I was reminded in another online forum of my favorite "worst movie of all time", Starcrash. Starcrash has an amazingly big budget cast, and tried to cash in on Star Wars (the original) released the previous year, but failed miserably in writing, special effects, acting, photography, costumes (did I leave anything out) and frequently invokes "unwilling suspension of disbelief" far too often.
One of the many memorable lines in the film needs a bit of a setup.
The Emperor of This Half of the Galaxy (Christopher Plummer), the Hero (David Hasslehoff), and the Token Babe (Caroline Munro) are deep within a planet, about to explode. Here's the quote from the script:
AKTON
Forty-eight seconds left til the
explosion! You have to get out of here!
SIMON
It's true, father! It's a deadly trap!
The Count has mined the planet with
nuclear charges. We're all about to die!
A light of understanding comes into the eyes of the Emperor.
The old man, who seems to have acquired the boldness and
power of a young warrior, draws himself up to the full height
of his majestic figure, raising an arm towards the ceiling.
EMPEROR
I wouldn't be Emperor if I didn't have
powers at my command. Imperial
Battleship, HALT THE FLOW OF TIME!!!
EXT - SPACE - ABOVE THE PLANET
In the sky, above the planet, near the spot where L's ship
has landed, we see a great, powerful ship...a true battleship
of the Stars, armed with an incredible number of turrets and
deadly cannons and rays. And now, a green ray is emitted from
this ship. A green ray that envelopes the entire planet.
INT - OVAL ROOM
Even the room is immersed in unreal, supernatural green
light.
EMPEROR
For three minutes, every molecule on this
planet is immobilized. But after the
third minute, the green ray loses its
power...and time flows once again. Then
everything will explode!
SIMON
Three minutes are enough! Let's get out
of here!
My mind boggles. Halting the flow of time, including the very room in which they are standing, and they now have three minutes.
It's out on DVD. I must order myself a copy soon to replace my fading Video-8 copy from cable many years ago.
update: The DVD arrived: see my clip reference.