Hey all, its time for another list because I'm bored while I wait for the Fridge Repair guy to show up with a new motor. So sticking with the Hollywood movie theme that doesn't involve the words 50 shades of, what are the movies that start fast, and just completely grab you off the start. As always, there's a personal measure to lists like this, they're in no particular order. Discussion is always welcome and encouraged.
1) Saving Private Ryan - The Omaha Beach opening. A shocking and sobering start to a movie as the American's storm Omaha Beach. Brutal, visceral and loud are the only way to describe the start of this movie, and brilliantly done it puts you right into the action and you actually feel a little afraid.
2) Jaws - The biggest fear that people have deep down is being devoured by a monster while you're still alive. Jaws iconic opening starts low key and quickly becomes terrifying as a young woman out for a night swim is eaten by a shark. Informally called Chrissie's last swim, things go from peaceful in a hurry as the camera approaches her feet under water and she's tugged the first time.
3) Conan the Barbarian - The original not the remake. I love everything about this. The pounding music, Mako narrating, then a young Conan learning the "Secret of Steel", This does so much to establish what this movie is going to be about, and my heart still races when I hear the opening drum beats.
4) Raiders of the Lost Ark - So good at quickly establishing that this is just going to be a fun movie, it had all the elements of the movie in a 6 minute start. Humor, Breakneck action, luck, escapes from certain death.
5) Top Gun - Really this movie doesn't age well at all, But they nailed it in the beginning with the music building to Danger Zone where we see aircraft operations on a carrier followed by an F-14 catapult shot (However talking to a former Naval Aviator a few years back, if you barrel role coming off of the deck of a carrier you will be flying rubber dog sh$t to Hong Kong)
6) Up! - Ok, the Captain will admit that he's sometimes sentimental, and I remember watching this movie with a girl that I really liked, and we were snuggled up on the couch on a Sunday night with the whole blanket and popcorn, and by the end of the opening she was crying and I had a lump in my throat as I examined the ceiling. We basically see Ellie's and Carl's whole life including their inability to have children and her death.
7) Batman (1989) - I still contend that Michael Keaton was an amazing Batman. When you see the opening robbery you swear that its the origin story, but then you hear the deep bass Batman music and you get an awesome intro that ends with the criminal screaming "Who are you?" To which he simply replies with "I'm Batman" I love this opening so much.
8) Return of the Jedi - Some people might say that ANH has a great opening scene and it's amazing, but I like Jedi's opening scene a lot better. It starts in similar fashion, but you see the new bigger Death Star, you get the Imperial March and Vader in all of his menacing glory, including the line "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am"
9) The Dark Knight - An amazingly smart start with the Robbery of the bank. It goes along way to establish the brilliance of Heath Ledger's Joker, without doing the usual origin narrative. You see this well planned bank robbery where one after another the robbers are betrayed by the ultimate puller of strings. Then in the end we get the reveal and we're enthralled by this Joker who's definitely not a failed comedian.
10) Forrest Gump - An amazing opening that captures you're attention right away. The music really captures what kind of movie that this is going to be. The feather almost acts like its leading you to the story, and in the end its still there.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Last edited by CaptainCrunch; 02-18-2018 at 10:06 AM.
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This opening scene was quite disturbing when I was a kid.
And here's one of my all-time favorites. The 8 minute single-take tracking shot opening from Robert Altman's The Player, with characters name dropping other famous tracking shots throughout the scene. Brilliant stuff.
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Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
Exp:
There must be a con' like me in every prison in america ,
I'm the guy who can get it for ya ,
Cigarettes , a bag of reefer (If that's your thing)
A bottle o' brandy to celebrate your kid's high school graduation ,
Damn near anything within reason .
Yes sir , I'm a regular sears and roebuck .
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New list . . . best starts to movie
