Category: Movies

My Favorite Animated Movie and TV Scenes: Part 2

Note: Part 1 of this post can be read here: http://darianbjohnson.com/2016/02/06/my-favorite-animated-movie-and-tv-scenes-part-1/

Snake Eyes’ Wordless Goodbye – G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (“The MASS Device”).

maxresdefault[1]Snake-Eyes – the coldest Joe ever. We never saw his face. He never said a word. He was a ninja. He had a wolf for a pet.

So this scene, where Snake-Eyes sacrifices himself to save the team, has to be high on the list.

The Joe team is trying to collect rare elements to build a M.A.S.S. Device (basically, a teleportation device). The team has to travel to a cave in the Arctic to obtain red crystals for the machine.1 The team is able to retrieve the crystals, but is ambushed by Cobra (they trigger a radioactive gas to fill the cave and poison the Joes). Snake-Eyes saves his teammates (and sacrifices himself) by triggering a shield to keep radioactive gas from the team. Unfortunately, he’s on the wrong side of the shield. Scarlett, knowing that Snake-Eyes is a goner, simply says goodbye by placing her palm on the glass2.

Continue reading “My Favorite Animated Movie and TV Scenes: Part 2”

My Favorite Animated Movie and TV Scenes: Part 1

I love well-made animated movies and tv shows- especially the one’s being put out today. The stuff coming out of the DC Animated Movie studio is spectacular. Marvel’s stuff isn’t as solid, but they’re trying. And don’t get me started on Japanese Anime1.

I originally wrote a post on my favorite animated scenes in 2006. A lot has happened in the world of animation since then… so I think it makes sense to update this list – and expand it to seven.

Batman meets Superman – Superman, the Animated Series (“World’s Finest Pt. 1”, Season 2, Episode 34).

batman_superman_4[1]Superman – The Man of Steel. The Last Son of Krypton. The Man of Tomorrow.

Batman – The Dark Knight. The World’s Greatest Detective. The Caped Crusader.

Both are orphans, but that is where the similarities end. One is an alien from another planet, with God-like powers. The other, the perfection of human innovation, intellect, and physicality. One is loved; the other, feared.

There a lot of hub-bub (and rightly so) about the upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. I’m excited about the movie, but uncertain if the writers and actors can accurately capture the tension, jealousy, and mutual respect between these two characters. Hopefully, the movie will borrow heavily from DC Animated Universe. In this continuity, Batman and Superman are uneasy allies that grow to respect each other. A number of scenes some to mind when I think about my favorite Batman v Superman interactions:

My favorite is their initial introduction in “World’s Finest, Part 1”; how they first meet each other, and discover each other’s identities is perfect. Continue reading “My Favorite Animated Movie and TV Scenes: Part 1”

Yippee Ki Yay, Alan Rickman (R.I.P.)

Alan Rickman, known to my kiddos as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies, died today. His “Hans Gruber”, from Die Hard, has to be in the top 10 movie villain list of all time, right? I mean, who else was as charismatic?

My short list (totally made up on the fly): Heath Ledger’s Joker. Darth Vader. Denzel’s Alonzo Harris (from Training Day). Hans Gruber. Keyser Söze.

Rest in peace, Alan Rickman.

Hans Gruber falling

My Favorite Scores: Batman (1989)

Batman Poster

While I loved what Christopher Nolan has done with Batman series, I still hold a special place in my heart for the 1989 Tim Burton movie. His Batman kicked off a new re-interest in comic-book inspired movies and television shows – some great (Batman: The Animated Series), some good (The Flash, 1990’s version) and some bad (the 1990 Captain America movie).

My favorite parts of Burton’s movie are when we get to see Batman without the mask; in other words, when we can see Bruce Wayne in his true persona, without the airs he puts on to fool the general public. There are three scenes that really capture those moments:

  1. Bruce checking the tapes [watch here] – A great back-to-back view of the duality of Bruce Wayne
  2. Bruce hanging upside down [here, at the 16:45 min mark]– Ok, so maybe he’s taking the bat thing a little too seriously
  3. Bruce in Crime Alley – I’ll be the first to admit that this scene has one gigantic flaw: Batman, the worlds greatest detective, doesn’t realize that Vicky Vale is following him. However, if you can ignore that, then this is a great scene. There’s no talking, but plenty of emoting, as Bruce Wayne (played by Michael Keaton) looks tortured over this parents death, and the life that he’s adopted as a result. As stated on sputnukmusic.com:

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My Favorite Scores: Carlito’s Way

Carlito's Way

Last week, I blogged on the Rocky Original Motion Picture Score. That post got me thinking about how the most iconic scenes from my favorite movies are bolstered by their musical scores. Over the next few months, I’ll share a few thoughts on some of my favorite scores. First up: Carlito’s Way.

Carlito’s Way is a 1993 crime drama directed by Brian DePalma and starting Al Pacino. The three sentence summary: Carlito Brigante is an incarcerated drug dealer just freed on a technicality. Vowing to go straight, Carlito finds himself in situations where his sense of honor and loyalty pull him into law-breaking activities. Those decisions play out with dire consequences – with him ultimately losing his life, though not before he can get Gail, and his unborn child, off to safety.

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