My first list consists of, clearly, the best movies ever. Well, according to me, and in no particular order. There is a definite geek slant to the films presented here, but hey, I'm a geek.

1. Seven Samurai: Kurosawa's masterpiece is the best three and a half hours of film you'll ever sit through. It has everything--action, adventure, romance, a tragic redemptive death, sword play, and farmers. This film is so widely regarded, it has been remade, like a billion times, in films like The Magnificent Seven, Battle Beyond the Stars, and even A Bug's Life. This film must be seen on the large screen, and in its full, uncut (really long) version.

"Again we survive...and again we lost."
-Kambei

2. Dr. Strangelove: I never grow tired of this film. The cold war was worth it if only because it produced this piece of work. Peter Sellers is genius in, what, three roles? So many good lines, so many great jokes, and Slim Pickens riding that bomb to victory. The Simpsons wouldn't have had anything to work with if not for this film.

"The Bomb, Dimitri. The Hydrogen bomb."
-The President

3. Blade Runner: Like, the best science fiction film ever. The Director's Cut is a must see, as it removes both the Basil Exposition voice over of the original release (which isn't actually that bad) and the abominable happy ending (which is). If you haven't seen the Director's Cut, the film is supposed to end after Deckard picks up the little origami animal in his apartment left behind by Edward James Olmos.

"Wake up. Time to die!"
-Leon

4. The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah's brilliant blood bath anti-western is always entertaining. I mean, heck, people left the theater vomiting during its original premiere. It has Ernest Borgnine as a gritty cowboy. What isn't to love?

5. Star Wars: Yeah, I can't fight my pedigree. Of the first three films, Empire is clearly the best actual movie (and I don't even want to talk about those Ewoks), but Star Wars is such an important cultural landmark. That, and it is based, almost scene for scene on Hidden Fortress, another Kurosawa film.

"But I was going to Tashi Station to pick up some power converters!"
-Luke

6. Wings of Desire: Yeah, it is a kind of obscure German Wim Wenders movie that is subtitled and is in, like, 15 different languages. Yeah, and it was remade as a dreadful Nicholas Cage vehicle (City of Angels). Yeah? It is like the best romance ever. I mean, 'cummon! Bruno Gantz gives up eternal omnipotence to become an every day schlub with bad hair for the love of a French trapeze artist! There is a cool ass Nick Cave musical number! Such a good film.

7. The Godfather: I've actually only seen this film completely once, but yeah, it was really good. That, and it would clearly be a slap in the face to cinema history to omit this film from any list of the best movies ever.

"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
-Clemenza

8. Aliens: It is kind of a toss up between Terminator 2 and Aliens here, but betwen the two, I generally side with Aliens due to, well, the aliens. Yes, Alien is a great, tense little sci-fi film, sure, but James Cameron took everything that was great in Alien, and multiplied it by 50 for Aliens. Great action, creepy monsters, the Uber-Chick that is Ripley, not to mention Lance Henrikson's greatest role ever as Bishop. Sadly, the next two movies in the series are an absolute nightmare, but that isn't Aliens' fault.

"They come mostly at night. Mostly."
-Newt

9. Excalabur: John Boorman's super demented tale of King Arthur is incredibly confusing, but incredibly rich and makes the best use of the Carmina Burana of any film ever. Arthur and Mordred mutually exterminating each other is one of the best hero/villain showdowns of all time. The best swords and sorcery film out there.

"The King without a sword. The land without a King!"
-Guinevere

10. Rushmore: Right, I have finally decided on film number 10, and it is Rushmore. This film is absolutely brilliant. Jason Schwartzman is a freaking genius in this movie, and Bill Murray plays his best role ever. He was *so* robbed of an Oscar for this film (to say nothing of Schwartzman). Excellent soundtrack (that Oh Yoko sequence is pure gold), amazing dialogue, and that play at the end. If only every high school play was like Heaven and Hell, the world would be a better place.

"'Cause it didn't work. I thought it would, but it didn't."
-Margaret Yang