The Godfather trilogy is a masterpiece with many big-time actors, spanning at least five generations of Corleone's family in the mafia. There are numerous classic scenes, lines, and movie moments that make the saga unforgettable. Gordon Willis' cinematography is fantastic throughout, and that's why he has the moniker: Prince of Darkness.

If there's a definitive black American motion picture, it's Roots followed by Roots: The Next Generations. Starting out as a novel in 1976 by Alex Haley about nine generations of African descendants, Roots was developed into a TV miniseries one year later, and just about everybody in the country tuned in, setting viewership records. There's nothing like it.

Through the love stories and differences of philosophies, there's so much drama that it's hard not to be absorbed by the subplots while there's a display of many different, attractive-looking costumes. It's a reflection of the show's quality and high production value, a bona fide masterpiece of Civil War drama. In total, 8,700 pieces of wardrobe were presented, and the lead actresses each wore between 28 and 35 different costumes. However, skip the third book as it's a massive disappointment.

Indiana Jones is the most iconic character ever, and in the quest of history, he takes on a series of adventures in three outstanding films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. They are a must-see for people of all ages because it's what movies should be about.

"To survive a war, you gotta become war." So it goes in Rambo: First Blood Part II. Sylvester Stallone has never been more thrilling as he was in this film. It's the role that made him a worldwide icon. My favorite line of the movie is on the definition of expendable: "It's like someone invites you to a party and you don't show up. It doesn't really matter." First Blood and Rambo III are thrilling as well.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger met James Cameron at a restaurant, he wanted to audition for the role of Kyle Reese. But the director took a look at him and said, "My God! You're the Terminator!" But Arnold replied, "No, no, no...I want to play Kyle." Highly insistent, Cameron went, "Absolutely not! You are it. A machine!" Of course, I'm making up the exchange of dialogue, but you get the idea of the magnitude. The sequel is a can't-miss with the most mind-blowing special effects ever.

Patriot Games is a thrilling yarn by Tom Clancy with a new kind of action hero through Jack Ryan, but Clear and Present Danger is by far better. The story is so good with different kinds of villains, and the acting, especially by Harrison Ford, Joaquim de Almeida, Miguel Sandoval, Henry "Boom" Czerny, Harris Yulin, and Donald Moffat, is terrific. Speaking of villains, there are not one, two, or three but many of them. Not only are they from the bad side, but they're also from the good side.

The Back to the Future trilogy is a great, fun journey with many zany scenes and superb performances. I love the characters, the stories, and the uniqueness of the incidents and how one specific moment can change history. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd will always be memorable as Marty McFly (what a cool name) and Doc Brown, respectively.

There are hundreds of them, but Lethal Weapon is the best buddy cop film of all time. The chemistry between Danny Glover and Mel Gibson is terrific. It's what makes the movie. One is pretty good for a detective although he's a big believer in "do as little as possible and, more importantly, stay alive," and the other is a true lethal weapon. The next two sequels are funny as Joe Pesci and Rene Russo are added into the mix.

Best Picture winner of 1971, The French Connection is one of the most famous cop movies made. Gene Hackman is unforgettable as Popeye Doyle. A scene that's often imitated in many movies is the dirty car being taken apart in search of drugs. There's the legendary car chase after the elevated train, and the ending is chilling to watch. The sequel is a can't-miss, too, with some of the best acting in Gene Hackman's career.

The Color of Money is a cinematic rarity: two heavyweight actors, movie idols in their own right yet come from different generations, clash with each other before they make a change of the guard. It's a dog-eat-dog world of hustling. What's interesting is, as the mentor-protégé thing goes astray, the former ends up wanting a shot at the latter who in turn denies him his best game. Be sure to check out where it all started for Fast Eddie Nelson by going against Minnesota Fats: The Hustler.

Pretty much the film to foretell what's to come, The Boys of St. Vincent highlights the cover-up of child sexual abuse at the hands of priests and their leaders. It's not just the Catholic Church but every religion denomination that's part of the problem. The setting may be Newfoundland, Canada, but this has happened all over the world for centuries. Henry Czerny, as Brother Peter Lavin, is pure evil. Not to miss is the follow-up of the consequences fifteen years later.

When people talk about the power of cinema, the best examples are the training montages in any of the first four Rocky movies. They're uplifting, powerful, and unforgettable. The original is not just an outstanding boxing film; it has the romance of a lifetime. The ending is an all-time great. Terrific acting and direction transcend Rocky into a moving motion picture for all people. The superfights between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago, and Tommy Gunn are outstanding.

What's great about Die Hard is how real John McClane is and, even better, how direct Hans Gruber is. Unlike most action-adventure movies, it's a thrill machine that never lets down from start to finish. The script is well-done, and the special effects extravaganza intensifies the viewing experience even more. Promising more of the same is the next two sequels: Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance.

Dirty Harry is an absolute first-rate picture, and there's no better character than Dirty Harry Callahan in the history of cop movies. Two men, an inspector and a killer who are polarizing figures, go against each other in a game of intrigue. Andy Robinson's Scorpio is among the greatest villains ever. Not to miss is the legendary scene of Dirty Harry giving his speech. Clint Eastwood would go on to top it by saying, "Go ahead...make my day," in Sudden Impact. The other three films are Magnum Force, The Enforcer, and The Dead Pool.

Every Which Way But Loose is a one hundred percent pure cult flick. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's serious, and most of the time, it's just plain old good fun. The best part is the relationship between Clint Eastwood and Clyde the orangutan. The film is littered with many funny scenes, especially the one with Philo dropping a set of fake teeth in a soup before the snobbish college girl discovers it. Not to miss is the sequel: Any Which Way You Can.

Famous for the characters and the battle between good and evil as indicated in the opening crawl, nobody can forget Star Wars and the next two sequels: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It changed everything for the sci-fi genre which hasn't been topped since then. The second part is unique for allowing the bad side to win and not really having a concrete ending while the third wraps up everything by the final showdown between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

A creative post-apocalyptic action movie, The Road Warrior further solidifies Mel Gibson's reputation as an international superstar. He helps out a small community of settlers in the battle against a roving band of marauders. The stunts are out of the world for 1981, and the fantastic opening and closing scenes are unbeatable as well. How about Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, especially the line "Two men enter, one man leaves"? And remember Mad Max is the one that started it all.

At the hands of master director John Carpenter, Escape from New York is an ultimate cult film. It's also a surreal futuristic flick with an all-time badass by the name of Snake Plissken whom Kurt Russell was born to play. All hell breaks loose in New York City when he meets unsavory, eerie-looking characters around the city and starts pissing them off which makes it a fun picture to watch. Be sure to catch him again in Escape from L.A..

Before Arnold Schwarzenegger became famous as the Terminator, he was Conan. The thing is that there's not a lot of dialogue which makes for a slow film. But it has plenty to offer to reach for that primitive effect: paganism, sorcery, medieval weapons, serpents, unusual-looking characters, muscles, and human sacrifice. Points are scored for cinematography, elaborate set pieces, and no special effects in regard to the giant snake. Conan the Destroyer holds up well as a sequel.

Belonging in anybody's list of top horror films to watch in the dark for the jolly fun of it, The Evil Dead is surprisingly good for a low-budget horror picture despite the minimal story and limited dialogue. It doesn't waste a lot of time dwelling on the little details but rather gets to the gore part straightaway. The sequel, really a remake, is actually better and campier as it oozes a lot of special effects in the absence of CGI which makes it all impressive.

If you want laughs, you can't go wrong with The Three Stooges. They made 190 film shorts, and some of the following are among their best work: Men in Black which contains the most famous line "Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard"; Grips, Grunts and Groans; A Plumbing We Will Go; All the World's a Stooge; Micro-Phonies; Mummy's Dummies; Shivering Sherlocks; and Who Done It?

This is the one that started it all. George A. Romero will forever be remembered for Night of the Living Dead which is an underrated American horror classic picture. Unintentional or not, it's also groundbreaking for casting a black actor as the main protagonist who's intelligent with a lot of common sense. Unique is the use of radio play to narrate what's happening at the moment. Not to miss are Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead.

The best baseball picture made, Major League wins points when it comes to the cast, characters, comedy, classic moments, one-liners, and direction. The ending is excellent. Who can forget Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, and Tom Berenger as the Wild Thing, Willie Mays Hayes, and Jake Taylor, respectively? The sequel does a good job of maintaining the continuity although Wesley Snipes doesn't return this time.

Nancy Drew... Detective and the following three sequels (Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, Nancy Drew... Reporter, and Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter) are charming whodunnit mystery pictures with great lines. Bonita Granville and Frankie Thomas are excellent together and deserve Oscar nominations. It's difficult to beat their chemistry. A lot of the action they generate is just pure old-fashioned fun.

"A team is not a team if you don't give a damn about each other." Because of the South Korea national karate team's training montage, Best of the Best is a tremendous rush. Standouts include Eric Roberts, Chris Penn, Simon Rhee, and James Earl Jones. The ultimate match is what the film is about. Best of the Best 2 is similar to Lionheart while the third part has Phillip Rhee on his own.

There's no replacing Albert Finney after he appeared as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express, but Peter Ustinov is so good that he's in a class of his own. Thanks to him, there are five whodunnit treats from Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, Thirteen at Dinner, Murder in Three Acts, and Dead Man's Folly.

Because of Eddie Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop is great fun. His character Axel Foley from Detroit arrives in Beverly Hills, and all the crazy things start to happen like getting thrown out of the store through the glass window and being busted for disturbing the peace. Hard to forget are the two dudes in Michael Jackson jackets, Axel pretending to be Ramon at the Harrow Club, the banana incident, the stripper club scene, and the super-cop theory. The sequel holds up well, too.

Two acting powerhouses come clashing each other in In the Heat of the Night: Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. As Virgil Tibbs, Sidney Poitier is magical and has two iconic scenes: "They call me MISTER Tibbs!" and when he slapped Mr. Endicott back. Of the latter, you could hear a pin drop in the middle of the Deep South. He'll return for more righteousness in two sequels: They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! and The Organization.

The Ipcress File or...Funeral in Berlin? That's a toughie. Both are excellent espionage thrillers. The plot of each is tightly controlled without becoming too convoluted. Filled with deep intelligence, it's a case of spies, counterspies, and traitors. Nothing is ever predictable. Once again, Michael Caine is perfect as the dumb-looking Harry Palmer who's so much better and more realistic than James Bond. The biggest bonus is the location shots of Berlin during the middle of the Cold War. Also, be sure to check out Billion Dollar Brain.