war of the worlds

Top 10: Famous Final Lines in Films

Here are my top 10 favourite ‘famous last words’ from some iconic films.

1. “Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!” –The Truman Show

2. “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads” –Back to the Future

3. “That was my father’s final joke, I guess. A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him. And in that way, he becomes immortal.” –Big Fish

4. “Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. And then, one not-so-very special day, I went to my typewriter, I sat down, and I wrote our story. A story about a time, a story about a place, a story about the people. But above all things, a story about love. A love that will live forever. The end.” –Moulin Rouge!

5. “By the toll of a billion deaths, man had earned his immunity, his right to survive among this planet’s infinite organisms. And that right is ours against all challenges. For neither do men live nor die in vain.” –War of the Worlds

6. “Some people are born to sit by a river. Some get struck by lightning. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people dance.” –The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

7. “Tonight most people will be welcomed home by jumping dogs and squealing kids. Their spouses will ask about their day. Tonight they’ll sleep. The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places, and one of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over.” –Up in the Air

8. Phil: “They’re gone! They’re all gone. Do you know what today is?”
Rita: “No, what?”
Phil: “Today is tomorrow. It happened. You’re here. I’m here.”
Rita: “Oh, Phil. Why weren’t you Iike this last night? You just fell asleep.”
Phil: “It was the end of a very long day. Is there anything I can do for you today?”
Rita: “I’m sure I can think of something.”
Phil: “It’s so beautiful! Let’s live here! We’ll rent to start.”
-Groundhog Day

9. ‘Leo’: “They’re ruby slippers, Adrian. Put these on and say, ‘there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home,’ and you can be there.”
Adrian: “I hope. I hope we all could.”
-Good Morning, Vietnam

10. Joe: “Don’t cry, Shopgirl. Don’t cry.”
Kathleen: “I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.”
–You’ve Got Mail

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Josh Friedman, David Koepp (screenplay), H.G. Wells (story)
Released: June 2005
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins
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Firstly, ‘yes’ I am a massive fan of War of the Worlds. I studied film at high school and university, where H.G. Wells’s original story The War of the Worlds and the 1953 film of the same name were frequently picked apart.

Also, one of my favourite childhood memories is going to see Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds musical in Auckland during 2007.

I had always been obsessed with Jeff Wayne’s 1970s musical interpretation of the story. I listened to his soundtrack on repeat before I went to bed most nights as a teenager, as did my father before me. It’s a masterpiece and it can not be improved upon.

Therefore, for the first time ever, I was disappointed to hear Morgan Freeman’s narration on Spielberg’s film version. In my mind, it was an insult to change Richard Burton’s spoken word on Jeff Wayne’s soundtrack.

Nevertheless, I definitely love this film interpretation despite it not reflecting the musical masterpiece that came before it.

It is a sci-fi horror about Ray (Tom Cruise) and his two children Rachel (Dakota Fanning) and Robbie (Justin Chatwin) trying to escape the alien invasion. The aliens are relentless and terrifying as they displace millions of people.

There’s no where to run, there’s no where to hide and there’s no way to kill the aliens and their machines.

Horrifying!

Ray soon finds a safe haven with a man named Harlan who takes them in. But Harlan begins to lose his cool and Ray realises that with the pressure on, it’s survival of the fittest – the aliens are no longer the only danger.

Steven Spielberg aced the art of suspense, but so has Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning – they are both incredibly talented no matter what you think about them on a personal level. They’ve done well to capture the essence of our most primal fears and created a blockbuster film out of it.

Although, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg do turn this global disaster into a very American hero, nuclear family sort of story. I think it would have been a little more raw and real if it was English-made. Or maybe I’m just being too patriotic.

To me, this film is a classic in many ways. I can see the essence of Signs in this retelling of War of the Worlds, and I have seen War of the Worlds echoing in many sci-fi invasion films since.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Miles Above the Baseline – I, Symptom

Miles Above the Baseline

Miles Above the Baseline is an astronomical-inspired song with emotive lyrics, self-described as ‘an unsupervised journey in space’.

This almost drum and bass, electronic rock & roll genre with extraterrestrial-inspired effects and material, reminds me of the theatrical sound effects in the War of the Worlds (2005) film. Yet, quite unabashedly, this concoction creates the unique and bold style of I, Symptom.

Miles above the baseline I lost control
I wonder who’s gonna save my rotting soul
Miles above the baseline I lost control
I wonder if anyone cares at all

The strong imagery painted by the meticulous lyrics certainly takes you on a journey. The passion and self-confidence of this band comes across clearly, despite the niche genre that they promote.

Check out Miles Above the Baseline on YouTube and find I, Symptom on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and on their website.