2019 in Film Halftime Report: The Scenes

The movies of January to June 2019 has just about left us. Half the year gone, and where are we now? Been a good year? A poor one? Great? In our annual Halftime Report, we start off with the scenes of 2019 so far. Was it those dance moves? Plenty of popular dancing it seems. Or that one with the pop star? Those scenes with scissors, vinyl, that hammer, or those dolls?

An incredible line-up of 30 memorable scenes from 2019 at halftime behold you. A bunch of eager film writers stepped forward and offered some of their favorite scenes and moments from the first half of the year. Take a look, and feel free to leave your own bests in the comments at the bottom. Performances and Movies lists to follow – as well as our 2019 Halftime Report podcast.

Funeral – Thunder Road

An uneasy man dressed in police uniform trying to get something as simple as a music player to work sets the scene for an astonishing, moving, uncomfortable journey. One about a grieving man on the verge of a nervous breakdown. His address to the attendees of his mother’s send-off gives us a strong whiff of what’s to come, but it is only the start of watching this fragile man desperately try to keep it together. His speech digresses, he’s uncoordinated and emotionally wrecked.

You clench up while watching, you truly feel for this soul. Do we hug him, or avert our eyes? And then when it seems the song he had planned, Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road”, can’t be played, he takes upon himself to try explaining the lyrics while moving to imaginary music. Jim Cummings, who wrote and directed based on his own short film, is incredible in every nuance of this man’s despair. His portrayal of a man muddling his spoken thoughts, sporadically weeping uncontrollably, and briefly pulling it together (or so he thinks), is heartbreaking. — Robin @Filmotomy

Pool – Booksmart

By the time Booksmart shows Kaitlyn Dever’s Amy swimming in a backyard pool, everything is looking up for the increasingly less repressed genius. Since this is set near the end of Act Two, that should set off red flags, yet Amy’s joy in this swim and the joy of the past hour pushes all those warnings aside. In fact, it evokes memories of Eighth Grade instead, in how Amy’s swim looks like the happy flipside of that nerve-wracking scene of an awkward young girl in a pool party. And yet when it’s over, we and Amy suddenly realize this is actually even worse.

Then four minutes, one take, one heart wrenching performance by Dever and one devastating snowball of a confrontation later, we realize its actually 10 times worse. So much so that we probably need a new MPAA warning for emotionally crushing pool sequences in films about young girls. — Robert @Robertdoc1984

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez – Rolling Thunder Review

Martin Scorsese’s Bob Dylan documentary Rolling Thunder Review isn’t perfect as it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. However, the film has some very fascinating elements, particularly in the more candid moments. The one scene I found strangely compelling is contained in archival footage involving Dylan and Joan Baez. They are casually having a conversation as two people who have known each other for years, and at one point were also in love. Through the small conversation, we sense regret, and a loss for something that might have been.

Dylan and Baez were the king and queen of folk music in the 60s, and their careers aligned together almost intimately in those early days. The scene is quietly heartbreaking, but tender and real. It may be the most authentic scene I’ve seen all year concerning real people. During a modern day interview, Dylan speaks of Baez, poetically saying “Joan was so courageous, self-disciplined. When I first met her it was if she came down to Earth from a meteorite and she’s never changed it always seems like she’s always come down from a meteorite.” What a love story theirs would make. — Jeremy @jeremytwocities

Thor and Frigga – Avengers: Endgame

Without a doubt, the treatment of Thor’s character in Avengers: Endgame is the most controversial detail in a movie stuffed with divisive plot choices. I came to terms with the fact that the treatment isn’t perfect after my second viewing, but one moment with Thor brought a gigantic smile to my face. While his “I knew it” moment also speaks mountains about his personality, Thor seeing his mother again is one of the most powerful scenes in this explosive film.

This is where Thor’s lowest point finally begins to turn around. He was a god that fell from grace after his arrogance led to a cataclysmic failure. He fell into depression, not feeling worthy of the immense power he possesses, but Frigga assures Thor that failure doesn’t define him, and he should be who he is.

An already great scene is capped off by an amazing moment. Thor reaching out for Mjolnir and it coming to him is par for the course in the MCU. But this time, there’s something different. Thor feels reinvigorated, and his expression of nearing tears of joy mimicked exactly how I felt on second viewing. A wonderful moment from a wonderful film. — Jennings @jentalksmovies

Ending – How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

2019 is peppered with so many bittersweet finales of extremely popular characters and series that the conclusion to the How to Train Your Dragon films has gotten lost in the shuffle. This is a story that proclaims “once there were dragons” and dares us to remember a time full of wonder; a tale about two outcasts coming together, experiencing life’s highs and lows while battling the true villain of the series: time.

This is most prevalent in The Hidden World as Hiccup and Toothless’ lives begin to take them in different directions, growing older, and slowly embracing their destinies as leaders. However, as the music hits its crescendo in closing moments, we realize that we never completely lose the things we feel like we have lost, despite how life changes come upon us. A truly beautiful and fitting ending to a fantastic trilogy. And yes: I absolutely believe in dragons. — Chris @ChrisLejarzar

Breaking Free – Captain Marvel

The tried and tested cinematic moment of the hero or heroine revealing themselves in such comic book adventures still resonates with us. Seemingly captured, Danvers (Brie Larson) has to summon the self-provocation to outwit her enemies. And also wrestle with her subconscious while listening to Nirvana – pretty cool.

Discovering she had the ability all along to control her own strength, Captain Marvel emerges to thwart those baddies. Nothing like childhood memories to remind us who we truly are. The triumphant music by Pinar Toprak really elevates the senses – in fact “I’m All Fired Up” is the high point of a very accomplished score. And, of course, and when Captain Marvel glows through the door, I had shivers. We’ve seen the gif a thousand times, and its still awesome. — Robin @Filmotomy

Honky Cat – Rocketman

It’s rare that a biopic really effectively captures the spirit of its subject, and that’s exactly what we get in Rocketman — no more so than during the Honky Cat sequence. Elton John famously has a penchant for excess, and what better way to celebrate that than with a delightfully over-the-top ode to opulence?

Elton and his lover John Reid drink and shop their way through the musical number as he learns to embrace an extravagant lifestyle that perfectly reflects his own theatrical tastes. Also, not for nothing, but I would happily bankroll an entire series of duets between Taron Egerton and Richard Madden — the cheeky creativity of this number is an undeniable highlight. — Audrey @audonamission