Here is a classic scene from an underseen film from 2008, RockNRolla.  (I predict a future Films-U-Missed column on this at some point, but time will tell.) Guy Ritchie’s gangster film follows along in the tradition of his other hits, Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. This scene is simply humorous and it shows off Guy Ritchie’s wicked sense of dark comedy, IMO.  Here, Mark Strong of Sherlock Holmes fame instructs his misfit, wanna-be thugs on how to get someone’s attention (to have the suspect give information, for example).  What ensues is hilarious, it’s one of the first examples of humor in a film rich with moments of nuance in the performances, even though there isn’t tons of humor in the script itself.  What makes a real rock ‘n’ roller? The ability to slap correctly for one. Hope you enjoy it, like I do.

As Robert Rodriguez week winds down here at The Film Nest, in which we’ve brought you a First Features write-up on El Mariachi, the classic opening scene from From Dusk Till Dawn, a retrospective on the career of the man up to now and finally a review of his new film, Shorts, out today. We didn’t want to leave without another classic scene taken from the man’s resume, however, and although I couldn’t find the Sin City scene I wanted to share with you, here comes a scene from Rodriguez’s half of Grindhouse, Planet Terror.

Zombies, or “sickos,” have taken over town a Texas town and this is the first time we get to see them up close, from the eyes of Doc Block (Josh Brolin) and his wife, Dakota (Marley Shelton), at the local medical clinic. Dakota has been carrying out an affair with Tammy (Fergie), which Doc Block is suspicious of, when the “sickos” come rolling in.

The great Nicky Katt makes an appearance in this scene and it’s a shame he’s not in more of it. Due to the nature of zombies, there’s some graphic stuff in this scene, which is pretty disgusting, but truly adds to the enjoyment level. Also, be sure to check out the “Kobainer” at the end of the clip. Enjoy!

It’s day number two of Robert Rodriguez Week here at The Film Nest and today we bring you our first classic scene from the director’s ouevre.

By 1996, Rodriguez had already worked alongside fellow film-fanatic-turned-filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino, as  they each wrote and directed a segment form the quadruple-tiered Four Rooms. Tarantino wrote the script for From Dusk Till Dawn (with Robert Kurtzman getting story credit) and was set to direct his first feature since Pulp Fiction, but instead chose to focus on his screenplay and his role as Seth Gecko, thus passing the directorial opportunity to his friend, Robert Rodriguez.

This is the first film Rodriguez directed not based on his own script, and this opening scene has Tarantino’s hand prints all over it. There isn’t much set-up to be given since it’s the opening scene of the film and although a tad long, every second is exceptional. It’s been too long since I’ve seen this film and revisiting this scene tells me I need to see see it again. Rodriguez was given a great screenplay to work from and his effort truly shows. Enjoy!

If you’ve read the title of this post, which I am sure you have, then right off the bat I should get out of the way that this scene is NSFW.  Quentin Tarantino reached the big time with this film, he has a world famous history, writing this script while working at a video store, only to become the fan favorite director that he is today.  His Inglourious Basterds drops on us next weekend, amid high anticipation but mixed buzz at this point, so I figured I would give you this epic scene from his first film.  Reservoir Dogs tells the story of a heist gone wrong where the results are disastrous. Brilliant, but disastrous.  This was the anti-Hollywood film where nobody lives.

It is incredibly challenging trying to find an embeddable version of most any of the scenes in this movie.  Though it might seem a bit obvious, this is unquestionably one of the most classic scenes from Tarantino’s first work.  This is a movie that includes the “tipping” scene, the “Are you gonna bark all day?” scene, and the “weed story” scene among many more.  You might as well call it what it is, a classic film that should enjoy repeated viewings in nearly any red-blooded males library (not to discount the women who love QT too!).  Below, Michael Madsen (Mr. Blonde) “interrogates”, nay basically f*cks around with, a cop because he doesn’t like cops and because he likes to torture people.  I am laughing just typing that line.  Genius.  Mr. Blonde dances to the oldies while doing the unthinkable to the young cop, all while another undercover cop (the cool Tim Roth) is bleeding profusely nearby.  I hope you enjoy the scene again and again, the way I do.  (Sick bastard, I know.)

One of the biggest box office successes from just a few years ago that seems to have vanished from the map for whatever reason was the 2005 Steven Spielberg/Tom Cruise collabo, War of the Worlds. It’s not out on Blu-ray, nor is it seemingly even being worked on. I thought the movie was pretty damn cool, even if there were a few things in it that kind of nag at me. That being said, it contained what was easily my favorite scene from any film that year, the tripod attack. The sound of the phasers. The Saving Private Ryan-like visuals set in an urban environment. It was all so beautiful to me and still is.

The story revolves around Ray Ferrier (Cruise), who is in charge of looking after his two children while their mother goes on a trip with her new husband. That’s when the war of the worlds between humans and an alien race gets it on.

This scene takes place fairly early in the film. A large mass of ominous clouds have just shot razor-like lightning beams toward the earth. The lightning worked as an electromagnetic pulse, knocking out all battery-operated objects. I’m never a stickler for such things, but the video camera somehow being operable in this scene really troubles me. However, it’s full of great action, aurally and visually. The clip could probably have been cut two minutes earlier, but oh well. All the better. Enjoy.

It took me a long time before I allowed myself to watch Amadeus. In fact, I’m not even sure why I finally did. I have an aversion to costume dramas. It’s not like I’d seen all the many before, so I might not have any real reason to dislike them, but just the sight of renaissance clothing makes me turn away. At least that’s the way I used to think. So, maybe it was the fact that the film won Best Picture in 1984 that turned me around, but after seeing the film it stands toe-to-toe with my other favorite costume drama, Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon. However, things might have been different if it weren’t for this amazing scene.

Amadeus tells the story of the relationship between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). The film is told from Salieri’s perspective, a fellow composer so dedicated to the craft, he can’t help but ask God why he’s not the best. Mozart is young, rude and a party-hard fool. What makes matters worse for Salieri is the fact that Mozart doesn’t even need to try. He’s just a genius and that’s the way it is. Like Will Hunting and math. Because of this Salieri views Mozart as his livelong enemy and rival.

This scene is toward the end of the film, but I don’t think you can deduce too much spoiler material from within. Mozart is sick and bedridden. He’s been commissioned to write a requiem mass for a large sum of money and Salieri (up to no good) offers to assist Mozart in transcribing the music Mozart dictates. This scene is beautiful for the music contained within, but also for its depiction of how the mind of a genius works, with little to no effort. Director Milos Forman developed the idea of playing parts of the dictated music on the soundtrack as it was being transcribed and the effect is glorious.

In honor of the feature-length film for Sacha Baron Cohen’s third comic creation from “Da Ali G Show,” Bruno, coming this Friday (watch for our review, then), we had to bring you this classic scene from his 2006 epic, Borat.

Borat is the only film I can honestly say I laughed throughout from beginning to end. It truly never let up. Seeing it with a packed audience at midnight, the theater was so loud I have to imagine everybody cried tears at one point. The movie was hyped up for months and I couldn’t escape all the talk. The highlight everybody mentioned was the naked wrestling scene. I was prepared for it. I knew it was coming, but it still couldn’t stop the laugh riot the scene induced.

Not much set-up is needed for this. Borat is in love with Pamela Anderson and he gets out of the tub to see his producer, Azamat, to borrow a “Seinfeld” quote, treating his body like an amusement park, to the image of good ol’ Pam.

Unfortunately, this clip ends sooner than it should, but you do get the entire wrestling aspect. Enjoy.

As “Michael Mann Week” comes to an end here at The Film Nest, we want to bring you one last look at what might now be considered his last “great” movie. Earlier, we brought you the classic shootout in downtown L.A. from 1995’s Heat. It’s probably the most famous scene from Mann’s ouevre. Today, I wanted to go a little less mainstream for you. It’s a short scene from one of Mann’s most underrated films, 2004’s Collateral. At the moment, it’s one of the least loved films in our sidebar poll, so I figured I’d spread a little love on it.

Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a contract killer assigned to dispose of five people in the Los Angeles area who played witness to a crime committed by his employer. He hops into a cab driven by Max (Jamie Foxx), just on the job “temporarily.” Vincent asks Max to be his personal chauffeur for the night, and when the prospect of doubling Max’s pay is offered, Max reluctantly accepts. Little does he know, he has been hired to drive Vincent around to the homes of each of the witnesses while Vincent does his business and kills them. Immediately reluctant to have any role in this, Max tries to back out, much to Vincent’s dismay.

In this short, but sweet scene, Vincent has been dropped out off at the house of victim number two and ties Max’s hands to the steering wheel so he won’t drive away. Max honks the horn loudly, trying to garner a passerby’s attention to help him. He doesn’t get the help he desires. Enjoy.

Since that scene was so short and this is the last Mann-related post of the week, I’m leaving you with a little bonus. This is the club scene from the film where Vincent performs his special brand of magic, played out in front of Paul Oakenfold’s “Ready, Set, Go.”

I could’ve also chosen Javier Bardem’s small, but pivotal scene. “Pedro del Negro!” However at this point, you should just see the movie. It’s great.

Note: Piece written by “The Film Nest” guest contributor Rob R. (“Raging Rob” in the Comments section).

With the release of Public Enemies this week, here at The Film Nest we are featuring the films of  director Michael Mann as part of our special “Michael Mann Week.” When The Rake asked me to choose a classic scene from one of Mann’s films, the first scene that popped in my head was the downtown L.A. Shootout from Mann’s 1995 crime epic Heat.

Heat was the first time that two of the silver screens finest actors, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino had ever acted alongside one another. Sure, they were both in The Godfather Part II, but they didn’t share any scenes together as they were playing father and son. Even in Heat, they share only two brief scenes, but when they finally do meet in this explosive thriller, it is damn near electric.

In the film, De Niro plays career criminal Neil McCauley and Pacino is Lt. Vincent Hanna, the cop that is trying to put McCauley and his gang behind bars. McCauley’s gang is played by Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, and Danny Trejo, who all hold their own next to heavyweights De Niro and Pacino. Here, De Niro and Pacino easily give their last worthy performances, as their characters know that the careers they have chosen are the only ones in this world they will ever be good at. With that realization, these men know that in the end, only one of them will survive the cat and mouse game they are locked into.

The scene featured below occurs after De Niro’s men rob a bank during the middle of the day. As the men are coming out of the bank, Kilmer’s character spots Hanna and his officers and begins firing on them. For the next several minutes in mid day, downtown L.A. is turned into a bullet riddled war zone. This scene is one of the best shootouts ever put on film and while I know most of you have probably seen it already, it is still one of the most thrilling action scenes out there. So, sit back, turn up your speakers and get ready to be blown away.

Man, where do I start?  I grew up on sports.  I was fed sports like they were drugs.  I inhaled, wondering at what point in my life, I might exhale (kind of like Terry McMillan in that regard), only for it yet to happen.  Even when my older self tries, unlike Bill Clinton, I take it all in and can’t deny it.  With a passion for sports and competition, comes an interest in sports film. With that, well, you can see where this is going.  It’s baseball season, I played ball as a kid, and while there are baseball movies galore that are revered, like Bull Durham or even the underrated Sugar, The Natural, may always be my favorite sports film ever.  As a movie, it has some problems I would say, but as a piece of fantasy ripe with unparalleled cinematography and an unequaled film score (the best score in any movie I have ever seen), so much of  The Natural represents any young ballplayers dream.

For the uninitiated, Roy Hobbs’ (Robert Redford) is a young pitching prospect the likes of which are rarely seen.  We are talking about, striking out “The Whammer” (a Babe-Ruth-like masher) on three pitched balls type of rare.  Nobody does that.  After a tragic shooting Roy disappears from the face of the Earth, only to re-emerge years later as an outstanding hitter.  After ups and downs in the big leagues, the middle-aged left handed hitter proves himself a star.  However, in recovering from yet another low; a stint in a hospital, due to the lining on his stomach deteriorating from the bullet lodged within years ago, Roy wants only to help his New York Knights win the pennant.

I am not one to have a “man-crush” but its next to impossible not to have one on Redford here.  The soft light that often angelicly frames him throughout the movie certainly helps. In the scene below, Roy is back on the field, with one last at bat to win the game and send his team out on top.  It’s two outs, bottom of the 9th (every kid’s dream I say!) and Roy up against a flame-throwing Iowa farm boy; the irony of facing someone that he essentially once was, the chance to shatter his old self and gain retribution and validation for all his struggles. It all comes down to this.  But then, something happens to his precious “Wonder Boy” bat, and I will let you watch the rest.  I strangely can barely bare to write I am so emotional prepping for this scene.  It still has that effect on me.  Its the power of movies I guess.  The video quality will never do it justice, but I hope you enjoy it, even a smidgen as much as I do.