Matthew Holmes: The Films That Changed My Life

Raiders of the Lost Ark

When I snuck into the lounge room as a child and watched this film from behind the couch, I was simply blown away that a film could be so exciting and energetic. It was seeing my childhood imagination turned into reality, and from that day on I became obsessed with movies. It was the film that made me realise that anything is possible in a movie and I knew I wanted to be a part of that world. They don’t make them like that anymore.

The Man From Snowy River

This is the film that sparked my life-long obsession with Australian history, folklore and countryside. The images of men wearing akubra hats, riding over mountains on horseback and living in quaint bark huts along with the sounds of the Australian bush created a world that I desperately wanted to live in. The sense of adventure and romance was larger than life. It was also the first soundtrack I ever owned (on cassette tape) and I listened to it on a loop while playing with action figures as a child. The Man From Snowy River has heavily influenced almost all of my films, most noticeably in my feature films Twin Rivers and The Legend of Ben Hall.

Gallipoli

From my most admired director, Peter Weir’s Gallipoli was the first film that truly affected me on a deep, emotional level. The iconic freeze frame of Mark Lee being shot as he ran toward certain death would have to be the most memorable ending to any war film and gutted me as boy of thirteen. Again, the sounds and sights of the Australian countryside are tantalising, its turn-of-the-century production design spot on and the tragic depiction of Gallipoli and loss of innocent lives made me completely rethink how I look at warfare. It’s a film I return to year after year, and still find deep wonder and sorrow within.

Aliens

Aliens is probably the most perfect genre film ever made. I didn’t see it until around 1995, and I was stunned at how engaging, immersive and big the world was. I was totally lost in the magic of the filmmaking and baffled at how they achieved that world. The tension, the characters and the writing is top notch, and for me it is the benchmark of any genre based film. It becomes more than just a throw-away genre-flick; it provides all the chills and thrill but also delivers an emotional experience and paints the characters as real people in a real situation. I’ve probably watched this film more than any other, and I am never bored by a single moment. A masterpiece.

L.A. Confidential

This hard-hitting, noir-inspired period cop drama was one of the biggest surprises to me in the late ‘90s – a dense and character rich plot that was jaw-droppingly entertaining and had the guts to paint its protagonists as flawed and questionable. It inspired my love of the cinematic anti-hero – and demonstrated that audiences are more than capable of navigating a film that has three storylines woven throughout. A highly under-rated film.

Goodfellas

Never before had the mafia been painted with so much realism, colour and brutal energy. Goodfellas inspired my love of the criminal biopic, and again deepened my love for the anti-hero archetype. A film that perfectly blends music, editing and directing with crackling performances, Goodfellas is without a doubt one of my most admired films and a benchmark I will always aim for yet never reach. Perfection as only Scorsese can deliver.

Blade Runner

When I first watched Blade Runner on VHS in 1995, I hated it. I found it boring, uneventful and devoid of the ‘raiders-style’ action I was hungering for at the time. Yet it lingered in my mind like a nightmare and I had to revisit it over and over again. Upon each viewing, my dismissal turned into a deep love affair. I watch it every year without fail and listen to Vangelis’ score at least once a week. No other film is like Blade Runner, a nightmarish dream that I can be immersed into and relish for two hours. Cinematic gold.