This movie reminded me exactly why I love Batman and why he was my favorite comic book hero growing up: he's smart, he's dark, and he has to make a lot of tough choices. It's the kind of movie that makes geeks proud and always makes me happy to watch.

This was definitely the first movie I saw that got me out of my shell when it came to being a geek (movies like Real Genius were a bit before my time), and it did so in such a big way. It set a gold standard for every action movie that came after it and practically gave birth to bullet-time cinematography.

I still remember my friend dragging me to see this movie on an overcast day in Austin and subsequently spending two days totally in awe of it. It left a huge lasting impression that wasn't quenched until I could finally own it and watch it again and again and again. While some purists argue for the original, I have to throw my support behind the director's cut - it adds value that really helps.

I used to think that Shrek was the best animated movie ever, and then Wall-E changed everything by bringing back movies without talking on a whole new level. Aside from being gorgeous, it's unbearably cute and infinitely witty, and somehow neither of these get tiresome on repeat viewings.

I love comedies too much to not have one on my list. A couple of years ago, it would've been Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Nowadays though, it has to be Harold & Kumar because it's the only comedy movie that I've seen countless times without it losing its humor or me losing my desire to keep watching it again. God only knows how many times I rented it to show friends before finally buying it.