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I confess, when I began this thread yesterday, I was expecting it to lay a big goose egg. Genuinely, I did not expect much, if any, interest, and especially since I started with a heavy example that represents such deeply held emotions for me. I thought I'd probably have scared everyone away.
That said, I am positively delighted at the response you folks have provided, and I'd like to take a few minutes to thank each of you!
Mike_J, The Silver Streak and The Goodbye Girl are two great comedies with fabulous writing. Great examples!
PhiladelphiaSon, The Birds and Dial M For Murder are two more favorites of mine. If I am able, I'll add some dialogue from them later (unless you do it!).
Adam B, your sample from Se7en is great stuff! I LOVE that scene!
Buscemi, They Live has always been a hoot, but somehow I've managed to miss Army Of Darkness, so that'll be next on my NetFlix cueue.
Rich McGann, thanks for mentioning Withnail And I. That's another one I must watch soon.
jenkwombat, Star Wars is another favorite, loaded with great lines.
Mastadge, it doesn't get any better than James Goldman's The Lion In Winter! I really appreciate the clip from White Hunter, Black Heart.
Tall Guy, great lines...but what film are they from?
Octoberman, Ah, YES! That memorable final monologue from Richard Matheson's classic, The Incredible Shrinking Man! Fabulous!
SBD, you have managed to steal my thunder! My next entry here was going to be that very same exchange from Capricorn One! If you don't beat me to it, I'd also like to add that marvelous monologue delivered by Hal Holbrook as he "breaks the bad news" to the astronauts. Excellent writing.
Storyteller, you seem to be the star of this here show! All seven of the examples you've given so far (I hope you're not finished yet!) are priceless. But the one that gets me every time is, "You don't think God makes mistakes? Of course He does. We ALL make mistakes. Of course, when WE make mistakes they call it evil. When GOD makes mistakes, they call it... nature." Wow! I could go on and on with my personal responses to that one great line, if I thought anyone would listen!
And, finally, dan the man...from The Day The Earth Stood Still, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!!!
"I am leaving soon.
And you will forgive me if I speak bluntly.
The universe grows smaller every day. And the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere, can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all, or no one is secure. Now, this does not mean giving up any freedom...except the freedom to act irresponsibly. Your ancestors knew this when they made laws to govern themselves, and hired policemen to enforce them.
We of the other planets have long accepted this principle. We have an organization for the mutual protection of all planets, and for the complete elimination of aggression. The test of any such higher authority, is of course, the police force that supports it. For our policemen, we created a race of robots. Their function is to patrol the planets, in spaceships like this one, and preserve the peace. In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us. That power cannot be revoked. At the first sign of violence, they act automatically against the aggressor. The penalty for provoking their action is too terrible to risk.
The result is, we live in peace. Without arms or armies, secure in the knowledge that we are free from aggression and war. Free to pursue more profitable enterprises.
Now, we do not pretend to have achieved perfection. But, we do have a system...and it works.
I came here to give you these facts.
It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet. But, if you threaten to extend your violence, this earth of yours will be reduced to a burned out cinder.
Your choice is simple.
Join us...and live in peace. Or, pursue your present course and face obliteration.
We shall be waiting for your answer.
The decision rests with you."
Once again, thanks everybody, and...I hope you keep up the great work!
Just one more thing:
KLAATU FOR PRESIDENT!
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Earlier, SBD quoted a wonderful exchange from Capricorn One, a huge favorite of mine. "Peter Hyams had a way with dialogue in CAPRICORN ONE..."
Hyams also wrote a tremendous monologue, which was brilliantly performed by Hal Holbrook:
CALLOWAY: Good morning.
WILLIS: Hi there, Dr. Calloway, nice to see you. A funny thing happened on the way to Mars...
CALLOWAY: Well, why don't you all sit down. OK, here it is. I have to start by saying that if there was any other way, if there was even a slight chance of another alternative, I would give anything not to be here with you now. Anything.
Bru, how long have we known each other? Sixteen years, that's how long. Sixteen years. You should've seen yourself then. You looked like you just walked out of a Wheaties box. And me, all sweaty palmed and deadly serious. I told everybody about this dream I had of conquering the new frontier, and they all looked at me like I was nuts. You looked at me and said, "Yes."
I remember when you told me Kay was pregnant. We went out and got crocked. I remember when Charles was born. We went out and got crocked again. The two of us, Captain Terrific and the mad doctor, talking about reaching the stars, and the bartender telling us maybe we'd had enough. Sixteen years. And then Armstrong stepped out on the moon and we cried. We were so proud.
Willis, you and Walker, you came in about then, both bright and talented wise asses, looked at me in my wash & wear shirt, carrying on this hot love affair with my slide rule, and even you were caught up in what we'd done.
I remember when Glenn made his first orbit in Mercury. They put up television sets in Grand Central Station, and tens of thousands of people missed their trains to watch. You know when Apollo 17 landed on the moon, people were callin' up the networks bitchin' because re-runs of "I Love Lucy" were cancelled. Re-runs for Christ sake. I can understand if it was a NEW Lucy show, I mean, what the hell is a walk on the moon? But re-runs! Aw, jeez. And then suddenly everybody started talking about how much everything costs. Was it really worth twenty billion to go to another planet? What about cancer? What about the slums? How much does it cost? How much does any dream cost, for Christ sake? Since when is there an accountant for ideas?
You know who was at the launch today? Not the President. The Vice President, that's who. The Vice President and his plump wife. The President was busy. He's not busy. He's just a little bit scared. He sat there two months ago and put his feet up on Woodrow Wilson's desk, and he said, "Jim, make it good. Congress is on my back. They're lookin' for a reason to cancel the program. We can't afford another screw up. Make it good. You have my every good wish."
I got his sanctimonious Vice President, that's what I got.
And so there we are, after all those hopes, and all that dreaming, he sits there with those flags behind his chair and tells me we can't afford a screw up. And guess what? We had a screw up. A first class, bona fide, Made in America screw up. The good people from Con Amalgamate delivered a life support system cheap enough so they could make a profit on the deal, works out fine for everybody. Con Amalgamate makes money, we have our life support system, everything's peachy. Except they made a little bit too much profit. We found out two months ago it won't work. You guys would all be dead in three weeks. It's as simple as that. So all I have to do is report that and scrub the mission. Congress has its excuse, the President still has his desk, and we have no more program. What's sixteen years? Your actual drop in the bucket.
Alright, that's the end of the speech.
Now we're getting to what they call the moment of truth.
Come with me.
I want to show you something...
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Posted: |
Feb 19, 2013 - 3:59 AM
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By: |
BobJ
(Member)
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OK, not from a film, but some favorite dialogue none the less. From Red Dwarf
Another good one: "Are you sure you want to change to condition red? It does mean changing the bulb".
Red Dwarf is a near endless source for memorable quotes. Here's one more of my favorites.
Holly: [her IQ has been increased to 12,000] Strike a light! I'm a genius again! I know everything! Metaphysics, philosophy, the purpose of being-everything! Ask me a question, any question, and I'll answer it.
Talkie Toaster: Any question?
Holly: Yes.
Talkie Toaster: How to break the speed of light? How to marry quantum mechanics and classical physics? Any question at all, truly anything and you will answer?
Holly: Yes.
Talkie Toaster: OK, here's my question: Would you like some toast?
Holly: No, thank you. Now ask me another.
Talkie Toaster: Do you know anything about the use of chaos theory in predicting weather cycles?
Holly: I know everything there is to know about chaos theory and predicting weather cycles.
Talkie Toaster: Oh, very well. Here's my second question: Would you like a crumpet?
Holly: I'm a computer with an I.Q. of 12,000. You don't seem to understand; I know the meaning of the universe.
Talkie Toaster: That's not answering my question.
Holly: [irritated] No, I would not like a crumpet! Now ask me a sensible question, preferably one that isn't bread related.
Talkie Toaster: Very well. I have a third question. A sensible question. A question that will tax your new I.Q. to its very limits and stretch the sinews of you knowledge to bursting point.
Holly: This is going to be about waffles, isn't it?
Talkie Toaster: Certainly not. And I resent the implication that I'm a one-dimensional, bread-obsessed electrical appliance.
Holly: I apologise, toaster. What's the question?
Talkie Toaster: The question is this: Given that God is infinite, and that the universe is also infinite... would you like a toasted teacake?
Holly: That's another bready question.
Talkie Toaster: It's not just bready. It's quite curranty, too.
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Posted: |
Feb 19, 2013 - 4:10 AM
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By: |
BobJ
(Member)
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Last series of quotes fro a while. 
From one of my all time favorite movies, Grosse Pointe Blank
Paul: I've got to get something off my chest. Have you been home to see the old house?
Martin Q. Blank: Yeah. Torn down in the name of convenience.
Paul: Yeah, I brokered the deal
Martin Q. Blank: Oh, wow. Wow.
Paul: I tried to get a family there, but Ultimart made the best offer.
Martin Q. Blank: Well, thank you for profiting on my childhood.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Oatman: Martin, I'm emotionally involved with you.
Marty: How are you emotionally involved with me?
Dr. Oatman: I'm afraid of you.
Marty: You're afraid of me.
Dr. Oatman: And that constitutes an emotional involvement, and it would be unethical for me to work with you under those circumstances.
Martin Q. Blank: Don't you think that maybe you're just upset because I told you what I do for a living, and you got upset and *you're* letting it interfere with *our* dynamic?
Dr. Oatman: Whoa. Martin. You didn't tell me what you did for a living...
Martin Q. Blank: Yes, I did!
Dr. Oatman: You didn't tell me what you did for a living for *four* sessions. *Then* you told me. And I said, "I don't want to work with you any more." And yet, you come back each week at the same time. That's a difficulty for me. On top of that, if you've committed a crime or you're thinking about committing a crime, I have to tell the authorities.
Martin Q. Blank: I know the law, okay? But I don't want to be withholding; I'm very serious about this process.
[pause]
Martin Q. Blank: And I know where you live.
Dr. Oatman: Oh, now see? That wasn't a nice thing to say; that wasn't designed to make me feel good. That's a... kind of a... not too subtle intimidation, and I, uh, get filled with anxiety when you talk about something like that.
Martin Q. Blank: Come on, come on. I was just kidding, all right? The thought never crossed my mind.
Dr. Oatman: You did think of it, Martin! You thought it, and then you said it. And now, I'm left with the aftermath of that, thinking I gotta be creative in a really interesting way or Martin's gonna blow my brains out! You're holding me hostage. That's not right.
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Posted: |
Feb 19, 2013 - 8:21 AM
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By: |
BobJ
(Member)
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Christopher, glad you enjoyed my picks. Good dialogue is becoming something of a rare bird these days in film. Once and awhile something fresh will come along, but not nearly as often. A shame.
That speech from Witches Of Eastwick has always been a classic to me. It is so character perfect that I believe they should have film classes on just that one line. On one hand, it fits the devil perfectly having him blame God. On the other hand, his frustration at not understanding women is just so human. Like I said, a classic.
I have also been enjoying many of the others. The Incredible Shrinking Man was my first science fiction film that I ever saw, and remembered as a child. It thrilled me to no end. I must have seen that film every year, from the ages of 8 to 16. At the younger end, I adored the high adventure of the last third-the basement depicted as another world to one so small, and the epic battle with a giant spider for survival (which also scared the crap out of me). As I got older though, I began to understand and appreciate the other aspects of the film as well. Things such as alienation, and the very adult notion of people drifting apart. Great stuff all around.
I am truly loving this thread.
Let us continue to strike our keyboards like the hammer to the anvil in honor of all the great wordsmiths of the past.- Fred F
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One of MANY from my ALL-Time Favourite movie!
THREEPIO: Sir, it's quite possible this asteroid is not entirely stable.
HAN: Not entirely stable? I'm glad you're here to tell us these things.
Chewie, take the professor in the back and plug him into the hyperdrive.
THREEPIO: Oh! Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior. After all,
I'm only trying to do my job in the most...
GREAT!
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"Christopher, glad you enjoyed my picks. Good dialogue is becoming something of a rare bird these days in film. Once and awhile something fresh will come along, but not nearly as often. A shame."
Storyteller, I LOVE all of your contributions to this thread.
When I wrote my opening post, it was genuinely an emotional catharsis that I needed to write, and I had nowhere to go but here. For that reason alone, I expected the thread to die a quick death. It had served its purpose for me, and I had no further expectations for anything more.
The reaction from yourself and the others has been like a surprise party!
I'll address my take on that brilliant line from The Witches Of Eastwick later, my friend...
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