Monday, October 25, 2010

Monday Night:: Best Movie Lines



There was an article recently that called attention to how few good lines turn up in movies because movies are not about language anymore. I think that is really true. Few good lines indeed. When was the last time you heard a conversation in a movie.

13 comments:

Ron Scheer said...

The Brits are better at conversation than Americans - I'd start there with Oscar Wilde. But Ben Hecht wrote some good lines for American movies - like HIS GIRL FRIDAY.

Anonymous said...

Patti - It's been so, so long since I heard a good conversation - a real conversation - in a movie. The linguist in me misses that...

Graham Powell said...

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS had some good conversations. Pretty much any scene with Christophe Waltz, but especially "Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France."

But Tarantino is an exception.

David Cranmer said...

This scene from DIRTY HARRY can still deliver after all these years.

The dialougue at the opening to INGLORIOUS BASTERDS where the Nazi is questioning the French guy with the hidden family under the floorboards packs a wallop for me.

(Getting ready to post this I see Mr. Powell has already mentioned it.)

Naomi Johnson said...

I rarely go to the movies anymore. They're all special effects and fantasy stuff. That was fun for a bit, but now I'd like more plot than gunfire, more dialogue than blue screen. (Yes, I'm turning into an old fart. Been looking forward to it all my life.)

Evan Lewis said...

You're right. There are probably still movies that have conversations in them, but they're not the kind I pay money to see.

One of my favorite lines is from Yojimbo. One of the bad guys is bragging how tough he is and says, "Kill me if you can." Our hero with no name gives him fair warning. "It'll hurt," he says. And it does.

Barrie said...

I do love the conversations in David Mamet's movies.

George said...

I know I'm probably in the minority but I like the kooky conversations in Woody Allen movies. There were plenty in ANNIE HALL and more recently in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Me, too, George, but I haven't seen the last two.

Charles Gramlich said...

Defintely a good one. You know I haven't even thoguht about movies changing in that sense. I watch so few of them that I guess I don't keep up. I did see INglorious bastards and I actually thought the opening convo went on too long. Maybe i'm part of the problem.

Dana King said...

I catch most of my movies on NetFlix now, as I'm well into my old fartdom. One recent conversation comes to mind, from NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Javier Bardem "chatting" with the guy at the filling station about tossing a coin, and you know Bardem is going to kill the guy if the coin comes up wrong. Well written, and one of the most suspenseful scenes in any movie.

pattinase (abbott) said...

It helps to film a book as well written as that one. Too bad they do most movies by committee.

Erik Donald France said...

Call it, friendo . . .

Recently, I liked the dialogue in Woody Allen's latest and in Letters from Iwo Jima. I like indie films, non-English films, still plenty of dialogue going on.