Hard to pick just five, but in no order:
The Odd Couple: You only need two words to explain how incredible this movie is. Lemmon and Matthau. No more to say.
Silent Running: a relatively low-budget movie that was talking eco-conservation before Hollywood latched onto it as the next big thing. Dern is both terrfying and sympathetic in his character as a man who has nothing left to lose, and intends to defend the last of Earth's forests against the uncaring mass of politicians and accountants. The really clever thing about this movie is that though he kills all his shipmates, you don't FEEL like he's a murderer. It's like, he's driven to it by being pushed to the limit; his back is to the wall and he either accepts the situation or he does something about it. The robots of course steal the show, and "Silent running" has one of the most touching and emotional endings you'll ever see. Just an amazing film which, as Lisnaholic pointed out about another great movie, has barely a special effect to its name.
Downfall: Just the most realistic and harrowing portrayal of Hitler ever to hit the sceen, and I include Robert Carlyle's interpretation, great as it was, in this. The real strength of the movie comes from the fact that it's totally in monochrome and though it runs for over three hours and is subtitled you never once lose interest and it never flags at all. Superb.
Memento: One of the cleverest (and at times most confusing) movies I've seen in a long time. Great direction from Christopher "Dark Knight" Nolan, before he got famous, and a stellar performance from Guy Pearce in the main role. A movie you definitely have to keep your attention rivetted to.
Excalibur: John Boorman's faithful retelling of the Arthurian legend. Drop-dead gorgeous scenery, powerful music, excellent leads and just the right amount of humour to raise it above such "epics" as "King Arthur" and others of its ilk. A true masterpiece of storytelling, from the master storyteller.
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