Jon firebombs TV Guide offices, film at 11!

[Jedieb]

As I was passing through the checkout counter at the grocery store I noticed this week's TV Guide cover; TV Guide's 50 Greatest Movie Moments. You see the standard homage to classics like Casablanca, 2001, and Psycho on the cover. Now I automatically start flipping through it to see which SW scene they'll have and where they'll rank it. I don't expect a #1 slot, just a top ten would be fine by me. There's no definitive way to say 1 scene in movie history scores above all others. As I flip through I see they did a decent job of mixing in some old and new movies. Along with the classics are some nods to modern films like Heat, There's Something About Mary, Alien, and Taxi Driver. I get towards the end of the list and see Casablanca at #2 and the #1 scene just around the corner. My first thought is; "Wow, SW came at #1! I wonder what scene they chose?" I turn the page and TV Guide's all time greatest movie scene is...
Saving Private Ryan (The Beach Landing)

At first I'm thinking, huh? Did I miss something? It wasn't so much their choice for #1 as their complete disregard for SW altogether. Well I shouldn't say complete. They gave the Pod Racing scene a mention in a little side bar list called Top Ten chase scenes. With the Pod Race coming in at #9 and the classic race it's often compared to at #1, the chariot race from Ben Hur. But frankly that's not good enough. Now I know it's just TV Guide but isn't it just common sense to stick a SW scene in their somewhere? The explosion of the first Death Star, Vader's Revelation, Vader's unmasking, something damnit! I'm tempted to write a polite letter pointing out their obvious oversight, but I never write to magazines and this isn't enough to get me started.

Here's a sample of the list I found online, it's incomplete, unranked except for the top 2, and doesn't list all of the specific scenes, but you'll get the idea:
Psycho (shower scene)
Taxi Driver (You talkin' to me?)
Singin’ In The Rain (Gene Kelley's famous dance number)
Chinatown
Citizen Kane (opening scene)
Alien (stomach buster)
Sunset Boulevard
Cabaret
All About Eve
High Noon
Heat (Dinero and Pacino have a pleasant cup of coffee)
2. Casablanca
1. Saving Private Ryan (Beach Landing)

Oh, one last thing before I go;
Jon, put the lighter in your left hand down and set the Molotov cocktail down on the floor. Now step back and take a couple of deep breaths... ;)

[Darth23]

One word:

Hyperspace.

:)

[Jedieb]

Exactly! There are so many scenes they could have chosen! What the hell were they thinking?

Yoda Makes Luke Look Stupid (Levitating the X-Wing)

[Darth23]

Um....

The Deathstar blowing up maybe?

[Jedi Master Carr]

Actually the Catinia scene got picked 40 something. And they say that this is the best scene in the Star Wars movies. WTF? its not my favorite scene it is no where near the top for me and I doubt that it would appear in the minds of the average moviegoer. The scene I would have picked was the opening scene of ANH that scene just changed everything for movies. Oh they also mentioned Darth Vaders revelation to Luke as one of the greatest endings in a movie.

[ReaperFett]

sorry, but to me SPR has a better MOMENT than Star Wars to the non SW fan. Tad bias, arent we? My personal favourites are the warehouse scene in Hard Boiled, and the getting ready scene in Evil Dead 2

[JonathanLB]

If I made that top 50 list, all 50 would be from Star Wars, just because that is who I am, I'm a major SW fan, and every scene in the SW movies is just awesome to me...

They can make their lists however they please, I don't care if they put SW at #1 or don't put it at all. I appreciate audience polls, surveys, Gallup polls, whatever, anything that questions a huge number of people, but I'm not interested in the opinions of a few people who are in power because they can reach tens of thousands of people.

Just because someone has a bigger voice than others doesn't necessarily mean it's a more important one, and whoever shouts the loudest is not necessarily the most correct.

[Jedieb]

As I said earlier, I was only checking out the article as I was paying for groceries so I really didn't get a good look at it. Thanks for setting me straight JMC. I guess they did redeem themselves by putting a SW scene in there. But they could have chosen a better scene. The opening shot of the Star Destroyer that JMC mentioned is a great example. That's a scene that moviegoers have talked about for years and it's symbolic of the entire saga. People had never quite seen anything like that on the big screen before. A few seconds into the movie and you knew you were seeing something different. It helped set the tone for the entire SW saga.

As long as SW gets a mention I'm fine. The list was done in conjunction with the upcoming Oscar telecast. TV Guide reaches millions of readers and they try to reflect a wide range of viewers and moviegoers. So I expect the list to be diverse. I know if I were making MY PERSONAL list of individual scenes it wouldn't be soley relegated to SW. You'd have some Bogart, Eastwood, Grant, and Segio Leone work in their as well. But I just wouldn't keep listing SW scene after SW scene. I bet Jon would have an interesting non SW list of scenes. If he wants to list 50 SW scenes then that's his perrogative, it's just a personal list. But none of our lists are going to have the same clout or make as much noise as one done by a major publication like TV guide. Some lists are more prestigious than others. I'd put much more weight into something cranked out by AFI than TV Guide. And hasn't the Library of Congress selected a number of films as American classics? I believe they started out with 50 or 100 and have added a few since their first list. If I remember right, ANH was one of the first 100. There's a list to be proud of.

[Darth23]

Two Words:

Eopie Fart.

:: Darth23 quickly finds a place to hide ::

:D

[ReaperFett]

my 10, in no order, would be:

Final shoot out, Way of the Gun
Warehouse scene, Hard Boiled
CYF kicking rear end 1st time round, A Better Tommorow
Chainsaw preparation, Evil Dead 2
opening scroll, any SW film
I am your father scene, ESB
first fighting, TPM
Yippe-Ki-Yay M***** F*****, Die Hard 2
Partys over, Braindead/Dead Alive
Gutbuster, Fortress

[Jedieb]

Jedieb unleashes devasting force lightning towards Darth23 but misses badly frying several nearby chickens in the process. Roast chicken is enjoyed by all!

Out of curiosity I went and looked up the list I was referring to. The National Film Registry of the Library of congress began recognizing films back in 1989. Every year they add 25 movies. Here's a year by year breakdown of the list so far:

1989

1.Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)
2.Casablanca (1942)
3.Citizen Kane (1941)
4.Crowd, The (192:cool:
5.Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1963)
6.General, The (1926)
7.Gone with the Wind (1939)
8.Grapes of Wrath, The (1940)
9.High Noon (1952)
10.Intolerance (1916)
11.Learning Tree, The (1969)
12.Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
13.Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
14.Modern Times (1936)
15.Nanook of the North (1922)
16.On the Waterfront (1954)
17.Searchers, The (1956)
18.Singin' in the Rain (1952)
19.Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
20.Some Like It Hot (1959)
21.Star Wars (1977)
22.Sunrise (1927)
23.Sunset Boulevard (1950)
24.Vertigo (195:cool:
25.Wizard of Oz, The (1939)

1990

1.All About Eve (1950)
2.All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
3.Bringing Up Baby (193:cool:
4.Dodsworth (1936)
5.Duck Soup (1933)
6.Fantasia (1940)
7.Freshman, The (1925)
8.Godfather, The (1972)
9.Great Train Robbery, The (1903)
10.Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)
11.How Green Was My Valley (1941)
12.It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
13.Killer of Sheep (1977)
14.Love Me Tonight (1932)
15.Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
16.Ninotchka (1939)
17.Primary (1960)
18.Raging Bull (1980)
19.Rebel Without a Cause (1965)
20.Red River (194:cool:
21.River, The (1937)
22.Sullivan's Travels (1941)
23.Top Hat (1935)
24.Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (194:cool:
25.Woman Under the Influence, A (1974)

1991

1.Battle of San Pietro, The (1944)
2.Blood of Jesus, The (1941)
3.Chinatown (1974)
4.City Lights (1931)
5.David Holzman's Diary (196:cool:
6.Frankenstein (1931)
7.Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
8.Gigi (195:cool:
9.Greed (1925)
10.High School (196:cool:
11.I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
12.Italian, The (1915)
13.King Kong (1933)
14.Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
15.Magnificent Ambersons, The (1942)
16.My Darling Clementine (1946)
17.Out of the Past (1947)
18.Place in the Sun, A (1951)
19.Poor Little Rich Girl, The (1917)
20.Prisoner of Zenda, The (1937)
21.Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
22.Sherlock, Jr. (1924)
23.Tevye (1939)
24.Trouble in Paradise (1932)
25.2001: A Space Odyssey (196:cool:

1992

1.Adam's Rib (1949)
2.Annie Hall (1977)
3.Bank Dick, The (1940)
4.Big Business (1929)
5.Big Parade, The (1925)
6.Birth of a Nation, The (1915)
7.Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
8.Carmen Jones (1954)
9.Castro Street (1966)
10.Detour (1945)
11.Dog Star Man: Part IV (1964)
12.Double Indemnity (1944)
13.Footlight Parade (1933)
14.Gold Rush, The (1925)
15.Letter from an Unknown Woman (194:cool:
16.Morocco (1930)
17.Nashville (1975)
18.Night of the Hunter, The (1955)
19.Paths of Glory (1957)
20.Psycho (1960)
21.Ride the High Country (1962)
22.Salesman (1969)
23.Salt of the Earth (1954)
24.What's Opera, Doc? (1957)
25.Within Our Gates (1920)

1993

1.American in Paris, An (1951)
2.Badlands (1973)
3.Black Pirate, The (1926)
4.Blade Runner (1982)
5.Cat People (1942)
6.Cheat, The (1915)
7.Chulas Fronteras (1976)
8.Eau d'Artifice (1953)
9.Godfather, Part II, The (1974)
10.His Girl Friday (1940)
11.It Happened One Night (1934)
12.Lassie Come Home (1943)
13.Magical Maestro (1952)
14.March of Time: Inside Nazi Germany (193:cool:
15.Night at the Opera, A (1935)
16.Nothing But a Man (1964)
17.One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
18.Point of Order (1964)
19.Shadows (1959)
20.Shane (1953)
21.Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
22.Touch of Evil (195:cool:
23.Where Are My Children? (1916)
24.Wind, The (192:cool:
25.Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

1994

1.African Queen, The (1951)
2.Apartment, The (1960)
3.Cool World, The (1963)
4.Corner in Wheat, A (1909)
5.E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
6.Exploits of Elaine, The (1914)
7.Force of Evil (194:cool:
8.Freaks (1932)
9.Hell's Hinges (1916)
10.Hospital (1970)
11.Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
12.Lady Eve, The (1941)
13.Louisiana Story (194:cool:
14.Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
15.Marty (1955)
16.Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
17.Midnight Cowboy (1969)
18.Movie, A (195:cool:
19.Pinocchio (1940)
20.Safety Last (1923)
21.Scarface (1932)
22.Snow White (1933)
23.Tabu (1931)
24.Taxi Driver (1976)
25.Zapruder Film of Kennedy Assassination (1963)

1995

1.Adventures of Robin Hood, The (193:cool:
2.All That Heaven Allows (1955)
3.American Graffiti (1973)
4.Band Wagon, The (1953)
5.Blacksmith Scene (1893)
6.Cabaret (1972)
7.Chan is Missing (1982)
8.Conversation, The (1974)
9.Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951)
10.El Norte (1983)
11.Fatty's Tintype Tangle (1915)
12.Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)
13.Fury (1936)
14.Gerald McBoing-Boing (1951)
15.Hospital, The (1971)
16.Jammin' the Blues (1944)
17.Last of the Mohicans, The (1920)
18.Manhatta (1921)
19.North by Northwest (1959)
20.Philadelphia Story, The (1940)
21.Rip Van Winkle (1896)
22.Seventh Heaven (1927)
23.Stagecoach (1939)
24.To Fly (1976)
25.To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

1996

1.Awful Truth, The (1937)
2.Broken Blossoms (1919)
3.Deer Hunter, The (197:cool:
4.Destry Rides Again (1939)
5.Flash Gordon (1936/I)
6.Forgotten Frontier, The (1931)
7.Frank Film (1973)
8.Graduate, The (1967)
9.Heiress, The (1949)
10.Jazz Singer, The (1927)
11.Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1980)
12.M*A*S*H (1970)
13.Mildred Pierce (1945)
14.Outlaw Josey Wales, The (1976)
15.Producers, The (196:cool:
16.Pull My Daisy (1958/I)
17.Road to Morocco (1942)
18.She Done Him Wrong (1933)
19.Shock Corridor (1963)
20.Show Boat (1936)
21.Thief of Bagdad, The (1924)
22.To Be or Not To Be (1942)
23.Topaz (1945)
24.Verbena Tragica (1939)
25.Woodstock (1970)

1997

1.Ben-Hur (1926)
2.Big Sleep, The (1946)
3.Bridge On the River Kwai, The (1957)
4.Cops (1922)
5.Czechoslovakia 1968 (1969)
6.Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925)
7.Great Dictator, The (1940)
8.Harold and Maude (1971)
9.Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage (1937)
10.How the West Was Won (1962)
11.Hustler, The (1961)
12.Knute Rockne, All American (1940)
13.Life and Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra, The (192:cool:
14.Little Fugitive (1953)
15.Mean Streets (1973)
16.Motion Painting no. 1 (1947)
17.Music Box, The (1932)
18.Naked Spur, The (1953)
19.Rear Window (1954)
20.Republic Steel Strike Riots Newsreel Footage (1937)
21.Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
22.Thin Man, The (1934)
23.Tulips Shall Grow (1942)
24.West Side Story (1961)
25.Wings (1927)

1998

1.Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
2.City, The (1939)
3.Dead Birds (1965)
4.Don't Look Back (1967)
5.Easy Rider (1969)
6.42nd Street (1933)
7.From The Manger to the Cross (1912)
8.Gun Crazy (1950)
9.Hitch-Hiker, The (1953)
10.Immigrant, The (1917)
11.Last Picture Show, The (1971)
12.Little Miss Marker (1934)
13.The Lost World (1925)
14.Modesta (1956)
15.The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
16.Pass the Gravy (192:cool:
17.Phantom of the Opera, The (1925)
18.Powers of Ten (197:cool:
19.Public Enemy, The (1931)
20.Sky High (1922)
21.Steamboat Willie (192:cool:
22.Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940)
23.Tootsie (1982)
24.Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
25.Westinghouse Works (1904)

1999

1.Civilization (1916)
2.Do the Right Thing (1989)
3.Docks of New York, The (192:cool:
4.Duck Amuck (1953)
5.Emperor Jones, The (1933)
6.Gunga Din (1939)
7.In the Land of the Head Hunters (1914)
8.Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959)
9.King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970)
10.Kiss, The (1896)
11.Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
12.Lambchops (1929)
13.Laura (1944)
14.Master Hands (1936)
15.My Man Godfrey (1936)
16.Night of the Living Dead (196:cool:
17.Plow That Broke the Plains, The (1936)
18.Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
19.Roman Holiday (1953)
20.Shop Around the Corner, The (1940)
21.Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
22.Ten Commandments, The (1956)
23.Trance and Dance in Bali (1939)
24.Wild Bunch, The (1969)
25.Woman of the Year (1942)

As you can see Star Wars made it in on the first try. I remember when this made the news years ago and it was a well deserved honor. I doubt we'll see any other SW movies for quite some time though. I think the registry is content just to have 1 movie represent the trilogy for now. If they keep adding 25 movies every year they'll EVENTUALLY have to give some if not all of the other SW movies a nod. It's pretty neat to see movies like Blade Runner and Raiders on the list as well.

[JonathanLB]

Dude, don't knock the Eopie fart, that's my favorite part of the entire movie. Sheesh. :)

Holy crap the Kings just scored 46 points in the first quarter, that isn't possible is it? Or it shouldn't be! Daaaamn. That's offensive perfection.

Oh yeah, back to this, well my list of best movie scenes would suck for the general public, because it'd be all Star Wars, so who the hell would want to see it? Other than some Star Wars fans, I'm just saying...

I mean, I love other movies too, but you know, Star Wars just means more to me, so that's how it would come out. My non-Star Wars list would be fairly diverse, tons of different movies, so I'd probably just put one SW scene at #1 and then no more, or something, I don't know.

You guys are right, though, what the hell? The Star Destroyer scene at the start of ANH is a total classic, everyone remembers that one, and it's symbolic of the awe that many people experienced when they saw the first film, or fourth film, but you know what I mean.

[jjwr]

How old are the people doing that list? They seem awefully tinted toward 1940 and earlier movies with quite a few in the 41-60 range. Not that those movies are bad but I find it hard to believe that all of those movies are better than some of the more recent movies. I guess I don't know the criteria of the selectors though, maybe the movie has to be a certain age to even be considered.

[Doc Milo]

I don't necessarily agree with this, but a critic I've heard here on the radio (and if this is symbollic of how most critics think, that may be an answer to your question, jjwr) said that he thinks "The best films of that era are better than the best films of this era" or something like that...

[Jedieb]

I think part of the criteria is how much of an impact a film had when it was released, both critically and commercially. I believe they had information of the criteria used to select the films at the site I copied the list from. And yes, the people putting these lists together are probably a bit older, I'd say between 40-60. Some of the films on the list are rather obscure to say the least.

[CMJ]

Maybe it's because I've bben to film school...but I've seen like at least half of those films(even if only sections of them). It's rather amazing how cultured I feel now. :) Yes some of them are rather obscure...and some of them overrated to be sure...but everyone has different tastes. As a matter of recored one of the professors in my department is on that board.

[JonathanLB]

Sweet, you could interview him and write an article about it, that would rule :)

Oops, *takes freelance writing cap off*

Err, I mean that must be cool knowing him :)