1. Say Anything Dir. Cameron Crowe 1989
Song: Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel), plays in an Iconic scene that starred John Cusack and Ione Skye. If I explained this scene, it would be, “spoiler alert.”
2. Almost Famous Dir. Cameron Crowe 2000
Scene: The Band is leaving a party with their fans, after Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) has spent some time screaming the infamous “I’m on Drugs” line. Yet again, spoiler alert.
Song: Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
3. The Graduate Dir. Mike Nichols 1967
Scene: Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) observing “life” in the 1967 Mike Nichols classic, that changed the way movies were made and what society would admit about (human relations), well, biology. Sex.
Song: April Come She Will (Simon and Garfunkel)
4. Silver Linings Playbook Dir. David O. Russell 2012
Scene: A Beautiful montage of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence dancing. The film garnered Oscar Nod’s for a than (mostly) unknown Cooper (A Star is Born) and Lawrence (The Hunger Games).
Song: North Country Fair (Bob Dylan, duet with Johnny Cash)
5. Top Gun Dir. Tony Scott 1986
Scene: Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards (ER) are two naval pilots in trying to meet women in a bar. In outrageously original scene Tom Cruise decides the girl he is eyeing has “Lost it.” It is odd, that now the song or even film may be old enough to where many will say what? Well, the song anyways (no arrogance).
Song: You’ve Lost that Love and Feeling (Righteous Brothers)
Songs that lead into the Closing Credits
6. The Breakfast Club Dir. John Hughes 1985
The iconic image was improvised by Judd Nelson (New Jack City)
Song: Don’t You Forget (About Me) (Simple Minds)
7. Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey Dir. Peter Hewitt 1991
Song: God Gave Rock and Roll to You (Kiss, proof they had more than ONE good song)
8. Young Guns 2 Dir. Geoff Murphy 1990
Song: Blaze of Glory (earned Jon Bon Jovi an Oscar-nod)
9. Lethal Weapon 2 Dir. Richard Donner 1989
Song: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (the Gun’s and Rose version). Music fans, there is also great version’s by Wyclef Jean and of course the original is a Bob Dylan song. The Dylan version is used well in the Sam Peckinpah Classic Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973).
10. Revenge of the Nerds Dir. Jeff Kanew 1984
Song: We are the Champions (Queen)
