The 2010 RyMickey Awards - Best Scene

This could be my favorite category of the bunch and it's also the most difficult for me to choose.  You see, oftentimes, really bad movies can have really great scenes -- scenes that make you wonder what the heck they're doing in this dreck and why couldn't the creative teams have elevated the film to the level of this great scene.  Other times, movies are full of great moments, but lack that special element -- that je ne sais quoi -- to truly connect with the viewer.

Regardless, these are the top fifteen scenes from the over one hundred movies I saw released in 2010.

***Be warned that there are a couple of spoilers, but I'll try and point those out before I start discussing.***

Best Scenes of 2010

#15 - Catfish - The Truth Uncovered

***SPOILERS***

Anyone who saw the documentary Catfish knew that things were too good to be true when filmmaker Nev Schulman met the seemingly lovely aspiring singer-songwriter Abby over Facebook.  The moment when Nev discovers that Abby has been lying to him after watching some YouTube videos is surprisingly heartbreaking and sets the tone for the second half of the film.

#14 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I - Animated Three Brothers Sequence

A dreadfully dull movie is brightened in the final thirty minutes by a strikingly animated sequence detailing how three brothers react differently when confronted with the personification of Death.

#13 - Enter the Void - Death in the Bathroom

Seeing as how the death of the main character in Enter the Void occurs in the first ten minutes of the film, I'm not considering this a spoiler, but I can't say that it wasn't surprising.  Uniquely directed, this film is an odd one, filled with things I loved and things I hated, but I still think about it every now and then which is a testament to it.

#12 - 127 Hours - Rescue

The picture above isn't quite the moment when I nearly had a tear fall down my face, but it's close.  Once Aron Ralston frees himself from his entrapment after 127 hours, he wanders around Utah's canyons searching for rescue.  When he sees some fellow hikers for the first time, for some reason or another, I was simply touched.  I knew he was going to be rescued, but seeing it happen just hit me on a visceral level.

#11 - Opening scene of The American

Genuinely exciting and unexpected.  The rest of the film took on a much slower pace, but this film's initial moments had me on the edge of my seat.

#10 - Never Let Me Go - Guttural Scream

The movie itself is full of shots of lovely vistas, but the (only) moment that hit me was when Andrew Garfield lets out an absolutely gut-wrenching scream after hearing some bad news towards the film's end.  In that one moment, I felt what I had been wanting to feel during the whole movie -- a purpose to be watching the lives of this film's characters onscreen.  Prior to this, I was oddly detached.

#9 - Buried - Final Moments

Buried takes place entirely in a coffin.  No respite from the claustrophobia for the viewer.  The film's final five minutes elevate that feeling of tension to a level not felt in most movies.  I was genuinely on the edge of my seat.

#8 - The Ghost Writer - Papers Flying

Once again, a completely unexpected moment displayed in a truly visually appealing manner.  Don't want to spoil when or why this happens, though, but those who've seen the movie likely know why it gets placement here.

#7 - Inception - Spinning Room

Probably the most visually appealing scene choice on the list.  It's really kind of ingenious.

#6 - Blue Valentine - First Date Dance

By the time this flashback occurs to the main characters' first date, you already know that things are troubled for the married couple.  Seeing how goshdarn cute their first date was brings a smile to your face...only to utterly and completely depress you when you think about how their lives are not this blissful anymore.

See the Top Five scenes by clicking "Read More" below...

Really, any of these top five scenes could be interchanged with one another (and they were at certain points).  Talk to me in a day and I'll have a different opinion.

#5 - Toy Story 3 - Andy Says Good-Bye

A perfect ending.  'Nuff said.

#4 - Toy Story 3 - Incinerator

You know full well that the Pixar folks were not going to melt our poor plastic friends, but the fact that their creative minds were able to make me think they might shows their creative power.  An incredibly tense and well-storyboarded moment that shows why Pixar is the best overall animation company working today.

#3 - 127 Hours - One-Man Talk Show 

What starts out funny quickly turns melancholic as a trapped Aron Ralston (James Franco) videotapes himself as if he were on a talk show.  Franco visually begins to break down in front of us and it's just saddening.

#2 - Tangled - "Mother Knows Best"

Certainly the most "fun" scene in any movie this year.  I'm a sucker for a good villain song and Mother Gothel's is the best since "Poor Unfortunate Souls."  In a simple three-minute ditty, we learn all we need to know about Rapunzel's seemingly well-meaning mother who hides her true intentions under her unnaturally young-looking face.

#1 - The Social Network - Confrontation

"You better lawyer up, asshole.  Because I'm not coming back for thirty percent.  I'm coming back for everything."

An absolutely genius scene (which can be viewed here) that encapsulates this film as a whole by bringing its three main characters together.  I look back on this movie more fondly as time passes by and I'll be interested to see if I hold it in a bit higher esteem five years down the road.