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Some movies and TV series I’ve enjoyed over the years.
If you want to find out about a movie, try the
Internet Movie Database
or
Rotten Tomatoes for reviews.
For all the negatives that can be said about the movies, what can be said that is
positive of almost all movies is that they reflect, at a very fundamental level,
the longings of the soul: the longing that good triumph over evil, that truth wins
out, that the drama of life brings out the hero in us, that a good character in
the course of the drama grows better, wiser, more understanding, and that a bad
character, if not redeemed, is at least brought to justice, and that in the end
there is a happy ending, which is none other than a dim reflection, I think, of
our longing for heaven.
~ ~ Ken Gire, Windows of the Soul
The original Star Wars trilogy are still my favourite movies of all time ...
Yoda: Luke, when gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be.
Luke: I have a very bad feeling about this.
C3P0: Excuse me sir, but might I inquire as to what's going on?
Han: Why not ... [wanders off]
C3P0: Impossible man.
Leia: I love you.
Han: I know.
... and my favourite series is Stargate SG-1. Stargate Atlantis
eventually grew on me as well.
Jack: So what's your impression of Alar?
Teal'c: That he is concealing something.
Jack: Like what?
Teal'c: I am unsure. He is concealing it.
Daniel: I was speaking metaphorically.
Jack: Well, stop it. It's not fair to Teal'c.
Hanno: You have made a compelling argument that this Jaffa's more
recent and continuing good should somehow negate his past evil. I have but
one final question. Can his recent actions, or any future actions, return
my father from the dead?
Daniel: No, no, of course not.
Hanno: Then clearly no amount of good in the present can erase what
he has done in the past. Jaffa, you are guilty of killing my father.
Tomorrow, at mid-day, you will die by your own weapon.
[later] ...
Hanno: You would save those who wish to kill you?
Teal'c: I would save those who deserve to live.
Hanno: I have made a mistake. My memory was faulty. You are not
the same man as he who murdered my father.
Teal'c: I am the one.
Hanno: No. That Jaffa is dead.
Daniel: Think about the people down there and all the life forms you
would be destroying.
Lotan: I am programmed to serve the life on this ship.
Daniel: You say that were an advanced civilisation, ten thousand years
of history? They had laws, justice? A respect for life?
Lotan: Yes.
Daniel: Then how can that world be recreated through an act of mass
murder? Wouldn't that be a betrayal of everything they stood for?
You said you were made to communicate. You're not here simply to serve
life on this ship, you're here to protect the integrity of life on this ship.
There's a big difference. Are you really fulfilling your true function by
allowing this to happen?
Star Trek: The Original Series and The Next Generation were fun.
I especially liked Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Spock: You came back for me.
Kirk: You would have done the same for me.
Spock: Why would you do this?
Kirk: Because the needs of the one ... outweigh the needs of the many.
Kirk [to Gillian]: You're not exactly catching us at our best.
Spock: That much is certain.
Computer: How do you feel? [Spock is silent] How do you feel?
How do you feel?
Spock: I do not understand the question.
Amanda: What is it, Spock?
Spock: I do not understand the question.
Amanda: You're half human. The computer knows that.
Spock: The question is irrelevant.
[later] ...
Sarek: Do you have a message for your mother?
Spock: Yes. Tell her ... I feel fine.
I grew up with Doctor Who. The fourth doctor (Tom Baker) impacted me the most.
Sarah: You're being childish!
Doctor: Well, of course I'm being childish! There's no point being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes.
Cyber leader: You have affection for this woman?
Doctor: She's a friend.
Cyber leader: And you do not consider friendship a weakness?
Doctor: I do not.
Cyber leader: Kill her.
Doctor: No!
Cyber leader: Such a reaction is not a disadvantage?
Doctor: No.
Cyber leader: You are mistaken. I now have control over you, Doctor.
All I need do is threaten the woman's death for you to obey me.
Blakes Seven is a British science fiction series from the eighties. I loved it.
Orac: Similarities between myself and Ensor are entirely superficial. My mental capacity is infinitely greater.
Jenna: Modest, isn't he?
Orac: Modesty would be dishonesty.
Vila: What's wrong with being dishonest?
Orac: Is that a question?
Vila: Yes.
Orac: The question is futile.
Caliph: Where is Orac?
Tarrant: If he's not on the ship, I don't know where he is.
Caliph: How tall is he? [Tarrant gestures] A dwarf?
Tarrant: We never think of him as one.
Caliph: What is the colour of his hair?
Tarrant: He hasn't got any. A bald dwarf shouldn't be too hard to find.
Another British series was Red Dwarf, which had very funny script writing. It also got a bit philosophical sometimes.
Holly: Rude alert! Rude alert! An electrical fire has knocked out my
voice recognition unicycle. Many Wurlitzers are missing from my database.
Abandon shop. This is not a daffodil! Repeat - this is not a daffodil!
Rimmer: Well thankfully Holly's unaffected.
Rimmer: Now, this three-dimensional sculpture in particular is quite
exquisite. Its simplicity, its bold, stark lines. Pray, what do you call it?
Legion: The light switch.
Rimmer: The light switch?
Legion: Yes.
Rimmer: I couldn't buy it then?
Legion: Not really. I need it to turn the lights on and off.
Inquisitor: The inquisition is over.
I have reached my verdict. Two of you have failed to become that which
you might so easily have been. You have lived without merit,
and so not lived at all.
[Rimmer and the cat disappear]
Lister: You scum! You've wiped them out! He's crazy, Kryten.
He's erased the Cat and Rimmer.
Inquisitor: They are quite safe.
Kryten: Sir, I'm afraid it is we who are to be erased.
Lister: Ah. The Cat has lead a more worthwhile life than either
of us?
Inquisitor: He is a shallow and selfish creature,
as is the hologram. By their own low standards they have acquitted
themselves. Whereas you and the mechanoid could have been so much more.
The Hitchhikers’s Guide to the Galaxy was a very good adaptation of the book.
Narrator:
In those days, spirits were brave. The stakes were
high. Men were real men, women were real women, and
small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real
small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.
[Ford offers Arthur a small yellow fish]
Arthur: What do you expect me to do with that?
Ford: Stick it in your ear.
Arthur: What??
Slartibartfast: What is your name, human?
Arthur: Dent. Arthur Dent.
Slartibartfast: Late? As in the late Dent Arthur Dent?
It's a sort of threat, you see. I've never been terribly good at them
myself, but I'm told they can be terribly effective.
The Tripods series always made you want to see the next episode straight away.
Ozymandias: There is no land in this whole world without Tripods. But there is a place where men are free, waiting for sufficient numbers and power to rid the world of Tripods.
Will: Where is this place?
Ozymandias: We call it the White Mountain.
TRON really caught my imagination as a kid.
I didn’t get into TRON: Legacy, though.
Flynn: Who's that guy?
Program: That's Tron. He fights for the Users.
Flynn: Positive and negative, huh? You're a "bit".
Bit: Yes.
Flynn: Well, where's your program? Isn't he going to miss you?
Bit: No.
Flynn: I'm your program?
Bit: Yes.
Flynn: Great, another mouth to feed.
Bit: Yes yes yes yes yes!
I love the humour in Men in Black.
Jay: Tee, when was the last time we just looked at the stars?
Tee: This is a test. I can do this.
Jay: Ever feel like you're alone in the universe?
Tee: [confidently] Yes. [just as confidently] No.
Beatrice: You here to make fun of me too?
Kay: No, ma'am. We at the FBI do not have a sense of humor we're aware of.
Kay: You have a planet to save.
Laura: You're mistaken. I work at a pizzeria.
Kay: Two days ago, I was running a post office. You are who you are.
...
Kay: When you get sad, it rains.
Laura: Lots of people get sad when it rains.
Kay: It rains because you're sad, baby.
Laura: It's not fair.
Kay: Never is. We are who we are ... even if we sometimes forget.
The Back to the Future trilogy was really well done.
Marty: Whoa. This is heavy.
Dr Brown: There's that word again: "heavy". Why are things so
heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?
Dr Brown: No wonder this circuit failed. It says "Made in Japan".
Marty: What do you mean, Doc? All the best stuff is made in Japan.
Dr Brown: Unbelievable.
Deputy: Buford Tannen, you're under arrest for robbing the Pine City Stage! You got anything to say?
Tannen: [spitting] I hate manure.
X-Men has lots of interesting characters.
Charles: You'll be safe here from Magneto.
Wolverine: What's a Magneto?
Charles: A very powerful mutant. He believes that a war is brewing between mutants and the rest of humanity. I've been following his activities for some time. The man who attacked you is an associate of his called Sabertooth.
Wolverine: Sabertooth ... Storm ... what do they call you, "Wheels"?
Charles: Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn't
mean they're lost forever. Sometimes we all need a little help.
Guardians of the Galaxy grew on me! I like the style of humour. And Groot. Everyone likes Groot.
Groot: I am Groot.
Drax: Do not ever call me a Thesaurus.
Peter: It’s just a metaphor dude.
Rocket: His people are completely literal. Metaphors are going to go over his head.
Drax: Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it!
The Fifth Element has plenty of humour and a logical, rapidly changing plot – and some romance.
Korben: Listen to me! Listen! I know you're very tired. I'll take
you on vacation when we're done. I swear - a real vacation, just you and me.
But listen to me, if you don't do something right now, we're all going to die.
You understand?
Leeloo: What's the use of saving life
when you see what you do with it?
Korben: Leeloo, you're right. But there are some very nice things,
some beautiful things worth saving. Beautiful things!
Leeloo: Like love?
Korben: Yes, love - that's good, that's a good example.
Love is worth saving.
Leeloo: I don't know love. I was built to protect, not to love.
There is no use for me other than this.
Korben: No, you're wrong! I need you. I need you very much.
Leeloo: Why?
Korben: Because ... because ...
Cornelius: Tell her, Korben.
The Bill & Ted movies are really silly – which is why they appeal to me.
Bill [reading textbook]: "The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing".
Ted: That's us, dude!
Bill: Dude!
Ted: What?
Bill: Hell sucks!
I still have a soft spot for 80s kids movies like D.A.R.Y.L.,
Flight of the Navigator and The Last Starfighter.
Dr Stewart: What made you change the way you were playing after Turtle
talked to you that day?
DARYL: I interpreted the data to indicate that under certain
conditions, error was more efficient than maximum performance.
Max: Awaiting final vectors.
David: Vectors? I don't have any vectors, I'm just a kid.
Max: That is obvious, but your brain has been programmed
with all appropriate star charts.
David: You mean, that's why my brain has been
coming up with all that stuff?
Max: Yes. You are the Navigator.
Grig: I live below ground with my wifeoid and six thousand little
griglings. At least, until Xur turns them into slaves. Where does your
kind live?
Alex: Oh, uh, houses, mostly. That's caves above ground. See, here.
Here's my family. That's my folks and my brother Louis ... and that's
Maggie. We live in a mobile home. That's a cave that ... that goes places.
Only we never went anyplace.
Grig: A mobile cave that never went anywhere. Fascinating.
I liked the idea of a stranded alien having to learn all about earth in Starman.
Jenny: Guns make me a little bit jumpy.
Starman: Define, "little bit jumpy".
Jenny: [holds her thumb near her finger] That's a little bit.
And jumpy's like nervous, afraid.
...
Starman: I look like Scott.
Jenny: Yeah, you do.
Starman: I look like Scott so you do not be "little bit jumpy".
Paycheck and The Thirteenth Floor had some surprises.
Jane: Mr. Jennings, you forfeited your shares.
Michael: I beg your pardon? What?
Jane: Yeah, uh, here. Dated four weeks ago. You
surrendered the shares and stated to deliver only the envelope with
personals. Don't you remember doing that, sir?
Douglass: These people are real. They are as real as you and me.
Jason: Yeah, that's because we designed them that way, Doug.
But in the end, they're just a bunch of electronic circuits.
The ideas in Bladerunner struck me (AI, humanity, existence ...) but it is quite a dark movie really.
Batty: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe ... Attack ships
on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark
near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time,
like tears in rain. Time ... to die.
Deckard [voiceover]: I don't know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments
he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life, anybody's
life, my life. All he'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us want.
Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got?
I’ve enjoyed the Marvel movies, especially Thor.
Thor: All the answers you seek will be yours, once I reclaim Mjolnir.
Darcy: Mieu mieu? What's mieu mieu?
Stark: Thank you for saving me.
Yinsen: Don't waste it ... don't waste your life, Stark.
Abraham: The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good
becomes great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because
the strong man who has known power all his life, may lose respect for
that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion.
Steve: Thanks. I think.
Abraham: Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing.
That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.
Loki: I mean to rule them. And why should I not?
Thor: You think yourself above them?
Loki: Well, yes.
Thor: Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother. A throne would
suit you ill.
It was a surprise to see John Travolta as an alien in Battlefield Earth.
Prisoner: This is the masters' language.
Jonnie: No, no, this is mathematics, the unifying language of the entire universe.
The Sixth Day has some interesting ideas about identity.
Michael: I'm gonna give you the greatest gift that you could possibly
imagine.
Griffin: A gift?
Michael: I'm gonna save your life. I'm gonna save Katherine.
I'm gonna save our friendship. And I'm gonna save your marriage.
Griffin: Michael, what are you talking about?
Michael: I'm going to kill you now. And then I'm going to clone you
using your latest simcording.
Galaxy Quest is a very funny SF parody. Dark Star is an older
(and weirder) parody.
Tommy: Go for the throat or something - its vulnerable spots.
Jason: It's a rock. It doesn't have any vulnerable spots!
Guy: I know - you construct a weapon. Look around you ... can you form some sort of rudimentary lathe?
Bolier: What's Talby's first name?
Doolittle: [pauses] What's my first name?
Commander Powell: Talk to the bomb. You have to talk to it, Doolittle.
Teach it Phenomenology.
Metropolis is a very early Science Fiction movie. I love the
modern sound track by Giorgio Moroder.
Intro:
The year is 2026, a Dickensian "best of times, worst of times",
where total oppression and manipulation of the masses is weilded by
the unquestionable power of the few.
Far below the City of Metropolis is the Underground City where
machines are operated by the workers who live even further below.
Day after day, in mechanical routine, they are forced to the limits
of human endurance.
Rotwang: I have re-created her! At last, my life's work is complete.
The robot is almost perfect. All it is missing is a soul!
Frederson: You're mistaken! It is better without one.
Some other old SF movies I like are The Time Machine,
Forbidden Planet and The Day The Earth Stood Still.
Filby:
This is where the time machine originally stood.
But the Morlocks moved it. They dragged it across the lawn right into
the sphinx ... right here.
And Weena was standing there when he last saw her ... the same space
in a different time.
Ostrow: But the Krell forgot one thing.
Adams: Yes, what?
Ostrow: Monsters, John. Monsters from the Id.
Klaatu: I'm worried about Gort. I'm afraid of what he might do
if anything should happen to me.
Helen: Gort? But he's a robot. I mean ... without you, what could he do?
Klaatu: There's no limit to what he could do. He could destroy
the Earth. If anything should happen to me, you must go to Gort.
You must give him this message: "Klaatu barada nikto".
I saw 7 Faces of Dr Lao growing up. What you see as a kid tends to stick with you.
Dr Lao: My specialty, however, is wisdom. Do you know what wisdom is?
Mike: No, sir.
Dr Lao: Wise answer.
Ed: Hey! How come you speak perfect English all of a sudden?
Dr Lao: Oh, it comes and goes. Whatever dialect the mood requires.
Ed: Oh, it just comes and goes?
Dr Lao: Whassa matta you? Alla time asking silly questions! Wise guy!
Princess Bride was funny and well written. It came out soon after another
fantasy adventure, Ladyhawke.
Vizzini: He didn't fall? Inconceivable!
Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means
what you think it means.
Westley: A few more steps and we'll be safe in the fire swamp.
Buttercup: We'll never survive.
Westley: Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has.
Imperius:
By day, Isabeau is the beautiful bird you brought to me.
And by night, as you have already guessed, the voice of the wolf that we hear
is the cry of Navarre. Poor dumb creatures, with no memory of the half-life
of their human existence, never touching in the flesh.
Only the anguish of a split
second at sunrise and sunset,
when they can almost touch ... but not.
Imperius: Thank you for trying, Phillipe, and standing up for the truth.
Philippe: I should have known better; every happy moment in my life
has come from lying.
The Neverending Story is definitely aimed at kids, but I don’t mind
watching it again.
Sebastian: What is that?
Childlike Empress: One grain of sand. It is all that remains of
my vast empire.
The Dark Crystal was another fantasy adventure, using lots of puppets.
Chamberlain: MmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMmmmm!
Skeksis scientist: You're next, little podling! This won't hurt.
We just want to drain your living essence.
Then you can be the same as the other podlings here ... a slave.
Sean Connery made an excellent dragon in Dragonheart.
Bowen: I think I've found you a name ...
Do you see that group of stars? ...
They call it "Draco". It means "dragon" in the scholars' speech.
Draco: So instead of calling me "Dragon" in your tongue,
you'll call me "Dragon" in some other tongue.
Bowen: You're right. It's silly.
Draco: No. No, I would be honored to be named after those stars.
Stardust is a great fantasy movie with some touching romance (I love the
“glowing” concept).
Yvaine: What I'm trying to say, Tristan is ... I think I love you.
Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart ...
it feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape
because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you
wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no gifts. No goods.
No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too.
Just your heart, in exchange for mine.
Tristan: Did you really mean what you said in the caravan?
Yvaine: What I ...? But ... you were a mouse! You were a mouse ...
you wanted cheese! You didn't ... I asked you to give me a sign!
Tristan: And risk you being too embarrassed to keep saying such
lovely things? [kisses her forehead]
You want to know what the Captain really whispered to me that day?
He told me that my true love ... [Yvaine starts to glow]
... was right in front of my eyes. And he was right.
The Lord of the Rings was a bit dark, but the filming was amazing
(I prefer the book of The Hobbit to the films, though).
Frodo: It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance.
Gandalf: Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live
deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?
Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgment. Even the very wise cannot
see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet,
for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate
of many.
Gandalf: Hearken to me! I release you from the spell.
Theoden: [laughs] You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey.
Gandalf: [revealing white robes] I will draw you, Sarauman, as poison is drawn from a wound.
Theoden: If I go, Theoden dies!
Gandalf: You did not kill me. You will not kill him.
Theoden: Rohan is mine!
Gandalf: Begone!
Theoden [coming to himself]: I know your face. Eowyn ... Eowyn. [turning] Gandalf ...?
Gandalf: Breathe the free air again, my friend.
[Frodo and the hobbits bow]
King Aragorn: My friends - you bow to no one.
[Aragorn and all the people bow to the hobbits]
Pirates of the Caribbean was fun to watch. Johnny Depp makes a great pirate.
Davey Jones: I wonder, Sparrow, can you live with this? Can you condemn an innocent man, a friend, to a lifetime of servitude in your name while you roam free?
Jack [after a brief pause]: Yep, I'm good with it.
Jack: It's funny what a man will do to forestall his final judgment.
Ragetti: I ain't stealin' no ship.
Pintel: It ain't stealin'. It's salvagin'! And since when did you care?
Ragetti: Since we're not immortal no more. We gotta take care of our
immortal souls.
Jack: For all that pirates are clever clogs, we are an unimaginative lot
when it comes to naming things. I once sailed with a geezer who lost
both his arms and part of his eye.
Gibbs: What did you call him?
Jack: Larry.
The Narnia series was well made, and represented the books quite well.
White Witch: You know, Aslan, I'm a little disappointed in you.
Did you honestly think by all this that you could save the human traitor?
You are giving me your life and saving no one. So much for love.
Tonight, the Deep Magic will be appeased, but tomorrow, we will take
Narnia forever! In that knowledge, despair ... and die!
Aslan: If the Witch knew the true meaning of sacrifice, she
might have interpreted the deep magic differently. That when a willing
victim who has committed no treachery, is killed in a traitor's stead,
the stone table will crack, and even death itself would turn backwards.
Aslan: In your world, I have another name. You must learn to know
me by it. That was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia,
that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.
The Prince of Persia had great character development, action and romance.
King Sharaman: A good man would've done as you did, Dastan.
Acting boldly and courageously to bring the victory and spare lives.
A great man would've stopped the attack from happening at all.
A great man would've stopped what he knew to be wrong, no matter who
was ordering it. The boy I saw in that square was capable of being
more than just good, but of being ... great.
Dustan: Hello, princess. It's a customary to accompany a proposal
with gifts but, uh ... I was surprised and I'm unprepared. I've nothing
for you, save ... that which is already yours.
Eragon was a bit too dark in spots, but I like the relationship between dragon and
rider. The books are interesting.
Eragon: I didn't ask for any of this!
Brom: But you were chosen, nevertheless. A dragon will only hatch if it feels the presence of its Rider. It'll wait forever if it has to, but now it's found you. It'll serve you and only you, and that's put your life in danger.
I don’t like the graphic bits in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I like the
adventure.
Sallah: Indy, why does the floor move?
Indiana: Give me your torch.
[drops the torch, revealing hundreds of snakes]
Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?
Indiana: He's got a two day head start on you, which is more than he
needs. Brody's got friends in every town and village from here to the Sudan,
he speaks a dozen languages, knows every local custom - he'll blend in,
disappear, you'll never see him again. With any luck, he's got the grail
already.
[cut to Brody sticking out like a sore thumb]
Brody: Uh, does anyone here speak English?
I enjoyed Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile when they came out in
the eighties.
Jack: What did you do, wake up this morning and say, "Today, I'm going to ruin a man's life"?
My favourite western is A Fistful of Dollars. I also like
The Magnificent Seven.
Man: How may we thank you for what you are doing?
Joe: Don't try. Just get going before the Rojos get here.
Marisol: Why do you do this for us?
Joe: Why? I knew someone like you once. There was no one to there
to help. Now get moving. Get out of here!
Britt: Nobody throws me my own guns and says run. Nobody.
The Karate Kid 1 & 2 were very inspirational. Everyone knew the phrase,
“Wax on, wax off” after these.
Miyagi: Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don't forget to breathe, very important.
[voice fading] Wax on, wax off. Wax on, wax off ...
Miyagi: Deep in heart, Sato still know right from wrong.
Daniel: Then why does he still want to kill you?
Miyagi: Because sometimes, what heart know, head forget.
I liked having a total good guy as a super hero in Superman.
Clark: Lois, there's something I have to tell you. I'm really ...
[voice changes]
I mean I was, at first, really nervous about tonight ... but then I
decided, gosh darn it, I'm gonna show you the time of your life!
Lois [distracted after meeting Superman]: That's Clark, nice.
Zod: This "super man" is nothing of the kind; I've discovered his
weakness. He cares. He actually cares for these Earth people.
Ursa: Like pets?
Zod: I suppose.
Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones were just right for The Fugutive.
Kimble: I didn't kill my wife.
Gerard: I don't care!
The Truman Show was a bit of a surprise.
Mike: Why do you think that Truman has never come close to discovering the true nature of his world until now?
Christof: We accept the reality of the world with which we're presented. It's as simple as that.
Peter Sellers made the original Pink Panther movies extremely silly (which is a good thing). He was also in Murder by Death.
Jacques Clouseau: I see you are familiar with the falling-down-on-the-floor ploy.
Sidney Wang [finding nobody in the room]: Room filled with empty people.
Sleeper was very bizarre, with some hilarious moments. Very crude in spots, though.
Dr Melik: Miles, have you ever taken a serious political stand on anything?
Miles: Yeah, sure. For twenty four hours once I refused to eat grapes.
Dr Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or hot fudge?
Dr Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy ... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
Dr Melik: Incredible.
I loved Groundhog Day. Bill Murray was also good in The Man Who
Knew Too Little.
Psychiatrist [nervously]: That's an unusual problem, Mr. Connors. Uh, Most of my work is with couples, families. I have an alcoholic now.
Phil: Well, you went to college, right? I mean, it wasn't veterinary psychology, was it? Didn't you take some kind of course that covered this stuff?
Psychiatrist [clutching pillow]: Yeah, sort of, I guess. Uh, abnormal psychology.
Rita [throwing cards into a hat]: It would take me a year to get good at this.
Phil: Six months. Four to five hours a day, and you'd be an expert.
Rita: Is this what you do with eternity?
Phil: Now you know. That's not the worst part.
Rita: What's the worst part?
Phil: The worst part is that tomorrow you will have forgotten all
about this, and you'll treat me like a jerk again. It's all right. I am a jerk.
Mel Brooks movies like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein
and Spaceballs are full of funny quotes. They get a bit crude in
places, though.
Gabby Johnson: I was born here, an I was raised here, and dad gum it, I am gonna die here, an no sidewindin' bushwackin', hornswagglin' cracker croaker is gonna rouin me bishen cutter.
Olson Johnson: Now who can argue with that? I think we're all indebted to Gabby Johnson for clearly stating what needed to be said. I'm particulary glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.
Dr Frankenstein [seeing violin]: Well, this explains the music.
Igor [touching violin]: It's still warm.
Captain: These are not them! You've captured their stunt
doubles!
I grew up on British comedies like The Goodies and Kenny Everett
and Not The 9 O’Clock News.
Still very funny, though some is too crude for me now.
Graeme [sniffing bottle]: The characteristic smell of bitter almonds ...
Bill: Isn't that cyanide?
Graeme: Precisely. This arsenic has been poisoned!
Voice over: Captain Kremmen - the world's most fabulous man.
Captain Kremmen: Hi kids. Welcome to episode 2, series 5, volume 9,
part 6, book 1.
Customer in post office: Two twelves, please.
Attendant [opening large book]: Ah ... twenty four.
Customer: Ta. [walks out]
Colonel Made Mike:
On a hazardous mission like this, body hair is both unsightly and
dangerous. So let's leave our eyebrows behind this time, shall we?
Dave Allen and The Two Ronnies were also around ...
Fawlty Towers could be too excuciating to watch sometimes.
Dave Allen: I suppose Ireland is the best place in the world for directions. People will say to you, "I wouldn't start from here if I were you."
Ronnie Barker: Here is a message from the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Accidents. Since most accidents occur in the home, they
advise you to move.
Guest: Could you make me a Waldorf Salad?
Basil Fawlty: Well, I think we're just out of Waldorfs.
Every so often I watch sitcoms like Becker and Cheers.
Margaret: Do you know how egotistical it is to think that the entire universe revolves around what happens to John Becker?
Becker: Yeah, I know. I don't get that part either.
I like watching Big Bang Theory with my mum (it’s just not the same alone!).
Sheldon: I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested.
Amy: If your friends are unconvincing, this year's donations might
go to, say, the Geology department.
Sheldon: Oh no. Not the dirt people!
Amy: Or, worse still, it could go to the liberal arts.
Sheldon: No!
Amy: Millions of dollars being showered on poets, literary theorists
and students of gender studies.
Sheldon: Oh, the humanities!
Over the years my mum and I have also watched Castle, Person of Interest,
The Mentalist ...
Beckett: Castle, it's accompany and observe, not participate and annoy. Got it?
Castle: Participate and annoy is a lot more fun, but all right.
Harold [to the machine]:
One day I'll be gone and you'll have no-one else to talk to.
But if you remember nothing else, please remember this: chess is just a game.
Real people aren't "pieces". You can't assign more value to
some of them than to others ...
People are not a thing that you can sacrifice.
Jane: You're a terrible liar. Good, honest people are always bad liars.
Lisbon: Which makes you what?
... Elementary, Burn Notice,
Lie to Me and Forever.
Watson: How do you deal with cases not working out the way you
want them to?
Sherlock: The only promise a puzzle makes is an answer. Liking the
answer doesn't factor in; in our line of work, it mustn't.
Fiona [in a letter]: Even before I knew your real name, I loved you.
Before I should have, I trusted you. Because I've always known your
heart. You do what's right, no matter the cost to you. And I've learned
that when you love a spy, you have to be willing to make that sacrifice too.
At times, your job has made it hard to be with you, but it's never
shaken my faith in you. I can't let you ruin anyone's life to save mine.
Kevin Warren: My men need engineers and rescue workers, not a couple
of freakshow shrinks pointing fingers.
Cal Lightman: She's the shrink, I'm the freakshow. I'm sorry.
We normally wear labels.
Limitless is another interesting show we watch together.
Rebecca [to Sands, in Brian's imagination]: We should also address
the fact that you are in a clandestine relationship with Brian.
I'm guessing you give him immunity to NZT's side effects and he
tells you what we're up to?
Sands: That is so not true!
My mum is also fond of MacGyver, which we watched together for a while ...
MacGyver: A paperclip can be a wondrous thing. More times than I
can remember, one of these has gotten me out of a tight spot.
... as well as the Jeremy Brett version of Sherlock Holmes, which was very well done.
Sherlock: This is a trifle of course, Watson. But there's nothing so
important as trifles.
Annie: You suspect someone?
Sherlock: I suspect ... myself.
Annie: What?
Sherlock: Of coming to conclusions too rapidly.
Sherlock: What a lovely thing a rose is. There is nothing in which
deduction is so necessary as in religion. It can be built up as an exact
science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence
seems to me to rest in the flowers. It is only goodness which gives extras,
and so I say again we have much to hope for from the flowers.
The Adventures of Merlin and Once Upon a Time have also been good.
Lancelot: You know Merlin, you're the one Arthur should knight.
You're the bravest of them all and he doesn't even know it.
Arthur: Yesterday, amongst all your gibberish, you said something that,
if I didn't know you, I'd be completely fooled into thinking you were ...
Merlin: What?
Arthur: Wise.
Merlin: Nah.
Mr Gold: And now you must leave.
Belle: What?
Mr Gold: You must leave because despite what you think,
I'm still a monster.
Belle: Don't you see? That's exactly the reason I have to stay.
Mr Gold: I know that you're confused about who you are. So I'm going
to tell you. You are a hero who helped your people. You're a beautiful
woman who loved an ugly man. Really, really loved me. You find goodness
in others. And when it's not there, you create it. You make me want
to go back. Back to the best version of me. And that never happened
before. So when you look in the mirror and you don't know who you are,
that's who you are. Thank you, Belle.
I came across a modern version of Flash Gordon – it got better as the series went along.
Rankol: Flash Gordon had his chance to escape to safety, and yet he returned.
His fate is bound to ours in some way.
Aura: Will I ever see you again?
Flash: Don't take this the wrong way, Aura, but I really hope not!
Eureka (a town full of geniuses) has been OK.
Jack: Captain Yuri has me going through Eureka's entire library of
disaster plans. I mean, tsunami, missile attack ... genetically modified,
super-intelligent ferret infestation.
Joe: Cool.
Jack: I should be able to handle a mindless eating machine.
Allison [very pregnant]: You looked at me again.
Jack: Oh, no. The ... No, no, I was ... [lamely]
You're ... pretty.
Jack [restraining himself]: Don't ... touch ... the pretty metal
canisters.
Looney Tunes cartoons were fun to watch as a kid, especially Coyote’s gadgets in Road Runner.
Coyote: Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wile E. Coyote,
genius. I am not selling anything nor am I working my way through college.
So let's get down to cases. You are a rabbit, and I am going to eat you
for supper. Now don't try to get away. I am more muscular, more cunning,
faster and larger than you are, and ... I am a genius.
I watched Astro Boy growing up and revisited it a few years ago.
Sometimes I like animated movies. Despicable Me was very good.
Gru: Assemble the minions!
How to Train Your Dragon and the following series were well done.
Hiccup [about dragons]: Everything we know about you guys is wrong.
Hiccup: Why couldn't I have killed that dragon when I found him in
the woods? Would've been better, for everyone ...
Astrid: Yep. The rest of us would have done it. So why didn't you?
...
Hiccup: Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?
Astrid: Because I want to remember what you say, right now.
Inside Out and Zootopia were a lot of fun, with some helpful
messages for kids.
Disgust [after Riley rejects broccoli]: Well, I just saved our lives. Yeah, you're welcome.
Judy: I came here to make the world a better place, but I think I broke it.
Chief: The world has always been broken.
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Questions or comments to:
davidfisher@australiaonline.net.au