OK, so a few days ago these guys decided that the most 'powerful' movie scene ever was E.T.'s farewell. Let me just say that 'powerful' (along with 'gripping') is one of the most overused words in film criticism. I mean, there are so many levels of 'powerful'. For example, there's 'blub like a little girl' powerful (Titanic, Old Yeller, Charlotte's Web), then there's 'horrific' powerful (Deliverance, The Deer Hunter). and my personal favorite, 'hell yeah' powerful (Scarface, The Godfather). There might be actually a few more that I haven't thought of. Here's a few of my favorites to get the ball rolling:
Contact - Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster), in front of a Congressional inquiry, refuses to deny what she experienced.
The President's Analyst - In the midst of a very funny film, a poignant moment where Don Masters (Godfrey Cambridge) tells his psychiatrist (James Coburn) about the time he learned what the 'N' word meant. If you haven't seen this movie, take the time to do so.
Scrooge - Scrooge (Alastair Sim) realizes he denied his sister's dying wish and begs her forgiveness. One of many reasons pretty much every other adaptation of Dickens' Christmas Carol sucks.
Patton - Patton slaps the shell-shocked soldier. Nobody will ever do angry like George C. Scott.
Seven Days in May - Colonel Casey (Kirk Douglas) confronts General Scott (Burt Lancaster). When ordered to answer if he knows who Judas was, Casey's response is killer.
The Godfather - The restaurant meeting where Michael Corleone kills Sollozzo and the police captain. Most of the dialogue is Italian, none of which is subtitled.
Chariots of Fire - Jackson Scholz (Brad Davis) hands Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) a note.
Zulu - The Zulus are singing their war song for the final attack, and the Rorke's Drift defenders respond by singing Men of Harlech.
Schindler's List - The final scene, where the survivors and the children of survivors place stones on Schindler's gravestone. One of those films that I can only watch once.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind - The opening scene, the best of any film I've ever seen.
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