I don't know about you, but when I think of specific movies I often remember them by moments. Specific images or lines that evoked enough feeling to burn into my memory. It could be a piece of action, like Uma Thurman's silhouetted fight scene in "Kill Bill vol. 1." It might be a cathartic image, like Samwise Gamgee finding the strength to carry Frodo up Mount Doom in "The Return of the King." Or it might simply be a line that resonates, like Rosemary Harris' "I believe there's a hero in all of us" from "Spider-Man 2." Or anything Norma Desmond says in "Sunset Boulevard."
So I decided to sift through the movie moments that have remained with me from this year in film. This isn't a list of favorite films (my own personal nominations will come out tomorrow before the Oscars), but these are the moments that struck me the most. Needless to say, but major spoilers for this year's movies follow. Here are the ten best moments in film from the year 2017 (according to me).
Honorable Mention: Romeo and Juliet, "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool"
Annette Bening and Jamie Bell were shafted by most awards bodies this year. I don't know why Sony couldn't get this film to take off, because this scene alone is worth the price of admission. Just when Gloria Grahame is at her worst and her body the weakest, Peter has one last surprise for her. A reading of Act 1 sCene 5 from "Romeo and Juliet." In this one scene Bening and Bell chart the entire emotional trajectory of their relationship, and Grahame finally has the chance to play her dream role. Age be damned. And she's sensational.
10.) Love and Attention, "Lady Bird"
"Lady Bird" is constructed with exquisite economy by writer/director Greta Gerwig, and is filled with quiet moments that are instantly recognizable for anyone who had a modicum of teen angst. But the film's best moment arrives when Gerwig dares to be the slightest bit poetic with her language. Ronan's Lady Bird sits with Sister Sarah Joan (played brilliantly by Lois Smith). "You clearly love Sacramento" she tells her. "You write about Sacramento with such affection and care." Lady Bird scoffs that "I was just describing it." "Well it comes across as love" says Sister Sarah. "Sure, I guess I pay attention." "Don't you think maybe they are the same thing?" offers the sister, "Love and attention?" It's an example of Gerwig's beautiful simplicity, Smith's affecting charms as an actress, and the type of lesson that most of us received often as teens without realizing it.
9.) Her Eyes Were Green, "Blade Runner 2049"
In this pivotal moment from Denis Villeneuve's exceptional "Blade Runner 2049," both Deckard and the audience have their jaws on the floor. In a bid to bend Deckard to his will, Jared Leto trots out a replicant of Deckard's deceased lover Rachael to taunt him. As the shape of Sean Young circa 1982 emerges from the shadows, we glimpse the first CGI character to truly cross the uncanny valley. Harrison Ford also proves why he is one of our best movie stars when he stares into the eyes of his true love and mutters "Her eyes were green." Rachael gets her head blown off and Deckard is shattered. But most shocking of all: fans will remember that Rachael's eyes weren't green. Deckard saw a perfect recreation and still let her go.
8.) The Sunken Place, "Get Out"
A year later and I'm still freaked out by clinking spoons. And Catherine Keener. This scene is so expertly constructed. It starts out with innocent questions, but dread creeps in as Keener continues to pry. The scraping of the spoon is incessant and unbearable until: "Now sink. Into the floor." Daniel Kaluuya's tear stained face became one of the most iconic images of the year, and for good reason. When his character does indeed sink through the floor to "the sunken place" (which is a mesmerizing use of the "dry for wet" filming technique), the black void swallowed up all preconceived notions or theories about the film in the same way it swallowed up Kaluuya.
7.) Live. Die. Grieve. Fight. Fuck. Dance. Repeat., "BPM"
I was struck by the ways in which "BPM (Beats Per Minute)" used a cyclical storytelling format to craft an AIDS era movie that was about vitality and life, instead of death and darkness. The film is unafraid to depict the ways in which activism and sex are intrinsically linked to queer life, especially during the height of the AIDS crisis. This is most exemplified at the end of the film when the group protests a gala by spreading the ashes of Sean over the food and attendees. Colorful lights and strobes fill the space as the space transforms, dreamlike, into a rave. Bodies writhe to the rhythms of pulsing beats and reach for one another in dark. The camera pulls back to focus on dust particles floating through the air like cells flowing through a bloodstream. The group in the movie will continue flowing too, continue fighting for a better life, and continue showing the world what it is like to truly live.
6.) Home Arrives, "Dunkirk"
"Dunkirk" was certainly the most stressful film experience of 2017. A chaotic frenzy that captures the horrific nature of war. So when Kenneth Branagh looks out over the water expecting the worst, so does the audience. But what does he see instead? "Home." The sight of small British fishing vessels sailing towards Dunkirk beach is like a giant exhale. For the stranded soldiers, their home lies frustratingly out of reach the entire movie. And the people who finally crossed the channel weren't military, but citizens. As Hans Zimmer's score swells and tugs on heartstrings, the same sense of relief washed over my face as it did Branagh's.
5.) Hyperspace Fatality, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"
I had plenty of issues with "The Last Jedi" but Laura Dern was not one them. Her brilliant purple wig deserves a supporting actress nomination of its own, and her surprising performance confirms my theory that Laura Dern makes any project better with her mere presence. But when her Admiral Holdo realizes the rebels are sitting ducks for the First Order's canons, she makes the ultimate sacrifice. Rotating her own ship towards the enemy she activates the hyperdrive, slamming her vessel into the enemy fleet at light speed. It creates a brilliant arc of light and blows their ships to smithereens. Not only does Dern redeem what has to be the slowest chase scene depicted in cinema, but she lays claim to the most badass kill of the saga thus far.
4.) Xavier's Goodbye, "Logan"
In James Mangold's "Logan" Patrick Stewart's Professor X is losing control of his abilities as dementia and old age set it. There are small hints that Xavier accidentally killed most of his X-Men team with one psychic sweep. He awakes from a dream one night, and has a rare moments of clarity. With Logan standing beside the bed, Stewart launches into a heartfelt confessional. He remembers the loved ones he's killed. He asks Logan for forgiveness but is instead stabbed in the chest by the X-24 clone. The fact that one scene prior, he was discussing the future with his protege and now believes he is going to die by his hand is the ultimate gut punch. The monologue is a perfect swan song for Stewart's iconic character and should have earned him an Oscar.
3.) Tragic Kingdom, "The Florida Project"
Disney World looms in the background of "The Florida Project," as a tantalizing fantasy and cruel reminder of the poverty of the main characters. Brooklynn Prince's Moonee can't go to Disney, so she creates a Magic Kingdom of her own design. But when Child Protective Services finally comes to separate her from her mother, the girl flees to her friend Jancey's motel room. Moonee can't speak, only sob, before gushing "you're my best friend and I may never see you again." And suddenly the camera lens changes, Jancey grabs her hand and they run. Run away from the CPS and into their own land of fantasy. But this time they reach the gates of the real Magic Kingdom, race down Main Street hand in hand, and stand in front of Cinderella Castle. Or they didn't. Many films mixed fantasy with realism this year, but none of them were as devastating.
2.) A Father's Lesson, "Call me by Your Name"
I was a teenager when I first read Andre Aciman's "Call me by Your Name,"
and I instantly fell in love with the book. Elio's father delivers a powerful monologue at the end of the novel and I cannot tell you how many times I have referred back to it over the years. So I was gobsmacked when Michael Stuhlbarg was able to deliver that monologue at the end of the film adaptation, and evoke the same gut wrenching emotions in me. As if I was sixteen again and reading it for the first time. James Ivory wisely left the words alone for the most part, only excising a single line of Aciman's (which probably would have been too lyrical for the screen). Stuhlbarg displays brilliant economy as an actor as he imparts key wisdom to his son, with a reassuring sense of understanding and acceptance that takes Elio by surprise. The best moments often surprise you.
1.) No Man's Land, "Wonder Woman"
I never expected to cry during "Wonder Woman." But something happened when Gal Gadot's Diana climbed out of that trench during World War I. Her character is an impeachable one. Someone who shows other humans in the movie how important it is to fight for the helpless. Even if it means risking your own life. There is also no shortage of symbolism to the fact that a woman is the one to finally cross the infamous "no man's land." So I cried. I cried for the little girls who got to see a woman lead a superhero film for the first time. Directed by a female director no less. I cried for the courage Diana displays as she shucks bullets to the side with her gauntlets, charging towards danger and death. I cried because no single image in film this year made me feel more empowered, or better represented the year that was 2017. More like this please. We are all charging forward like Wonder Woman.
