Advertisement Great scenes, like great movies, adhere to no single formula. Some of them work only in relation to the moments that occur before and/or after them. Others play like miniature movies themselves, their appeal independent of the feature-length films that house them. What all great scenes have in common, though, is their ability to imprint themselves on a viewer’s brain. In anticipation of our best films of 2014 list, which drops on Thursday, we’ve singled out 22 of our favorite scenes from the year in cinema. They’re in no particular order—save for the first one, which several contributors cited and we’ve hence decided is the year’s best. Fair warning: Some of these entries, including the first one below, disclose major plot points. Proceed with caution. Scene of the year The ending, Whiplash Those who haven’t seen Whiplash yet should probably skip right past this glowing appraisal of its final minutes, and rush to the nearest theater showing it. Those who have seen the film should finally catch their breath and read on. In the closing scene of the movie, aspiring jazz drummer Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) suffers one last humiliation at the hands of his abusive mentor, Terence Fletcher…