2019 gave us so many good scenes. I could easily make a list of at least 50, but the traditional format has always been and will remain 10. But it was so hard to choose the ranking. However number 1? Well, that easily won. So here we go:
Honorable mentions:
My name is Carol, Captain Marvel
The neon lights, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The minute of silence, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
The killing of the baseball boy, Doctor Sleep
The three doors, It: Chapter Two
Rose searches for Abra, Doctor Sleep
The first ritual, Midsommar
Morocco fight, John Wick - Chapter 3
Turn around, Portrait of the Lady on Fire
The ruins, 1917
This is the point of the movie where the ridiculousness, plot holes and lack of planning ahead in the script is not evident yet so I was still hoping this is gonna be really good. Red's entrance, the first time we hear her voice and her words, which shape a disturbing fairytale of two girls living in two very different worlds, are just so incredible and make such an impression. Lupita made this movie worth seeing and her performance as both women is absolutely brilliant.
The only scene in The Irishman that felt like it was Casino/Goodfellass/The Wolf of Wall Street levels of rewatchable and entertaining was this one, the hilarious standoff between Hoffa and Tony Pro with Pacino and Graham being so, so funny here. Right after I finished the movie I had to rewind and watch this comedy gold again.
The entire movie is such an engaging and fascinating portrait of descent into madness and it finishes with an ascent to the forbidden treasure and the fall to the doom. The sequence of Thomas walking up the stairs then going mad from seeing the light and that absolutely nightmarish ending is such an unforgettable scene.
In what is a visually stunning homage to Heathers, Grace, blood soaked and exhausted, emerges from the burning mansion and lights up a a cigarette on the steps. She is just sitting there and answers "in-laws" to the officer's question about what happened. The entire movie was so much fun and it was such a fantastic way to end it.
6. Shootout at the Continental, John Wick - Chapter 3With Vivaldi's Winter blasting in the background John takes out the goons sent to kill him as Winston hilariously dodges Adjudicator's phone calls and pleas for a deal. There are so many stunning action sequences in this movie, but this one blends the flawless action with humorous moments in the most impressive manner.
It: Chapter Two is a mess of a movie but it still managed to give us one of the finest scenes of the year where Ritchie breaks down after losing Eddie and all of his friends immediately swim to him to console him. It's such a beautiful moment that is really, really moving. If only the rest of the film was as well done as this scene is.
Laura Dern's tough and passionate lawyer is one of the best things about Marriage Story. Her rant about women being held to different standard than men is so frighteningly on point and it's the best written piece of dialogue in 2019. And she delivers it the only way any woman out there would - with righteous, unstoppable fury.
3. The Ending, MidsommarThis film is one of the most shocking ones that we saw in 2019 and while there are a lot of moments that come close to Aster's previous Hereditary, it's the ending that is truly, truly chilling. Finally succumbing to madness Dani watches as her boyfriend burns alive with a smile on her face, embracing her new family and their devious, twisted ways.
I don't think anyone has had as much fun playing a character in 2019 as Daniel Craig in this movie. The whole script is very funny and smart but the best and most riveting moment comes when Benoit Blanc explains the whole mystery to Martha and the audience. It's so clever, funny and well thought-out. Even if you guessed "who" and "how" , the "why" will still surprise you.
1. Portals/Avengers! Assemble, Avengers: Endgame This is the moment a decade and 20+ movies in the making and it really, really lands. In the year of franchises disappointing their fans, MCU has brought the fans the finale that was a love letter to their commitment to the series and its culminating moment earned the emotions and brought so many of us to tears. It's the single most emotional moment in 2019 and the way so many people all around the world experienced it, applauding, crying, smiling and cheering was just magical. For all the disdain so many have for comic book movies, nothing else in the world got a reaction like that on such a huge scale.