Favorite Shots of All Time

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So what are everyone's all time favorite shots? Be it because of simple camera tomfoolery, scene composition, music overlay, whatever. I'm sure everyone has some moment that they think was just a flawless creation of cinematic awesomeness. Oh, and why you like it too.

The one I can think of that I'm sure many others, especially anyone taking an Intro to Film Class, can agree with is the opening shot of Touch of Evil. It was amazingly done for its time and man is it intense. This is probably my favorite long take of all time, just above the entrance to the club in Goodfellas.

Another favorite of mine would have to be when Vincent Gallo enters the strip joint in Buffalo '66. The music he wrote for that scene is incredible and it couldn't be more glorious of a moment.

But my all time favorite shot would have to be of Ellie run up the stairs to get her father's medicine in Contact. I can't even explain the shot, it is too mind boggling. I even know it was done with a blue screen in the mirror, but I still don't even understand it. Just the act of being able to come up with a shot like that. Just to visualize it in your head. I think my brain would die.
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2wrongs's Avatar
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I like the scene in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels when they're playing cards and the guy is losing and the camera is just spinning wildly around the table and shooting his face which looks like he might vomit and second...it's so realistic and you get how the guy feels.
I also like the shot in Silence of the Lambs when you see what Hannibal did to that securuty gaurd in the cell. It's like you can't make it out at first but you know it's God-awful.
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Piledriver's Avatar
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I'd have to go with the beginning of "Saving Private Ryan", when the allied forces are first hitting the beach at Normandy. I never felt more like I was actually "in" the movie than during that entire sequence. It was the most realistic visualization of war I had ever seen and it still effects me the same way everytime I watch it.
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A system of cells interlinked
After watching Hero again last night, I have come to the conclusion that this film contains a ridiculous number of awesome compositions.

So, I present these two from said film:

Right after Flying Snow and Moon fight, when everything is gold and it bleeds to red, broken up by the porcelain skin of Flying Snow...Just breathtaking.

The final shot of the films, with the arrows....

Brilliant film all around, love it.
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-the slaughter of mr.mulrooney? i think his name was in road to perdition
-the prison escape from shawshank redemption
-the opening scene in lost in translation (when hes just driving around taking in the sites)
-the first dream sequence kelvin has on the space station in solaris
-many scenes in hero with the contrast of colors
-the steady cam shots in sexybeast where hes first going to talk to the teddy bess
-theres quite a few little shots in bladerunner like roy battys last speech or the reflection of the flames in i forget whos eyes
-moulin rouge where they do the tango and sing roxanne
thats all i can think of for now
edit:theres also a few great scenes in aamerican beauty
-the bankheist and gunfight in heat along with the ending
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A system of cells interlinked
Adding a few more:

Blade Runner
: The opening cityscape.
Vertigo : The stairway scene.
Miller's Crossing : The Danny Boy scene.
The Shining : labyrinth tracking shots, hallway tracking shots.
Taxi Driver : Final Scene, in the cab.
Solaris (2002) : The final shot of the communication with Dr. Gabarian, with the fragmented image.
Traffic : The teardrop scene in the blue story thread.



Hello Salem, my name's Winifred. What's yours
Finding Neverland - When Kate Winslet finally gets to see Neverland
LOTR - Any shot of Rivendell
The Matrix - The shot of the 'fields', and when Neo gets up after being shot in the hallway
American Beauty - When Lester is shot
Apocolypse Now - Martin Sheen coming up out of the water in camoflauge
Never Ending Story - every single scene in Fantasia, it's just beautiful
Harry Potter & Prisoner of Azkaban - When Hermione punches malfoy, purely because it was a 'Yeah!' moment for me and every single other girl in the cinema with me. It was just cool
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Originally Posted by undercoverlover
Finding Neverland
Apocolypse Now - Martin Sheen coming up out of the water in camoflauge
oh yeah i love that part aswell with the doors playing in the background, sooo good



I love the sceen in Garden State where you see Braff's character on the couch in regular motion while everyone else is running around snorting the devils dandruff in fast motion, that was pretty dern cool!
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2wrongs's Avatar
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Originally Posted by Sedai
After watching Hero again last night, I have come to the conclusion that this film contains a ridiculous number of awesome compositions.
Oh sweet. I just rented this movie for tonight. There's nothing better than having a head cold and settling down under a down comforter on the couch with tea, a fire, and a cool movie. *ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*



i love the scene in one crazy summer when john cusack's team passes the other sailboat

the scene with robert preston at the end of victor/victoria

the scene at the end of the majestic where jim carrey sees the whole town waiting for him at t he train station

any shot of rivendell



Hello Salem, my name's Winifred. What's yours
Lotr return of the king - Sam and Frodo '...here at the end of all things.', and when Aaragorn and the others see mount doom explode and they think sa and frodo are in it



Finding Neverland - During the Peter Pan premiere, the camera flies out into the audience like a kite. It made me dizzy, but I loved it.

Pearl Harbor - When the first bomb is dropped. It's the only good part.

LOTR: Return of the King - The shot of the Rohan riders charging down the hill, the zoom on one of the huge elephants knocking everything out of its way and the shot of Legolas sliding down an elephant’s trunk. I guess they're just... "cool".

Gangs of New York - The long shot that starts off by showing immigrants sign up for the army, and ends up showing dead bodies coming off the ships. Brilliant!
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Originally Posted by scissorhands85
I love the sceen in Garden State where you see Braff's character on the couch in regular motion while everyone else is running around snorting the devils dandruff in fast motion, that was pretty dern cool!
Yeah that's awesome and really conveys how he feels; numb to everyone and everything. It helps us identify with the character about how he feels rather than explaining how he feels through unnecesary/excessive conversation.

This also happens later when he gets on the plane, both scenes are very cool! It's a much more compelling film technique when the audience realises something important, this and other moments kept me captivated through Garden State.



Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

1) The shot of Eowyn standing outside the Golden Hall at Edoras while the flag is ripped and falls to where Gandalf, Aragorn, legolas and Gimli are riding.
- I like this shot for numerous reaons. I thought it was a great opener for a very important plot scene to come, it conveyed sort of the desolation of Rohan. I also loved it for its character portrayal, with Eoywn just standing out there along in a white dress, absolutely breathtaking. The music was also magnificent. The full out theme of Rohan in fiddles is a beautiful piece. I also liked the flag flying down. Wonderful, prehaps one of my favorite shots of all time.

2) The shot of Gandalf and the Rohirrim riding down over the hill into Helms Deep.
- The music at this point was just incredible and the voice over with "Look to my coming, at the first light of the third day, at dawn, look to the east". Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Amelie
When Amelie is on the bridges skipping rocks. I loved the cinematography on that one, the piano music was lovely as well.
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Citizen Kane - Pretty much all of them.

Alfred Hitchcock's movies - Pretty much all of them.

Life Is Beautiful - When he's walking with his kid and the mound of dead bodies comes into view. Makes me feel wierd everytime I see it - kind of puts things into perspective.

Let me put it simply, or try to. Whenever a shot is motivated I like it. Typically a powerful person is going to be shot from the chest up or low angle - I like that [cheesy example but simple]. What I like more is when the camera movement is motivated, the choice of lense is motivated, the composition is motivated, the lighting is motivated, etc, etc. Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Orson Welles are the four main people whom I consider to have contributed most to this style of filmmaking. And I love them for it, physically if need be. A good scene that is written well is begging to be shot a certain way, it takes a talented Director to know what is it - my theory on great directing.
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Hulk - At the end of the Hulk's last rampage in the streets, he sees whats-her-name walking down the steps, and slowly begins to change back to Bruce Banner. That's pretty good.

And I agree with everything that the Pimp said.



An Original Flavor Formation
I'm really feelin' the scene when Tom Cruise takes that matrix leap of faith in Vanilla Sky; a blast of still images and 8mm footage of my mans life blazes you as he falls, perfectly synced with Sigur Ros playin' in the background. Hotness.

"..open your eyes.."
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