Again for the first time

Caught the last half-hour of "The Usual Suspects" on cable the other day, and it got me wishing that I could see the brilliant, boffo ending again for the first time. That amazed, baffled and satisfied feeling you get when you see a fantastic movie -- especially one with an unexpected twist -- is just magical. I want it back, dammit!

A look a couple movies I'd love to see again for the first time (here is the requisite SPOILER ALERT tag):

The Usual Suspects: The aforementioned inspiration for the blog post has one of the best twist ending final sequences EVER. Watching in the comfort of my parents' living room, I think my mom and I actually gasped in unison at the big reveal. And for that, I will always kind of give Bryan Singer a free pass, no matter how crappy the Superman reboot was.

The Sixth Sense: Didn't know a thing about this movie when I went to see it with my parents (in fact, it was their suggestion; having spent the entire summer selling books door-to-door in New Hampshire, I didn't see a lot of movie trailers). That made the experience even more enjoyable. I love watching trailers and reading reviews, but sometimes knowing absolutely nothing about the movie before you see it is awesome.

The Shawshank Redemption: Another one enjoyed with my parents in the living room (my parents like some cool movies, huh?). When Norton ripped the poster off the wall, my jaw just dropped. I still watch Shawshank almost every time it's on TV -- which is often -- and it's still enjoyable, but oh, to forget about "fuzzy britches" little secret for one day? That would be spectacular.

The Empire Strikes Back: Remember when you didn't know Vader was Luke's father? You do? Well, I don't. See, I wasn't born when this came out, so by the time I saw it (and was old enough to understand what the eff was going on), I already knew about the ol' father-son relationship.

Amelie: A friend of mine who lived in France when this movie came out recommended I see it at the art house theater in Omaha over Thanksgiving break. I asked him what it was about, and after a quasi-convoluted summary -- to which I said, "Sounds kinda lame" -- he said, "Just go see it. It will change your life." Talk about hyperbole. So I went. And I think it did change my life. And I saw it four times in the theater, taking someone different each time with the hopes of changing their lives. Quite simply, a beautiful movie that makes me feel good to be alive.

The Matrix: The special effects were so incredibly ground-breaking at the time, and now, they don't seem so special. My only real question: Why on earth didn't I go see this in the theater?!

28 Days Later: I don't even like horror movies, but this one blew my friggin' mind. Fast zombies? A movie made solely with digital cameras? Scared the living hell out of me, while also fascinating me from a production standpoint. A rare feat, indeed.

Your turn: Which movies do you wish you could see again for the first time?