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Recapping some of the most quotable cinematic moments

Although it’s spring and after Hollywood’s big award season, I’ve still been in a silvery-screen mood.

So, I went in search of some of the most iconic movie lines of all time.

Sure enough, a quick little web search landed me on a www.msn.com link that provided precisely that. So, without further ado and in no particular order, here are some of the catchiest lines to come out of some of the most popular films of, you know, all time. Like ever.

•   “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” (Gone with the Wind) Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) at long last realizes she loves and needs her husband, Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), but he’s reached his breaking point and speaks these words to his crying wife as he walks out the door.

•    “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” (The Godfather) Before we ever heard Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) say this, we probably thought someone was about to share a great deal. Now, it’s a threat, and we know that someone who refuses the “offer” is in grave danger.

•    “Here’s looking at you, kid.” (Casablanca) When Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) were lovers in Paris before the Germans invaded during WWII, Rick liked saying this to Ilsa as a term of endearment. At the end of the film, these become his bittersweet final words to her as she and her husband flee Casablanca and Rick rediscovers his idealism.

•    “Go ahead, make my day.” (Sudden Impact) When Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) is pointing a .44 Magnum at you, it’s not a time to make a bold move. The would-be robber he’s pointing the gun at takes the chance, and it’s the last mistake he ever makes.

•    “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” (Cool Hand Luke) When prisoner Cool Hand Luke (Paul Newman) sasses the warden (Strother Martin), the “Captain” beats him and then shoves him down a hill in front of the other inmates. Then he delivers this memorable line as the start of a brief speech.

•    “Show Me the Money!” (Jerry Maguire) A pro athlete played by Cuba Gooding Jr. says this to agent Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise). The line caught on and remains one of two really famous lines from the film, the other being “You had me at hello.”

•    “You Can’t Handle the Truth!” (A Few Good Men) In this military courtroom drama, Tom Cruise plays a young lawyer examining Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) related to the death of a Marine. He finally gets under the Colonel’s skin, causing this outburst and leading to self-incriminating testimony.

FYI, this one happens to be my personal fave!

Kimerer is a columnist who’s also a big movie buff. Send her your favorite film lines at pkimerer@zoominternet.net.

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