As I posted last year, I've become a big movie geek in the past few years. As I wrote about in my last post, Netflix Instant Watch has provided easy access to tons of films, so this year I managed to see 103 movies that I hadn't seen before. This year, I kept a pretty accurate list (I may have missed 1 or 2) and wrote a little synopsis for each one. If you want to check that out, you can see it here.
I like to write about movies, so "My Year in Film" is going to come in three parts. This post is about the best scenes I saw in movies this year, so be prepared for a lot of embedded videos. Also, there's a little language and a little violence in some of these scenes, so consider yourself warned. With that said, here, in no particular order, are my 10 favorite scenes from that list of movies that I saw for the first time this year.
My Favorite Scenes From 2011
The Michael Caine-Off - The Trip: Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan play characters who are essentially themselves in this little road trip movie. The highlights of the film are when the two gifted impressionists show off their dueling impressions. Of those contests, the best is when they take on the oft-imitated Michael Caine.
The Bar Shootout - Inglorious Basterds: Our first entry from the "Michael Fassbender is Awesome" category, this scene is one of several I could have pulled from Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece. After being outed as a British spy, Fassbender switches from imitating a German officer to being very, very British. He then, in the face of death, calmly downs his scotch before the entire bar explodes in gunfire.
(from 3:35- 4:50)
Calculating Troops - In the Loop: The hilarious British political satire is at its best in this scene, where James Gandolfini, playing a US general, calculates troop numbers on a kiddie computer. It's a small joke, but it totally had me in stitches the first time I watched it.
The Restaurant Scene - Goodfellas: It's one of the more famous shots in cinema history. Scorsese is the master of the long tracking shot, and this is the foremost example of that. The camera follows Henry and Karen as they enter the restaurant through the backdoor, and in one unbroken, three minute take, we get a firsthand look at the privileges Henry's life affords him. Beautiful to watch and technically incredible. The best quality version on YouTube won't embed, so here's the link to it.
The Dance of the Black Swan - Black Swan: Even if you don't enjoy his movies, one can't deny that Darren Aronofsky is, if nothing else, a brilliant visual artist. His films feature some of the most striking and beautiful images I've ever seen. Here, Aronofsky shows Natalie Portman's Nina embracing her dark, passionate side by literally having her become the black swan. The mix of dancing and seamless technological wizardry results in a sequence that is both disturbing and beautiful (also, the sound design is excellent, as it is throughout the movie).
(2:50-5:00)
Dialogue with the Priest - Hunger: The majority of Hunger is without dialogue. It's a stark piece of visual storytelling that is deeply unsettling. In the middle of it, though, is a 20 minute dialogue between Fassbender's Bobby Sands and his priest. The dialogue is sharp, funny at parts, but gradually growing more and more intense. It doesn't just set up the second half of the movie, it tells you who this character is, and why he's willing to go through such hell.
(Part 1 is embedded here, click for parts 2 and 3)
Expectations vs Reality - (500) Days of Summer: For the most part, (500) Days of Summer is an ok movie that coasts on the charisma of its star (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). In this scene, though, the film does something extremely clever, but (and this is important) not simply clever for the sake of being clever. JGL's character goes to a party thrown by the girl he can't get over (Zooey Deschanel). The scene plays out in split-screen, one side showing his expectations of what would happen while the other show what is really happening. It's something I think everyone can relate to (I know I certainly can), and provides a powerful emotional moment in the middle of an otherwise forgettable film.
The Elevator Scene - Drive: Perhaps no scene on this list better captures the essence of the entire film better than this one. Drive is a strange movie, telling its story more with visual style and music than it does with dialogue. It's about the slow-burn romance between Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan, but is filled short bursts of hyper-violence. The elevator scene encapsulates all of that. Wordlessly, it couples one of the most intense romantic moments of the year with on of the most violent moments of the year.
Composing the Requiem - Amadeus: In this scene from the end of the film, Salieri must help his rival, the ailing Mozart, compose his final requiem. As they do so, we hear the music that the men are hearing in their minds, the beautiful sound of Mozart's final piece. In this scene, we see the difference between the two composers clearly. Salieri clearly has a brilliant musical mind, with the talent to follow along as Mozart explains the music to him. He is not, however, the genius that Mozart is. He has the curse of being able to recognize true greatness, but being unable to create it himself.
Magneto the Nazi Hunter - X-Men:First Class: And here we have our third appearance from the acting powerhouse that is Michael Fassbender. This scene made me wish we'd gotten a whole movie of Fassbender's Magneto traveling the world hunting Nazis. Seriously, if you didn't know who he was before, you should start paying attention to Fassbender. The guy can do anything, and he's quickly becoming my favorite actor.
So, there you have it. Those are ten of my favorite scenes from movies that I saw for the first time this year. Obviously, because it isn't limited to 2011 movies, it's a bit of a strange list, but there it is. Check back later for parts 2 and 3, where I'll be listing my favorite and least favorite films I saw, as well as some other superlatives.
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