Best Movie Lines Ever

Andrew Sullivan is compiling a list of nominations for "Best. Movie. Line. Ever." - putting up an embedded YouTube clip and the line recommendation. After all the nominations are in, the readers will get to vote. Some of the suggestions are pretty staid (e.g. "Plastics" from The Graduate; yawn).

Here's the list I sent him this morning with some of my recommendations:

1. The first intro to Bond (Dr. No).

JB: "I admire your courage, Miss...?"
ST: "Trench. Syliva Trench. I admire your luck Mr...."
JB: "Bond. James Bond."

Note, the iconic line that actually made sense in context the first time around (not so in most of the subsequent uses).

2. Big Trouble in Little China:

1. "It's all in the reflexes" (At 1:53 at above clip.)
   
2. "Son of a b*tch must pay"
   
3. "I was born ready"
   
4. My favorite line (and my life's motto): "Hey, I'm a reasonable guy. But I've just experienced some very unreasonable things."
   
5. Also, check out his odd project, some dude bothered to make a South Park version:
   part 1, part 2, part 3

3. Army of Darkness

1. "Well, hello Mr. Fancy Pants. I got news for you pal, you ain't leading but two things right now: Jack and S**t. And Jack left town."
   
2. "All right you primitive screwheads listen up. See this? This. Is. My. BOOMSTICK."
   
3. "First you want to kill me, now you want to kiss me? [Spits grape pit] Blow."
   
4. "It's a trick. Get an axe"
   
5. "Yo, she-b*tch [loads rifle] Let's go"
   
6. "Groovy"
   
7. "Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun".
   
8. The whole end scene, but here are the choice lines:
   1. Demon: "Who the hell are you?"
      Ash: "Names Ash. [cocks rifle] Housewares."
      
   2. Demon: "I'll swallow your soul!"
      Ash: "Come get some."
      
   3. "Hail to the King Baby"

4. Fletch

1. "can I borrow your towel for a second, my car just hit a water buffalo"
   
2. them: "Muchas Gracias!"
   Fletch: "Tierra del Fuego"
   
3. "There's been a lot of changes in the law"
   
4. 8:48: "The coroner had certified Stanwyk as dead... or extremely sleepy"

In retrospect, many are funny mainly in context, but as an unrepentant Fletchophile, I cannot but offer them
[end letter]

We'll see how many he posts/accepts.

{2009 Update: He used none of them. Boor.}

Credit

Unlike TPM, Andrew Sullivan does not seem to acknowledge his contributors by name/initials. Such is life. In any case, I feel gratified that he used a link I sent him. See The Shining as a Romantic Comedy.



P.S. The song at the end, "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabirel, is one of the best songs ever made in the history of the Universe. Just sayin'...

Muslim Humor, Nasrudin

This is a letter I sent to Sullivan, in response to some weird jingo, where he posited that Muslims have no sense of humor (mainly because he, a Oxbridge educated Pom didn't know of any). As usual, he did nothing with it. No follow up, nothing.

Sure there's Muslim humor. For example, see the stories of Nasrudin. My favorite, and I should emphasize I'm an Orthodox Rabbi and I find these stories capable of being universally applied to all clergy:

Ignore the Braying
A neighbor comes to Nasreddin Hoja.
"Would you lend me your donkey today, Hoja?" the neighbor asks, "I have goods to transport to the next town."
The Hoja answers: "I'm sorry, but I've already lent her to somebody else."
Suddenly the donkey is heard braying loudly behind a wall.
"You lied to me, Hoja!" the neighbor exclaims, "There is the donkey!"
"What do you mean?" the Hoja replies indignantly, "Whom would you rather believe, a donkey or your Hoja?"

All the best, JC

My wife knows not to start me on reading Nasrudin humor (which I discovered after reading reams of quote books and signature files in the early internet days. Great stuff Nasrudin. It shows that the Muslims who the rest of the world will most likely appreciate the most are the Sufis.

Pic from here. Backpost finished on 2009-11-29.