These threads are always good ways for me to learn about movies I absolutely must watch.
I'm kind of snobbish about movies, but I'm not a very elite snob. I prefer my movies to have good stories and characters while shrugging off mindless action. I like action, but it's much more enjoyable if it's smart action (the first Matrix movie was pretty smart).
It is noticeable when a director does a long shot. Tarantino was mentioned in this thread for that reason, and I do dig when he can pull off those long shots (or more accurately, when his actors can pull off those long shots). While I felt Irreversible was too slow and ponderous, I respect the fact that each sequence was shot in a continuous scene, which may explain why it felt like the taxicab scene just kept going in circles. And the long-shot appreciation doesn't stop with movies. Weird Al's "Tacky" video was well done as well as just about every video from OK Go.
I'm often not too keen on movies that are more style than substance, but sometimes the style is so interesting that I will forget the lack of substance. Scott Pilgrim has great style, and I can forgive the fact that the story could really have been told in half an hour without all the weird nuances. It's like winking to the audience, and I enjoyed that. A more subtle approach is how they handled English subtitles for Nightwatch. The subtitles helped convey the mood and were actually a part of the movie.
I think Marvel Studios is doing a phenomenal job. I suspect that the reason that Marvel Studios is doing so well with the Marvel characters compared to Sony and Fox is that the writers are fans of the comics and so are the producers. Sony doesn't care about Spider-Man. They just want to make money and are willing to jack with canon. To Fox, X-Men is just a way to cash in on Ian McKellan's and Patrick Stewart's popularity. Marvel Studios seems to actually take the source material to heart. They may change canon, but they do it in a way that is pleasing to the fans. I found Hulk and Iron Man 2 and 3 kind of shruggable, but I enjoyed them regardless. Everything else lately has been happy for me. I'm really looking forward to Ultron.
I suppose I should reconsider my top 5 movies. I hate top 5s. I like too many movies, but people tend to ask what your favorite five are, so I composed one back in the 90s. My list consisted of:
* Reservoir Dogs
* Brazil
* Shallow Grave
* The Usual Suspects
* Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
And even then, my list would be shaky due to Leon: The Professional; Dr. Strangelove; and the Cook, the Thief, his Wife, and her Lover. And now there are newer movies like Fight Club, Inception, and Memento to really muck with my list.