My Favorite Scenes: Doom Patrol – People Like Us

Holy shit, ain’t this a corpse. When was the last time we did a My Favorite Scenes post? February 2017? Okay, not quite as far back as I thought, but still… that’s nearly three years. Well, for any newer readers, this series is all about me explaining why I like certain scenes in movies and tv. A blogger friend of mine had a similar series and I nicked the idea from him. As you can probably imagine, this involves some spoilers for any particular movie or series that the scene is featured in. So be warned. Anyway, let’s talk about “Doom Patrol”!

Based on the DC comic book team of the same name, “Doom Patrol” is about a group of misfits who have all been brought together by Doctor Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton), since they really have nowhere else to go. And in the show, Niles goes missing, which leads to various adventures where the team tries to find clues to his whereabouts, while also dealing with their own personal demons. I actually reviewed the first season of the show in 2019 (*cough* shameless plug *cough*), and mentioned in that show that I absolutely adored its mix of relatively unknown superheroes, compelling character drama, and hilariously crude humor. And today we’re talking about a scene that kind of encapsulates some of that. So it goes without saying, spoilers for “Doom Patrol”, and in particular its 8th episode, “Danny Patrol”.

So in episode 8, “Danny Patrol”, two of the team’s members, Larry Trainor/Negative Man (Matt Bomer/Matthew Zuk) and Cliff Steele/Robotman (Brendan Fraser/Riley Shanahan) get transported to Danny, a sentient, teleporting, gender-queer street (yes, you read that right), when it needs help from Doctor Caulder (who is still missing at this point). While here, Larry and Cliff make acquaintances with Maura Lee Karupt (Alan Mingo Jr.), a sort of front person for Danny, the sentient, teleporting, gender-queer street (god, I love saying that). And during a scene in the episode, Larry gets invited up to sing some karaoke, in which he does and begins covering “People Like Us” by Kelly Clarkson. And during this musical number, you see Larry open up, show some actual joy. His entire life, he’s been a bit of an outsider, starting as a closeted gay man in the 1960s U.S. Army, and then later being a bit of a radioactive freak with a strange alien being living inside of him, which of course kinda prevented him from bonding with people. But finally it seems like he has found some people who just accept him for who he is. Freaks, outcasts… “People like us, we gotta stick together”. And then when the ending of the scene revealed itself, it was a bit of a gut punch to me. In lesser hands, this could’ve just been a goofy scene of a mummy-man singing a song from an American Idol winner while visiting a sentient, teleporting, gender-queer street. But thanks to the wonderful writing and world-building of “Doom Patrol”, it became one of the most uniquely compelling scenes I’ve experienced in any recent tv show, even making me tear up when I first saw it.

Scenes like this is why I adored season 1 of “Doom Patrol”, and is why I am really looking forward to whatever madness they’ll be concocting for season 2.

Have a good one, and show some love to people around you, even when you’re not standing near a sentient, teleporting, gender-queer street.

My Favorite Scenes: Batman Begins – I’m Batman

Hello and welcome to this corpse of a series. For anyone new, “My Favorite Scenes” is the series where I take a look at scenes I like from movies and TV shows and share my thoughts on why I like them. Kind of self-explanatory. So let’s get into it!

So today, as you read in the title of the post, we are taking a look at a scene from a movie about the greatest superhero of all… Arm-Fall-Off Boy! I’m of course kidding, we’re actually talking about the god damn Batman. Though I will add that Arm-Fall-Off Boy is a very real superhero, feel free to google it if you don’t believe me.
“Batman Begins”, the 2005 reboot movie directed by Christoher Nolan that was a modest hit at the box office, and spawned two sequels, one of which earned an Oscar win for best supporting actor. Who knew a franchise about a grumpy billionaire dressing up like a crazy bat-person could be so beloved? Jokes aside, I love these movies. And to be quite honest, “Begins” is my favorite in the trilogy. Anyway, what scene are we talking about today? Well, it’s the scene in the movie where Batman (Christian Bale) officially comes to life. Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) is at this place filled with containers, overseeing his henchmen prepare drugs for transportation. Then suddenly, somethign happens. His henchmen start getting picked off, one by one. And finally, this weird entity pulls Falcone out of the car and utters the phrase “I’m Batman”. Yeah, I fucking love this scene. Not only because of the bit where Bale says “I’m Batman”, though that is amazing. This entire scene is actually really tense. The way Batman stalks the goons, taking them all out, it’s all very tense and almost a little scary. Say what you want about Nolan and his philosophical stuff, the dude knows how to build tension. And this scene proves it. From the tense stalking to the badass final “I’m Batman”, this scene is amazing.
Enjoy!

My Favorite Scenes: The Nightmare Before Christmas – This is Halloween

Hello and welcome to the revival of this long-dead series. Seriously, I haven’t done a post for this little series of mine since mid-July. Feels both great and weird to be back at it. Quick summary for any newer followers: In this series I share scenes from movies and TV shows that I like and tell you kind of why I like the scene. There, you’re caught up to speed, especially since the title is pretty self-explanatory. Now, let’s do it.

So since it’s the Month of Spooks it would be appropriate to share a scene that relates to the spookier side of cinema. Inspiration to make this specific post: I saw a post on facebook relating to this movie, which led to me wanting to watch this scene, which led to me thinking “Shit… I should make a post about this!”. And now we’re here! This is of course the ever so popular “This is Halloween” from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. Now to be fair, I have mentioned at least once or twice on this blog (and on various social medias) that I consider this a christmas movie. If you want to consider it a Halloween movie, go right ahead, you are absolutely right to do so. But I watch every year around christmas, December 21st every year to be exact. So why would I share a scene from this movie then? Does the title “This is Halloween” ring any bells? Yeah, that’s why. This entire scene, which is more or less the opening scene for the movie, just oozes Halloween spirit and perfectly fits this Month… because spooky shit is going on. What also makes it great is the fantastic stop motion animation from Henry Selick and his crew, 23 years later and it still looks terrific. And of course the masterfully composed/written song by Danny Elfman is not to forget. Combining these things makes for one of the greatest opening scenes in movie history (in my opinion). This of course also leads to one of my favorite Disney films ever. And before I wrap this post up, I have to warn you… if you ever somehow watch this movie together with me, get ready for me singing along to pretty much every song (Sidenote: I am not a good singer at all). Yeah… I fucking love this scene.

Have a good one and enjoy!

My Favorite Scenes: Cowboy Bebop: The Movie – Opening Scene

How’s it going, guys? So this little series of mine has been dead for quite a while now. I mean the last one was in… Holy shit, February. So I thought it was time to bring it back. For any new(ish) people here, let me explain. On this “series” as I call it, I share a scene that I like from a movie or TV-show and I explain why I enjoy it. There, now let’s move on to the scene in question.

In this edition of “My Favorite Scenes” we are taking a look at the opening scene for “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie”… Also known as “Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” in some cases, but I digress. First off, a little backstory. This movie is a sequel/tie-in for the anime series “Cowboy Bebop”, which is a series I absolutely fucking love. If you have not seen the show or the movie I recommend you to do this: Watch the show (English dub, the superior version) and then watch the movie (Same as with the show). Now, let’s move on to the scene. So in this scene we get to see two of our main protagonists, Spike (Steve Blum) and Jet (Beau Billingslea), just doing their job. What is their job exactly? Well, they’re bounty hunters and they are going after some guys who are worth some cash. And I will not say more because it is such a great scene that it should simply be witnessed. What I like about the scene is that it is a simple opening to a movie that will escalate everything later on while also being pretty much everything that “Cowboy Bebop” incorporates. Funny, action-packed, badass, cool… it’s just “Cowboy Bebop”. The animation is beautiful, the voice acting fantastic, and everything is just perfect. It’s a great scene from a great movie.
Enjoy!

My Favorite Scenes: Godzilla: Final Wars – Godzilla Vs. Zilla

Well hello there, ladies and gentlemen of all ages and colors and welcome back to “My Favorite Scenes”, the series I sporadically do when I feel like it. For new(ish) people who may not know and can’t do a simple analysis of a fucking title, this is the series where I show a scene from a movie or TV-show and try to briefly explain why I like that scene. Now… onto the main show.

So for this edition of “My Favorite Scenes” I’d like to share one of the most gratifying scenes in any movie I have ever seen. Which is weird because it’s not even a minute long, but still reamains one of the most memorable and satisfying moments in cinematic history. The movie in question is “Godzilla: Final Wars”, and it’s basically an all-out monster brawl between Godzilla and pretty much every monster from his filmography ever. And this might be the best out of all the moments. In the scene we’re talking about, Godzilla (AKA the real one) faces off against the shitty American version (named Zilla by fans). And by faces off with it I mean totally fucking destroying it by tail whipping it into the Sydney opera house and giving it the good ol’ atomic breath. I know it sounds like I spoiled it, but honestly, it’s still fantastic to see even if you know what happened. And I honestly don’t mind the choice of music for the scene (Sidenote: not edited in by a fan, but by the film crew). The song in question is “We’re All to Blame” by Sum 41 and I think it actually kinda works. Just… just watch it because it’s just one of the greatest things ever.
Enjoy!

My Favorite Scenes: Kingsman: The Secret Service – Church Fight

Hello guys, and welcome back to “My Favorite Scenes”! And today we got a scene that I actually saw very recently. And by recently I mean last night. This is a scene from the new(ish) action movie “Kingsman: The Secret Service”. Let’s talk about it.

So the only way I can explain it is to simply point out the main factors of the scene that make it as awesome as it is.
We have Colin Firth… in a conservative/redneck church… violently killing people… with “Free Bird” playing in the background. Do you guys realize how fucking ridiculous this combination is? Well I would say that it is so ridiculous that I will never forget it. It’s simple balls-to-the-wall entertainment taken to the extreme and I can only applaud such an effort. Great job everyone who worked on this movie, because this is one hell of a scene.
Enjoy!

My Favorite Scenes: Blade Runner – Tears in Rain Monologue

Hey guys, it’s me. And it’s time for me to share one of my favorite scenes. And this time it is for the sci-fi classic “Blade Runner”. In other words, spoilers for the movie “Blade Runner” and if you haven’t seen it already I suggest you go and see it (Final Cut version is the best) and then come back. We good? Great!

So this scene is pretty much at the end of the movie. Not the final scene like the video title says because there is still a little bit left after this scene, but it’s still late in the movie. And to be honest, I could include the circa 10 minutes leading up to it as well seeing as it is in my opinion one of the most suspenseful scenes of all time where we see our hero, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) getting chased by renegade Replicant, Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) through an old building. But since I didn’t feel like looking for that part to include in video form, I will settle for this part… which is still worth talking about.
This movie is 33 years old and this scene still holds up magnificently both in directing and visual effects. After the chase has ended, Batty saves Deckard from falling to his death and then he starts monologuing. Usually monologuing from the movie’s main antagonist is jsut a cheap way for a deus-ex-machina to happen, but here it works. It is a beautiful monologue that gives a lot mroe meaning to everything in the movie and it is elevated by Rutger Hauer’s fantastic performance and the beautiful score by Vangelis. The scene has a lot of emotion and it is overall just fantastic, definitely one of the best I have ever seen.
Enjoy!

My Favorite Scenes: Zombieland – Opening Credits

Guys, guys, guys! Hi. I hope you guys are good and I welcome you back to “My Favorite Scenes”, the thing where I share my favorite scenes from movies and tv. And this time we are sharing something that can technically tie in to “The Month of Spooks” even though that wasn’t the original intention. In fact, it kind of did that on accident. A happy accident mind you, but an accident none the less. Still, for this edition of “My Favorite Scenes” we are talking about the very openign credits or opening titles if you’re one of those people of, to the movie “Zombieland”. For those of you who don’t know, “Zombieland” is a 2009 horror-comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson as two survivors in a zombie apocalypse. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend that you do it because it works both as a suspenseful zombie movie and a hilarious comedy. Anyway, opening credits. These are some of the coolest openign credits I have ever seen. First off, the shots of total chaos are gorgeously shot with some very well handled slow motion. Secondly, they are really funny showing the chaos that the zombies create. And third, the sequence is set to “For Whom The Bell Tolls” by Metallica, a song (and band) that I absolutely love. So yeah, these openign credits are kind of perfect in my opinion.
Enjoy!

My Favorite Scenes: Fight Club – Ending

Hello guys & gals and welcome back to “My Favorite Scenes” which is so self-explanatory that I’m not even gonna fuckin’ bother to explain what it is. Anyway, on this edition of “My Favorite Scenes” we are having a look at a scene from My Favorite Movie, “Fight Club”. And if you seriously haven’t seen “Fight Club” yet, what the hell are you doing with your life? Go watch it, come back here. Okay? Good! Well yes, as the title suggests, we are having a look at the final scene of the movie. Or to be more precise, we are taking a look at the final minute of the movie because it’s the only version of the scene I could find in decent quality. But you know what I would call this? The perfect ending… yeah. It could not have had a better ending if it tried. Even the author of the original novel, Chuck Palahniuk, thought the ending of the movie is better than the one in the book. And while I unfortunately haven’t read the book, I do still think that this ending is as good as it could ever be. Mainly thanks to David Fincher’s excellent directing and the song “Where is My Mind?” by The Pixies. Like I said, I love this scene and that is why I am sharing it.
Enjoy!

My Favorite Scenes: Spider-Man 3 – Birth of Sandman

What’s going on, guys? So today I felt like bringing this fossil back to life. That’s right, I’m not good at updating the “My Favorite Scenes” series, but finally I am doing it. And todya we are talking about a scene from a movie that people really seem to hate. Before we dive into the scene, let me tell you my quick thoughts on the movie; It’s fine. There is a lot wrong with the movie, but I do still enjoy it a pretty good amount. There, I said it, now let’s talk about this scene. Where the movie was not very good at parts, this scene suddenly comes out of nowhere and goes “I am giving you the feels!” (By the way, I personally hate the term “The feels”). In this scene we see Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), after some kind of accident, becoming Sandman. And when you watch this you will most likely believe that he’s not really a bad guy, but a good guy who did something bad. And that is portrayed perfectly through the directing, the visual effects and the beautiful song by composer Christopher Young. I love this scene so much.
Enjoy!