1. E.T.- The Extra-Terrestrial: Definitely the most personal film to me. It's the most touching story I've ever seen an never fails to uplift me. Spielberg's ultimate masterpiece, in my opinion. If I had twenty four hours to live, this would be the last movie I'd ever watch.
2. Titanic: Another one that's pretty personal, I was about seven or eight when this came out. The special effects were magnificent (and most of them still hold up today) and the romance was a classic Hollywood love story that was easy to engage with. The audience I saw it with all became one in the theater that night, and all five hundred people in there had a singular motion picture experience unlike anything I've ever had before or since. It was just incredible.
3. Signs: I know I'm going to get a tremendous amount of shit for this, especially since everyone hates basically anyone who had anything to do with this movie, but once upon a time, M. Night Shyamalan was still capable of letting his ego go and creating movie magic. The atmosphere that this film weaved through me left a great impression on me and for the first time in my life (I was 13 or so when it came out) I was able to see how the LACK of music can create suspense. Also, this pre-Crazy Mel film really showcased the actors humanity. I have minor quibbles with the ending (it's all a little obvious in its use of symbolism) but for a damn good time watching a fun alien invasion flick with a really charming family, pop this one in.
4. The Exorcist: This one has terrified me for years, and I've never quite been able to get over it. A lot gets said about this revolutionary horror film, and one of the biggest things people say about it is how "negative" it is, which I've never understood. Yes, I understand it's an incredibly DARK film about, you know, Satan and all of that, but beneath that is a very touching and moving story about characters dealing with crises of faith, and how none of that matters as long as the life of a little girl gets saved. And the craziest thing about it is, I don't even actually believe in any of the religious implications the film makes at all. But it's still that powerful.
5. The Wizard of Oz: Another personal one. No matter how old I get, I can always pop this one in and have a great time watching it. It's pure cinema magic. The musical numbers, the acting, the set pieces, all of it just adds up to a great movie experience that always warms the heart up.