My Top 10 Scenes Of The Year!

2016 was quite a mixed year in film. There were many great hits but many huge flops within 2016. Before I get into my Best and Worst of the year lists, I feel it would be a good time to recognise some of the year's best scenes. This allows me to talk about some of the year's best or coolest moments despite what the rest of the film was like. We often overshadow great individual moments in a film so this list will have a look at some of the year's best individual scenes. The only rule for this is that there can only be one scene from a movie to make the list more varied. These scenes either amused me, heavily entertained me, emotionally effected me or even did all of them. So in saying that, here are my 10 favourite scenes of 2016.

10. Tanner's Last Stand - Hell Or High Water

'Hell Or High Water' was one a very morally complex film as you know you shouldn't root for Tanner and Toby, but they are just so charismatic that you can't help but do so. At the same time, you want Jeff Bridge's character Sherriff Marcus to come out on top. Tension is at its highest in this scene as you know death is awaiting Tanner but he keeps going on to allow his brother Toby to escape. An incredible scene from one of 2016's best films. 

9. Church Resistance - Anthropoid

I didn't think 'Anthropoid' was the best of films but the church scene was magnificent. The resistance seemed to have been found out by the Nazi's as the small group held them off for as long as possible. The scene is gripping and action packed as the group put up a great fight. There are powerful moments within the scene as the sacrifice's from these men is showcased in great fashion.

8. Not The Bees! - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

The funniest scene this year came from 'The Lonely Island's' musical mockumentary 'Popstar'. The scene features Andy Samberg's character Connor4Real and his agent having a chat when they are attacked by bees. This scene is comedy genius despite not actually showing you what happens. This scene will have you in stitches and is the best comedy moment this year in film.

7. Bear Attack - The Revenant

Going back to early 2016 with one of the most impressive scenes of the year. Leonardo Di Caprio won his first Oscar for this film and seems like this may be why. With some incredible special effects, Leo is ripped apart in a gruelling battle with a vicious bear. It's incredible how they were able to make this scene happen. The scene is brutal but it is wonderful filmmaking nonetheless.

6. Car Trouble - Nocturnal Animals

One of the year's best scenes came from 'Nocturnal Animals' as this nightmarish scenario brought an abundance of tension. Aaron Taylor-Johnson completely transforms into his character Ray who is the worst of the worst in one of the performances of the year. The scene is filled with tension as you do not know what Ray and his cronies are going to do to this helpless family. It sets up the rest of the film so perfectly well as 'Nocturnal Animals' became one of my favourite movies of 2016.

5. Arkham Style - Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

It's safe to say that I wasn't a fan of 'Batman V Superman' but I most certainly loved this scene. As a fan of Batman and the 'Arkham' game series, this scene delivered in so many ways. The action featuring Batman in this scene was astonishing and looked as if it was straight from the games. It was perfectly executed and was a real pleasure to watch. It's a shame the rest of the film wasn't up to the same standard.

 

4. Escape - Room

There is not a scene this year that has made me come as close to crying as much as this scene from 'Room' did. Building up to this, we had seen the conditions that Ma and Jack had been staying in and learned their tragic fate. As the scene plays out, we see the attempt to escape which is packed with emotion and tension as you hope that these characters get away from their captor. The final moments of the scene show  Jack waiting for his mother in a police car as the camera then turns to her running towards the car to be reunited with her child. One of the most powerful moments I have experienced in a cinema which I was fully immersed within.

3. The Strike - Eye In The Sky

'Eye In The Sky' focuses on the decision to make an airstrike onto terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya. There is an innocent little girl within the area who the team try to get out of the way. As the strike is called to happen, you do not know whether or not she will be saved. The tension is so high and you feel all kind of emotions with this one. Such a morally complex film that is rounded off incredibly well with this final scene. There were people in tears when I saw this film and I can't really blame them. Very powerful stuff.

2. Airport Battle - Captain America: Civil War

The amalgamation of Marvel's hard work over the past decade paid off oh so well in 'Captain America: Civil War'. The build up of the story and growth of tension amongst the ranks finally culminated in this scenes as Team Cap and Team Iron Man collided. There are so many great moments in this scene such as the staredown, the one on one battles, Giant Man and of course, the introduction of Spider-Man to the MCU. The action in this scene is phenomenal and I personally think that this is the best scene in comic book movie history.

1. Vader's Vengence - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Nothing in film this year put a bigger smile on my face than the end scene of 'Rogue One'. It was only a couple of minutes long but I sat there grinning like a child the whole time as one of film's most iconic characters appeared in terrifying fashion. Everything about this was so satisfying, as this scene rounded up 'Rogue One'. I've seen this film three times now and I still get goosebumps when Vader appears on the screen. Nothing gave me a better feeling this year and I hope Episode VIII can deliver something equally as powerful next year.

So that rounds up my 10 favourite scenes of the year. Of course, there are much more that could have fit into this list as there were so many great moments so I'd like to know what your favourite moments of 2016 were. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my blog post, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Review

'The Force Awakens' breathed new life into the 'Star Wars' franchise as a rejuvenated cast combined with our favourite characters to create something truly magical. 'Rogue One' was next in line to continue the saga but we were going back in the timeline yet again. With the story not featuring a lot of the regular characters and being placed just before the original trilogy, this was the franchise's biggest risk yet.

Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) was taken away by the Empire to work on what will become the Death Star. He leaves behind a daughter, Jyn (Felicity Jones) who grows up to become rather rebellious. She is soon recruited by the Rebel Alliance to help locate her father in return for her freedom. However, as she learns more, Jyn and her team become a much bigger part in the fight against the Empire than they expected. The team now have to steal the Death Star's plans so they have the slightest chance of defeating the Empire.

The film starts off with the classic 'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...' but with no opening scroll. The opening still does feel like a Star Wars movie as Michael Giacchino's score is Williamsesque as a large starship appears from the darkness. From this moment on, you know you're in for a ride. The opening scene is a great start to the film as we are introduced to new characters in a tranquil setting as the Empire approaches. The cinematography and performances from Mads Mikkelsen and Ben Mendelsohn shine. From there, it seems as if the film is just going to spring on. However, the film's main problems come shortly after this.

The film then proceeds to introduce Jyn Erso and the rest of the characters within a short period of time. A lot of fan service is placed here as we travel to different planets as the universe is expanded fairly well. The main problem with this first acts it its character building. Our heroes don't really do anything that great or memorable to make you really care about them - apart from the wonderful droid K-2S0. It does seem as if some moments were cut out as it feels a little rushed as we don't immediately fall in love with the characters, unlike how we did to Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron in 'The Force Awakens'. This doesn't help with the emotional moments early on in the film as it aims to tug at your heartstrings but ultimately fails at doing so. In all honesty, this is my only gripe with the film as the rest grows upon this, getting better as the film progresses. 

In this Star Wars film, we get much more of the war aspect than ever before. We see conflicts in areas never seen before, with the Rebels carrying out a lot of the attacks on the unsuspecting Empire. Director Gareth Edwards did good work with 'Monsters' and 'Godzilla', and his work with action continues on here. Edwards creates a true war feeling except for the obvious changes with stormtroopers and to the guns. It was truly like if you mixed the likes of a 'Saving Private Ryan' with 'Star Wars'. There are so many great scenes within this film, both in space and on the ground as Edwards more than succeeds with the action has he sets up everything incredibly well whilst bringing a realistic look to the conflict. The aspect of sacrifice is handled superbly in this film as that is the cost of war. This adds some great emotion to the film which was lacking earlier. The final act of this film is absolutely incredible. Everything that you could possibly want is delivered in one of the best endings to a film I have seen this year. The film delivers so much in the end that you forget about the negatives as you are in utter joy watching the battles commence. Without spoiling anything, the final minutes of this film are the best which will have fans cheering after watching it. 

We get to see our characters be heroes that really make you care for them. Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen shine as the film goes on with Yen's Chirrut Imwe being one of the coolest characters to grace the Star Wars franchise. We get to see a fresh cast within this franchise and the new character do a great job. In fact, I feel that the two weakest characters were from the two most well-known actors, Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker. Other than them, the new cast does very well, bringing good emotion and moments that will have you on the edge of your seat. K-2SO improves on BB-8 last year as he is so helpful in the film and is equally hilarious. K-2SO may be the best droid that we have seen in the series as he is perfect, credit to Alan Tudyk for his performance. Felicity Jones and Diego Luna are the main stars of the film and do an adequate job. They do enough within the film but they are not going to give you trouble when making your list of all time favourite characters. There was something lacking within them compared to other heroes in the franchise, although it is tough to compete with some of film's greatest characters of all time.

As for improving the franchise, 'Rogue One' most definitely does so. The film adds in details that improve the whole saga and answer some of the questions about the other films. We get a new, fresh look at some of the areas in the galaxy that we have never seen before. Darth Vader, as well as the rest of the returning characters, benefit a lot from this film despite not being in the film a lot. When you first see him, you are filled with joy and then terror when you see what he can do. 'Rogue One' is a very worthy addition to the franchise. Fans will really love this one- I know I did- but there is also enough for casual filmgoers to enjoy too. Overall, a solid addition and if the rest of the anthology are as good as this, we're in for a treat.

Final Verdict = 

So have you seen 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'? If so, what did you think of it? I hope that this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie which I highly recommend! Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated.

By Angus McGregor