The Movie Evangelist

Review Of 2013: Top 30 Scenes Of 2013

Posted on January 1, 2014 Updated on January 3, 2016

Will keep the preamble short here – this is my annual trawl through the legal (and slightly less legal) clips from the year’s best movies from a video website that rhymes with ZooLube. (I’m not sure what you’d use that for, but hopefully there’s no clips of it.) Some of these might get taken down, they’re not all great quality, a few contain MAJOR spoilers – this is your only warning if you don’t want to know the cameos in Thor or This Is The End or the plot twist in Iron Man 3, for example – and there might be the occasional use of strong language and a man with his privates in between his legs, so apologies in advance. I do tend to update these whenever I can if better versions become available. Get ’em while they’re hot.

30. Thor: The Dark World – unexpected cameo

Yes, massive spoiler, but this chat between Thor and Loki featured an appearance from another franchise character which I thankfully saw unspoiled.

29. Les Miserables – the bit Susan Boyle did

The one song everyone should probably have heard of, even if they hadn’t seen the play. (I saw the play this year.)

28. Mama – playing in the bedroom

One of the year’s more notable horrors, this scene has a locked off camera and you can see the two daughters of the family playing in the bedroom on the right. Or can you?

27. Leviathan – gone fishing

One of the year’s more unusual documentaries, a fishing trawler surrounded by tiny cameras.

26. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa – siege break-in

Partridge inadvertently escapes from the siege, then attempts to break back in.

25. The Lone Ranger – general train fun

Any time they’re on top of a train in the film, basically.

24. This Is The End – cannibal bitch

Here’s that strong language I mentioned. I laughed harder at this reveal than anything else in the cinema this year. Don’t judge me.

23. Blue Is The Warmest Color – break-up scene

In three hours of raw emotion, it’s still the break-up scene that hurts the most, although their reunion in a bar later is also bitterly painful.

22. Django Unchained – hooded meet-up

Features Tarantino’s second cameo. Utterly inappropriate, highly entertaining.

21. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa – pageant scene

The restaurant scene also made me laugh like a drain. I’m a terrible person.

20. The Impossible – tsunami

Powerfully made, the dramatic highlight of the film.

19. Frozen – the songs

I love my wordplay, as my awful poetry will testify, so this was right up my street. Let It Go and the troll one were also great.

18. The Way Way Back – “Is it a homicide?”

In an ideal world you’d be able to rent Sam Rockwell to come round and cheer you up, but until cloning is invented you may have to make do with this.

17. Pacific Rim – Hong Kong ding dong

The best battle sequence of the film by a distance.

16. Captain Phillips – Pirates Of The Indian Ocean

The best scene that isn’t the ending, which you should see in context.

15. Short Term 12 – rap scene

Short Term 12 featured a number of gut-punch scenes of emotion, this was one of the best.

14. The Selfish Giant – Arbor shows his skills

So many highlights (the horse and trap chase being another), but most are character based, such as this one.

13. Only God Forgives – Gosling take down

Most clips of this are age inappropriate, so here’s one which is but you can watch. The most polarising film of the year.

12. The Act Of Killing – Born Free

When gangsters are asked to film their crimes in Indonesia, this is their view of their victims’ fate. Astonishing.

11. Before Midnight – car discussion

Richard Linklater’s long takes are so well handled. The bedroom fight is the apex of the film, but this is a good warm-up.

10. The Kings Of Summer – Jamal Colorado

The Monopoly scene was also painfully true to life, but this is an example of the year’s best character – Biaggio.

9. Flight – the plane crash

This was unbearably tense from the moment the plane lifted off. Shame about the rest of the film.

8. Fast & Furious 6 – the tank chase

The magic airport runway scene was also spectacular. R.I.P. Paul Walker.

7. The Crash Reel – family discussion

The core of this snowboarding documentary are the family scenes where Kevin’s parents and brothers attempt to get him to see sense.

6. Gravity – opening scene

The whole, seemingly unbroken take (achieved by piles of CGI wizardry) is a masterful technical achievement, here’s a key part.

5. The Place Beyond The Pines – opening scene

If that was good, then this opening from Derek Cianfrance’s latest topped it.

4. Stoker – piano duet

Apologies for the poor quality, but this scene from Park’s English language debut was a highlight of the year.

3. The World’s End – toilet chat

I would like to have included either the bar or toilet fights, which both have stunning choreography, but this will do for now.

2. The Great Gatsby – Leo intro

Most of The Great Gatsby was a soggy mess, but Baz Luhrmann can do spectacle like almost no-one else.

1. Iron Man Three – yes, I agree with Empire Magazine

The big reveal, which angered hosts of geeks but was, in fact, complete genius. Movie magic, love.

Previous years:

The Top 30 Scenes Of 2012

The Top 30 Scenes Of 2011