It feels like ages since we had a movie thread…….
Here on Öland, our 13 year-old son has his own crib. A little wooden cabin all to himself at the end of our “garden” where he can go and have some privacy. It’s right by the edge of the forest. He’s also found a ladder and at the weekend climbed up on the roof. As he stood up there, looking like a scrawny teenage Putin, shaking his fist at me and making it clear that trespassers would suffer a fate far worse than prosecution, I had a cinematic memory.
James Cagney as psychopathic gangster, Cody Jarrett, at the end of Raoul Walsh’s White Heat from 1949. Surrounded by the cops, he climbs to the top of a chemical container and shouting defiance at the world “Top of the world, Ma!” blows himself to smithereens. A real punk, long before these rockers came along. Not to mention a gangsta, old school style.
I haven’t seen that film for 40 years (it was part of the course on US cinema I did at Sussex University). But the scene and that quote was lurking in my memory, ready to resurface here at Camp Trampoline.
Over to you. Are there any memorable lines of dialogue from movies that have made you laugh, cry, smile, etc that have stayed with you? The more obscure and unexpected the better.
John Carpenter is brilliant at these.
Napoleon Wilson, the epitome of tough guy cool, in Assault on Precint 13:
“I have moments.”
Here’s that scene.
The looks on those kids’ faces! Painfully hilarious.
Not a clip to be used for teacher recruitment.
‘kids’ – not a one of them under 30!
Another Carpenter classic: the final scene from The Thing. Sub zero temperature. Two survivors, one of whom has probably been taken over by the alien.
“Why don’t we just around a bit and see what happens?”
Spinal Tap. Every scene, every line.
Mine’s a great callback.
Suddenly chopping veg like a pro, amnesiac housewife Samantha believes she may have awakened part of her missing memory, giddily concluding that she used to be a chef. Ending with a knife-throw that surprises her husband and child she laughs it off, saying, “Chefs do that!”
A scene or two later, a man wielding a shotgun breaks into the home. “I want my eye back, bitch!” he yells, knocking her gallant but ineffectual husband out of the way. Samantha wins the fight by smashing a pie into the intruder’s face. Recovering, her husband skids into the kitchen just in time to see Samantha bend, rabbit punch the assailant and then expertly snap his neck. Shoulders heaving, she licks pie off her fingertips, raises her eyes to her husband, and with a faraway, satiated look, growls, “Chefs do that.”
Brilliant movie.
Ah yes. Have you seen The Nice Guys yet?
Yes. Loved it. At first, I wasn’t sure it was as good as KKBB, but the Nixon gag sealed it for me.
Ooh, looking forward!
You know who else was only following orders…?
Samantha / Charlie’s technique for removing the plaster from Sam Jackson’s wound is quite memorable too. “It’s the same principle as deflowering virgins. Ever try that?” “No, I just sock ’em on the jaw and yell Pop Goes The Weasel…”
Also the way she does shots.
“Oh, my daddy! My daddy!”
Sniff.
I was on Oakworth station a few years ago as Jenny Agutter said the line.
Sniff indeed
Talking of knives, Crocodile Dundee’s comment to the mugger: That’s not a knife. This is a knife.” always makes chuckle.
You can’t beat a bit of Northern Territories braggadachio.
That line also pops up in Wolf Creek. Has less comedic impact, sadly.
Talking of Samuel L Jackson, the man can deliver a line. I love the moment in Pulp Fiction when Willis has rescued them from the torture dungeon and asks SLJ if he is ok.
The reply is wonderful (forgive me for not quoting accurately:): “No I am not f++cking Ok.”
That’s Ving Rhames, not Samuel L Jackson! For shame, KFD!
The actual quote is even better: “No, man….. I’m pretty fuckin far from OK.”
“There’s a snake in ma boots” Tom Hanks as Woody from Toy Story. My twins boys had the Woody toy with the little pull string so that moment in that film and that line holds all sorts of memories for me. That line also holds one other memory, my ex wifes favourite film was “You Got Mail” I watched it with her through gritted teeth many times. One time however as Tom Hanks character finally revealed himself to Meg Ryan in the emotional climax to the film I could no longer resist and yelled in my best Woody voice “There’s a snake in ma boots”. I found it hysterical, she claimed I’d ruined the film for her forever. Considering she ruined huge parts of my life I considered it a major win………….
Seen interviewed on Graham Norton: Apparently, when approached by star struck parents with small children who have no idea who he is, Hanks tells the children to close their eyes and he delivers the line, “There’s a snake In my boot.” They always recognise it.
I find this charming.
You talkin to me? You talkin to me? Sometimes hard to remember in the days of his grumpy grandad schtick how incendiary he was in the seventies.
Over the weekend my daughter took a book of retellings of the Greek myths out of the library. She has no idea why her parents were laughing so much at the retitling of the story of Jason and the Argonauts.
It’s called “Jason Finds A Rug That Really Ties The Kingdom Together”.
The Big Lebowski is an endless source of the kind of lines wanted in the OP.
A natural, zesty, enterprise.
Say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos
Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature
And so on and so on
…. That and a pair of testicles, sure.
Mr Treehorn treats objects like women.
You see what happens, Larry?
Yeah, well, you know – that’s just like, your opinion, man…
Probably the most quotable movie ever made.
“That’s your name, dude.” “Thank you Donny”
The Bums will always lose!
Obviously, you’re not a golfer.
And three more words from Kurt Russell.
In our house this movie is of course merged with Metal Gear Solid, particularly the codec responses whenever Snake dies – ‘Snake? Snnaaaake!!!!’ to form an all-purpose interjection.
Aliens is another quote machine. I couldn’t pick just one. Let’s just say you are likely to find watching it with me a deeply irritating experience.
stop your grinnin’ …
sampled by Mega City Four
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1c5RfeCQV0
You’ll love this then
I actually have this ripped as an MP3 in my iTunes library.
Sad, moi?
My favourite from Aliens is, “Coming round for a seven-zero-niner, into the pipe, five, five, five.”
…”five by five”, actually. *has nerdgasm*
Oh God, I’ve just checked and I completely misquoted it. There’s a ‘switch to DCS ranging’ in there as well. Still, that’s how it lives on in my head.
I also like. ‘Everybody online, let’s see what we can see,’ as used on a Future Sound Of London album.
I was too gentlemanly to point that one out (but it took an effort, I can tell you)
I like it when, just after that bit, Ferro says “where’s the beacon? Oh I see it” and there is no beacon to be seen anywhere.
Hey Vasquez. You ever been mistaken for a man?
No. Have you?
As an ex-stoner I always loved a couple of lines from Jackie Brown.
The first is Melanie’s response to Ordell’s accusation that “you smoke too much of that shit, that shit gonna rob you of your own ambition.”
Melanie: “Not if your ambition is to get high and watch TV.”
Wise, wise words indeed.
The second is again Melanie, this time responding to Louis’ assertion that he’s getting old and can’t smoke without coughing.
Melanie: “Coughing’s good! It opens up the capillaries. You know, when you cough you’re pulling in air, or in this case smoke, into parts of the lungs that don’t normally get used. So, coughing’s good.”
I love the way she adds “or in this case smoke” as though it’s a minor detail that makes no difference.
It’s not a film but it’s cinematic let’s face it:-
‘We need a supreme commander, not the fucking Dave Clark Five’
Jimmy Altieri in, of course, The Sopranos.
Ving Rhames, I offer my humblest apologies.
Two excuses.
I saw the movie with DuCool many years ago at the Stockholm Film Festival before it was even released. We even got a chance to ask QT questions afterwards. The Duke probably remembers what he asked.
My other excuse for not checking my facts was that I was writing on the phone in the back seat of a car while my son screamed about Pokemons and my daughter tried to grab the phone.
Certain hotels use a card door entry system manufactured by a company called “Ving”. I’ve stayed at one at least – guess who I thought of every time I got the keycard out to open the door…
So many fine performances in Pulp Fiction. The two goons were great: John Travolta and Michael Jackson.
Trading Places has my favourite movie threat of all time:
“I’ll rip out your eyes and p**s on your brain!”
!980s western / biker vampire film Near Dark had a scene where a vampire got shot in the stomach and spat out the bullet. I roared with laughter a few minutes later when a character said “normal people don’t spit out bullets when you shoot them”. A great definition of normality.
It’s a silly thing to remember but… there’s a 1984 Matt Dillon movie called Flamingo Kid that I saw on TV once and about which I remember absolutely nothing at all whatsoever; except the following exchange which has always stayed in my memory and occasionally comes to my mind.
IIRC two characters are walking along and at least one of them (Steve – I just looked it up on IMDB) is very drunk and hanging on to his friend Hawk:
Steve: I think I’m gonna be sick.
Hawk: Well, don’t do it on my shirt.
Steve: It’s your shirt that’s making me sick.
So many from Mel Brookes
Badges?
We no want your steenkin’ badges.
“The “badges” quote from Blazing Saddles is quoting Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, of course”
The ghost of Barry Norman.
The one genuine LOL moment in an otherwise afwul comedy (“The Hot Chick”) comes in this scene, when the teenage girl who’s accidentally swapped bodies with a male thief (Rob Schneider) calles her boyfriend:
Well, it makes me laugh anyway!
Surely there must be a few memorable quotes from the UK? Not to mention the rest of Europe. Hollywood is dominating things here
I’m sure Bergman had a few snappy one-liners!
For the UK, Withnail & I is immensely quotable, as is Monty Python & The Holy Grail. Huge tracts of the MP&THG script are seared onto my brain by dint of playing the soundtrack album endlessly in the days before video recorders.
“We’ve come on holiday by mistake”
“I demand to have some booze”
Eminently quotable in any given situation
Or my favourite from Diner as friends Eddie, the hometown kid and Billy, the college boy, are watching the movie:
Eddie: Who’s that?
Billy: That’s death walking on the beach.
Eddie: I’ve been to Atlantic City a hundred times. I never saw death walking on the beach.
You’re a big man but you’re in bad shape. With me it’s a full time job, now behave yourself.
Afterword T-shirt alert.
Two UK TV quotes that I use fairly frequently are:
1. “What was the question again?” (as said by the Major in Fawlty Towers)
and
2. “What are the options again?” (as said by Keith in The Office).
That’s a great call with Keith’s interview in The Office. What are your strengths ? “accounts “.
A few that always make me laugh.
From Two Way Stretch….our heroes (Peter Sellers, David Lodge, Bernard Cribbins) in their cell. Prison officer knocks on the door (for god’s sake !)…”Come in chief, it ain’t locked”.
From I’m alright Jack….Ian Carmichael goes for an interview stating his preferences for the type of job he would like in industry…”nothing heavy, preferably near London and with early closing”. I would love to do that in an interview.
From Cinema Paradiso….when Toto returns home, his mother hears the bell ringing and just says “E Toto, lo sapevo “….He’s back, I knew he would come. It’s a simple line from a film full of great dialogue but it just means so much more.
The best line of all though is “a shower, an absolute shower”. Thankyou Terry Thomas.
Excellent call on Napoleon Wilson in AOP13. He is a veritable smorgasbord of lines.
“Can’t argue with a confident man” or “In my situation, days are like women – each one’s so damn precious, but they all end up leaving you”
I also love Blazing Saddles for quotes…I’m sure the reaction here was not improvised.
“Butter!”
Only one word but my attitude to dairy products underwent quite a change when Marlon Brando tangoed in Paris.
Oh no! I’m like the little Dutch boy with his finger in the dyke: about to unleash a tidal wave of smut and innuendo onto this thread.
The Carry On films certainly had some excellent one-liners.
May the benevolence of the god Shivoo bring blessings on your house
And on yours
And may his wisdom bring success in all your undertakings
And in yours
And may his radiance light up your life
And up yours
Any time is tiffin time!
What’s a nice girl like you doing with that old cow?
I’m taking her to the bull
Couldn’t your father do that?
No. It has to be the bull.
I never get bored of this. It’s the ‘all week I should have been fucking Gemma’ speech starting at about 1.20 and culminating with ‘on her feet and in her hair’. Watch the guy on his left trying not to laugh.
Poppy, you are on a roll.
The Long Kiss entry above made me want to dash out find a copy. The Nice Guys is now also on my must see list thanks to Bingo.
This is another favourite. Writing, delivery. Absolute perfection.
The Italian Job
The obvious is rarely uttered for fear of looking and sounding like a bleeding obvious vegetable (no change there then?).
“Hang on lads – I’ve got a great idea” often punctuates the office.
And for some reason, the Benny Hill line “Is she big? I like ’em big” pops up fairly regularly.
In moments of exasperation, it’s usually Blackadder that is quoted.
“Here lies [insert name] and he’s bloody annoyed”
“You know what this means? It means that you, [insert name] are an utter prat”
etc
The whole Annette/ a net exchange with Irene Handl always makes me smile (particularly when Annette walks through the door with the trolley). If anyone called Annette is ever mentioned, it’s all I can think of…
Not a movie, but from TV…My favourite sitcom is Frasier, and this is one I like to quote when faced with a problem that I have no interest in…
“Frasier: [to a caller] Roger, at Cornell University they have an incredible piece of scientific equipment known as the tunneling electron microscope. Now, this microscope is so powerful that by firing electrons you can actually see images of the atom, the infinitesimally minute building block of our universe. Roger, if I were using that microscope right now, I still wouldn’t be able to locate my interest in your problem. Thank you for your call.”
I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me
In A Lonely Place
– Balloons! Do these blow up into funny shapes at all?
– Well, no, unless round is funny
Raising Arizona
John Garfield lays eyes on Lana Turner for the first time. Something starts to sizzle
The Postman Always Rings Twice
In Top Secret, Val Kilmer’s character is languishing, dirty and starving in a prison cell. He puts his 20th mark on the wall, crossing out his fourth set of five with, seemingly, the last of his strength.
There’s an explosion – his friends have come to rescue him! Thank God you’re here – I’ve been here for over 20 minutes…
Being introduced to the Resistance, he is introduced to Deja Vu who says “Have we not met before?”.
At the end when they’re leaving: “Goodbye Deja Vu. I’ll always remember you”
Stuffed full of brillintly bad jokes – see also Airplane
“Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking”
And then there’s Lauren. Took someone on a date to see this once. Let’s just say the evening went well….
Those old Hollywood classics take some beating. Like Caaablanca.
“We’ll always have Paris.”
Whenever I watch an episode of. For example, Futurama, how well versed the writers are in old movies and how wittily they riff on them.
More up to date, who can forget the “Go ahead, punk, make my day” scene st the beginning of Dirty Harry where Clint can’t remember how many shots he’s fired when confronting a piece of local lowlife.
It is hard to find a quote that is easy to understand for british-speaking people, hopefully, in the movie “les tontons flingueurs” (gun-toting uncles), there is a scene where the main character receive a bomb in a package as a birthday present, survive and pay a visit to the sender…
I hope that you like it @kaisfatdad!
Dirty Harry politically inorrect – so many quotable lines, especially this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I530sPVQSc8
“I think he’s got a point” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKFthgUbCdY
Better than fuckin’ cakes innit?
Like a kind of suedehead Kes.
Bronco Bullfrog
Some favourites:
It isn’t Jesus…he’s just a fella (about 4.12 in)
Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my close (about 1.57)
One day lad, all this will be yours…
The internet here is so crap, I’ll have wait to be able to enjoy all these clips properly. But what a wonderfully eclectic bunch of stuff.
French, Swedish, Italian, classic HWood, 60s British etc etc.
Thanks! And keep them coming if any more spring to mind.
I always thought that quitting a job in the style of Jimmy the Mod would be quite something.
…you can the frankin machine and all that other rubbish and stuff them right up you arse.
Brilliantly sampled on this:
“Oh no it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty that killed the beast.”
Any Jefferson Airplane fans will know this quote. King Kong was the support act when they recorded their first life album. A lot of West Coast gigs back in the 60s seem to have shown a movie before the band.
One odd thing I’ve now noticed about famous quotes from films is that they seem to be often slightly misquoted.
Even the Cagney quote is the OP isn’t exactly what he said. The misquote takes on a life of its own.
Or then you’ve got Woody Allen, who names a movie after a quote that’s not even in the film. Then again, Don’t play it, Sam, or whatever he did say, might not have been a box office hit.