Aliens, 1986
As recommended by organs1955 and Kaitain
James Cameron’s sequel is even more quotable than the first film in the franchise, featuring as it does both witty one-liners (“Hey, Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?” “No. Have you?”) and the unforgettable (“Game over, man! Game over!”). The latter, reveals Kaitain, “wasn’t in the script. Bill Paxton improvised that. Cameron liked it and left it in”.
When Harry Met Sally, 1989
As recommended by Algo23
Nora Ephron’s beautifully funny take on the difference between platonic and sexual relationships is full of quotes that don’t obey the law of diminishing returns. There is the classic one-liner (“I’ll have what she’s having”), the romantic proposition (“It’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because its New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible”) and, as Algo23 recalls, the surreal. “I had my dream again where I’m making love,” says Billy Crystal’s Harry, “and the Olympic judges are watching. I’d nailed the compulsories, so this is it, the finals. I got a 9.8 from the Canadians, a perfect 10 from the Americans, and my mother, disguised as an East German judge, gave me a 5.6. Must have been the dismount.”
Dirty Harry, 1971
As recommended by cougar2 and antonyob
Clint Eastwood’s gun-toting police inspector Harry Callahan became an instant icon, thanks to lines such as: “When a naked man is chasing a woman through a dark alley with a butcher knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn’t out collecting for the Red Cross.” Then there’s the classic, though often misquoted: “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”, which features in the American Film Institute’s top 100 movie quotes. To Antonyb, “pretty much every line in Dirty Harry is a stonewall classic”.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, 2004
As recommended and by Jmassive and miranda07
Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s belly laugh-inducing satire about a news anchor, his dog, Baxter, and his fight to be the best broadcaster in the world is fondly remembered for its off-the-wall humour. Miranda07’s favourite line is: “I will take your mother, Dorothy Mantooth, out for a nice seafood dinner and never call her again!” Other classics include: “Milk was a bad choice!”, “I’m kind of a big deal” and “I love lamp”.
RoboCop, 1987
As recommended by tinyismynewt and DrGiggles
Directed by Paul Verhoeven, this sci-fi crime-busting action favourite is fondly regarded by many for lines such as “Your move, creep” to the instant catchphrase: “I’d buy that for a dollar”. But while the original, says thisismynewt, was “brilliantly subversive”, this year’s remake was instantly forgettable.
Back to the Future, 1985
As recommended by mattk81 and Andrew Gilbert
Marty McFly and Doc Brown’s journey through time in a DeLorean is a cult classic. It, after all, is responsible for people saying “where we’re going, we don’t need roads”, and using mock threats such as “Why don’t you make like a tree and get outta here.”
Die Hard, 1988
As recommended by Electra2510 and notlobdivad
Who can forget Bruce Willis’s detective John McClane crawling through air vents, in a blood-spattered vest, quipping: “Now I know what a TV dinner feels like”? While the catchphrase “Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker” is most people’s favourite, Electra2510 argues that “all of Alan Rickman’s lines are perfect quotes”.
Zoolander, 2001
As recommended by Damntheral and queeniefox
Ben Stiller’s immensely quotable model Derek Zoolander is another who made quite an impression, thanks to his self-obsession (“Maybe there’s more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good-looking”), naivety (What is this? A centre for ants?!”) and plain silliness (“I’m not an ambi-turner, I can’t turn left). For Damntheral, it’s all too much: “Much like a recovered alcoholic is not supposed to have a drop, I’m going to have to refrain from even starting.”
Star Wars, 1977, and its sequels
As recommended by Greengreengrass65 and michelley
From Han Solo (“I’ve got a bad feeling about this”) to General Dodonna (“May the force be with you”), Yoda (“That is why you fail) to Darth Vader (“Luke, I am your father”), the franchise’s lines are quoted whenever the opportunity arises. As michelley declares: “I can’t be the only nerd who uses these in conversation.”
Life of Brian, 1979
As recommended by AlexJones
Whether it’s informing the public that “he’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!”, impersonating Pontius Pilate’s speech impediment (“Welease Woger”), or just whistling along to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Life of Brian ensured that the Pythons once more infiltrated our language. The famous Latin lesson resonated with AlexJones, who says: “I was doing O-level Latin when Life of Brian came out, so I could particularly sympathise with that scene.” For all those ready to purse their lips and whistle:http://www.theguardian.com/culture/video/2014/jul/21/monty-python-final-show-london-video
