There’s nothing better than sitting down to watch a movie that just ends up completely blowing you away, but of course, no film is perfect, so what about when awesome films have one single scene, or even just one single moment that rankles you? It makes a seemingly perfect film seem imperfect in some cases, while in others, it simply makes a great film seem a little less great; what’s consistent throughout is that even great directors – in fact, some of the best who have ever lived – aren’t beyond making some colossal mistakes as far as direction goes. Just someone to nudge them and say, “That’s cheesy as Hell” or “That doesn’t quite work” would have sufficed, but most of these visions, for better or for worse, are completely singular, with all of the flaws and successes that this encompasses.
Here are 10 terrible moments from awesome movies.
10. Network – Faye Dunaway Climaxes Over Media
There’s no questioning Network’s supremely influential status; Sidney Lumet’s astounding direction and Paddy Cheyefsky’s scarily prescient script made for one of the most potent satires in cinema history, an indelible Hollywood landmark that has only become more relevant as it has aged. While the film’s lack of subtlety is for the most part entertaining and entirely the point, there is one element of the film where this doesn’t wash, and that is with the relationship between William Holden’s seasoned news anchor and Faye Dunaway’s doggedly determined, ratings-hungry programmer.
We understand early on that Dunaway’s character is a thoroughly unlikeable individual driven only by upping her ratings, and so Lumet and Cheyefsky really didn’t need to include the absurd scene where the two start rutting while Dunaway talks about various aspects of the newz biz, climaxing in between. Post-coitus, she utters, “What’s really bugging me now is my daytime programming”, as if we didn’t already get that yes, she is absolutely mental. Talk about hammering your point home.
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10 Comments
I can’t necessarily say I agree with your bit on Se7en, although I’d have to rewatch it to be sure. The rest of your choices are pretty sound, though. I definitely agree with the batpod thing, and the others have inspired me to at least revisit them to see if I feel as strongly.
Well written piece, all around.
That’s the worst bit of acting in Brad Pitt’s career, period. It made me hate the movie as a whole since it first came out. The fact is, in a scene supposedly about wrath, there’s absolutely no wrath in the scene. The “what’s in the boooox” line is hilarious, his reactions are incredibly poor and misguided (well, they should have been guided by a horrible feeling, but that simply doesn’t show) and his shooting of the bad guy is basically emotionless. Morgan Freeman gives a few lines and then the guy plainly shoots over the most ridiculous “oh, god” in the history of movies.
Love the list Shaun, your the only reviewer i really listen too on here!
I know what you mean on T2 and share the same enthusiasm towards it but that bit doesnt bug me too much.
The way ive naturally taken that is, it was a moment showing off how ni on perfect the machines are. Weve seen them smash throw walls and stuff through out the film. That particular bit i thought showed off how agile they can be. Some kind of combat roll as seen in that scene could be programmed in as it would be needed a lot. Being programmed i think the roll would look almost as over perfect as it did.
Going into that bit a bit too much i know, just what ive allways assumed it too be :)
The comment on the Good, the Bad and the ugly misses the point that Leone was trying to destroy the image that Van Cleef had in the previous Dollars films, as the beloved Crl. Mortimer. So what he had there, for the audiences back then, was pure shock value.
Disagree on Se7en. I consider Se7en to be the best movie I’ve ever seen & I absolutely love those last 15 minutes (from when they get in the car with Doe up until the start of the credits). My favorite ending to a movie (right above The Departed, The Usual Suspects, & Memento).
I don’t understand how is the Dark Knight Batpod flip so bad…? It’s a pretty good moment. It’s a lot worse and chocking to see Marion Cottilard’s character dying with that stupid and ridiculous head movement… A bigger moment, in a close-up shot… I can’t understand that. I really can’t
I don’t understand why there’s so much hate around Vader’s “No” moment. He’s a man whose just lost his wife essentially by his own hand. It seems like a perfectly logical reaction. I don’t know if for some reason people don’t buy it because it’s Jones’ voice or because of the suit or because they think Vader shouldn’t show remorse or whatever. But despite the suit and the voice, Vader is human and Padmé was the love of his life. His reaction, as I interpretted it, was also as much to do with the realisation of what he’d become physically, a broken man trapped in his own personal prison in physical and emotion pain forever.
Se7en is not like the others. I have no idea what I would act like if someone had just decapitated my wife but I don’t think I’d be concerned that it was subtle enough for a critic to enjoy.
Revenge of the Sith was crap. There’s not a single frame of that movie that’s worth a damn.
Completely disagree with your comments on Seven. That scene is amazing and seeing as it’s in my top ten of movies I’ve seen it many times. Even though I know whats gonna happen everytime i watch that scene it’s still just as intense and powerful as the first time time you see it.