Tuesday, 12 January 1999

READERS' TOP 10 SCENES OF THE YEAR

Not a terribly exciting news cycle this week, so what better time to give voice to some of you who sent in your 10 Best Scenes of 1999. Firstly, I'm going to do what I rarely do in this column. That is, make YOU responsible for avoiding spoilers. These are "the best 10 scenes," so there are sure to be spoilers. Look away or scroll or whatever if a movie that you haven't seen turns up. Because if I edit, there is no column here. (With apologies to my editors, who have no choice but to read this.) To be honest, I chose the ones to run by kind of hopping around my e-mail "in" box, not by reading the choices, so don't feel too bad if your letter is not included. And feel free to send me your list if you haven't already. Also, most readers indicated that they hadn't seen every film or even a majority of films. I'll be editing that out, so take it for granted. We are all authors of, as one reader wrote, "works in progress." And as usual, names have been changed to enhance ROTD safety.

From PG-Way Over 13: "10. Primary Colors: The scene where Kathy Bates is introduced. One of the funniest scenes of the year. 9. Central Station: The scene in which Fernanda Montenegro goes back to retrieve the boy. A very touching and moving scene in a very touching and moving movie. 8. A Bug's Life: The end credits. The funniest part of the film, and its saving grace. 7. The General: The scene where [Brendan Gleeson] nails the hands of one of his men to the pool table. A heck of a piece of filmmaking that seems much more harrowing than what's really shown due to the way [director John] Boorman shot it. 6. Shakespeare in Love: The sequence in which the love scene between [Joseph] Fiennes and [Gwyneth] Paltrow is intercut with Paltrow acting in rehearsal. I know you didn't love this film; however, this sequence is an exquisite section of filmmaking, one that shows the true strength of the film and will hopefully help it get a Best Editing nomination.

"5. Life is Beautiful: The scene where [Roberto] Benigni gets his woman and takes her away on his uncle's white horse. Funny, romantic and almost surreal. A great scene in one of the year's best films. 4. There's Something About Mary: The zipper scene. Need I say more? Another good case could be made for the hair gel scene; however, I am limiting it to one scene per film. 3. The Prince of Egypt: The scene where the hieroglyphics come alive and start moving along the wall. This is animation pushed to the limit. Much like the carpet flying sequence in Aladdin, this reaches for the creative brass ring in animation. A film that [Jeffrey] Katzenberg and all of DreamWorks should be proud of whether or not it makes bundles of money. It's the best animated film since Beauty and the Beast. 2. The Horse Whisperer: The opening scene in which the horse gets injured. One of the most harrowing opening scenes in a film since Fearless. Again, like Boorman in The General, [Robert] Redford does a great job of creating an incredibly moving sequence by using imagery and not gore. ( A lesser but equally moving scene in the same film is the one much later in the ring in which the horse kneels down for the girl to finally ride it.) I am only sorry that I didn't see this film on the big screen.

"1. Saving Private Ryan: The opening invasion sequence. (Again a point could be made for the closing battle sequences, but I am only picking one scene per film.) This sequence is by far the most incredible piece of filmmaking that I have seen this year (again, I have not yet seen The Thin Red Line). I will also say that I believe that the power of these two battle sequences is what makes this film special, not for the most part what happens in between them. In fact, take these two scenes away and there are countless war films that are better.

From MB: "10. The scene in The Opposite of Sex where Lisa Kudrow explains to Martin Donovan how her mother called homosexuality such a lonely life... She says this to the single, straight girl! 9. The scene where Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers fall in love over lunch in Velvet Goldmine (gotta love those cheesy neon hearts in Rhys-Meyers' eyes!!!) 8. The dinner table scene in American History X featuring the intensely disturbing monologue by Edward Norton in which he defends his choice to live a life fueled by hate, much to the horror of his already dysfunctional family. 7. Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney in the trunk of a car in Out of Sight (best line: Clooney butchering Peter Finch's famous Network monologue, "I'm mad as hell! And I'm not gonna take any more of yer shit!!!") 6. Jason Patric verbally eviscerating the cold-as-ice Catherine Keener in Your Friends and Neighbors.

"5. The entire final 15 minutes of The Mighty. 4. The moment when Christof [Ed Harris] first speaks to Truman in The Truman Show. 3. Cate Blanchett chopping off all of her hair and regaining her virginity in one fell swoop in Elizabeth. 2. The final what the hell is this?-inducing shot of Pleasantville. (I must admit, I think I'm still confused, but I love it anyway). 1. The scene in Saving Private Ryan where Hanks and Co. take refuge in an abandoned church and quietly attempt to let humanity resurface for a few brief moments in the midst of insanity."

JH offered these choices up: "10. Psycho: The fight between Norman and Sam (which seemed like it was cut a bit and rushed in the original) is redone convincingly. FORE! 9. Smoke Signals: 'I have heard the story told many different ways... but in all of them, I fly.' After that line is delivered, baby Victor is tossed out of the top floor window of a burning hose and caught by his hero, saving him from his parents' fiery demise. The only movie all year that grabbed me in less than 30 seconds. 8. A Civil Action: Scenes of Robert Duvall teaching his class about what NOT to do during a trial are spliced with a courtroom scene of John Travolta making all those mistakes. 'Why...?' 7. Zero Effect: Darryl Zero [Bill Pullman] recounting everything he noticed while investigating his new client at a health club. A brilliant method of showing you a scene again and noticing details that you took for granted the first time. 6. The X-Files: Only because I am deathly afraid of bees, the scene inside the 'giant Jiffy®-pop poppers' as Mulder called them. I was terrified as each slat opened in the floor to release more bees.

"5. Wild Things: The threesome, because it was a surprise to anybody who didn't know it was coming by reading the reviews. 'Guidance counselors find out the most interesting things.' 4. The Truman Show: Truman survives a near fatal storm at sea, only to be met with a brick wall at the end of his journey. I don't know what it was about the silent scene of Truman pounding the wall in tears that moved me, but it worked in The English Patient as well. 3. There's Something About Mary: Although the zipper scene gets all the press, my favorite is where Ben Stiller believes he's been arrested for picking up a hitchhiker when actually his captors believe him to be a ruthless serial killer. 'I know this is the Bible belt and all, but from where I come from this isn't THAT bad.' 2. Dark City: Dr. Schreber [Kiefer Sutherland] injects a memory serum into John Murdoch [Rufus Sewell] teaching him everything he needs to know about how to use the Strangers' powers in a few seconds. Murdoch then rises as his confines liquefy and simply fall off, sending the Strangers into panic. The memory flashes are incredibly created as well. 1. Saving Private Ryan: Any time a battle was taking place, but especially the first and last scenes. (NOT the bookends.) Although I have not yet seen The Thin Red Line, nobody else has ever or will ever be able to do battle scenes better than that. The first 30 minutes felt like 10.

P.M. sent this in: "1. Out of Sight: Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney at the hotel bar, with the snow falling outside, intercut with their sex scene. It was like watching a scene through a snow globe. Great filmmaking!! 2. Beloved: Danny Glover caressing Sethe's (Oprah Winfrey) scars on her back. Poignant and powerful. 3. Happiness: When Dylan Baker's son confronts him about being a pedophile. 4. Shakespeare in Love: The very end of the film when Shakespeare [Fiennes] in inspired to write Twelfth Night and we see Gwyneth Paltrow swimming underwater and then emerging to walk upon a deserted beach. 5. Saving Private Ryan: The first war sequence of the film.

"6. Saving Private Ryan: 'Earn this.' 7. The Thin Red Line: The solider sitting in the rain sobbing. 8. Pleasantville: Tobey Maguire applying makeup to his mother Joan Allen to cover that fact that she is now a 'colored.' 9. Happiness: The opening scene between Jane Adams and Jon Lovitz. 10. Shakespeare in Love: Judi Dench confronting Gwyneth Paltrow at the theater. Honorable mention: Every scene that had Lisa Kudrow in it in The Opposite of Sex."

The Krillian wrote: "10. Matt Damon and John Malkovich playing high-stakes one-on-one poker in Rounders. 9. Jim Carrey's slow turn and final bow in The Truman Show. 8. Tom Hanks shooting the tank that happens to get bombed, then turning to Matt Damon and saying 'Earn this' in Saving Private Ryan. 7. The slo-mo arresting sequence with Edward Norton in American History X. 6. The climactic one-on-one scene with Denzel [Washington] and son in He Got Game.

"5. Will Smith playing Jon Voight and Tom Sizemore off each other in Enemy of the State. 4. That shed in Beloved. 3. Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones sword-fighting in The Mask of Zorro. 2. Ben Stiller's ear accessory turning into hair gel in There's Something About Mary. 1. The Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace preview, showing us everything and nothing at the same time, exactly how previews should be."

MARCHING TO SUNDANCE: Top 10 Anticipated Moments at Sundance: 10. A gathering of writers trying to figure out who Entertainment Weekly is going to anoint the "It" person of the fest followed by the trashing of that person when they figure it out. 9. Gregg Araki having an extreme-off with "new Araki" director Darren Stein. 8. The first use of the phrase, "Do you know who I am?!" 7. Robert Altman ripping the studio system and actually having the experience to make his bitching worth listening to. 6. Spotting Robert Redford. For a whole second. 5. Two-hundred-fifty-two people trying to figure out how to get into Annabel Chong's pants. (Hint: Cut a check. Do you think that TNT would pay that expense report item? Just kidding. The only place I want to go that's that busy is Yankee Stadium) 4. Two hundred people stuck on a sidewalk, waiting to get into a screening that is already full as a gentle mist of snow falls on them. 3. Two words: Drunk publicists. 2. Guns N' Roses sharing a stage with Sheryl Crow as both try to "go Hollywood." 1. It's still 10 days away and I'm already anticipating getting home.

READER OF THE DAY: You want more column space? You are all turning into media whores!

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E ME: Just kidding. Send your lists.