“open the pod bay doors Hal” – 2001

I’ve worked in IT for the last thirty years and it still makes me laugh, he’s not going to open the doors Dave and that’ll teach you to remember your helmet.

“you’re going to need a bigger boat” – Jaws

A bald statement of incontrovertible fact, the shark has not aged well that’s for sure, but in all other respects a superb movie – as above; the monologue about the USS Indianapolis is brilliant.

“Luke, I am your father” – The Empire Strikes Back

Thirteen year old me was totally stunned; mind blown, to be honest I’m still in a bit of a daze. Stands in stark contrast to every other Star Wars Movie since; they should have just stopped right there.

Expect some flak for this, but first Matrix, right at the start, Trinity’s fight with the police. Just remember watching it at the cinema and being blown away.
The first Bourne film, he’s in a park and is awoken by Swiss police, fights with skills he didn’t know he had.
Apocalypse Now helicopter scene. Should have put that one first, but it’s very late and past my bed time.
Loads of others being very memorable, Alien John Hurt chest scene. Das Boot when they are being hunted and everything is done via sound, crew have to whisper. Not a single scene as such but still very good.

1) the dinner scene from Donnie Darko that family fight is just perfect.

2) the scene from 2001 where Dave goes out to rescue Poole, such an incredible sense of tension

3) probably the scene from the Matrix where Smith is interrogating Morpheus, cold brutality from Hugo Weaving

The other two matrix scenes also blew me away on first watch. It’s not as awful a film as people make out – the first one anyway. I’ve seen it said that Equilibrium was the film the Matrix should have been but that’s not doing justice to either they were both visually slick for their day but quite differently plotted and in their mood.

The Sad Hill cemetary scene from TGTB&TU.

The dancing Scene with Stan and Ollie from Way Out West.

The opening of Once Upon A Time In The West, although the Shower scene from American Werewolf In London is a close contender…🙂

Cheek to Cheek from Top Hat.

Crazy 88 scene from Kill Bill.

Tommy Caldwell deciding to climb back down to Kevin Jorgensen in The Dawn Wall.

Not necessarily greatest but for me memorable for a number of reasons
1. ‘Well, Edward, you’ll just need to buck up. You need to accept the fact
you’re stinking rich’ Local Hero. It may sound mawkish but seeing this film made me , a southern Jessie, want to visit Northern Scotland which I have done for every year (bar this one) since 1985.
2. The take off scene with Peter O’Toole in a Grumman Duck Murphy’s War. Flown by Frank Tallman.
3.the first scene in Star Wars where the huge craft flies over the head. As a 14 year old in the Leicester Square cinema in 1977 this was astonishing

All of Goodfellas, especially the Layla scene. Plus the Christening scene in Godfather.

And one from childhood:

Well, Edward, you’ll just need to buck up. You need to accept the fact
you’re stinking rich’ Local Hero. It may sound mawkish but seeing this film made me , a southern Jessie, want to visit Northern Scotland which I have done for every year (bar this one) since 1985.

Local Hero is a flawless pearl of a film. It is sentimental but manages to avoid sentimentality if that makes sense.

Someone nicked my No Country one 🙂

So –
Another bar scene – but this one from Near Dark

Southern Comfort – loads in that, but especially in the village, where the pig slaughter happens and the cajun music kicks off. So tense.

Miami Blues, scene where Fred Ward and Alec Baldwin first meet. They are brilliant

“the last fight” from Battle of Britain music by william walton

from 4.00

and with no music just the wind pump squeak the opening scene from once upon a time in the west
simply stunning

pbr street gang this is almighty come in…..

Any scene from Ferris Beuller

The dance final in Strictly Ballroom

‘You think that’s air you’re breathing?’ in The Matrix

The best movie scene ever because as a final scene it completely changes the whole film. You realise that while you’ve been laughing your tits off all the way through it, what you’ve actually just watched is a love story and a tragedy

Just bonkers, still…

I first watched this as a kid and laughed my head off. I still do now. There is still nothing funnier than farting 😀

Quite a few good ones so far not sure if any one has said the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark, about as iconic as film gets.

Also

EDIT

The Matrix lobby shootout. The most badass thing I’d seen on film at the time. Wicked soundtrack.

The helicopter rescue scene was also utterly mind blowing. It ended with a perfect pay off line too. “Now do you believe he is the One”

As a combination of scenes, the first three of Dirty Harry (rooftop, mayor’s office, then the bank job) introduce the character in a brilliant way and tell you exactly what he and the rest of the film are about.

All cliche now of course but they wouldn’t have been when he was pretty much the first character of the type.

3.the first scene in Star Wars where the huge craft flies over the head. As a 14 year old in the Leicester Square cinema in 1977 this was astonishing

Yep, the sense of scale is amazing…

Indianapolis scene from Jaws

I opened this thread purely to check someone had mentioned that one.. so good to see it’s the first one on the list!

I forgot this one:

I don’t know if it’s my favourite, but the Ultimart scene in Grosse Point Blank has some very nice touches.