Great subtle moments in movies

[JuntMonkey]

[ QUOTE ]
Spinal Tap ... hard to pick just one, but if I had to it's this one: Nigel is playing his guitar by bowing it with a violin (not a bow, an entire violin). The guitar is making the expected raucous mess of feedback and noise, but he pauses as if something is not quite right ... and tunes the *violin*.

[/ QUOTE ]

Also from Spinal Tap, two moments from the conversation between the band manager and Fran Drescher. The manager (Ian) asks a direct question about whether or not the executives like the album cover. Drescher immediately answers "no", THEN Ian says "and you can give it to me straight" even though she just did give it to him straight.

The argument is getting heated and Drescher says "Money talks, bulls--t walks," and just on the very edge of the camera Ian scrunches up his face in surprise as if he's never heard the phrase before and has no idea what it means nor can he figure it out, but obviously they don't dwell on this for a second.

Skip this paragraph if you don't want Rocky Balboa sort-of spoilers. Balboa and Dixon are going at it like warriors, it's clearly become one of the best fights ever and we're in round 8 or 9. At one point a huge punch gets thrown and connects and it cuts to the announcers. Max Kellerman raises his eyebrows slightly and looks over at the other announcers in slow-motion. The 2-second shot says it all - "holy [censored], this fight was supposed to be a joke and it's become the greatest [censored] thing I've ever seen in my life."

Oh also, Dead Poets Society when the kids stand up on the desk.

[nath]

You know what movie had a bunch of neat, subtle things going on? Super Troopers.

[MicroBob]

[ QUOTE ]
The Big Lebowski

The Dude just finished talking with The Big Lebowski and is being walked out by Brent when The Dude first meets Bunny. She says "I'll suck your [censored] for 1000 dollars. Brent can't watch, or he has to pay 500".

Brent (Played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) laughs nerviously, and if you look closely his nostrils flare uncontrollably as if it's a nervous tick. THAT is subtle acting at it's finest.

[/ QUOTE ]



This strikes me as a genuine 'subtle moment' in a film.

Most of the others mentioned in this thread: Not so much.

[Toro]

[ QUOTE ]
"Surely you can't be serious."

[/ QUOTE ]

Airplane?

[Jay Riall]

Al Pacino's performances in Heat and Devil's Advocate.

[MicroBob]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Near the end of Glengarry Glen Ross, Jack Lemmon comes in all psyched and happy, saying "Put me on the Cadillac Board!" after making a big sale.

As Kevin Spacey tells him that the customers are flakes, you can actually see Lemmon deflate. He doesn't say anything, but he actually appears to shrink as the realization sets in.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a great example.

Jack Lemmon is so good at that moment, you can just see that his life is essentially over.

[/ QUOTE ]



I would have to see it again to be sure but Dids summed up my thoughts on this scene with:
"I'm pretty sure that obvious non-verbal acting isn't really that subtle."

Seriously...Jack Lemmon's character is all happy. He gets informed that his sale is likely no good. Jack Lemmon's charcater is now unhappy.
This does not strike me as particularly subtle.

[jtr]

Jack Lemmon is a god, anything he does must be subtle. But yes, I see your point, non-verbal acting can look pretty hammy when you stare at it for a while.

This is actually a tough question. Otnemem rightly points out that many people are naming favourite moments rather than subtle moments. At the risk of blurring the line again, I nominate the scene in "You Can Count On Me" when there's an exchange of glances between brother and sister Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney, and it's clear that they're referencing the film's title as something they used to say to each other as kids, but there's no use of the actual words. I thought that was pretty subtle.

[Cue DrewDevil to appear and tell me I suck at liking movies again, I guess.]

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This thread is baffling to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? Because some people have posted some favorite lines or scenes from Movies that aren't really subtle?

[/ QUOTE ]
??

Yes, that is why it's baffling to me. Like 60% of the replies in this thread aren't subtle at all. They're just "favorite scenes from movies."

[/ QUOTE ]

Almost every movie thread in OOT is like that. People just relate what they like, even if crappy, it's and more or less ignore the subject. And anything really recent is way over-represented.

It's pretty dopey, but I've learned to expect that going in, and just skim.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Near the end of Glengarry Glen Ross, Jack Lemmon comes in all psyched and happy, saying "Put me on the Cadillac Board!" after making a big sale.

As Kevin Spacey tells him that the customers are flakes, you can actually see Lemmon deflate. He doesn't say anything, but he actually appears to shrink as the realization sets in.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a great example.

Jack Lemmon is so good at that moment, you can just see that his life is essentially over.

[/ QUOTE ]



I would have to see it again to be sure but Dids summed up my thoughts on this scene with:
"I'm pretty sure that obvious non-verbal acting isn't really that subtle."

Seriously...Jack Lemmon's character is all happy. He gets informed that his sale is likely no good. Jack Lemmon's charcater is now unhappy.
This does not strike me as particularly subtle.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, but that doesn't detract from how good it is.

[Blarg]

The scene in Heat where Robert DeNiro, driving through a tunnel on the way to the airport, has a wordless argument with himself as to whether to kill Renfro(? think I got the name right) or go off with the girl and live happy ever after, the disciplined, sensible way he's been at great pains to think of himself his entire hard, lonely life. Does he have the integrity and control over his demons and his pride that he sees as the foundation of his character, or not? No words, just a few seconds. It's not easy to see how subtle but thorough it is the first time around. It just seems like a few decent but fairly unremarkable expressions in a great action flick. That there's actually much of a structure and story to it makes it a wonderfully powerful, compact performance.