1.North By Northwest (1959)-Hands down, this is my favorite Cary Grant movie as well as my favorite Hitchcock movie. I could go on, but I won’t.

2. Jaws (1975)-Who doesn’t love Jaws? One of Spielberg’s early movies, it displays his early signature camera moves which, sadly, seem to be lacking in his later movies. Robert Shaw gives an outstanding performance as Quint while the movie moves from the shelter and security of a small island town to the open, vast and unforgiving ocean…

3. Blade Runner (1982)-The defining science fiction movie for my generation (sorry, Star Wars!), Blade Runner was a critical and commercial flop when it came out. The bleak future, the constant rain, the claustrophobia of Los Angeles crowded with so many unremarkable souls moving about in a pointless existence and the angst of the Replicants whose only wish is for MORE life. Of all Ridley Scott’s films, this is the one that I think will define him as a filmmaker just as 2001: A Space Odyssey defined Stanley Kubrick

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)-I was 10 years old when this movie came out and my parents took me to the theater to watch it. For me, Raiders redefined my expectations of what an action movie could be and in doing so literally changed the genre overnight, for better or worse. Definitely in my Top 5 Spielberg movies list. I can watch this movie over and over again. Also chosen by Anthony and Gedeon.

5. Die Hard (1988)-I saw this movie in the theater with my father. Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted when it was over. Not just another mindless action movie, Die Hard was a poke in the face of everyone from terrorists to law enforcement to politicians to the news media. I don’t think you can call it the thinking man’s action movie, but the dialogue and characterizations take this movie to another level. This movie is also required viewing during the Christmas season. Ho-Ho-Ho… Also chosen by Anthony and Corey.

6. Forbidden Planet (1956)-One of the best of the early science fiction movies from the 1950’s, Forbidden Planet transcends the genre by not focusing on ray guns and malevolent aliens, but by examining the human condition through the proxy of an extinct ancient alien race that had tried to transcend violence and hatred by shedding it. But instead of eliminating those emotions, a terrible invisible monster was created. Mix in a brilliant but jealous scientist, his beautiful daughter and a determined captain trying to investigate what happened to an earlier attempt to colonize the planet and you have a recipe for good sci-fi.

7. The Hunt for Red October (1990)-Cold War drama and Sean Connery as a Russian submarine captain! A taut thriller with the superb touch of director John McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard), Red October holds up to repeated viewings.

8. Apocalypse Now (1979)-I’ve never considered Apocalypse Now a Vietnam War movie, because it really isn’t. It’s an adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness using the backdrop of the Vietnam War to send a determined soldier on a mission to assassinate a rogue Colonel who has decided to win the war despite what his superiors want. A shocking portrait of the descent of man into madness or a tale on the clarity of purpose? You decide.

9. Halloween (1978)-Although I am not a big fan of slasher flicks, Halloween stands above most films in that horror sub-genre. Slowly paced and lacking much in the way of gross out gore, Halloween succeeds by creating the feeling of creeping horror that has always scared me more than the torture porn that seems to have become so popular in the last few years. The soundtrack by director John Carpenter is what gives Halloween its edge and the film cannot really scare you without it.

10. The Star Wars (1977-1983) Trilogy-If I had to choose one film from the Trilogy it would be Star Wars. As good as The Empire Strikes Back is, Star Wars is fun and funny and opened up my eyes and my mind at the tender age of 6. I could live without having ROTJ with me, though. Also chosen by Anthony, Corey, Dave and Gedeon.