The actor: Aaron Ruell The character: Kip The film: Napoleon Dynamite The quote: “Your mom goes to college.” Oh, does she ever. I haven’t seen Napoleon Dynamite since I was in high school, and if God is merciful I won’t have to see it again for a very long time. A lot of this movie… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #78
The actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor The character: Solomon Northup The film: 12 Years a Slave The quote: “I apologize for my appearance. But I have had a difficult time these past several years.” In March 1994, the Oscars were hosted by one of the most famous female comics of the era. She presided over a ceremony… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #79
The actor: Josh Brolin The character: Thanos The film: Avengers: Endgame The quote: “I am inevitable.” There are two moments from the MCU which feel essential to me not just as part of this business venture, but as emblematic, historical moments in American cinema. The first, which I’ve talked about a lot already, is from… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #80
The actor: Frank Oz The character: Yoda The film: Star Wars: The Last Jedi The quote: “Luke, we are what they grow beyond.” Putting thoughts about The Last Jedi on the Internet is sort of like going to Chernobyl without one of those protective suits. Anyway, The Last Jedi, everybody. I’ve read through Shelby Foote’s… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #81
The actor: Aaron Eckhart The character: Harvey Dent The film: The Dark Knight The quote: “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” The line is giftwrapped, the meaning painfully obvious even to anyone who’s never picked up a Batman comic or, perhaps more relevantly, to the… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #82
The actor: Adam Arkin The character: Don Milgram The film: A Serious Man The quote: “What, did he tell you about the goy’s teeth.” I wish there were still key changes in pop music. This article provides a pretty good overview about how and why they’ve been phased out of popular music, and I understand… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #83
The actor: Eric Bana The character: Avner The film: Munich The quote: “Every man we’ve killed has been replaced by worse!” A person’s judgment of the best Disney movie they’ve ever seen and the best Spielberg movie they’ve ever seen are both largely dictated by how old they were when they saw it. It’s the… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #84
The actor: Christopher Mintz-Plasse The character: Fogell The film: Superbad The quote: “I am McLovin.” First Verse Put your eyes on my ID, And I’ll tell you who I be: A Hawaiian who’s thirsting for brew. And when I get away, I’ll say, “Seth! Evan! Hey! I’ve been ‘McLovin’ for you!” Verse 2 They’ll send… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #85
The actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman The character: Lancaster Dodd The film: The Master The quote: “Close your eyes. From now on you are not to blink. If you blink we go back to the start.” There are three categories of great lines from The Master. The first is a small category. It’s lines from skeptics… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #86
The actor: James Franco The character: Cowboy The film: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs The quote: “First time?” I have The Ballad of Buster Scruggs as a top-10 Coen Brothers film, which is to say that it’s in the top half. As far as I can tell, this is not a terribly popular opinion. I… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #87
Seeing Things Secondhand 