Ryan McNeilAs the end of the year approaches, I find myself reflecting on 2011 at the movies. As a guy who sees much of the world through a camera lens – though admittedly not as much as he once did – I find that certain images get burned into my brain.
So in no particular order, here are twelve of my favorite shots from the films of 2011…
Nice choices there matey.
I would find it impossible to pick just one from Tree of Life. Such a stunning film.
From DRIVE i probable would have gone with full length shot of Driver on the guy in the strip club…But then again I have just had a little google and I can’t find it at all… maybe I made that shot up… dum di dum…
Happy New Year
Admittedly selecting one moment from TREE was tricky. But the lover of simplicity and symmetry in me had to go with that one – it reminded me of being a kid and being so fascinated by the details of the various churches I heard mass in.
I only saw DRIVE once, so my memory of that strip club encounter is a little hazy. It’s a great scene, but I can’t seem to remember one iconic shot from it. Although – dammit – Mulligan looking back as the elevator shuts would have been a better choice!
Oooh. I haven’t seen 3 and a half of these films, but good choices man.
1) I would have that shot in HP8 when Snape is crying holding the dead Lily, with baby Harry in the background.
2) From The Tree of Life, I would have the hands in the mirror- that really stood out for me.
3) Probably the first shot of Tintin with his painting as I thought that was rather cheeky.
4) The part in Hugo when that piece of paper flies across the room turning.
5) Any shot of Paris in Midnight in Paris, though Adrien Brody just sticks out too.
6) Kevin taking the bow in We Need to Talk About Kevin.
7) I don’t know how this makes me look, except super duper honest ofcourse, but Ryan Gosling’s perplexed face on that photoshopped body in Crazy, Stupid, Love.
8) The kaleidoscope shot of Jordana in Submarine.
That’s all I remember for now. I think I will make this list after having seen some more films from 2011. Whenever that is.
As Lindsay was watching HP8 two nights ago, I was trying to think of one shot that stood out. I couldn’t isolate one, but the King’s Cross scene came close.
In Tintin, it wasn’t a shot that got me so much as the whole Baghar scene. trying to encapsulate that energy in a still would have been tricky.
I think I really need to watch HUGO again soon – been thinking about it a lot this week.
I haven’t seen KEVIN yet (I think we get that in two weeks), but my choice from CRAZY STUPID LOVE would be the bit where you see Emma’s feet sorta air peddaling as she jumps into Ryan.
Great choices! I vote you post one of these yourself!
Gorgeous, Ryan! Thanks for sharing – and thanks for including Attack the Block in the roundup!
Thanks mate – glad you like. ATTACK THE BLOCK was so thrilling, thanks in large part to that glorious creature design. That moment in the film might very well have been one of the most iconic of the whole year.
You know it’s a great line-up of shots when each one captures the essence of the movie so well. When you see the image, the rest of the movie comes flooding back to you. Of the ones you chose, oddly enough I think the Attack the Block one sticks out the most. Best scene in the movie and I can still feel the intensity just from the screen shot.
Others I thought of:
– Final shot in Another Earth (though that would obviously be a major spoiler).
– JGL finding the book in Seth Rogen’s apartment (50/50)
– Flaming bulls in 13 Assassins
– And of course, this… http://static-l3.blogcritics.org/11/06/12/161483/beginners.jpg?t=20110612201920
If I had to pick a favorite, I’d go with the one from SUPER 8, which set the stage so. damned. well. The DESCENDANTS scene would be right behind that, but I was more taken by the first moment she starts crying – which I couldn’t find anywhere online.
Cripes have I ever got to make a point of watching ANOTHER EARTH already.
I love this post and dare myself to get my favourite shots of the year..
my only issue with that is that I doubt I’d be able to get them since that would require them to be out in good quality rather than screencapping some cam rips of films that I can’t access….
I shall think about this…
PS. I say fooey to Melancholia image; and while I’ve yet to see THE ARTIST I do love that shot of her hugging herself.
Do it!
Some inside scoop: Almost all of these were retrieved via Google searching. There are only three exceptions…
THE DESCENDANTS – Alex crying underwater. That’s a screengrab from the trailer on Apple.
SUPER 8 – The changing safety sign, and RANGO – The silouettes walking in front of the giant eye. Those are both screengrabs from their respective dvd’s.
There are dozens of moments in MELANCHOLIA I loved, that was just the one I chose due to the way it evokes a classic painting.
I love posts like this, I’m totally all about the visuals. Excellent choices!
Besides these some of mine include the apocalyptic imagery in TAKE SHELTER (specifically the birds), the gear-iffic takes in HUGO, various emotional close-ups on Elizabeth Olsen’s face in MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, and the frozen time scene in THE FUTURE. There are also plenty of lovely shots in BUNRAKU and LOVE.
LOVE is an interesting suggestion, but I’m having trouble recalling any one visual that stuck out for me.
TAKE SHELTER was one I had scribbled down, but the shot I want won’t be attainable until the dvd drops and I can screengrab it – I would have gone with the penultimate shot of the film, which to jog your memory but not give anything away, was a shot from behind Jessica Chastain as she looks outward.
Love these shots, especially the ones for Drive and The Ides of March. That MI4 shot is also stunning and makes me want to go out of my way to see the film. Great post!
Oddly enough, that still from M:I-4 doesn’t quite do it justice. It was seeing that visual on a full IMAX screen that made me sit up and take notice.
If there’s a proper IMAX near you, make the drive before it leaves – it’s totally worth the extra loot.
Love these! Especially the War Horse one…even if I haven’t seen the film, it is a gorgeous shot. The Tree of Life’s one is brilliant, but I loved the one of Jessica Chastain and the butterfly. Or any other shot of that movie, really.
I loved:
-Gwyneth Paltrow looking ultra sick in Contagion.
-When Nawal drops to her knees in front of the bus on fire in Incendies.
-All of the women in the colourful dresses against the sandy backdrop in Meek’s Cutoff.
-Either of the ‘I just missed your heart’ shots in Hanna.
-Anything from the opening of Melancholia.
-Michael Fassbender doing his Magneto thing with the submarine in X-Men: First Class.
I’m sure I’ll think of others once I see some more 2011 films!
The CONTAGIONS shot I wanted to use didn’t work as a still image – but I would have gone with the blurry POV image of Kate Winslet rushing up and putting a breathing mask on.
INCENDIES was rife with great images, but that one is a film I considered 2010 – hence no inclusion in my top five.
I completely forgot about HANNA…..dammit.
MAGNOLIA is another film stacked with great shots, but it’s Claire’s moment of bathing in moonlight that sticks with me.
I vote when you see a few more 2011 films that you do up one of these posts of your own!
I love the blurry POV one too. But no, it doesn’t work as a frame.
Don’t you mean Melancholia and Justine’s moment? Haha.
What the hell was I drinking…?
That shot from Ides of March was so good. I only wish any other scene managed to have build on it.
I’ve been trying to find screencaps from Jane Eyre all week. Have you found any?
I actually loved IDES OF MARCH, and especially that scene. Basically, anytime SeymourHoffman or Giamatti were in the room, the film was golden.
I didn’t look for any Jane Eyre shots, so unfortunately I can’t advise. But if you’re after something specific, I vote you just get your mitts on the dvd and create the screengrabs yourself – a la my SUPER 8 and RANGO images.
Good idea.
Fantastic selections. I’m on record as hating both ToL and Melancholia, but I can’t deny that they are damn beautiful films. Not sure how you managed to narrow down Drive to just one shot…I think my own twelve would include about ten from that film. Although just about every frame from We Need To Talk About Kevin would be a contender as well (can’t wait to read your thoughts on that when you get it).
I’d also want to include at least one shot from Contagion, Red State, Martha Marcy…, Deathly Hallows and Take Shelter, but I’d need to watch them all again to figure out which ones exactly.
I managed to narrow down DRIVE because unlike many others, it wasn’t a film that stood out all that much for me. (Narrowing down TOL to one shot was where I ran into trouble). You’re the second person now to mention WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN…February can’t come fast enough!
MMMM and CONTAGION were possibilities, but in each case I couldn’t settle on the right shot (Gweneth’s seizure face was possible, but seemed too overused in the marketing). TAKE SHELTER contained one of my very favorite shots of the year, but would have required a DVD copy to screengrab it – alas.
HARRY POTTER was one I did think about since the whole film is rather handsome, but again – I couldn’t settle on one definitive shot.
Finally RED STATE….no, no, and no again. That film was an interesting watch, but felt so technically sloppy. There is not a single shot in it that stands for me, which is unsurprising as Smith’s films have never been much about the visuals.
These are all FANTASTIC shots. I might have included the final shot of “Martha Marcy May Marlene” in there, Owen Wilson walking along the Seine in “Midnight in Paris,” or Michael Fassbender groaning in painful ecstasy in the closing sexcapade of “Shame” (or maybe the opening shot). Either way, a fantastic year of cinematography in 2011.
Don’t know why I forgot about MMMM…come to think of it, I think I need to watch that again, since it’s getting muddled in the haze that was TIFF 11.
As for SHAME, I’d have to go with that ultra-close-up shot of Sissy singing New York, New York…or that glimpse of the woman’s wedding ring on the subway.
Thanks for dropping by mate!