Top Five Movie Scenes (aka Five Cinematic Moments That Changed My Life and Burned Into My Brain)

It’s the school holidays and well-post-Oscar season, hence the lack of reviews. The dire movie viewing options (for me, anyway) has left me with a writing itch I just had to scratch. So, to tide me over until The Avengers is released later this week, here are my five favourite movie scenes, ever ... in no particular order:

Empire of the Sun (1987)

The Cadillac of the Sky scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02BBtN-P0lc

One of my favourite films, this Spielberg epic is rarely cited as one of his best. I simply don’t know why. Based on JG Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, Empire of the Sun tells the story of Jim, an English boy surviving in Japanese-occupied China during WWII. In this scene, the Americans attack the Japanese with their mighty impressive planes. Take a moment to remember this film is 25 years old – the effects are seamless. John Williams’ score soars. But what truly gets me is ‘I can’t remember what my parents look like.’ Sob. I have probably watched this movie around two dozen times and I always cry at this moment. The first time, when I was 11, and every time since. Every. Single. Time.


When Harry Met Sally ... (1989)

The New Year Revelation scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_M3GHJckv8 (spoiler alert)

Another favourite film, another I have watched too many times for my own good. For many many many years, this movie represented everything I wanted in a relationship. I’m a sap, what can I say. I still contend this is the best rom-com ever. It’s the basic boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy meets girl again, boy and girl become friends, boy and girl fall in love, awwwww. Genuinely funny with a stellar cast, this film is a classic. And this particular scene – the big ‘I love you’ speech – is adorable and funny and simply ace.


There Will Be Blood (2007)

I Drink Your Milkshake scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_hFTR6qyEo (spoiler alert and language warning)

Hmm, another favourite film (there seems to be a pattern here), There Will Be Blood is truly a modern classic with one of the finest lead performances you will ever see. There are three or four scenes in this film I could have picked – the relationship between oil drilling guru Daniel Plainview and evangelical preacher Eli Sunday is wonderfully antagonistic and provides most of the highlights of the story. The one I chose is simply majestic in its meanness and intensity and darkly comic tinge. You can’t help but love a character like Plainview – given so many chances to redeem himself, he fervently shuns every one.


The Usual Suspects (1995)

The Twist to End All Twists scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_6560AW1zQ (MAJOR spoiler alert and language warning)

If you haven’t seen this film, do NOT view the video – go out immediately and hire the dvd instead. The Usual Suspects is the first film I remember seeing at the cinema with such an amazing twist that I actually gasped out loud. A stellar cast and the vehicle that truly made mainstream audiences sit up and take notice of Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects is by no means a flawless film. But for me, sitting in the dark, I will never forget this moment and the feeling of having the rug pulled out from under me. Other films have thrilled me in the same way since, but I definitely lost my cherry on this particular twist.


High Society (1956)

Ultimate Bing and Frank scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kq1JQUhwVQ (musical warning!)

I absolutely and utterly adore musicals. And I have a particular soft spot for the classic films I remember watching on tv on lazy Sunday afternoons – films in which manly men sang and danced, lyrics were cheesy poetry and nuns sang about the hills being alive. High Society is a very early memory and this song – Well, Did You Evah? – is simply sublime. A duet between two legends, one a little drunk, both in love with the same woman (Grace Kelly – how could you not love her?), this is cinematic magic. And when Frank drunkenly sings ‘naaah, let’s drink to your wealth’, I giggle every time.


The Matrix (1999)

The Most Mind-Blowing Opening scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u31OjOPF-ZI

Yes, I can count. This is scene number six. But I simply could not get the list down to five – let’s call this scene a tie with The Usual Suspects ending and just move on ... So, The Matrix. What a great flick. It’s about, errr, who knows really? But, at the time, it was simply the coolest thing to touch down at the cinema and certainly in my life. I remember distinctly watching this opening scene, turning to the person next to me and saying ‘I have no idea what’s going on, but I love it!’ Sure, it looks so clichéd now (largely because it has been copied so shamelessly subsequently), but I had certainly never seen anything like it – the slow-mo, the camera angles, the outfits, the comic book feel. I was buzzing and I always get a little of that feeling back when I watch it again.

What are some of your favourites?