Dream - the climax. the combination of the sound and visuals is so beautiful, and at the same time excruciatingly unbearable to watch.

North by Northwest - The airplane sequence.

Seven Samurai - The battle scene at the end.

Mulholland Dr. - The lesbian sex scenes (jk. put in for humor, they did make me go "wow" though.

 

[Tim Glover]

Is is just me or are there some double posts on this page? I need to check what's in my diet coke!

Peter,

How could I have forgotten Ursela from Dr. No!!! I love the dialougue there but do prefer the view:

Ursela (Honey Rider): "What are you doing!? Looking for shells?"
Bond: "No...I'm just looking"

A Wow moment indeed!

 

[Chris Farmer]

Memento: "You can be my John G."
Almost Famous Untitled Cut: "the ending is so much more rewarding a payoff in this version
Lord of the Rings: Any scene that has Gandalf and the Balrog in it, in both movies
Mulholland Drive: "What's in the box?" Everything you knew abotu this movie is about to come unglued
Attack of the Clones: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Yoda (and just about the entire Dooku/Yoda scene)
Apollo 13: when the rocket lifts off
Phantom Menace: when Maul ignites the other half of his lightsaber, and anything following that in the duel
Matrix: the whole damn movie
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone: the first time I saw Diagon Alley, that's when I knew for sure they got it right
Toy Story: They did all that, with a COMPUTER???
The Two Towers: seeing gollum for the first time
Spider-man: closing sequence, Spidey finally has got the hang of things
Transformers, The Movie: Death of Optimus Prime (hey, I was a kid back then)

 

[Dean DeMass]

Apollo 13: when the rocket lifts off

Can't believe I forgot this one. Every time I watch this scene I get so many goosebumps. The images and James Horner's score are just beautiful.

Here are some more:

Dinosaur: The whole entire opening sequence, especially when the scenes with the Pteredon flying over the cliff and through the dinosaurs legs (one of my favorite music score pieces)

Minority Report: The chase when Cruise is hopping from car to car

The Prince of Egypt: The parting of the Red Sea

Reservoir Dogs: The whole sequence with "Stuck in the Middle" playing

Road to Perdition: The shootout in the rain that is all silent, until the final kill when the sound of the Tommy Gun kicks in, "I'm glad that it was you", brilliant shot and wonderful line

Unbreakable: When Willis arrives at the train station after he believes in his powers

Cast Away: When Hanks finally successfully leaves the island and the music score kicks in for the 1st time since he arrived on the island. The emotion on Hanks' face when looking back at the island proves why he is one of the best actors of our time

The Crow: The whole scene leading up to T-Birds death. T-bird reciting the book from the apartment, the "This is the really real world" line, and the final shot of Eric lighting the crow symbol on fire (I love this film)

-Dean-

 

[Joe Wong]

Great thread!

My addition:

* in T2, when the T1000 on the motorcycle crashes through the window of the Cyberdyne building and onto the helicopter...and then cracks the windshield with his helmet...and then OOZES inside...all with perfect reflection of the stunned pilot on the liquid metal...

WOW!

Joe