The 2014 RyMickey Awards - Best Scene

With the exception of naming my Best Pictures of the year, Best Scene is typically my favorite category as I remember back on particular moments in films that stood out to me in the prior year.  While I certainly have some great scenes below, this year I found this category a little wanting with four films with two scenes in the Top 15 (so that's four films taking up more than half the slots in the top this year).  In a year where I actually saw quite a few good films (more than in years past if my ratings are any indication), they lacked those "WOW" moments that really made me want to rewind and watch them again.  Still, you'll find quite a few winning moments listed below with the number one slot reserved for a film you've yet to see pop up in any RyMickey Award category yet.

It should be noted that SPOILERS ABOUND ahead!

Best Scene of 2014

(SoN = Streaming on Netflix / SoA = Streaming on Amazon Prime)

Honorable Mentions

(in alphabetical order)

• Begin Again - iPod splitter scene
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Battle on a Washington, D.C., highway
• Dom Hemingway - Opening scene felatio
• Fault in Our Stars - Final eulogy given by Hazel
• Ida - Hospital scene where the truth about Wanda's son and sibling are revealed (SoN)
• Into the Woods - "On the Steps of the Palace"
• Wild Tales - Opening sequence on a plane
• X-Men: Days of Future Past - Time in a Bottle really fast "slow mo" sequence

And the Top 15...

#15 - Noah - The Story of Creation

Darren Aronofsky goes a bit Requiem for a Dream-ish as he takes us on a journey through the seven days of creation narrated by our title character.  (SoN)

#14 - Into the Woods - Agony

Our two princes lament that their desired princesses may not share a similar longing for them.  Best Supporting Actor contender Chris Pine shows his comedic chops in this nice number.

#13 - Whiplash - "Good Job"

"There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job.'"

 "I tried and I will never apologize for how hard I tried."

Powerful words from a character we've loved to hate...and it hit me hard.

#12 - The One I Love - Final Scene

***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT***

After a crazy weekend, Ethan wakens to find his wife Sophie making him bacon and eggs.  But Sophie never allowed Ethan to have bacon.  So is Sophie "Sophie 1" (his wife?) or "Sophie 2" (the "imposter" from the weekend?)?  We're left cleverly hanging.  (SoN)

#11 - Interstellar - Sabotage

***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT***

My jaw dropped when Mann turns on his fellow astronauts.

#10 - Into the Woods - Prologue

The charm of the fourteen minute-long opening number sets the stage with each character's story arc as well as getting the audience attuned to the fact that we're in the midst of a musical.

The Top Nine will be revealed by clicking that little "See More" link below!

#9 - Snowpiercer - "I Know What People Taste Like"

***SPOILER ALERT***

"I know what people taste like.  I know that babies taste best."

A rather gripping, heartbreaking monologue by Chris Evans about the lengths that the tail section people had to go through to survive.  (SoN)

#8 - The Theory of Everything - The Spelling Board

 Utter devastation in Hawking's eyes to see where he's fallen anymore and utter determination in Jane's eyes to try and do what she can to lift his spirits.  Powerful.

#7 - Gone Girl - Death By Sex

***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT***

Poor Doogie Howser.  Admittedly, he was a bit of an odd duck, but did he deserve the nastiness that Psycho Amy inflicted upon him.

(Above clip not suitable for work)

#6 - Ida - The Window

***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT***

Classical music plays.  Wanda's smoking a cigarette and taking a bath.  Then she puts on a jacket and JUMPS!  What???  While it's completely understandable that this is the route her character would take, it still shocked me immensely.  (SoN)

#5 - Whiplash - "Not Quite My Tempo"

Many people like the film's final scene which is a stellar one, but I'm a fan of the first time we meet Professor Fletcher in the classroom.  He starts off über-pleasant asking Miles Teller about his parents, finding out details that are seemingly innocent, but then uses against him mere minutes later when he begins throwing chairs at his head.

#4 - Selma - Death of Jimmie Lee Jackson

***SPOILER ALERT***

While the scene above is heartbreaking as it is, it's followed by a quiet moment when Dr. King meets Jimmie's grandfather (Supporting Actor contender Henry G. Sanders) at the morgue that is just gut-wrenching.  And then that's followed by King's exquisite elocution at Jimmie's memorial service.  These scenes make for an incredibly powerful segment of the film.

#3 - Selma - Baptist Church Bombing

The innocence that's taken away in this moment is just painful.  The opening scene of Selma is a power-packed punch in the gut as an explosion demolishes the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.  BAM!  Darkness with flashes of shots of limbs floating across the screen in slow motion.  A fantastically shot moment by director Ava DuVernay.

#2 - Gone Girl - Amy's Truth

***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT***

She wasn't really gone after all -- I found Amy's sneaky deviance alarmingly amusing.  You can't help but chuckle as Amy reveals her secrets

(Note: Sound in the above video is not ideal.)

(Note: Above video is not suitable for work.)

#1 - Muppets Most Wanted - "I Can Give You Anything You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu)"

The reason I loved 2011's The Muppets is the joy that enveloped every scene.  Muppets Most Wanted couldn't live up to that joie de vivre.  However, this is truly the one moment in the 2014 film that exuded that same effervescence.  While the above clip is actually a music video of the moment with songwriter Bret McKenzie taking the place of the Kermit-doppleganger Constantine who is trying to woo Miss Piggy into being his bride.  Over a year later, I still remember the huge grin on my face seeing this unfold on the screen.  I only wish the entire film would've been as amazing as this.

Previous RyMickey Award Winners

2013    --    2012

2011    --    2010

2009

Note: Many video links to YouTube in the above links have been deleted from the website...you should've looked at them when you had the chance!