2013 has been a great year for films, especially this past December, and there have been a lot of stand-out moments in both the best and even some of the worst films to be released this year. A few of us here at Movie Buzzers decided to pool together and share our favorite scenes of the year with you from movies you may or may not have seen.
Below are our top scenes of 2013 and be sure to let us know what your favorites were this year in the comments section below.
Alex – Captain Phillips
Choosing the best scene of the year was no small feat and this was an extremely difficult choice for me. There were two scenes in 2013 that etched their way into my memory and it became a battle inside my head over the past few weeks as I tried to decide the victor. One is an example of Oscar winning acting at its best while the other is a cinematic spectacle that took my breath away and allowed me to enter geek Nirvana. The Battle of Hong Kong in Pacific Rim is by far one of the coolest and most intense action scenes to be seen on the big screen but in the end it got bested by Tom Hanks’ “shock scene” performance at the end of Captain Phillips.
SPOILER There are performances that have moved me before but in the end that’s just how I viewed those roles, as performances but in Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks convinced me he was that man that just went through hell and nearly died. I’ve never seen someone who wasn’t in shock actually look like they were seriously in shock, it was a mesmerizing scene and not one performance this year from all the movies that I’ve seen have elevated beyond Tom Hanks’ performance at that moment in time. If you haven’t seen the film yet make sure you do because it is a sight to behold.
Chris McKittrick – Willow Creek
Though it wasn’t my favorite film of 2013 — that honor goes to Before Midnight — my favorite scene of the year surprisingly comes from a genre that I’m usually not a fan of, found footage horror. As I’ve said numerous times, I really feel like found footage horror has been played out for years and there are few directors who are willing to try something new with this. But Bobcat Goldthwait is just the type of iconoclastic director who could take a dull genre into new territory with his Bigfoot found footage movie Willow Creek.
The entire 77 minute film includes only 67 cuts, with its centerpiece being a 19 minute long single-take scene of the protagonists and Bigfoot hunters Jim and Kelly in their tent and being freaked out by what’s going on outside. A 19 minute long shot of two people freaking out about the sounds outside their tent probably sounds boring to you, which is why I admire the scene so much. Horror movies generally don’t make me nervous, but I was practically falling off my seat in anticipation of how the scene was going to end. And because the scene is 19 minutes long, every time you think the scene will end with some terrible result, Goldthwait keeps the suspense building by twisting in another direction. The fact that a director could pull this off with two frightened actors and a bunch of noises makes it one of the most impressive horror movie sequences I’ve ever seen – and the fact that it’s all done in a single take makes it incredibly impressive. If you haven’t had a chance to see Willow Creek, track it down — as I said in my review, I truly believe it’s the Citizen Kane of found footage movies.
Kris Anger – We Are What We Are
Anyone who knows the story or has seen the movie (original or remake) knows this is a story about cannibalism. The family has a tradition. The mother brings home the ‘lamb’ and they feast. However, mom dies, dad kind of cries, and it all falls onto the shoulders of the two daughters. They are mistreated by their father, not only scared of big bad dad, but also of their world, and are just trying to deal with, what they seem to know, is not a right life.
They all sit down for a meal. The two daughters and their father sit down for a nice bowl of meaty stew. The father demands they say their blessings and, eventually, cries on one of the daughters’ shoulder. Feeling the need to feed on the body’s flesh (like she was raised to do), the daughters turn against their father and feed on his body. It’s part hunger; part anger. But, watching them rip chunks out of their dad’s arms, legs, and throat- it’s all karma. Their anger makes them become what their family has conditioned them to be and, as a viewer, they had me at destroying what they hated the most by accepting what they are. They Are What They Have Become.
The movie may be quite a slow (paced at 105 minutes). But if you stick with it, at the end, you will see, in my opinion, one of the best scenes of 2013.
Tom Hunt – The Filth
It’s a difficult task picking out your favourite ONE scene from the entire year. My thoughts take me back to the heart-wrenching climax of Captain Phillips – which had some of the purest acting I’ve ever seen from Tom Hanks, or the explosive opening 3D IMAX sequence from Star Trek Into Darkness! It’s comedy though which has won its chirpy little way into my heart – and there’s been a few good ones too. The winner for me is the very funny and very short prank call scene in The Filth. It isn’t the most thought-provoking scene, layered with sub-text, but at its core it was utterly hilarious and the only scene that has made me carry on laughing for 10/20 minutes after I’d seen it. It’s a very simplistic and short scene, but McAvoy completely nails it in a manic moment that highlights just how depraved and misogynistic his character truly is. It’s dark, crude and bordering on the juvenile side, but it sums up his character and the film’s tones perfectly. So if you’ve seen and love The Filth, then you’ll agree that this scene is the show-stealer.
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