These are just my most recent 10s from the just-finished Sonoma Valley Film Festival:

Captain Abu Raed, a fim from Jordan that was as uplifting for me as Zorba the Greek back in '64
Amal, a film from India whose main character is the essence of exquisite compassion
Jar City, a dark mystery from Iceland that is edgier than anything Hictchcock made
Young at Heart, a knock-out documentary about a chorus whose average age is in the 80s
Lynch, a documentary that only David Lynch fanatics will dig (and there'll be a Lynch 2 and 3 to follow....)
Never Apologize, a documentary about the fascinating Malcolm McLaren's homage to director Lindsay Anderson

Every time, in any movie, where Morgan Freeman turns out to be the bad guy.

when I found out what the title of "death proof" meant.

I sat slack-jawed as he took his car and drove it into the other car

- Henry Fonda's entrance as the steel eyed killer in Once Upon A Time In the West

-The burning inferno 'martian' space ship in Spielberg's War of the Worlds

- The wood chipper in Fargo

I remember when I first saw Michael Bay's cinematic sequence in "Bad Boys" when that wild chase-scene with the hard driving musical score hit -- it was probably the first time in a long time that I was jumping outta my seat with excitement. It just really *worked* ... it's since become a "standard" on his features. Similar sequences were in the second Bad Boys... The Rock... Armageddon... etc.

The bullet-time sequence near the beginning of "Swordfish" where the shrapnel pieces from the human-claymore-mine tore up the whole street. Absolutely kick ass!

When the spaceships first appear out of the firestorm/cloud in Independance Day. The movie was hoakie (although I still had fun watching it) but I had been burning the candle at both ends for several days w/ very little sleep so was kinda in a surreal state of mind already. Then we sat very near the front & our theater had just added surround sound. It was waaay cool.

2 scenes from The Abyss: The opening scene where the camera spends several seconds going through murky water & then the huge propeller of the sub materializes. I was pretty young & I just remember how huge it seemed in the water. Also, the part where Bud is flown over the Alien City? Aircraft? thingy.

The opening scene of Disney's Beauty & the Beast with the forest and waterfalls. I truly love the art of making animated movies using painted sliding glass. It just gives a 3d depth that is wonderful.

Goonies: I was 8 and here were these kids around the same age on the screen cursing like sailors. My dad took me & I couldn't help but feel gleeful that they were getting away with cussing with him there. Funny what thrills a youngin'.

All the wooded scenes of Legend. I loved the fantastical beauty and I've always been a HUGE fan of glitter.

Avondale from Fellowship of the Ring. I'm ok w/ CGI but there is something truly better about an actual set. The footage has so much more depth to it.

The Elephant Man - the Dr. looking through a dirty window for John Merrick, seeing nothing, we see him walk away through the window.

To Kill a Mockingbird - seeing Boo Radley for the first time hiding behind the door.

Boogie Nights - the conversation between Roller Girl and Amber (Julianne Moore's character)

The Keep - the love scene

The Lives of Others - the whole movie, especially the end.

Run Lola Run - beautiful timing and chemistry, especially when Lola is holding the security guards hand in the ambulance.

The Conversation - delicious to the ears.

The Yearling

Lincoln, flat on his back.
Whispering....
the killer leans in to to hear what he's saying.

Link lunges and bites him in the neck.

~The Bone Collector