12 Memorable Movie Moments of 2012

Some of the most memorable moments last year, from terrifying shots to visually splendid sequences.
I couldn't come up with 2012 so I came up with 12 instead.

In order of the modern English alphabet:

Amour

I loved the use of the pigeon in this film. Whether or not it was a symbol of death, or entrapment, whatever the meaning, it was a nice addition. On first viewing I was just hoping he wasn’t going to smother it. On second viewing I was able to find it a touching moment as he tries so hard to capture it, finally manages to, and after a moment of contemplation appears to hug it. That was heartbreaking.

Argo

There were lots of thrilling moments in Argo but one which was particularly effective while being a bit sinister was the shot(s) of the children hired by the Iranian government putting together the shredded photographs of the hostages. I don’t know if this really happened and if it did I have no idea why children were used to do this, but whether or not it was a piece of fiction added on to evoke suspense, it worked really well.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

I liked the brutally honest cinematography of this film in general but the most memorable element for me was the depiction of strength and wilderness in the form of the horned boar-like beasts. I loved the reoccurring shots of them running, expressing power and life, and towards the end when they come face to face with Hushpuppy I loved their eyes which conveyed a sense of a pureness and innocence within the wild.

The Deep Blue Sea

The underground sequence where Hester remembers the people huddled up to shelter from the bombing during the war was incredibly beautiful. As they sung in unison to keep their spirits alive I felt a strong sense of human connection, hope and a united nation. The fact that this is a memory, the camera panning across the platform of the station, makes it quite haunting (it reminded me a tiny bit of the scene at Dunkirk in ‘Atonement’ by Joe Wright) and it remained in my head long after the film ended.

Django Unchained

The dinner scene at Candie’s place was great, though slightly too long, and I thought that anecdote about the skull felt like an accessory more than a necessity. Leonardo DiCaprio was fantastic though. Before watching the film I saw an interview where Leo explained that when he smashed the glass on the table it actually cut his hand and started to bleed but he continued with the scene and that was the take that was used in the film. So I was watching his hand carefully during that scene and there was much more blood than I expected which gave his character and the scene a more menacing effect - kudos for continuing with the scene! Samuel L Jackson is also brilliant here; his character is probably the most fascinating thing about the film.

Holy Motors

The film was built from numerous spectacular-looking, often bizarre sequences. To name a few, there was the shocking (and hilarious) flower-eating sequence in the cemetery, and then underground with Eva Mendes with his… erm… yeah. The motion capture scene was equally memorable. In fact pretty much every sequence was memorable so I can’t highlight one that particularly stood out, so I’ll just choose the scene towards the end with the monkeys. For a split second this monkey scene ruined the entire experience for me by taking it to a ridiculous level, but I quickly became accepting. It didn’t do anything for the narrative (if there is such thing in this film) and had it not been included it would probably have made no difference, but I liked how far it stretched out to be bizarre and say something about cinema.

The Imposter

At the end of the film when Bourdin is seen dancing to a Michael Jackson song in prison, it’s pretty chilling and somewhat humorous at the same time. Bourdin clearly had a fascination for the American life (evident from when he talks about the ‘yellow school bus’ and his experiences of going to high school for the first time), so I interpreted the dance as representative of that fascination for America he may have had for many years, since he was a child perhaps (judging from the elaborate choreography). And of course there is the popular interpretation of it being a metaphor for ‘robbed childhood’, relatable to MJ.

Les Miserables

I didn’t really like the film itself for its lack of variety in shots and ungrand scale despite all the money spent (basically it felt like a musical stage on screen), but the point of redemption for me was the final scene where the ghost of Fantine appears and takes Valjean away with her. I’ve always appreciated how this sequence was pulled off on the musical stage but in this film there were literally two Valjeans, one who had just taken his last breath in the chair and the other, liberated and striding off into the afterlife, guided by Fantine. This is something that could only have been done on film, and I appreciated it and it actually moved me. And after this came the very final scene of the film where the entire cast sing ‘Do you hear people sing’, which was equally moving. They finally use a wide shot!

Another scene from Les Miserables which was impressive and memorable – Javert’s suicide. Among all the obsessively used close up shots and feeling of claustrophobia, the height of the fall here made the sequence a liberating experience. It also finally frees us from his god awful singing. The liberation hits a grim note as Javert, plunging to his death, smacks his head against the rocks before being washed away limply by the water.

Life of Pi

The whole middle section of the film was a visual spectacle, with pretty realistic looking animals and the enchanting colours of the water and the heavens at night. As the shipwreck is happening, Pi dives underwater and we watch the ship fall apart and sink together with him. Cut to over an hour of visual splendour later, Pi's adventure at sea ends as he collapses onto the Mexican beach. Richard Parker jumps out of the boat and strides off into the jungle without looking back to say goodbye and this brings Pi to tears – even present day Pi as he tells his story. It brought me to tears too.

Looper

The scene where older Seth’s body parts fall off/disappear is truly unique and horrifying. The way this is presented to us, first with the emerging of the carved words in his arms, and then how one by one pieces of him just fall off or shrivel into themselves is something I’ve never come across before. He cannot see what’s going on but he obviously realises what is happening to his past self – the thought of this itself is terrifying - wow!

Skyfall

The opening credits of this film is so brilliant, it gave me goosebumps. Bond’s fall into the water links into the credits nicely, and the title song by Adele is so perfectly Bond-like and classy, as is the credit sequence itself. And it’s just so interesting to start the credits right after Bond has been 'killed'. Of course we all know there’s no way that he's actually dead, but precisely because we know this I think the credits draws out a sense of immortality and it begins to develop the major theme of this film of Bond becoming too old (both him and the franchise itself).

Another memorable scene is when Silva, confronted by M, takes out his fake jaw and shows us his disfiguration, which is so terrifying and creepy. It sums up his menace and gives depth to the backstory of when he used to be an MI6 agent himself and his relationship with M.

Zero Dark Thirty

The final half hour of this film pays off for the frustrating 2 hours before that, and knowing the weight of the subject matter it was a tense experience. The best part, though, was the final shot of the film. From the prior sequence where the soldiers return and bring the supposed corpse of Bin Laden, Maya does not show any hoorah or sense of accomplishment at all. Then she is shown on the plane alone, a close up on her vague and questionable expression. She’s just dedicated 10 years of her life to this mission. What was the significance of it all? What now?

Note: I still haven’t seen ‘The Master’.