2005 Calvins: Best Scene
By Reagen Sulewski
February 16, 2005
It's those little moments in a film that can take an ordinary film to an extraordinary one and can make a bad one feel like we haven't wasted our ten bucks. As Hank Scorpio once said, you can't argue with the little things, it's the little things that make up life. These are the moments that inspired us, in whatever movie they were in. (WARNING: Here there be spoilers)
The winner this year comes from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, as Joel says goodbye to his memories of Clementine after realizing that his bid to erase her from his head was a mistake. As the world literally crumbles around him (on the night they first met), he finally realizes what he's really losing. An amazingly powerful and emotional scene, it perfectly encaptures the movie's twin themes of regret and hope. In this category, its 21 point win counts as an overwhelming landslide.
Kicking it up a notch, the second spot goes to the first big action scene of the group, Spider-Man's battle on the elevated train against Doctor Octopus. A knock-em-down, drag-em-out fight between two comic book titans, the sequence is amazingly inventive and endlessly thrilling, with Doc Ock using civilians as human projectiles, Spidey surfing in traffic and a high-speed game of hide and seek all being part of the action. Some of the most convincing CGI ever put to screen makes it all work and feel real.
Another great battle comes just behind in third; Mr. Incredible's battle with the Omni-Droid in The Incredibles. It's (super)Man vs. Machine in Mr. I's first big test in many years. A flawless use of the form, this scene was one of our biggest hints that Pixar could do anything it wants to, even in their first big foray into the action genre.
In fourth place, we have another quiet scene; this time from Sideways. As Miles and Maya sit on the porch discussing their love of wines (while their friends Jack and Stephanie go at it in the background), we see directly into the heart of the characters and actually catch the moment Maya falls for Miles - when he indirectly describes himself through his passion for Pinot Noir. Maya responds with a speech so emphatic that we can't help but fall in love with her, too.
What is probably the funniest scene of the year comes in fifth. Maybe the centerpiece of Shaun of the Dead, it's a steadicam shot of the title character as he takes a walk to the store, oblivious to the zombie apocalypse unfolding around him, narrowly missing disaster at several turns. It's made even funnier as we realize that this is a duplicate of a similar shot just a few minutes earlier in the film.
In sixth place is a magical moment from Finding Neverland. J.M. Barrie's play is brought into the house of the very sick Sylvia Llewelyn-Davies, transforming her house into an impromptu theater. The play comes alive before our very eyes, a testament to the power of imagination.
The Echo Game from House of Flying Daggers scored high enough for seventh place. A set of standing drums is arranged in a large circle, with each instrument side by side. In order for a blind dancer who is suspected of being a member of a rebel group to avoid arrest, she must perfectly play a game that requires her to hear which drum is being hit by a stone. The person tossing the stone is a member of the military, and the dance becomes more and more complicated and the sounds emanating from the percussion instruments become increasingly overwhelming. It is a perfect example of how the film makes unusual use of sound and imagery to both move the plot and emphasize the themes present in the story.
We here at BOP don't mind having the crap scared out of us from time to time as our eighth place finisher shows. The opening sequence from the remake of Dawn of the Dead, with a zombie plague overwhelming the suburbs was one of the most intense and frightening things we saw all year.
Anyone who's ever had a demanding sports coach could relate to our ninth place finisher, a scene from Miracle. When 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks is disgusted by his team's effort against minnow Norway, he demands an impromptu workout to reinforce his ideas about desire.
Wrapping up the top ten is a scene from Before Sunset that just defines sexy. Celine sings a song to Jesse that's about him, and sums up the feelings that arose from their chance meeting for one night nine years ago.
Close but no cigar awards go to an action scene from Hero, as two skilled martial artists repel a volley of arrows with only their will, a second scene from Sideways that features Alexander Payne's now-trademark hilarious nudity, an all-CGI action scene from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, yet another scene from Spider-Man 2, where Spidey and Doc Ock battle in a clock tower, and the cameo of the year in Eurotrip, with Matt Damon making a special appearance to humiliate the main character of that film in song.
|
Top 10
|
| Position |
Scene |
Film |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Joel says goodbye to Clementine |
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind |
59 |
| 2 |
Slowing the runaway train |
Spider-Man 2 |
38 |
| 3 |
Mr. Incredible vs. Omnidroid |
The Incredibles |
32 |
| 4 |
Miles and Maya discuss their favorite wines |
Sideways |
31 |
| 5 |
Hung-over Shaun goes to the store |
Shaun of the Dead |
30 |
| 6 |
Performing the play at the Llewelyn Davies's |
Finding Neverland |
25 |
| 7 (tie) |
The Echo Game |
House of Flying Daggers |
24 |
| 7 (tie) |
Zombies in Suburbia |
Dawn of the Dead |
24 |
| 7 (tie) |
Practice after the Norway game |
Miracle |
24 |
| 10 |
Celine sings "A Waltz for a Night" |
Before Sunset |
22 |
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