Note: There will be spoilers ahead!
Best Scenes of 2013
Honorable Mentions
(in alphabetical order)
- Austenland - "Hot in Herre" credits sequence
- Bad Grandpa - Beauty pageant scene
- The Counselor - Cameron Diaz humping a car - so bad, I loved it!
- Rush - Germany Race (for its anticipatory outcome) / Japan Race (for visual aesthetics)
- Saving Mr. Banks - "Let's Go Fly a Kite" - P.L. Travers begins to be won over as she taps her feet while the Sherman Brothers play their tunes
- This Is the End - "Cum scene"
- Trance - Opening sequence - "How to prevent an art theft"
And the Top Fifteen...
#15 - Escape from Tomorrow - Trapped in Spaceship Earth
***SPOILER ALERT***
Kidnapped and brought inside the giant golf ball-like Spaceship Earth at Disney's Epcot Center, our main character finds himself in dire need of escape from his weirdly demonic captor. Escape from Tomorrow is streaming on Netflix...enjoy its weirdness if you dare.
#14 - Stoker - Uncle Charlie's True Self Revealed
***SPOILER ALERT***
We know from the get-go that something isn't quite right with Uncle Charlie. When his past is revealed to us, it's not only surprising, but it's also shocking how nonchalantly everyone reacts to this secret.
#13 - Pacific Rim - Mako's Nightmare
Part II: here
A visually (and emotionally) arresting moment in the midst of chaos.
#12 - Blood - Game Changer
About twenty minutes in, Blood spins us around and takes us down an unexpected path. Paul Bettany's cop may not be as innocent as he'd like to believe he is. Blood is streaming on Netflix...enjoy.
#11 - About Time - Love "at First Sight"
Charming and a unique spin on the concept of a first date. Made me smile watching the clip again. And perhaps you'll learn some Asian language by watching the scene above!
Check out the remaining scenes after the jump...
#10 - Visit to Disneyland
I'm a Disney nut -- what do you want from me? It's like I was back in the 1960s...Loved this moment.
#9 - Enough Said - Final 10 minutes
***Spoiler Alert***
Enough happens in the final ten minutes of Enough Said that it almost seems like a movie unto itself. There's a break-up, a daughter moving away to college, a Thanksgiving dinner, a make-up...and it's all done with such a lovely tone. I'm not going to spoil it with clips. Really, do yourself a favor and watch this gem of a film.
#8 - Unfinished Song -- "Lullabye"
Although I'm including the scene above, just know that it resonates a heckuva lot more when you've seen the entire film before it. A lovely, heartbreaking, yet oddly inspirational moment. I loved it so much, I downloaded this version of the song from iTunes. Unfinished Song is streaming on Netflix...enjoy.
#7 - August: Osage County - Dinner
20 minutes of laughter and drama anchored by a brilliant cast. This is really good stuff made all the more believable (despite its ridiculousness) by the actors and actresses.
#6 - Gravity - "I hate space."
***SPOILER ALERT***
I legitimately could've chosen any scene in Gravity as one of my favorites and each time I watch the film, different scenes stand out to me more. I choose this one because it begins innocently as Ryan and Matt arrive at the International Space Station only to nearly miss grabbing hold of the structure. In order to save Ryan from drifting off into space, Matt essentially detaches himself from her, leaving Ryan all alone. At the scene's conclusion, Ryan states, "I hate space," which is truly the film's one solid laugh -- although it's a heartbreaking laugh.
#5 - The Wolf of Wall Street - Lemmon 714
Note: The above scene is NSFW in the slightest.
This scene is so frickin' hilarious. And this isn't even all of it. As Jordan finally makes it home after a quaalude-induced haze, he finds his buddy having a heart attack only to see Popeye on tv chowing down on spinach which then he correlates to pumping his buddy full of cocaine to revive him. Very funny stuff.
#4 - Before Midnight - Hotel Scene
***It should be noted that the not suitable for work clip above is the very tail end of an extended sequence. I strongly recommend not watching ANY of the clip if you have any interest in the watching the movie.***
There are three fantastic scenes in Before Midnight, but the film's conclusion takes the cake. An innocent phone call derails a couple's amorous evening leading to some of the most uncomfortable (though incredibly real and raw) dialogue I've seen in a film. Stellar writing.
#3 - 12 Years a Slave - Soap
An over five-minute long single shot -- much too brutal to showcase here although it is available on YouTube -- is emotionally devastating. Director Steve McQueen doesn't shy away or allow the audience to get any respite -- we see the blood spattering from the whip as the camera continues to pan around.
#2 - Captain Phillips - "You're Safe Now"
Admittedly, I wasn't a huge fan of Captain Phillips, but the film's final scene nearly moved me to tears. Just fantastic acting from Tom Hanks -- mind-blowingly emotional stuff. Check out this article to find out more about the real-life sailors who took part in this scene.
#1 - Short Term 12 - Rap
NOTE: The above clip is not suitable for work.
"Look into my eyes so you know what it's like to live a life not knowing what a normal life's like."
On its surface, this may not seem all that exciting of a scene. However, knowing what Keith Stanfield's character Marcus has been through, you can't help but be moved by this moment. This all leads up to a somewhat empowering and entirely personal shaving of his end at which point Marcus asks, "Is it lumpy? I kept it long because that's where she'd hit me." This just hit me in the gut. Seriously, if you haven't watched this movie yet which is streaming on Netflix yet, get to it!
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