Three Visual Metaphors Of My Reaction To The Mediocre/Compromised Healthcare Reform Bill

** BRONZE MEDAL ** ** SILVER MEDAL ** ** GOLD MEDAL ** I mean, better than nothing, I guess, but Christ almighty! Come on guys. Weak. P.S. Right back in your face, FUTURECHIMP!

Three Interesting Moments With Diane Franklin

** BRONZE MEDAL ** As the French exchange student in Better Off Dead... ** SILVER MEDAL ** As the teenage ball-buster... ** GOLD MEDAL ** As the demon whore... Related: Is Better Off Dead An Under-The-Radar Sequel To Fast Times At Ridgement High?

Three Examples Of R-Rated Films Repurposed For Children

Alien! Hooray! First Blood! Hooray! The Toxic Avenger! Hooray!

Three Exquisite Gene Simmons Death Sequences

** BRONZE MEDAL ** ** SILVER MEDAL ** ** GOLD MEDAL **

Three Examples Of Feminine Products Which Utterly Bewildered Me And Made My Skin Crawl As A Young Man

Three Examples Of Incredibly Satisfying Movie Conclusions

Well, not really three examples, but that was the original idea. Two trailers and one gloriously awesome example is the best I can pull this time. My gut instinct was to include the end of Play Misty For Me (1971) when Clint Eastwood finally-- FINALLY!-- clocks that nutty broad in the dome, sending her over the railing, over the cliff, and out of his life for good... ...and maybe the conclusion of Midnight Express (1978) when that dude finally-- FINALLY!-- flips out and rams the Turkish guard, impaling the asshole's skull on a wooden peg and creating an opportunity for escape. Alas, those clips don't seem to exist online, and if they did, you'd probably have to sign in to verify you weren't a kid. But fortunately, the conclusion to Harold and Maude (1971) does exist! So many things are done right here: Cat Stevens' "Trouble" playing over the unusual (for its time) music video-like editing, the weird shift from panic to hopelessness to sadness to shock and, finally, laughter when it's revealed that he's duped us again. That angry motor sound over the freeze-frame is so goddamn perfect, man! Just for kicks, I'd like to see a total downer edit of this where the car crashes onto the beach, there's an awkward silence aside from the sound of the waves, and then "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" kicks in & the credits roll.

Three Examples Of Movie Kisses Which Cause Me To Hold My Breath

Example 1: Grace Kelly & James Stewart in Rear Window (1954) I think this is the one we can all agree on, correct? It occurs exactly the way we all wish it would happen to us sometime before we croak. The scene doesn't even need the context of the rest of the film-- it's a complete, self-contained moment you can watch on its own and it will cause everyone in the room to pause. The slow motion and vacuum of silence...perfect. Has this been topped? Example 2: Audrey Tautou & Mathieu Kassovitz in Amélie (2001) This one benefits from the build-up of all the events which came before, but when it happens, it's the perfect payoff. When she opens that goddamn door, man, you suck in your breath and hold it. Example 3: Naomi Watts & Laura Harring in Mulholland Dr. (2001) NOTE: You may want to turn up the volume before you hit play. Again, the build-up really makes this come alive. But, man, when it happens, I don't care if you are straight, gay or whatever, it's smokin' hot. And I certainly don't mean that in the moronic, Maxim magazine kind of way. The tension causes the film to slide right over the edge of the cliff, and you feel like you are suddenly in way, WAY over your head. The scene has been obscured here by those unfortunate fade-outs, but even so, it manages to sock you in the lungs.

Three Examples Of Exceptionally Awesome Opening Titles

Here are three examples of opening titles which kick my ass. What strikes me about all of them is how, by the time story begins, they have successfully transported their audience to a completely different world with a completely new mood. Within two minutes, you have become lost in that place. Example 1: Alien (1979) The visuals combined with Jerry Goldsmith's unsettling non-theme manage to get under the skin like worms-- it's even more threatening than the work he did on the title sequence for Planet of the Apes. This immediately feels uncomfortably real and serious. There is no doubt that something incredibly dangerous and far beyond your understanding is lurking on the periphery. The story goes something like this: Goldsmith had composed an actual theme and something happened-- someone hated it or whatever-- and he was forced to hastily throw this together, so it is with bitterness that he regularly endures its praise. If you are interested in hearing director Ridley Scott's commentary on the sequence, you can check it out here. Example 2: Lost Highway (1997) ...with buggy sound. Sorry. I've only seen the film once (because Universal has yet to release it on DVD in the US), and it was at a midnight show last winter at the IFC Film Center here in NYC, but the print was clean, the screen was huge, and the sound was C-R-A-N-K-E-D! It was a comparable experience to seeing the opening treatment of Star Wars, and it was certainly the best film experience I've had in a long, long time. By the time Bowie's song faded, it was pretty obvious that I was about to get my ass kicked, and I was not disappointed. There were so many perfect pairings of sound and image in this film-- the first time we see the blonde incarnation of Patricia Arquette, for example. Example 3: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Manages to be modern and old fashioned/sentimental at the same time. Must be the combination of the helvetica and the ye olde trinkets. You've already started to cry and the film has barely begun.