Rob Reiner sure did have a good run from about 1984 when he directed This Is Spinal Tap to about 1995 when he released The American President. Sure, he’s managed to stay relevant and (fairly) well-received since then, but for that time amounting to a little more than a decade, Reiner reigned supreme. He followed This is Spinal Tap by the excellent Stand By Me. Then there was The Princess Bride. And then who could ever forget his following hit When Harry Met Sally?! After that, Reiner seemed to take a turn into the dark with Misery, which while definitely dark was great. And then this all led us to the topic of this post, A Few Good Men.

A Few Good Men stands out among Reiner’s lot because while one can seemingly trace similarities between Reiner’s work, I’d argue that stylistically A Few Good Men is the most different from this bunch. Yes, it is dialogue-heavy, a technique favored by Reiner (and his oft-times writing partner, Aaron Sorkin). Yes, at the end of A Few Good Men, the good guy does eventually win out (as he does in The Princess Bride and The American President). And yes, the film contains big actors the way Reiner likes to work. But, one prime thing that sets A Few Good Men apart is that it is filmed like a play. While this makes sense, seeing that it was indeed originally a play, Reiner’s decision to film it as such is both what sets this film apart and helps make it so great.

I firmly believe that it is because of this play-style, stage-like setting, and long character monologues that this movie and, especially, this scene in question are both so powerful and chill-inducing. Would Jack Nicholson have had such an awe-inspiring, chill-worthy effect without so much focus on him? I’m not so sure. Watch the clip below and find out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are very few movies out there that manage to give you chills and make you simultaneously well up with tears during almost every scene. You know the kind: the movie that is so good at being depressing slash realistic (are they not just one in the same?), that every scene seems revelatory, and therefore leads to this constant weird mix of emotion and physical reaction. Please note, the chills induced here are not the inspirational chills a la Remember the Titans, these are the chills one gets upon realizing that this movie is both good and also reveals something true about life. I know, I know, when does that ever happen, right?

Well, I can think of two such instances: Ordinary People and Stand By Me. And since I am not SO depressed today to talk about Ordinary People, I will be talking about the lighter (hey, it’s all relative) of the two, Stand By Me. Stand By Me is the Rob-Reiner-directed (what ever happened to the happy Reiner who made When Harry Met Sally?) 1986 movie based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, which focuses on four boys who go on an overnight mission to find the body of a friend who had been hit by a train. What makes this movie even more hard-hitting? Well, apparently it’s based on true events that occurred in Stephen King’s real life. Aside from a really coming-of-age/oh-man-this-world-sucks plot, the movie has a stellar cast made up of River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Richard Dryfus, and Kiefer Sutherland (there’s something about the Sutherland’s starring in this types of movies, huh?).

As Stand By Me progresses, it becomes clear that the boys are not only undergoing a coming-of-age process but they are also in the midst defining themselves. Yes, they are in the process of losing their adolescence and innocence, but they are also in the midst of discovering what this world is all about. And so, the scene I chose among all the scenes of the movie is the one where River Phoenix’s Chris Chambers realizes that the world or, rather, his world was already made limited to him even before his birth because of the role he has been born into. Throw in Phoenix’s untimely demise and you got yourself chilling and tearing up. Good luck watching the scene below:

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There’s nothing like a motivational montage to give someone both chills and inspiration. Don’t believe me? Just check out that scene from Legally Blonde in which Reese Witherspoon’s Elle decides she’s worth more than her stupid ex-boyfriend and starts to win at law school, which I, coincidentally, find myself watching before any big paper due (boys be damned!). These scenes–usually of a woman accomplishing things, learning something new, or setting her mind to something–gives the viewer–it can’t just be me, right?– the empowered feeling of, “Hell yeah! I can do it too!” Throw in some well-placed chills and you got yourself an excellent movie scene.

So in that light, today I want to focus on Party Girl, the Daisy von Scherler Mayer 1995 movie about a New York City party girl (Parker Posey) turned librarian, as the focus of this article. While Party Girl definitely has a motivational, chill-inducing, empowering montage scene (with dancing no less!), the film is also perfect for a day like this. What kind of day is that? You know, this kind of day where it feels like the winter (both the winter outside and the winter of my moods) will never come to an end. Party Girl answers my fairly unanswered question of “Why, oh why am I living in New York?” that seems to come be muttered aloud every time I walk outside as of late. Oh right, because of Parker Posey and the fun, exciting, and relatively-problem free New York City she was living in in this movie. And while this City may have never been as carefree and perfect as portrayed in Party Girl, it sure doesn’t hurt to dream.

And so dream I will; specifically of the key scene in which Posey’s Mary learns the ins and outs of the Dewey Decimal System all while looking fabulous and fun! Inspired, with chills, I now know I can do anything too! Watch the scene below, and after that, watch my favorite scene of the whole movie. Who’s dancing tonight?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Continuing in the festive tradition as of late of including Christmas movies as topics for this column, today I will be focusing on Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 adaptation of Little Women, which tells the coming-of-age story of four sisters living in a post-Civil War America. While not a Christmas movie in its entirety, I remain adamant in my assertion of its holiday relativity because of the key scenes that revolve around the holidays. Just like in When Harry Met Sally or You’ve Got Mail, Little Women takes place over the course of many seasons; but the Christmas seasons are what make this movie a part of my Christmas films cannon. And so, each year my sister, my mom, and I all gather around the TV, as my dad sits by obligingly, as we hold each others’ hands in happiness when Jo rejects Laurie and finds love in an older, foreign professor, rub each others’ backs in support when we realize that Beth just isn’t going to make it, and hold each other back when stupid Amy burns Jo’s manuscript and, many years later, marries Laurie (that Amy, she’s always up to something!).

With a cast made up of Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Christian Bale, Susan Sarandon, Eric Stoltz, and Gabriel Byrne, Little Women just makes the perfect family holiday movie. And with a plot that is filled to the brim with welling emotions, Little Women also just makes the perfect chill-inducing family holiday movie.

So many chills abound, in fact, that I find it impossible to pick just one scene to serve as my example. So, I will proffer two: 1) the Christmas scene in which Beth receives a piano and 2) the final scene in which Jo realizes her manuscript will be published (and also finds love–oh happy day!). The first scene is especially chill-worthy due to the fact that Beth had just been on her death bed. She manages to muster all the strength she’s got to come downstairs for to celebrate Christmas with her family. Then, I had to include the last scene of the film, when the movie’s heroine both achieves her dream (and a man too boot!).

A merry Christmas, indeed! Watch the scenes below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I love Christmas! I really, really do. I love everything about it: the anticipation, the food, the secrecy and plotting (when it comes to gift giving), and especially the family and friends this one day brings together. Ever since I was a child, Christmas has been a magical time in the Haddad household; religious or not (most likely not), we all bond together to celebrate family, and this year is proving no different. So, imagine my delight when I hear Christmas music already being played on the radio stations, when I see the Holiday Market being set up at Union Square, when I watch previews for Christmas-themed movies at the theater; there is no denying it: Christmas is in our presence. And so, following suit, I will theme my “Chills Down My Spine” columns until the special day, because, well, because why not?

The first Christmas-movie I am proffering to add to this list is a sure-fire hit with the Haddad family. It’s one that we watch every year and one that I easily point to when having the debate of whether a sequel can ever be better than the original. That’s right, I am referring now to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the John-Hughes-written, Chris-Columbus-directed holiday classic about a family who either leaves behind (as in the original) or loses one of their children during transit (as in the sequel) while traveling for Christmas. It’s a great pair of films, and they compliment each other so nicely (like a pair of turtle doves–get it?!). What makes the second one better than the first? Well, not only is Kevin McCallister, the child in question who is temporarily abandoned, older, wiser, and full of better tricks, but the cast seems to be more filled out once everyone saw how good the original one. Mainstays Macaulay Culkin, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern have all returned, but this time joined with Tim Curry, Dana Ivey, and Rob Schneider making for a truly great film.

Like any good holiday-fun movie, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is ripe with family-themed chills– you know the kind, the chills that come about when you realize just how lucky you are and how grateful you should be for your family. It’s true, I’m not sure where these films would be without these type of chills. It seems to me that the bigger the family-themed chills, the better the Christmas movie. No wonder Home Alone 2 is so good: the whole movie is one lead-up to an “aha!” moment at the end of the film, when Kevin realizes just how much he misses his family. It is this final scene which is the focus of this column today. Kevin is–like the title states–lost in New York City. He goes to Rockefeller Center (because he loves Christmas trees) to wish for his family’s return. And does it work!? Well, watch the scene below and just try to not get these Christmas chills! If you have a heart and two eyes, though, I would imagine this to be a difficult task.

**Also, please pardon the not-excellent quality of the video– apparently everyone loves Home Alone 2 so it is extra watched over by the powers that be at YouTube**

Click here to view the embedded video.

I unabashedly love Fall and, specifically, October as it gives me me perfect excuse to watch, talk about, and, as evidenced here, write about one of my most beloved genres of film: the horror. A devoted fan from early on, my childhood is sprinkled with memories of early Saturday mornings spent watching the Stephen-King-novels turned into made-for-tv-movies with my father. In college, I found myself taking a class that addressed this very topic using Edmund Burke’s The Sublime and The Beautiful as a means of analyzing the horror film in its earliest variations. Finally I was able to put my passion into words: it was the sublime (and beautiful turned sublime) that I loved and craved, and still do. And so, isn’t it fitting that for a “Chills…” post that falls right before Halloween, that I chose a horror film? Poetic, no?

And of all those horror films I love, there is a specific place in my heart for those that feature Final Girls–you know, the (mostly) virginal female character that outlives everyone and is responsible for taking down the villain. This generic trait that seems to originate most clearly in John Carpenter’s 1978 horror-film-mainstay Halloween. Hit movies that followed such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the Thirteenth then perfected this trait. What’s more chill-worthy than a Final Girl standing at the end of a movie, having just slain her opposer?! Nothing, if you ask me.

Wes Craven’s 1996 genre classic (and one of my all time favorite films, even making my “Top 5″ list), Scream, makes use of the Final Girl trope, almost perfecting it. It is the final scene in Scream, which I turn our attention to now. It has just been revealed that Sydney’s boyfriend and his friend have killed her mother the year prior and have been terrorizing Sydney and her friends for the past week. The scene begins when Sydney sneaks past her captors and hides in the closet a la Jamie Lee Curtis in this film’s predecessor, Halloween (notice the meta-ness as that closet scene plays on a living room T.V. during this epic blowout)–a great beginning to a final scene. And it ends with not one, but two Final Girls, neither of them virgins. Revolutionary! And not to mention chill-inducing.

Watch the scene below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

There’s nothing like a good ‘ol dance scene to get the chills flowing. Seriously, think about it. Who doesn’t get chills when watching Ducky move to Otis Redding and his high pitched notes in Pretty in Pink? Or what about watching Ferris Bueller inspire all of Chicago while singing and dancing to the John-Lennon-led “Twist and Shout” in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Or, to choose from a non John Hughes movie (as good as they are), how about watching the Usher-dictated school-wide dance in the prom scene in She’s All That? There is just no denying it: these scenes simply inspire chills–and hopefully smiles–even in the most stoic of us.

In this vein, I proffer Emile Ardolino’s Dirty Dancing and its most memorable scene for this same category. An 80′s movie if there ever was one, Dirty Dancing tells the ever-so-swoon-worthy love story that occurs one summer in 1967 at a family retreat in the Catskills between Baby (Jennifer Grey), a wide-eyed, big-hearted soon-to-be college freshman at Mount Holyoke, and Johnny (Patrick Swayze), the retreat’s bad-boy dance instructor who has spent one too many nights fending for himself. Key to the film and, not to mention, the love story is the fact that Baby must learn the dance moves to a very hard dance routine from an incredulous Johnny when his regular dance partner becomes indisposed (with child). Just who is this wide-eyed Baby if she doesn’t offer to help? And so, while spending the time, tears, and frustration to lean the moves from a somewhat volatile instructor(on Baby’s end) and to teach the moves to a person who appears to have two left feet (on Johnny’s end), I suppose it wouldn’t be appropriate if they didn’t fall in love. And fall in love they do. A magical story!

Anyway, back to the task at hand, the chill-inducing scene in question comes at the very end of the movie, when Johnny returns to the retreat with his pride in tact after being fired on false accusations of stealing. Johnny arrives, and Baby’s parents be-damned, announces the one statement that I have, since hearing, lived my life by: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” (Swoon!) And with that simple statement, Johnny takes Baby to the stage to perform the routine they had worked so hard on for the entire resort, her family included. Downright chills!

Watch the scene below (in two parts):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This time of year–when summer fades so quickly and seamlessly into fall that it becomes almost impossible to pinpoint the exact moment when you realized that the days no longer seemed to go on forever and that you would from now on need at least a cardigan upon leaving the house–always makes me nostalgic. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because I correlate it to going back to school; or maybe it’s because with fall also comes the promise of Christmas, the one day of the year when I have free reign to respond to moments with childlike enthusiasm; or it may even have to do with the fact that fall definitely means the year is coming to a close, new years resolutions be damned. Whatever the case, I find myself particularly nostalgic this fall.

In that vein, I have been on a streak of re-watching films from my childhood. While the season doesn’t seem quite right for the Home Alone‘s or Miracle on 34th Street‘s, I do find myself re-loving movies such as Cool Runnings, The Sandlot, and Beethoven. Most recently I bought (after quite a long quest) and re-watched Steven Zaillian’s Searching for Bobby Fischer–a slightly more dramatic family-friendly film than the list above, starring Joe Mantaena, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley, and Laurence Fishburne, that my father would make me watch over and over again, convinced that one day I would follow in his footsteps by seriously taking up and succeeding in the game of competitive chess. Following the tale of a young boy living in New York City who discovers chess and his natural aptitude for it one day while walking in Washington Square Park, Searching for Bobby Fischer is ripe with drama, intrigue, and most of all chills. I mean, who doesn’t feel electric whilst watching two childhood peers (much younger than you, and most likely much better at this game than you) compete for a national championship?! I’m getting chills just thinking about it.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. While that ending scene is definitely chill-inducing, I think the most powerful scene in the movie comes about partway through after Josh, child prodigy, has been decided he is confident enough, after training with his master chess teacher (Ben Kingsley), to finally go back to and try his luck at the famed park where he first encountered the game in question and, more importantly, the man (Laurence Fishburne) whom he witnessed playing at such a fast speed. What progresses is a two minute speed chess game in which Josh not only learns different techniques than those he has been exposed to from his refined teacher, but also gains street cred. This all begs the question: what were you doing at 10? Watch the electrifying scene below, and if inclined, what the ending after.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

George Miller’s family-hit, Andre, may very well be one of those movies that an adult rewatching suddenly invokes not only sweet, sweet nostalgia but also a deep concern at the level of awfulness you not only allowed yourself to watch as a child, but also enjoyed while doing so. Like every Disney channel original movie, save for the really good ones such as Under Wraps, Brink!, and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (they’re really good, I swear!), Andre has revealed itself to be quite a bad movie in terms of craft. But this post isn’t about craft, thankfully, and instead is about the ability found in any movie, good or bad, to produce chills in its viewers’ spines. And, lucky for you, Andre is a perfect example of that.

Like many family films made in the 90′s, Andre follows an adolescent who takes care of an unlikely pet (see: Fly Away Home and, my personal favorite, Dunston Checks In). In this case, the adolescent is played by child actress Tina Majorino (Corrina, Corrina and Napoleon Dynamite) and the unlikely pet takes the form of a sea lion. Are you feeling chills already? Well, they’re about to be doubled when I tell you it’s based on a true story. What does that mean? Who knows? But I feel like a level of hopeful realism enhances any chill-worthy scene.

A popular device with these child-loves-pet-who-is-not-domesticated, child-tries-to-domesticate-pet movies is that the child must part with her best animal friend, and the same holds true in Andre. But what makes Andre so great? Well, before departing, the sea lion saves her life. That’s right! We have a real-life an-innocent-child-is-at-stake drama on our hands. And one that never fails to give me chills even when I just watch clips on YouTube as I did this morning. (No, those aren’t tears).

Watch the sea lion save the day below, but first, in order to understand the true level and depth of the chills going on here, check out the montage documenting child and sea lion bonding. (Again, no, those aren’t tears).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

David M. Evans’ childhood classic, The Sandlot, is really a no-brainer for this column. Set in the 1950s (but filmed in the 1990s), The Sandlot tracks one summer in the life of young neighborhood friends–all male–as they play baseball, go swimming, frolic in their tree house, and get into any other antics befitting adolescent boys. Like Stand by Me meets Field of Dreams, The Sandlot is beloved by parents and kids alike and is the kind of children’s movie that is still fun to watch even now. I even find myself watching it with my father whenever it is on television.

So, why does The Sandlot fit so easily within the subject of this column? Well, despite the movie tackling a plethora of boys’ activities, The Sandlot is first and foremost about baseball and these children’s love of the great American sport. Anyone who has seen this column before will tell you that sports movies–especially those geared towards youth (ahem, Remember the Titans, Cool Runnings, etc.)–are ripe with chills. And while perhaps most would point to one of the scenes where they are actually playing baseball as the most chill-inducing in the movie, most people are not writing this post–I am.

And with that designation, I will happily point to my favorite scene in the movie and the one which always manages to give me tingles–that is, the war of words scene between Hamilton ‘Ham’ Porter and the local obnoxious uniformed baseball player. While this scene doesn’t actually contain the action of playing baseball, it definitely includes the action of talking about baseball, and the one worst line any baseball player (and not to mention any sort of feminist) loathes to hear: you play ball like a girl. And with that, it’s off! Competition, anger, and, most of all, chills!

Watch the scene below:

Click here to view the embedded video.