Best Cinematic Moment, 2010

1. Toy Story 3 – Staring into the inferno [152 points / 14 votes]

2. Let Me In – “Burning For You” [127/13]
3. Black Swan – Nina Sayers IS the Black Swan [109/11]
4. Dogtooth – Anniversary dance [107/10]
5. Inception – Zero-gravity fight [106/9]
6. The Social Network – opening breakup [82/8]
7. The Social Network – Facemash [81/7]
8. The Ghost Writer – the bitter end [80/9]
9. Enter the Void – opening titles [78.5/7]
10. True Grit – Blackie’s midnight ride [70.5/8]

11. The Social Network – Henley Royal Regatta [63/6]
12. A Prophet – initiation killing [53/5]
13. Sweetgrass – sheep breaks the fourth wall [45/4]
14. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – Sex Bob-omb vs. the Katayanagi Twins [40.5/5]
15. True Grit – Mattie Ross, negotiator [39/4]
16. Shutter Island – Teddy’s first dream of Dolores [35/4]
17. Mother – opening scene [33/3]
18. 127 Hours – The Aron Ralston Show [32/3]
19. The King’s Speech – climactic speech [31/3]
20. Vengeance – triad picnic and gunfight [28/3]
21. Vengeance – gun battle with paper stacks [27/4]
22. Winter’s Bone – “is this our time?” [27/3]
23. Wild Grass – cat munchies [27/2]
24. How Do You Know – bedside proposal, takes 1 and 2 [26/2]
25. Piranha 3D – topless underwater ballet [24/4]
26 (tie). Shutter Island – “Violence of Man” conversation with warden [24/2]
Trash Humpers – “I don’t eat no pies on Monday” [24/2]
True Grit – Cabin ambush and siege [24/2]
29. Mother – final scene [23.5/2]
30 (tie). Black Swan – lesbian wet dream [23/2]
Machete – who needs rope when you’ve got intestine? [23/2]
The Social Network – “do I deserve your full attention?” [23/2]
33. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 – Tale of the Three Brothers [22/3]
34 (tie). The Crazies – Car wash scene [22/2]
Inception – climactic jolt [22/2]
Toy Story 3 – a new home [22/2]
37 (tie). Catfish – Sitting for a portrait [21/2]
The Social Network – Mark walks home post-breakup [21/2]
Sweetgrass – cowboy’s miserable phone call home [21/2]
True Grit – “time just gets away from us.” [21/2]
41 (tie). Everyone Else – betrayal in a room full of trinkets [20/2]
Hereafter – tsunami [20/2]
Inception – training the architect [20/2]
44 (tie). How to Train Your Dragon – flying for the first time [19/2]
The Social Network – first meeting with Sean [19/2]
Tangled – floating lanterns [19/2]
47. Enter the Void – Love Hotel and “Eternal Return!” [18.5/2]
48 (tie) Exit Through the Gift Shop – Banksy goes to Disneyland [18/2]
The Social Network – refresh ad infinitum [18/2]
50. The Town – stadium stalemate [17/2]
51. Blue Valentine - Dean confronts Cindy at work [16.5/2]
52 (tie) Blue Valentine – “You Always Hurt the Ones You Love” [16/2]
Catfish – trip to the farm [16/2]
54. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 – Harry and Hermione dance [14/2]
55 (tie). Dogtooth – mouthwash [14/1]
Everyone Else – silly dance of seduction [14/1]
Lourdes – slow dance of disappointment [14/1]
Never Let Me Go – Sally Hawkins tells the truth [14/1]
A Prophet – final scene [14/1]
The Strange Case of Angelica – financial crisis [14/1]
The Strange Case of Angelica – visiting the field workers [14/1]
62 (tie). 127 Hours – rescue [13/1]
Inside Job – Glenn Hubbard interview [13/1]
Kick-Ass – Attack of Hit-Girl [13/1]
Mother – hiding in the closet [13/1]
Ne Change Rien – Johnny Guitar [13/1]
New Year – hospital room midnight decision [13/1]
Predators – samurai sword fight [13/1]
Shutter Island – final scene [13/1]
Step Up 3-D – Fred Astaire homage [13/1]
Sweetgrass – slow super-zoom in on sheep climbing mountain [13/1]
72. The Ghost Writer – ghost in the G.P.S. [12/2]

The following scenes received one vote apiece:

127 Hours – Aron cuts off his arm
127 Hours – flooded dream sequence
127 Hours – rescue
45365 – carnival ride
Alamar – boy and grandfather having coffee on the porch
Alamar – feeding Blanquita
Alamar – watching the son sleep
The American – Jack weighs his options at the picnic
The American – the last hit
The American – opening credits
Another Year – forgiving Mary
Another Year – Mary meets Kate
Another Year – smoking with kids around
Around a Small Mountain – the long goodbye
Around a Small Mountain – Vittorio’s impromptu performance
Best Worst Movie – “mostly I’ve just frittered my life away”
Black Swan – “oh my God! Was I good?”
Black Swan – Nina explores herself in front of Mom
Blue Valentine – entering the Future Room
The Book of Eli – gunfight at George and Martha’s house
Buried – snake scene
Carlos – Carlos preens in front of mirror
Carlos – Carlos stops the party
Carlos – flying back and forth post-OPEC raid
Carlos – OPEC raid: hallway shootout
The Crazies – at the gas station
The Crazies – baby’s room
Cyrus – “wanna hear some of my stuff?”
Dogtooth – cat with a hammer
Dogtooth – in the trunk?
Dogtooth – message from Grandpa
Easy A – “Pocketful of Sunshine”
Easy A – Olive’s brother “finds out” he’s adopted
Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl – a little dance
Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl – last shot
Enter the Void – rollercoaster ride / car crash
Everyone Else – playing dead
Exit Through the Gift Shop – LIFE REMOTE CONTROL
The Expendables – plane attack on the docks
The Father of My Children – bathing in a pool of white water
The Father of My Children – burn the paperwork and check out
The Fighter – Charlene’s vs. Micky’s sisters
The Fighter – Dicky’s post-prison return to the gym
Fish Tank – Katie’s piggyback / horse ride
Four Lions – Wookiee or Bear
From Paris With Love – a rather rude gesture at dinner
Frozen – morning ice hands
Get Him to the Greek – it’s Biggest Loser time!
The Ghost Writer – opening sequence
Greenberg – “Uncle Albert”
Greenberg – Greenberg does coke
Hadewijch – one last walk around the convent
Hereafter – visit to Dickens’ home
How to Train Your Dragon – building a wing for Toothless
How to Train Your Dragon – first flight with Astrid
How to Train Your Dragon – training Toothless
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) – Centipede crawls up the stairs
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) – Centipede on the lawn
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) – ending
I Am Love – Emma finally leaves
I’m Still Here – David Letterman
I’m Still Here – Joaquin slowly walking, sinking into water
Inception – falling van
Inception – final shot
Iron Man 2 – race car fight
Jackass 3-D – ass volcano
Jackass 3-D – little people bar fight
Jonah Hex – reanimation and interrogation
The Karate Kid – first training montage
Kick-Ass – Hit Girl saves Kick-Ass from Raoul
Kick-Ass – strobe light sequence
The Kids Are All Right – college drop-off
The Kids Are All Right – mutual seduction
The Killer Inside Me – “I love you. Goodbye.”
The Killer Inside Me – death and a puddle of piss
The King’s Speech – Bertie talks a blue streak
Last Train Home – father/daughter fight gets physical
Legion – Gladys goes crazy
Letters to Juliet – Vanessa Redgrave reunited with Franco Nero
Life During Wartime – Bill confronts Billy
Looking for Eric – revenge of the Cantonas
Lovely, Still – Christmas gift expedition
Machete – Steven Seagal’s death scene
Monsters – creatures make love as humans watch
Mother – Hye-ja dancing at beginning
Mother – the revelation
Neil Young Trunk Show – “Show Me the Way”
The Other Guys – “aim for the bushes”
Paranoids – video game showdown
Piranha 3-D – spring break massacre
Piranha 3-D – wet t-shirt bloodbath
Please Give – Keener falls apart at special needs gym
Predators – freefall opening
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale – Stan’s elves love gingerbread cookies
RED – Helen Mirren and a machine gun
The Red Chapel – parade
Satan Hates You – car crash ending
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – Lucas Lee fight
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – Scott vs. Roxie Richter
Secret Sunshine – aftermath of the death of a loved one
She’s Out of My League – premature ejaculation
Somewhere – Italian hotel
Somewhere – opening shot: round and round
Soul Kitchen – Zinos and Illias dancing together
Splice – Ginger and Fred’s public debut
Step Up 3-D – climactic light dance
Tiny Furniture – last scene
The Town – bank robbery gone wrong
Tron: Legacy – light cycle battle
True Grit – rattlesnake cave
True Grit – shooting bottles
Vincere – Mussolini’s son mocks his father’s voice
Vincere – scattering letters in the night
Wah Do Dem – Obama wins the election
White Material – Claire on the bus
Winter’s Bone – the bad guy finally arrives
Winter’s Bone – swamp hands
Winter’s Bone – Teardrop fake-threatening to snap Ree’s neck
Youth in Revolt – faking your own death is harder than it looks