Film Bitch Awards... Openings, Endings, and Titles
Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 10:45PM Three of the final five Film Bitch Award categories announced. Click over for the nominations!
When I think of my wife I always think of her head. I picture cracking her lovely skull, unspooling her brains, trying to get answers.
BEST OPENING SCENE
Did you find any opening scene as perfectly bold as Gone Girl's recently? It's instantly classic as kick-offs go. Still horrified two months later that Gillian Flynn didn't get an Adapted Screenplay nomination. WTF. Her work was stronger than any of the nominees in her category (the good stuff was in Original this past year obviously). But that wasn't the only entrancing first minute of a film. Under the Skin's "creation" (?) anyone?
BEST ENDING
Spoiler alert! Movies have endings. Some more satisfying than others. Which were your favorites this year? Were you a bawling but optimistic and newly invigorated civil rights champion at the end of Selma, Pride, or Love is Strange? Was that desert gaze into an open future the perfect ending for Boyhood? Were you chanting USA ironically with the bloodthirsty crowd at the end of Foxcatcher or gazing up with Emma Stone in Birdman or Reese Witherspoon in Wild?
CREDIT SEQUENCES
I didn't nominated The Grand Budapest Hotel here but I do love that tiny dancing Russian at the tail end of the credits and his exuberant dancing (i wish I had a gif of the confetti throwing part). That's basically a documentary of what happens in my apartment every time I finish an article. As for this category, it shouldn't surprise you to see Captain America: Winter Soldier's bold black white and red pop art as a nominee but do you remember those hilarious cast photos from Neighbors in the closing credits? I almost forgot them which would have been a tragedy.
I mean...
Two categories left (acting in limited or cameo roles) so stay tuned for that and the gold silver and bronze medals this week as grand finale to 2014's film year. Hooray!
(And now I'm off to do that little dance backstage. Byeeeee.)
Reader Comments (13)
I've been reading The Film Experience for 10 years now and I started reading because of the Film Bitch Awards. I've been sad that you haven't been able to finish them every year. I'm glad you are going to be able this year.
So out of your five nominees for best ending I saw three of them (Boyhood, Love is Strange, and Pride). Out of the three I have seen Pride has my favorite ending. Its just so inspiring. actually it is because of this site that I even saw Pride. How much love it was shown made it a must see for me. It easily made my top 5 films that I saw from last year. When movies make me feel like that one did I know I have found something special.
My favorite opening scenes of 2014 were from "Calvary" and "Whiplash." Both are intense, brief vignettes that perfectly set the film's tone and introduce the main characters, including their motivations and relationship to one another.
LOL I also love the Neighbor's credit. Stella the baby is so damn cute!!!
OK, Nathaniel, I did a google search and confirmed that you described as "instantly classic" not only this Fincher movie opening scene but the Social Network opening scene as well! *crazy* :p
So glad you chose Under the Skin. That opening has actually haunted me...
OMG! Those Neighbors closing credits are just incredible, and I love the mention for Force Majeure's opening scene...totally set the...awkward mood for the rest of the movie.
Not a critique, per se, but interesting that Gone Girl is a nomination leader without even cracking your top 13 of the year?
Nat you gave The Homesman 2 noms not one,Best line reading for Swank and best music moment in a Non musical film
mark -- no. the homesman was only a semi finalist in those few categories
hayden w -- grand budapest too. who knows. both may rise in estimation. I kinda worried about Gone Girl being so low. It's so memorable and though i see lots of flaws, i mostly dont care about them.
james t -- fincher knows how to open a movie, thats for damn sure
dave -- thanks. i've had the guilt. glad you appreciate
brian -- so happy to hear that. always want to know i'm helping people find great movies
Can't call it a "scene", but that opening segment from WILD TALES was awesome,
I knew from Under the Skin's opening that I was going to have major problems with it, haha. But Johansson was perfection, so it was worth it. Gone Girl's opening would be my pick of your group, but I think I'd go with The LEGO Movie (all this is true... because it rhymes) or Nightcrawler, which gets the blood flowing right off the bat.
The ending of Pride is one of the most joyous in years. That gets my vote. Still Alice and Two Days, One Night had really gorgeous endings too. Plus, Wild Tales' entire wrap up story was fantastic.
The ending of "Pride"...if you would've told me that the line "Where are my lesbians?" could simultaneously make me burst out laughing AND tear up, I wouldn't have believed it. But that scene is a killer.