Scott, would love to take a look at either the diner scene in "HEAT" between Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. OR, the final one-on-one face-off poker scene between Matt Damon and John Malkovich in "ROUNDERS".

Both of those would be great. I know I've seen the Heat scene online. Not sure about the Rounders scene. You want to noodle around the ol' Internet and see what you can find? Thanks!

The Sicilian scene with Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken, in True Romance

Oh, yeah. That's a good one, Jon. Thanks. Lots of crime scenes. Hopefully we'll get a nice variety of scenes to work with.

Best scene ever. Period. End of story. Let's all go home.

No-no! More scenes! MORE SCENES!

I'll add some off the top of my head: Mr. Potter offering George Bailey a job in It's a Wonderful Life. Red discovering Andy's message for him buried under the tree in Shawshank Redemption. Hans Gruber discovered by John McClane and pretends to be an escaped hostage in Die Hard. Andy plays with Bonnie as he gives up his toys in Toy Story 3. Don goes Singin' in the Rain with an umbrella as his 'date'. The Final Struggle between Ripley and the alien in Alien. Blutarsky's 'when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor' scene in Animal House. More! More! MORE!!!

The rest stop scene from The Bourne Identity ("How can I know all that, and not know who I am?") Source Code: Coulter phones his father from the train The Fast & The Furious: Vince crashes his car and Brian calls an ambulance, revealing himself to be an undercover cop And how about something more visual (though rather longer) - the opening bomb disposal scenes from The Hurt Locker?

+1 Debbie -- that scene in The Bourne Identity is awesome (as is the prep for the car chase where Marie puts on her seatbelt instead of getting out of the "squishy" car.

A bit of genre hopping here... 1. Secondhand Lions -- the end "Best I can figure, they were trying to fly through that barn, upside down." There is no better way to go for those two old men. 2. The Spy Who Loved Me -- the car chase with the Lotus that turns into a submarine. Did anyone expect it? And where else could that wild creativity actually not pull you right out of the film? 3. The Fugitive -- Tommy Lee Jones giving out instructions to search every "... warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse..." That's Gerrard in a nutshell while establishing that Kimble's run is going to be anything but a walk in the park. 4. 50 First Dates -- Waking up on the last day to a family. It's the obvious happy ending payoff that beat cliche.

Hi mate, Volunteered to do a post for 70s movie month with Apocalypse Now (aka Rahul Prasad) and would love to dissect one of my favourite scenes from Michael Clayton. It's the end climax with George Clooney and Tilda Swindon but my favourite bit is as George Clooney's titular character Michael Clayton gets in the cab and the credits roll. I don't want to spoil it here but would love to share the power of this beautiful piece of restrained cinematic underrated genius with your readers if you like? Thanks heaps, Rahul

The Hurt Locker-The scene when Sgt. James is standing in the supermarket looking at the cereal trying to figure out which cereal to buy...and why is he here trying to figure out what cereal to buy.

Michael Mann's Thief - the scene with James Caan and Tuesday Weld in the diner. Just an amazing moment that explains Caan's character and sets in motion the rest of the movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfetsPmDWAk

Cast Away: The scene in the rain after he goes back to her. He drives away. She yells after him. He rushes back to her. They kiss in the pouring rain. Then reality hits. An all time favorite.

As Good as it Gets: He goes to see her after the trip in the middle of the night. They have an exchange on the stairs. "I just had to see you." Classic.

Great Question! 2 of my favorite Directors have some great scenes: Spielberg: Schindler's List: The Little Girl in the red dress in is one of the most visually impactful scenes I have ever seen in a movie. Jaws: The USS Indianapolis scene is also one of my favorites; how quickly the scene goes from drunken frivolity to sober terror. The Coen Brothers: Blood Simple: The bathroom scene where M. Emmett Walsh's hand has been skewered to the windowsill and he first shoots through the wall and then punches through the wall in an effort to free his hand, you are on the edge of your seat. The Big Lebowski: Walter and the Dude have Donny's ashes in a coffee can and are saying goodbye before spreading them, the wind blows the ashes back into the Dude's face. A fitting tribute.

Now we're talking, people! These are a great start. I'll start pulling together a list for October and off we go with some scene analysis. Thanks!

The Hill (the first scene in the sequence) -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KASSvgVITXQ At Close Range -- the scene between Walken and Penn -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmskDtxyMCs Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (intro of George and Martha) -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWoAOohbr5M Sweet Smell of Success (intro to Lancaster's character) -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7lLS7agQl4 extra article for Sweet Smell of Success -- http://diaryofascreenwriter.blogspot.com/2012/12/mackendrick-and-odets-scriptwriting.html

Amadeus: The final scene between Salieri and Mozart as they write the requiem. A Perfect World: The scene where Butch ties up the family and Phillip/Buzz ends up shooting Butch. Bull Durham: Crash giving Nuke his first lesson in the alley behind the bar. ("From what I hear, you couldn't hit water if you fell out of a fucking boat.") The Sting: The poker scene.

Full Metal Jacket: Pyle sitting on the toilet with his rifle -- the suicide scene. There Will Be Blood: the one where Paul Dano (as the brother, not the preacher) comes to talk to Daniel Plainview about the oil he could find in Dano's town as they look at the map. (It's done in a single take.) Rocky: The ice-skating scene. Or the scene where Rocky brings Adrian to his apartment for the first time. ("These are my turtles, Cuff and Link.") It Happened One Night: The first bus scene. "Excuse me, lady, but that upon which you sit is mine.") Or the hitchhiking scene. The Drop: Basically any scene, but perhaps the final confrontation.

Speaking of one take scenes, the opening of The Player is fantastic.

Movie : Malice Scene : Doctors inquest Alec Baldwin, Gregory Peck, Peter Gallagher, Nicole Kidman. "God complex"

Rebel Without a Cause: the confrontation scene in the parents' house. "Dad, stand up for me." On the Waterfront: the glove scene. (I don't think we need to go over the cab scene again.)

Okay, I know I'm too late but how about The Color of Money. This entire film is a great study on scenes: When Fast Eddie (Newman)introduces Vincent to an old friend (Pool Hall owner) Vincent's (Cruise) greeting falls flat after a cold welcome from the owner. (Shows Vincent's biggest character flaw.) When Eddie saves Vincent from a bar brawl and they make a quick getaway in his classic Cadillac. He gloats from Carmen's (Mastrantonio, Scarface babe) comments and cranks up the radio. Music plays, makes a great scene transition. Very Hollywood. The Diner scene when Vincent asks Fast Eddie why he doesn't compete in pool tournaments anymore. This shows Eddie as an honest hustler they should trust. This entire movie is an amazing study in character development, scene by scene. Awesome stuff. Check it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrjSqK7xPLE&list=PL1GxKZj9sD6C-8zWgeUP07vqZ4fYigWis

I heartily nominate the post-party bus scene in Almost Famous. The band has been fractured by a fight and Russell, the lead singer, spends the night attending a local high schooler's party. Disheveled, he's pulled onto the bus by the manager, and they start driving away. The way that the group "heals" without saying a single word is astounding, and Penny's revelation to William is all the more potent because of it.

James, you mean this scene. Great call. It will round out our Great Scene series tomorrow on Halloween! Thanks for the suggestion!