Considering that it's been kind of a good year for Spielberg (Blu-ray re-releases of Jaws, E.T. and Indiana Jones, Lincoln, Raiders in IMAX), I was thinking about his various films, especially since he's my favorite live-action director of all time. And a lot of his films come down to a lot of great moments in any category, be it a shot, a music cue, or something an actor does (he's one of the most underrated actor's directors out there, if you ask me). So here's a thread to list your favorite moments from the Beard and why.
Note: at this point, I have not seen Duel (though I have the 90-minute version on hand and plan to watch it today), The Sugarland Express, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind in ANY capacity (which cut should I go for, you think?), 1941, The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, Always, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan or Munich. Yes, I realize the irony in calling him my favorite director when I haven't seen several of his most famous works. Cries of "Are you shitting me?" are not only approved, but encouraged. I'm working on seeing Jaws, Ryan and Munich.
I'll start us off:
Raiders of the Lost Ark-Shooting the swordsman, of course, but I also always adored the moment where Indiana Jones tries the oldest "hey, what's that on the ground?" trick with the German mechanic. Somehow the fact that he's totally willing to cheat doesn't make him any less heroic.
Also, Martin mentioned this in another thread, but Ford's delivery of "You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together. I've got nothing better to do" is Ford at his most chilling. And the bar brawl has the great moment where Indy and another goon briefly team up to shoot another goon who Toht has ordered to kill both of them.
E.T.-I've noted this before, but the moment that wrecks me the most is when Michael cries out "NO!" when he sees the flower wilting, and realizes what it means. That and the crushed expression on Drew Barrymore's face when they're trying to revive E.T. A funnier moment is the half-laugh in Dee Wallace's voice when she tries to reprimand Elliot after the famous "penis breath" line; she wants to discipline, but still can't help but find the insult funny.
Temple of Doom-The one moment I always liked from Willie is her underplayed "oh, god DAMN it" reaction when she realizes Indy's going to cut the bridge. And of course it doesn't get much better for old-school Harrison For badassery than "Mola Ram... prepare to meet Kali... IN HELL!" Also, his face after the clenched-teeth delivery of "We are going to DIE" is hilarious.
Last Crusade-Really, any of the back-and-forths between Ford and Connery could count (especially since Connery is so appealing dorky for once), but my favorite has always been Connery's shocked "Look at what you did! I can't believe what you did!" after Indy mows down a room of Nazis with a machine gun.
Hook-I've noted before that this is my least favorite Spielberg film for many different reasons, but the one moment of Spielbergian magic that always gets me is the lock on the kids' bedroom window slowwwwwly unlatching.
Jurassic Park-I don't care how little sense it makes, the T-Rex coming to the rescue at the end with Williams' score blaring in triumph is utterly BADASS.
Schindler's List-Fuck you, I love the "I could have got more" scene at the end. Neeson plays it perfectly, and without that realization Schindler's character arc would be completely ineffectual. I also love the little touches of dark comedy such as the cut from "It couldn't be better!" to "It could be worse.", or the scene where Goeth's gun jams, he gets another one, THAT jams too, and he just gives up in frustration.
The Lost World-The T-Rex eating the dog is dark, cruel, and HILARIOUS.
A.I.-The skin-crawling scene where David encounters the copies of himself.
Catch Me If You Can-"Frank? Frank? You're not a Lutheran?" and the Christmas phone conversation between Frank and Carl.
The Terminal-Hanks telling Zoe Saldana that Diego Luna thinks she is like a "stallion" and her embarrassed reaction.
The Adventures of Tintin-Haddock's "never give up" speech. The devastated look on his face when Tintin snaps that he can smell alcohol on him. The insanity of the falcon chase.
War Horse-Emily Watson threatens to stab out David Thewlis' eyes with her sewing needles. The camera follows Peter Mullan's gun to reveal Albert standing in front of Joey. The horses reappear without their riders. The windmill blade passes in front of the camera as the two German boys are shot.
Lincoln-Bruce McGill storms out because he can't STAND to hear another of Lincoln's stories. James Spader is shot at, starts to run away, realizes he left his papers (and briefly, nonverbally curses himself for it), goes back to get them, and kicks leaves and dirt into the shooter's face to delay his reloading. "I am the President of the United States, clothed in immense power!"
