Riddles in the Dark
from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
I may not feel Peter Jackson’s first Hobbit film succeeded on every level, but I cannot imagine anyone quibbling with the director’s handling of this pivotal scene. Based on what is often considered the best chapter in all of Tolkien’s Middle Earth books, Bilbo’s intellectual standoff with Gollum is arguably even more thrilling on film than it was on page, as Jackson captures and enhances every nuance of this wonderful sequence. The production design, cinematography, and music are all fantastic, but the scene soars due to Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis’ tremendous performances, each playing off the other to perfection. The scene is so damn good that one struggles to believe it was the first thing Jackson and company shot for the trilogy; they certainly got off on the best foot possible.
The Entr’acte
from Holy Motors
I found Leos Carax’s Holy Motors to be an invigoratingly creative and spectacularly produced movie that ultimately left me kind of cold, which is why I cannot say I ‘love’ the film in the same way other critics have. But I certainly adored many individual moments in the film, and none more than the infectiously fun, exhilarating musical Entr’acte, wherein protagonist Oscar, in the middle of his long day of appointments, wordlessly takes a break to grab his accordion and lead a bunch of musicians through an abandoned building playing a rousing, impromptu piece. I cannot tell you what the scene means, if it means anything at all, but I can tell you it filled me with absolute joy from head to foot, engaging me as much as any other movie moment of 2012.
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