14th Edition

11.13.10

( = vote for Audience Award )

The Darjeeling Limited [Chris]
opening (Bill Murray)

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery [Christa]
opening titles

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [Warren]
the Monster Book of Monsters

Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon) [Paul]
flight to the moon

Fantastic Mr. Fox [Ben]
the rules of whack bat

Son of Rambow [Laura]
shooting action scenes

Red, Hot and Blue [Chris]
the "other" version of Hamlet

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End [Harriet]
a shipful of Jack Sparrows

When Harry Met Sally [Warren]
"baby fish mouth"

Up [Paul]
married life

The Addams Family [Paul]
"Dirty pool, old man."

Royal Wedding [Jim]
dancing on the ceiling

Tooth Fairy [Tallulah]
equipment and supplies

Melody Time [Marya]
"Apple Pickin'"

Top Secret! [Miriam]
spoon-dug tunnel

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad [Chris]
Kali statue

Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith [Chris]
Obi-Wan confronts Grievous

Rushmore [Matt]
swimming pool

Bolt [Liam]
Rhino rescues Bolt from the truck

The Adventures of Robin Hood [Ben]
the duel of Robin and Sir Guy

Animal Crackers [Christa]
silverware in the sleeve

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End [Ronan]
rock crabs

Beach Party [Christa]
end credits/Candy Johnson

{ intermission }

Rocket Science [Chris]
Ben Wexler at the state championships

Toy Story [Anne]
"Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger"

Last Year at Marienbad [Laura]
card game, hallways

The Ten [Shane]
"I set up the VCR."

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [Matt]
the Dead Marshes

In the Loop [Deirdre/Jim]
bedroom calculations

Hamlet (1948) [Chris]
the duel with Laertes

Krrish [Harriet]
fighting the motorcycle gang

After the Thin Man [Marya]
scrambled eggs in the night

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby [Tim]
saying grace

An Education [Laura]
a word after class with Miss Stubbs

The Sure Thing Anne
"Allison, I love you"

The Gay Divorcée [Jim]
"Night and Day"

The Bourne Supremacy [Matt]
Marie is shot

Two Guys From Texas [Chris]
sitting in the moonlight

The Bad News Bears [Paul]
a pitcher's revenge

Gerry [Mike]
rock-marooned

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World [Christa]
Sylvester and friend

Some Like It Hot [Tim]
sleeping berths

The New World [Marya]
learning English words

Bolt [Warren]
pigeon story pitch

The Big Broadcast of 1938 [Tod]
"Thanks for the Memory"

{ intermission }

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! [Warren]
go go bar

Watchmen [Laura]
opening titles

Dogtooth [Mike]
a living room dance performance

Foul Play [Harriet]
Stanley's apartment

Towelhead [Laura]
dinner at a Mexican restaurant

Saving Private Ryan [Matt]
"Over the side!"

Synecdoche, New York [Shane]
Tom Noonan audition

Okie Noodling [Jim]
beneath the tree roots

When Harry Met Sally [Paul]
fake orgasm

Amélie [Warren]
simultaneous orgasms

Anvil! The Story of Anvil [Warren]
talking it out

Cube [Jim]
julienne trap

Humpday [Mike]
chickening out

Life 2.0 [Paul]
emotional affair

The Incredibles [Harriet]
"Where's my super suit?"

Let the Right One In [Matt]
held under water

{ end }

Thanks as ALWAYS to everyone who submitted clips. It's the collision of our varied contributions that makes this thing such a blast. This year we welcomed new players Marya and Shane, who each came through with both standard AND lightning round clips.

A lot of echoes this year, some intended, many not. We received two scenes from BOLT (Liam, Warren), two clips from the same sequence in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (Ronan, Harriet), and three submissions from WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (Paul, Warren, and a scene from Harriet I omitted). Christa's three sixties-style dance clips (AUSTIN POWERS, BEACH PARTY, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD) synced up with Warren's go-go dance trio from FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! to trigger an Accidental Baxter (Best Motif, Unintended Collaboration).

Deirdre has requested that at future parties guests be alerted when they proffer a clip someone else has already submitted, as when both she and Jim contributed the bedroom calculations scene from IN THE LOOP. Me, I'd rather underline it with a video bumper and an award, the Malkovich Malkovich. At least until it happens so often I get sick of it.

Contributing before the early deadline means having the opportunity to shape more of the evening's tone. Matt went for the themed approach, with five clips that pushed their characters underwater (RUSHMORE, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, THE TWO TOWERS, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN). Off the top of my head I can think of three clips from previous years that could have fit in as well (THE GRADUATE, OLD SCHOOL, and HEAD). For its scope, ambition, and (sometimes terrifying) beauty, Matt's theme earned him the Baxter (Best Motif, Individual Achievement).

Among Laura's five clips were LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (striking enough to earn The Unamerican award, weird enough to almost win the What the Hell Was That?), and a duet of quiet dialogues (AN EDUCATION, TOWELHEAD) that were two of my favorite clips of the night.

Paul brought an unassailable¹ Jessie winner (and Teller runner-up) in the marriage of Carl and Ellie from UP, plus two Montalban contenders in Meg Ryan’s fake orgasm and George Méliès' A TRIP TO THE MOON (the oldest clip we've seen in any year). Two more standard clips (THE BAD NEWS BEARS, and the documentary LIFE 2.0) and two great Lightning Round moments (Jaime Pressly's "It's already been broughten!" from NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE and THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI: ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION) filled out an eclectic slate, earning Paul this year's Editor’s Choice award.

Other wordless clips included the opening credits from WATCHMEN (Laura) and Harry Potter's struggle with the Monster Book of Monsters. But I opted to award this year's Teller to Jim’s clip from CUBE, for its tightly-told (yet gruesome) three-minute story. Jim also took home the Harold & Fayard for the best dance scene of the night, a classic Astaire and Rogers number from THE GAY DIVORCÉE.²

This year’s Montalban went to Ben³, for the classic duel between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone from THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, still the standard in cinematic swordfighting.

I was responsible for the rest of the swordplay: Raul Julia sparring with Dan Hedaya in THE ADDAMS FAMILY, Laurence Olivier fencing with Terence Morgan at the climax of HAMLET, and heroes duelling multi-limbed foes in THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD and STAR WARS III: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Chalk it up to the hours spent clashing blades with Ben around the house.

I was thrilled at the number of clips submitted that were eligible for the Pepe (Best Clip Under 60 Seconds). Daphne Zuniga decking John Cusack in THE SURE THING (Anne). Liev Schreiber slapping the back of Charlie McDermott's head in THE TEN (Shane). Frozone looking for his super suit in THE INCREDIBLES (Harriet). Coach Skip explaining the rules of WhackBat in FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Ben). In the end I gave the award to Warren's clip from AMÉLIE, for traveling the longest distance in its twenty-five seconds—almost short enough for the Lightning Round, but so good it deserved its own spot.

And for the second time Mike delivers a clip so fantastically weird and wonderful—in this case an at-home family dance performance from the Greek film DOGTOOTH—that it brings home both the What the Hell Was That? award and the Miriam Engelberg Audience Award (His previous double-shot? For SITA SINGS THE BLUES in Year 12).

Speaking of Miriam, I was pleased to be able to include a clip she'd requested when she was still with us, the tunnel-dug-with-a-spoon gag from TOP SECRET!, which I'd ripped years ago and misplaced on a random hard drive.

And speaking of the Audience Award, this was the first year we tried out giving everyone one vote per act. On the one hand it was nice to see so many clips get three or more votes; on the other hand it does give a numerical advantage to clips in Act III, which featured both fewer clips overall and fewer clips that are easy to love. I am open to suggestions for future tweaks to our voting scheme.

I am looking forward to making more art with everyone involved.

¹Although Tod brought one hell of a contender in the heartrending rendition of "Thanks For the Memory" from THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938

²Its main competition, Astaire's solo number on the walls and ceiling from ROYAL WEDDING, was also contributed by Jim. While it received several audience votes and is a classic of athleticism and cinematic ingenuity, its technical gimmickry does not ultimately stand up against the crushing beauty of the winning duet.

³The award could have almost as easily gone to Anne for the introduction of Buzz Lightyear from the original TOY STORY. For personal reasons I find it difficult awarding a "classic clip" recognition to a film barely older than the party itself.

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