In no particular order:
 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Peter Jackson has the amazing ability to reach inside your imagination and reproduce what he finds onscreen.
He does a wonderful job (for the most part, anyway) of staying true to Tolkien's spirit in the first film;
I'm a purist so I'm not entirely happy with the treatment of The Two Towers but I'll grant that it's far better
cinematically than Fellowship. Likewise, Return of the King is well-done overall though pieces of the script are terrible.
 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This is one of the few films capable of making me cry. Not only is it extremely well-written and -directed,
but the characters and love story feel authentic. They express a longing that would be emotionally
devastating were it not for the (somewhat overly) clever juxtaposition with the exterior world.
 Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
The best of a series that still captures my imagination (ah, the science fiction nut comes out).
The problem with the newer films is that George Lucas needs to step aside and let someone else direct and
write the scripts like he did in Empire and Return.
 Spirited Away (Sen To Chihiro Kamikakushi)
In a word: delightful. Picture all of your favorite childrens' stories rolled into one.
There's a reason director Hayao Miyazaki is considered a
national treasure in Japan. It's best in Japanese with English subtitles.
 The Princess Bride
Quite possibly the most quotable movie ever. It's silly, I know, but it's supposed to be.
I've seen it 15? 20? 30 times? At one point, I could quote the movie from beginning to end, more or less word-perfectly.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is: 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia.' Only slightly less well known is this: 'Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!'"
If you haven't, read the book--it's even funnier than the movie.
 Braveheart
An epic with an emotional, sweeping score. Of course, I had to watch it again before going to
Scotland years ago… and to make matters more interesting, I stayed in Ayr,
the hometown of the kid who played Mel Gibson's "younger self" in the beginning of the movie
(I don't remember the actor's name offhand). Robert the Bruce is still featured on dollar bills and
the entrance to Edinburgh Castle is framed by two statues: one of Robert, the other of William Wallace.
 The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville)
One of the most creative films ever produced. There's little dialogue, but the wisuals are so witty that you'll
never miss it. Look for frogs. Lots of them. And the little old ladies who dynamite them for dinner.
 Requiem for a Dream
It's an assult on your senses, but the directing is incredible. This is a film about good
intentions gone awry, about good people caught in an endless spiral down. But for all
its ugliness, this is a necessary piece of art.
 Batman Begins
When this opened, I saw it twice in three days (and believe me, that never happens). Not only
is Christian Bale well cast as a brooding, dark Knight, but the origins story was never so
plausible. My one compliant lies with Katie Holmes: she didn't belong in the film. While
every other actor gave an excellent performance, hers fell flat.
 Star Trek: First Contact
The best of the Star Trek movies, but it might prove confusing for the unindoctrinated.
Why? Bring in the best captain (Picard), the best crew (The Next Generation), the best alien villains
(the Borg), and a story that builds off the best two episodes ("The Best of Both Worlds, Parts I and II")
and how can you possibly go wrong? Yes, I'm a geek. And proud of it.
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