Best Movie Scene Tournament: Quarterfinal - Group 1 of 4

During the Quarterfinal of The Best Movie Scene Tournament, please vote for the one movie scene you would like to move onto the next round. Only the top movie scene will be moving on. Keep in mind that the percentage of the vote a given movie scene receives will determine its standing going forward.

IMPORTANT! Please do not simply vote on name recognition (or lack thereof) alone. Please do watch each nomination and then make your choice. Even if you think you know a movie scene well, it's still worth watching for a refresher.

Please remember that his tournament is for Best Scene, not Best Movie.
It's important to therefore judge each nomination on its individual merits and NOT by the entire movie.

The poll will run for seven days. Discussion is greatly encouraged!

IMPORTANT! There will be no more tiebreaker polls. In the event of a tie, the number of "stated votes" within the thread will determine the winner.

The nominees are:


Opening scene - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC1ikwQ5Zgc&t=000s

The Shower scene - Psycho (1960)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atjhOhH-V3E

Psycho!

sk

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Originally Posted by frik

Psycho!

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Yup.

Psycho.

Unreal. That Indy scene is the best ever and should win this whole thing. It

Psycho, one of the most classic and iconic scenes ever.

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Originally Posted by Heather19

Psycho, one of the most classic and iconic scenes ever.

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As is the opening scene to Raiders!!!!

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Originally Posted by Heather19

Psycho, one of the most classic and iconic scenes ever.

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As is the opening scene to Raiders!!!!

And I used my 10000th post for this. Come on guys! Give me Indy!

Indiana Jones crouching in front of the golden idol is one of the most iconic images in the history of cinema. The opening scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark defined an entire franchise and turned Harrison Ford into a superstar!

Get a fucking grip people!!!!!

You can make a case of relevancy and cultural impact for both of these scenes though. The shower scene has been (ahem) cut and dissected and studied for years and years and years.

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Originally Posted by fernandito

You can make a case of relevancy and cultural impact for both of these scenes though. The shower scene has been (ahem) cut and dissected and studied for years and years and years.

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The cinematography used in the shower scene may have defined cinema back in 1960, but that was nearly 60 years ago and it has not aged well...

Under contemporary standards it's nothing special and it certainly doesn't hold up against the likes of Indiana Jones.

The fucking muzak in the shower scene is like nails down a chalkboard, and on that score alone it warrants a swift exit!

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Originally Posted by T-Dogz_AK47

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Originally Posted by fernandito

You can make a case of relevancy and cultural impact for both of these scenes though. The shower scene has been (ahem) cut and dissected and studied for years and years and years.

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The cinematography used in the shower scene may have defined cinema back in 1960, but that was nearly 60 years ago...

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Nearly 60 years ago and we're still talking about it lol.

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Under contemporary standards it's nothing special and it certainly doesn't hold up against the likes of Indiana Jones.

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In that case let's just rule out everything before the 70's since they're not up to contemporary standards.

For the record, Raiders came out 36 years ago. Not exactly a new release either.

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Originally Posted by T-Dogz_AK47

The cinematography used in the shower scene may have defined cinema back in 1960, but that was nearly 60 years ago...

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Originally Posted by fernandito

Nearly 60 years ago and we're still talking about it lol.

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We're only talking about it because it happens to be in a matchup against Indiana Jones. On any other occasion, I would just let it fade into obscurity....

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Originally Posted by T-Dogz_AK47

Under contemporary standards it's nothing special and it certainly doesn't hold up against the likes of Indiana Jones.

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Originally Posted by fernandito

In that case let's just rule out everything before the 70's since they're not up to contemporary standards.

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An ironic statement considering the stance you took on old movies during the Sci-fi tournament.... :orely:

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Originally Posted by fernandito

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Originally Posted by T-Dogz_AK47

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Originally Posted by pablo

So we're not gonna have any of these in the next round: Forbidden Planet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day the Earth Stood Still... Why the backlash against classic sci-fi? In an all-time tournament!

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Well those films do not stand the test of time and with a contemporary viewing, they look very dated and clichéd.

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Precisely.

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Originally Posted by fernandito

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Originally Posted by pablo

Cute gifs aside, I must take issue with the notion that classic movies "look very dated". What does that mean? If a film was done in the 1940s or 1950s, in black and white, it was done in the style and technical abilities of that time. So now in 2014 you have to take that into account.

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That is being taken account though; It looks dated in comparison with cinema today. I'm not sure what the misunderstanding is here...

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And of course the idea that a undisputed classic like The Day the Earth Stood Still somehow does not "stand the test of time" is frankly laughable. It has a 94% critics rating on RT and is rated 7.9 on IMDB. The AFI list of the Top Ten Sci-Fi movies of all time has it at #5, with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the original, of course) at #9: http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=7

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No two groups - or websites in this case - can agree 100% on what defines "best".

I've noticed that dot com's tend to rank films through nostalgia colored lenses, they give precedence to films that did things first, or were the the inspirational genesis for other films and genres. The trend setters of their times, if you will. It's why films like Citizen Kane and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (both of which I love) almost always feature at the top of their lists even though there are thousands of objectively more 'impressive' films. Sentiment and the love of of the art of cinema and its history plays a huge role.

This conversation could probably be its own thread, in all honesty.

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How are the contemporary standards of film set and who or what gets to set them? Is there a list I can reference so I'm up-to-date?

And as for fading into obscurity, here's an article posted two days ago....

The shower scene! Why 45 seconds of Hitchcock's Psycho still haunts us

Raiders is still contemporary as well I suppose, here's an article about Ford and how he "...can't escape that goddamn music" even during a colonoscopy.

The one thing Indiana Jones can't escape? His theme music

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Originally Posted by T-Dogz_AK47

We're only talking about it because it happens to be in a matchup against Indiana Jones. On any other occasion, I would just let it fade into obscurity....

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I'm trying to imagine a world where Psycho fades into obscurity and I'm coming up short.

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Originally Posted by Girlystevedave

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Originally Posted by T-Dogz_AK47

We're only talking about it because it happens to be in a matchup against Indiana Jones. On any other occasion, I would just let it fade into obscurity....

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I'm trying to imagine a world where Psycho fades into obscurity and I'm coming up short.

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It should do - it's not that good, certainly not as good as most other Hitchcock films!

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Originally Posted by Tommy

How are the contemporary standards of film set and who or what gets to set them? Is there a list I can reference so I'm up-to-date?

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The standards of film are set by those who create them. Hollywood has evolved greatly over the years and what was pioneering 60 years ago, is almost certainly not now.

The passing of time has no effect on the objective quality of a film.

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Originally Posted by pablo

The passing of time has no effect on the objective quality of a film.

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I disagree. For example, The Birth of a Nation made in 1915 is supposed to be a landmark movie of epic proportions. I found it to be unwatchable.

How can one not choose Indy here!!??

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Originally Posted by Tommy

And as for fading into obscurity, here's an article posted two days ago....

The shower scene! Why 45 seconds of Hitchcock's Psycho still haunts us

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Great read.

Also, if you scroll a little further down it mentions that the author of the article is going to tackle the Alien chest burst scene next lol.

Raiders gets my vote. Needs more love in the poll though!

I don't think Psycho is dated at all. It still holds up to modern cinema in my opinion. Granted it isn't my personal favorite Hitchock film (I do agree that he made far better), but I don't think you can deny how groundbreaking that scene was, and what it gave to films. The way in which is was shot, and the fact that he killed off the leading lady, when the film had really only just begun.

Raiders might also be iconic in it's own way, but I will say that I only just watched this film a few years ago, and I was shocked by how cheesy it was. The effects were almost laughable. I don't know how you can argue that Raiders stands up to time while Psycho doesn't.

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Originally Posted by fernandito

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Originally Posted by Tommy

And as for fading into obscurity, here's an article posted two days ago....

The shower scene! Why 45 seconds of Hitchcock's Psycho still haunts us

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Great read.

Also, if you scroll a little further down it mentions that the author of the article is going to tackle the Alien chest burst scene next lol.

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:rofl: That's awesome.
Also I really want to see this film.

Raiders!!

Indy please!!!

Indiana Jones :thumbsup: One of the best film series ever IMHO

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Originally Posted by jonp

Indiana Jones :thumbsup: One of the best film series ever IMHO

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It really is Jon. It started my sincere love of film. I remember that opening scene so well... and falling in love with movies. I am sorry, the shower scene is not a scene that made anyone fall in love with films. It may be an inconic scene.. but not even remotely close to the power of Indiana Jones....

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Originally Posted by webstar1000

I am sorry, the shower scene is not a scene that made anyone fall in love with films.

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It was in my case. Saw Psycho in my high school film studies class and fell in love not just with the film but film in general. It was eye-opening.

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Originally Posted by jonp

Indiana Jones :thumbsup: One of the best film series ever IMHO

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Completely agree, but this isn't a "Best Films Series of All-time" tournament.

We have to be objective as we get down to the final scenes. I've voted against some of my favorite scenes of all-time recently in preference for a scene that is more memorable or more iconic.

The poll has closed and the following movie scene moves on:

The Shower scene - Psycho (1960) 60.00%


And the following is eliminated:

Opening scene - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 40.00%

Brutal.