Welcome to my list of Top 20 movies!

1. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Without a doubt, the movie I enjoy and admire most. Buidling on the incredible foundation that Star Wars: A New Hope built for it, ESB delivers more excitement, humor, surprises, and fun than any movie before or since.
2. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) - The movie that started one of the most sucessful franchises in entertainment history. But more importantly, one of the most original and entertaining movies of all time.
3. Aliens (1986) - This movie is unmercifully intense! It combines action, suspense, and horror in such a way that the viewer is almost constantly on edge. It also features an incredible cast of characters that one really cares about, making the grisly fate that awaits almost all of them all the more horrifying.
4. Highlander (1986) - A unique fantasy movie taking place in our own world. I actually saw this when it came out, enjoyed it, then almost forgot about it. About five years later, I was pleased to discover it had a huge cult following. Sadly, it was then followed by three utterly terrible sequels. But the original movie is still well worth watching.
5. Return of the Jedi (1983) - It may be the weakest of the original Star Wars trilogy, but still vastly superior to most movie fare out there. The final space battle remains one of the best bits of special effects ever, and the final confrontation between Vader and Luke was all I could have hoped for.
6. Nightbreed (1990) - A monster movie in which the monsters are the heroes! The idea of a society of hideous outcasts, with their own peculiar laws and customs, seeking only to remain hidden from a world that would extinguish them is a very powerful one.
7. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - While it spawned far too many cheesy sequels, the original Nightmare is one of the scariest movies of all time.
8. The Crow (1994) - Very stylish movie that takes great pleasure in showing righteous vengance overcoming the kind of evil that exists all the time in our world.
9. UHF (1989) - I'm a long, long time Weird Al fan. This move is his completely hillarious parody of... jusy about everything!
10. Willow (1987) - George Lucas' most underrated work, and one of the best traditional fantasy movies to date. To this day, I'm not sure why this didn't catch on the way Star Wars and Indiana Jones did.
11. Ghostbusters (1984) - Works well both as a comedy and a sf/fantasy movie. Absolutely hilarious!
12. War Games (1983) - As a young computer geek, I couldn't get enough of this movie when it came out. Thankfully, it still hold up very well today.
13. The Matrix (1999) - While eagerly awaiting what I hoped would be the best sci-fi in ages (SW: Episode I), I went to go see what actually turned out to be the best sci-fi film in ages. Imaginative, action-packed, and uniquely filmed, The Matrix is probably the best SF film of the 90's.
14. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982) - A thrill ride from beginning to end. It is probably the best pure adventure movie ever made.
15. Fight Club (1999) - 1999 was simply the best year for movies in a long time (Matrix, Episode 1, Sixth Sense, the Mummy, the Iron Giant). But after the Matrix, this shocking, exciting movie was my favorite of the year. I won't spoil a bit of it except to see it is NOT merely a movie about men beating each other up. While it's an element of the plot, it's far, far from the only thing going on. A real must-see.
16. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) - This is a movie that most won't get the first time they see it... it's just so different from most comedies. But it keeps getting funnier every damn time you watch it... until it gets to be one of the funniest movies EVER!
17. Clerks (1994) - A movie that shows that all you really need to back a good flick is a great script. It was financed by the director/writer, Kevin Smith, who sold his comic book collection and maxed out his credit cards to get it made. He's made a bunch of films since, most of them worth watching, but I still feel this one is his best.
18. The Terminator (1984) - Most fans seem to prefer the 2nd one, but I still prefer the first. The simpler plot increases the intensity... a non-stop race against an unstoppable machine. This film showed everyone just what James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger could do, boosting both their careers immeasurably.
19. The Princess Bride (1986) - This is truly wonderful blend of fantasy and comedy. The characters are fantastic, the script is hilarious, and I never get tired of watching it.
20. Total Recall (1990) - This one's got tons of actions, great special effect, the debut of Sharon Stone, AND an intricate, twisting plot. How can you lose?