Wanna see something really scary?

In the spirit of impending Halloween, Max of Lots of Co. links to two lists of the top ten scariest movie moments of all time (and there’s a longer 100-moment countdown here.) My own list would almost assuredly be topped by the Grady sisters from The Shining…Those two little British hellions were representing for Evil long before The Ring/Ringu‘s Samara ever got near a VCR. I also would include the Room 217/237 scene and even the opening moments – when the camera ominously follows the Torrances’ car winding through the mountains from a Cthulu’s eye view (spoofed so well in Treehouse of Horror VI.) In fact, when it comes to The Shining for me, it’s a bit like those Coors Light commercials: “I’m scared! Of bars open at all hours! Old corpse in the shower! Jack’s insane glower! And, and…and TWINS!”

Regarding other films, though, I think the first, pre-franchise Nightmare on Elm Street has some really frightening scenes — including the shots of Freddy stretching through the bedroom wall and walking with the impossibly long arms. The final scene of Carrie scarred me for years, the final scene of The Vanishing (Dutch version) gives me pause, the last moments of The Incredible Shrinking Man makes me wonder about it all, and the final scene of Prince of Darkness engenders a very uneasy feeling around mirrors. (John Carpenter’s The Thing is also a great scary/gory remake.) I thought the brief flashes of Captain Howdy in The Exorcist were pretty chilling, and of course there’s a number of awful moments in Alien, particularly involving Kane, Dallas, and Ash. The sequence in Twilight Zone: The Movie when the all-powerful kid banishes someone into cartoon world (and takes away his sister’s mouth) was so bizarre and unsettling that for years I’d thought I’d dreamt it. And I was extremely scared by Night of the Demon at a very early age (and to this day don’t take pieces of paper from strangers.)

Third Time’s the Charm.

First off, in LotR news, the soundtrack listing for RotK is now out, including song titles and performers (As rumored, Annie Lennox will be singing the Oscar song.) Spoilers for those who haven’t read the trilogy, and one film spoiler for those of you who didn’t read the 20-minute preview stuff last week. Also, AICN‘s posted a number of favorable Matrix: Revolution reviews over at his site. The upshot: “This movie delivers on the promise of the original film in a way ‘Matrix Reloaded’ didn’t.” That’s good news. By the way, if you go check out this link, you might want to skip over Harry’s comments (in purple). As is his wont, he annoyingly dropped what might be a HUGE RotK spoiler in his remarks, even for those of us who’ve read the books. (I for one am unsure of what he’s talking about.)

Brothers and Arms.

Dark Horizons and Dreams (a quality Terry Gilliam fansite) gets the first look at The Brothers Grimm (a.k.a. Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.) I for one am looking forward to seeing the inimitable Jonathan Pryce and the incomparable Monica Bellucci. Also in cinema news, for those of you who shared my confusion over the weekend’s Arthur pics, Clive Owen discusses the film, and why he’s apparently running around in legionnaire’s garb.

Second Thoughts.

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, generally a straight shooter (despite being on the wrong side of campaign finance), calls out Congress for abdicating to Dubya’s foreign policy. “We probably have given this president more flexibility, more latitude, more range, unquestioned, than any president since Franklin Roosevelt — probably too much. The Congress, in my opinion, really abrogated much of its responsibility.” Well said, Chuck…now when is your buddy John McCain going to say the same?

‘Toine Gone.

The NBA world is abuzz over the trading of Celtics PF Antoine Walker for Mavs C Raef La Frentz yesterday. While my Celts-fan friends are currently aghast, I actually think this not all that bad a trade for Boston. Yes, Walker is a much better player than La Frentz. Still, ‘Toine’s not the type of guy to lead you to the Finals…if anything, he’s more likely to shoot you out of the first round. The Celts are basically taking the hit now to rebuild a contender around Paul Pierce, and I think in the long run that makes sense. As for the Mavs, I know Walker’s an All-Star, but his weaknesses — soft D and undisciplined O — are the Mavs’ weaknesses. If I were them, I’d have looked for a more tenacious defender and rebounder…I like Danny Fortson, but frankly he ain’t gonna cut it in the West.

Iowa Stubborn.

Oh, there’s nothing halfway about the Iowa way to treat you when they treat you which they may not do at all. Wesley Clark and Joe Lieberman plan to skip the Iowa caucus in 2004…I’d say that’s a smart call for Clark (my thoughts on Lieberman are below), given how Iowa treated Bradley and McCain respectively last time around — Bradley came in second after Gore’s debate lie (actually penned by my roommate at the time), while McCain had the sense to stay out in the first place.

Say it Ain’t So.

Speaking of which, will Joe Lieberman take a page from his old campaign partner and run a scorched-earth primary campaign? While normally I’d say the more the merrier, this time I agree with Perlstein – “It could be considered comic, this abyss at the Lieberman grassroots. It could be, that is, if Lieberman showed any signs of going away.” Read the writing on the wall, Joe, and step aside.

Patriot Act?

As the WP delves into the leadership qualities of Wesley Clark, Rick Perlstein wonders aloud about the opportunities for leadership missed — or avoided — during the General’s war correspondent days. If Clark’s going to emerge from the Democratic primary, he really needs to develop an answer to his Iraq position that doesn’t sound evasive or needlessly complicated. He’s not there yet.

Season’s Change.

On the eve of the 2003-04 season, the NBA announces its upcoming realignment (the upshot is six divisions, with New Orleans relocated to the West to make room for the Charlotte Bobcats.) To my mind, the NBA can’t start soon enough…especially after Thursday’s baseball misery. Count me among the vast majority of Americans who (a) thinks Grady Little is an idiot (b) prefers this early Post editorial to all other ALCS post-mortems, and (c) will not be watching a Yankees-Marlins series.

A Line (and Figure) in the Sand.

By respective votes of 303-125 and 87-12, the Iraq funding bill passes the House and Senate. (In terms of the Dem contenders, Lieberman and Gephardt voted in favor of the bill, while Kerry, Kucinich, and Edwards did not.) So Dubya got his money this time…let’s hope it’s enough to get the job done. Perhaps it’s time for Congress to reconsider the Biden Amendment?