Thursday Movie Picks: Speech/Soliloquy/Monologue


When particularly good, a speech, soliloquy or monologue can make a film pretty damn memorable, and it's the case with today's Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Without further ado, I leave you with my picks. 

American History X (1998)

So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned – my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed off all the time. It’s just not worth it. Derek says it’s always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can’t top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you’d like.’We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.’

A Bronx Tale (1993)

Sonny and my father always said that when I get older I would understand. Well, I finally did. I learned something from these two men. I learned to give love and get love unconditionally. You just have to accept people for what they are, and I learned the greatest gift of all. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever. But you can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they’ll just tell you this is just another Bronx tale.

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

As you know, I’m quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating. Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book, not particularly well-drawn, but the mythology. The mythology is not only great, it’s unique. Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone.

Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S,” that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak, he’s unsure of himself, he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race. Sorta like Beatrix Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plympton…

You would’ve worn the costume of Arlene Plympton. But you were born Beatrix Kiddo. And every morning when you woke up, you’d still be Beatrix Kiddo.I’m calling you a killer. A natural born killer. You always have been, and you always will be. Moving to El Paso, working in a used record store, goin’ to the movies with Tommy, clipping coupons. That’s you, trying to disguise yourself as a worker bee. That’s you tryin’ to blend in with the hive. But you’re not a worker bee. You’re a renegade killer bee. And no matter how much beer you drank or barbecue you ate or how fat your ass got, nothing in the world would ever change that…

10 comments :

  1. I LOVE American History X, such a powerful film. I haven't seen A Bronx Tale, but I've seen KBV2.

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    1. It is indeed. Probably the most powerful film I've seen.

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  2. Love all three of these, but Kill Bill is my favorite.

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    1. American History X is my favourite of these three.

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  3. Ah, that monologue in Kill Bill. What a moment and certainly David Carradine's finest moment. A Bronx Tale is an awesome and underrated film.

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    1. I think I've seen him only here but he was great.

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  4. All of those are great speeches within great movies. That Superman speech from KB2 is one of my all-time faves. So glad it showed up this week.

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    1. It is! Whenever I think of Tarantino, that's the speech that comes to my mind.

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  5. I need to revisit American History X since I recall liking it although it was an intense film. I have not seen the other 2 films but so want to see Kill Bill as I like Tarantino.

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    1. I've seen American History X so many times as I love it but it is a very intense film. Kill Bill is really good and that speech, oh my god, it is amazing!

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