I watched the last Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles episode last week. There's a scene in this episode which captures my imagination something chronic. I've replayed it about 30 times now (heh heh).

[ SPOILERS, if you've not seen it yet ]

John has just met his dad in 7 (ish) year old form. We cut to FBI vehicles arriving at the borg's motel. Johnny Cash is reciting Revelation. His voice is so cool.

Then the guitar starts up, and the song begins. I've never heard it before, "When the Man Comes Around", but from the first I was blown away.

You have this amazing song using big and huge themes and poetry like you wouldn't believe. And you have this group of men and women running to their deaths.

Blood and chaos and fear and Johnny Cash singing about Armageddon.

Just amazing. I'm off to watch it again .


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There are heaps of different awesome pieces of story-telling. Some of my favourites are, the above obviously, but also:

- Raif in the dungeon. Death's discourse.
- Raif at Duff's.
- the Red Viper vs the Mountain.
- Braveheart, torture scene at the end, and then the final fight.
- Serenity, just about every scene .. Mal fighting the Operative with the woman's voiceover at the end. River standing with blood dripping from the axe. Beautiful and deadly grace, bound in Unearthly Purpose.
- Rand and the chaos that erupts at Dumai Wells.

Ahhh. There are so many good pieces of story-telling, I had more for this list. Druss fighting the Nadir at the end of Legend. Shadow walking through the blizzard, or hanging on the Tree in American Gods. Max coming across Zach imprisoned in Dark Angel.

To, there are moments in Romantic Comedy, like Friends or How I Met Your Mother, that burn emotion in. The first time Robin says "I love you" to Ted. Just about every Barney scene. Joey putting Chandler in the box, and what surrounds that. And other genres. I'll always remember Verbal walking away from the Police HQ in Usual Suspects, with his voiceover talking about Keyser Söze. Or the first time Harry kissed Ginny. Or Perrin sniffing out all the different elements at the start of A Crown of Swords. I'm straying back to fantasy . What about watching Jack and Rose at the front of the boat with that song playing? How about when you first watched the Sixth Sense and Bruce's hole came into view at the end? How about Fry walking away with Leela while the holophonor plays in the background, making the visual itself. Seeing Logan go at it in a bar cage in Canada, Rogue watching from the sidelines.

It was harder to think of those that were more than just good prose (ha, or whatever passes in the tv/film world). It was the moments where your heart catches. Tears might well. Emotion floods your veins.

They happen more easily in film I think, with it's guise of visual and audio input. But definitely there have been moments in books. More than I remember, I have a shocking memory.

Anyway,

WHAT PIECES OF STORY-TELLING DO YOU REMEMBER?

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Quote:

Death smiled as she withdrew. Kill an army for me, Raif Sevrance. Any less and I just might call you back.

Just before I start, Unguru, if you don't already listen to him, you absolutely have to listen to Leonard Cohen. Poetry in music - the man is absolute genius. Every song tells a story. And with a gravel voice that could whisper sweet nothings to me all day. Next time you are in the mood for some romance with you better half, poor her a glass of red wine and put on L Cohens "dance me to the end of love", or "closing time". Man, brings tears to my eyes just typing the titles.

Great moments of story telling - hell where to begin...There are so many amazingly talented people out there. Since I love old movies I start with 2 of my all time favourites.

Zulu - Before the zulu's arrive, the british soldiers can hear the beating of their 3000 strong army. A booming sound as they beat their shields with their asigars while they march on Rorke's Drift. The british cannot see them, they can only hear them as the sound bounces off the mountain ranges. At that moment you can feel the fear that they must have felt. A fabulous piece of history and an equally fabulous story.

The man who would be king - the execution scene of Daniel Dravot. I'm like "NOOOO - he doesn't deserve to die"

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Jack Sparrows opening scene going into port on the mast of his sinking boat. Absolute classic.

Magician - oh hell the WHOLE book!

Les Misérables (the musical) - Once again the whole thing, but especially the scene where Eponine dies in Marius arms while singing A Little Fall of Rain - she doesn't sing the last line, and thats when you know she has passed away. Creeps - crying again.

Oh man I could go on and on and on. So many brilliant people, so little time to type.
Thanks for the thread Unguru. Amazing when you stop and think about it.

Oh yeah - Serenity. Amazing. Anyone who hasn't seen it - watch it. If you have time, watch the whole Firefly series. Absolute classic.

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The names Diana, but you can call me Di.

Witchary:

Great stuff! Ha ha, Jack Sparrow. Man, each of the Pirate movies have some great story telling.

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Quote:

Death smiled as she withdrew. Kill an army for me, Raif Sevrance. Any less and I just might call you back.

Shawshank Redemption. Another amazing piece of story telling. Once again - just the whole thing. And yes Braveheart too. The final scene where he screams Freedom, and you see the token his wife gave him drop form his hand. Titanic - the love scene where you just see Rose's hand on the misted glass. Lucky wench!
I told you could go on and on some more!

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The names Diana, but you can call me Di.

Agh - I have to go do some work now, and all I want to do is type out brilliant scenes. Unguru what have you started?!

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The names Diana, but you can call me Di.

Ha ha. There are a lot of great pieces of storytelling. It's good to see what other people know. I'm pretty narrow in my experience.

krossmojination: Haven't heard of the Decemberists, again, not a wide experience .

Witchary: Shawshank was fantastic. Grit and sadness woven together. And .. well, redemption. Nice.

I've thought of a few more. We were talking today about Dark Angel. When that show came out, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Noone believes me, but I didn't watch it for Jessica Alba, although a good looking lead is cool. It was for the world. The characters. The togetherness that it displayed in plots and themes and mythos, at least in the first season.

Scenes like where Max is in the shower after going in "heat" and just weeping uncontrollably. Terrific emotive stuff.

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Quote:

Death smiled as she withdrew. Kill an army for me, Raif Sevrance. Any less and I just might call you back.

Don't worry Unguru. I loved Buffy and Angel which was why I watched Firefly - which turned out to be brilliant.
And Xena the warrior Princess - I thought that was excellent the way wove in her relationship with the old greek gods and such. My husband and I never owned a tv. But when we arrived in Oz, we bought one specifically to watch Xena.

Another great piece of story telling has to be Batman Begins. So well done. And the Xmen movies. Who doesn't what to either be Wolverine or be with Wolverine?

Just have to mention
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and The House of Flying Daggers. These have to be 2 of the most tragically beautiful stories to ever hit the big screen.

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The names Diana, but you can call me Di.

there are so many movies that I would defenatly recomend seeing if you like a good story , you guys have named a few already , but if u get the time and can find them they are in my opnion great watches some are probley best not seen by children but are still great stories . not in any order lol

Forrest Gump

Lawrence of Arabia

The Usual Suspects

Snatch

Rain Man

Ocean's 11

Catch me if you can

The Score

Man in the iron Mask

papillon

thats just a few that i personaly thought had good
stories

I forget which series it was, third I think - but during the final episode they weave in All Along The Watchtower in random moments, and as I was watching it I thought *I* was going mad, even as the storytelling began to draw it all together and the ending of that episode was absolutely perfect. Perfect in a way only Serenity and a couple of episodes of Doctor Who have been. The whole episode was so good I was dazed for a good half hour afterwards.

Tigana - Dianora diving into the sea to retrieve the ring, and then towards the end.

Prospero's Children - everything about this book is so wonderful I can't choose a single scene, but I can narrow it down to Fern breaking into Alison's room, Fern entering Atlantis, and then the ruination and the escape.

Fionavar Tapestry - Diarmuid, in The Darkest Road, at the end. And everything involving Jennifer's son. Everything, but the ending the most. Jennifer's son - I forget his name because I'm a twit - is so well done it hurts.

There's also a theme in Beowulf describing various things - swords and so on - as "eald enta geweorc". This is what inspired Tolkien's Ents - it means "the old works of giants". I learnt that phrase first, long before I decided to study Anglo-Saxon at uni, and it's always fired my imagination as it refers to old cultures and beings long gone, so ancient they're mythical, yet they leave buildings and artifacts behind that are strong and sometimes magical. Sometimes even mountains and rivers are Old Works Of Giants. It's not really storytelling, but it's a phrase that tells a story every time it's used in the poem and elsewhere by alluding to, say, a sword's mysterious and enchanted history, without needing any further detail.

Day of the Triffids. That opening chapter still gets my imagination going like nothing else - only various chunks of World War Z compare, but Wyndham's a much more solid writer. Also! The Chrysalids. Omg. I only ever read that book in one sitting, the entire thing is just imagination fodder.

The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter. There's a lot of it that I find makes my imagination leap, but most especially when Melanie's being taken around the empty Crystal Palace. It's described by a character as "the graveyard of a pleasure ground", which I always found a wonderfully gothic idea.

I have more, but this is enough to be getting on with I think!