24) Quint’s USS Indianapolis speech (JAWS) - Quint's monologue recounting the tragedy surrounding the U.S.S. Indianapolis, which was sunk by Japanese torpedoes, and how its crew was left to fend off scores of hungry sharks, was Steven Spielberg’s favorite scene in this movie. Robert Shaw was not Spielberg’s original choice for Quint but it’s hard to see any other actor playing this role, especially considering Shaw wrote the dialogue for this scene himself, after screenwriters Peter Bentley and Carl Gottlieb couldn’t get it right.

23) The T-1000 chases John and The Terminator through LA (TERMINATOR 2) – Now this is the stuff that Jim Cameron needs to get back to! Nothing’s cooler than watching Robert Patrick crash through concrete in a Mack truck chasing Arnie and Eddie Furlong on a motorcycle. I still get a kick out of Ah-nuld pulling out that shotgun and twirling it all around with one hand. I just hope they don’t piss on this series by making an inferior TERMINATOR 3.

22) One Last Thing (Long Way Down) (BOOGIE NIGHTS) – You’ve seen Dirk Diggler make his way from busboy to Adult Film Superstar and now this. Like the title card says, it sure is a loooong way down. Alfred Molina’s Rahad is one of the most memorable characters from the movie, despite his minimal screentime (will you ever think of "Sister Christian" the same way again?) and the use of firecrackers to heighten the suspense during this scene was genius (although admittedly stolen from another movie) and makes you as nervous as you know Dirk, Reed and Todd are….well, maybe not Todd. If you haven’t seen the BOOGIE NIGHTS DVD, get to your nearest video store and take a listen to the Director’s Commentary for this scene. Fantastic.

21) "Funny how?" (GOODFELLAS) – This scene pretty much won the Oscar for Joe Pesci. Not that the rest of his performance wasn’t fantastic, but it’s a case where one line more or less transcends an entire performance. Overlooked in this scene is how great Ray Liotta’s fumbling and bumbling is, trying to talk himself out of quite a hole he dug...<"You think I never dug a hole before!"- 'nother great line>

20) The T-Rex makes its first appearance (JURASSIC PARK) – Every once in a while, I’ll put on my JURASSIC PARK DVD, skip right to this scene, crank up the volume and enjoy the carnage. Especially the T-Rex roar…man, I love that! Spielberg does a fantastic job introducing one of the most ferocious animals in history and he sure doesn’t disappoint. Every time I see the cup of water with the vibration ripples, I still get giddy with anticipation. But then again, I was never trapped underneath a car by a dinosaur foot.

19) The bank robbery (HEAT) - One of the most realistic gun fight scenes every put to film. The sound of the bullets being fired off round after round, is just deafening, and the mere sight of all these great actors in snazzy suits, sky masks and extreme fire-power, is invigorating, to say the least. If you ever want to feel like you're caught in the middle of an actual gun skirmish, rent this movie, shut the lights, wear a ski mask and turn the volume to "KICK MY ASS", and enjoy the thunder that follows.

18) The opening sequence (SCREAM) – One of the most influential movies of the 1990s that managed to reinvent the "masked killer" genre of movies; one which was ironically close to its own grisly death. This scene so perfectly set the tone for the rest of the movie, combining suspense, gore and humor along with a performance from Drew Barrymore that gave her career a well-needed boost from the Amy Fisher TV movies she was relegated to.

17) Alex gets brainwashed to Beethoven (A CLOCKWORK ORANGE) – Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. When the sounds of Beethoven (one of the only other things besides violence our humble narrator enjoys) are combined with graphic scenes of violence and extreme physical agony to condition Alex against committing violent acts, there are some unfortunate side effects. Most notably a run-in with a former victim who uses Beethoven as a tool of revenge, driving Alex to attempt to commit suicide. Then of course there’s the stunning visual of Alex with his eyes pried open and a look of sheer terror on his face. But then what else besides "stunning visuals" would you expect from Stanley Kubrick?

16) Ripley fights back with the power loader (ALIENS) – Girl Power! I wouldn’t be able to walk in one of those power loaders, let alone kill a mother alien with one. Director James Cameron gives us one of the very few sequels superior to its predecessor and, in what has become a trademark of his, a strong female figure (Ripley, Sara Connor, Dark Angel, Leonardo DiCaprio). Go rent the DVD and behold truly one of the greatest catfights ever put to film (plus the truly classic "Bitch!" line).

15) Capt. Willard’s head rises out of the water (APOCALYPSE NOW) – I swear to you (and keep in mind I was barely a teenager and no nuclear scientist) the first time I saw this movie, I thought it was a documentary for at least a good hour or so. That’s how realistic it seemed to me. But still now, watching Martin Sheen arise from the murky depths of the water with The Doors "The End" in the background, I can't help but remember it as one of my favorite movie going experiences. Some called this movie pretentious but I just think it’s a pretty damn good movie!

14) The Deathstar explodes (STAR WARS) – Good old Red 5 (with a little help from Han) manages to put a little dent in the side of the Deathstar, much to the chagrin of papa-to-be Darth Vader. I love this scene, cause it’s just one of those get up and cheer type moments that you just don’t see a lot of these days (with the exception of GLADIATOR). Unfortunately, George Lucas didn’t create as memorable a moment with his subsequent racing sequence in THE PHANTOM MENACE. There’s always next time…

13) The 8 rules of Fight Club (FIGHT CLUB) – This movie didn’t do much at the box office and it’s not surprising. It takes at least three viewings before it starts to sink in that this is a modern classic. FIGHT CLUB is not a movie for everyone, and I can admit that the first time I saw it, I didn’t care much for it. But subsequent viewings revealed layers upon layers of genius which I had totally missed the first time around. Like Pitt and Norton say on the DVD’s commentary track, this is the best film that either of them have ever done and will ever do.

12) Darth Vader tells Luke his father’s identity (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK) – If you spoke German you probably could’ve figured this out before EMPIRE, but I would say that most people were surprised when they found out the news (especially Luke). In a related story, my wife’s pregnant and I have given serious consideration to the name Luke, just so I could say "Luuuke, I am your father…" That joke would never get old.

11) "Heeeeere’s Johnny!" (THE SHINING) – Legend has it that Jack Nicholson improvised this classic line and that’s just so Jack. The first time I saw this movie (I was 10, mind you) I didn’t sleep for about a week. And when I did finally sleep, I had nightmares of Jack axing my door down and me not being able to fit out the window. I must not forget to mention the terror in Shelley Duvall’s eyes. Scary stuff.

10) Statue of Liberty washed up on the beach (PLANET OF THE APES) - Charlton Heston shares shock with the viewer at one of the most stunning visuals in cinema. The Statue of Liberty on a planet of apes and all washed up on the shore? Wait a minute…this is Earth? Those damn dirty apes have taken over after the Humans squandered their planet! Damn you!!!

9) HAL sings "Daisy" (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY) - This simply would not have been the same if it weren't for Douglas Rain's haunting voice slowing down to a pathetic crawl. One of the great villians in modern movies and one of the classic death scenes, all put to film perfectly by the master himself, Stanley Kubrick.

8) The Warden rips the poster off Andy Dufresne's wall (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) - Admit it. You thought he was dead. When there was no response to the corrections officer's call of his name, you thought Andy had taken that rope, draped it over a metal bar and hanged himself, just like Brooks Hadlen. You were just as surprised as they were to see an empty cell and no visible signs of escape. Until Raquel Welch spilled her little secret. Then it all made perfect sense.

7) Dr. Malcolm Crowe realizes he's dead (THE SIXTH SENSE) - A touching end to an otherwise generic suspense movie. You rarely see that in the theaters, but maybe that's why this movie was such a critical and commercial success. As the wedding band rolls across the floor, the audience gets slapped across the face with one of the best twist endings ever. The best part about this ending is its simplicity. It's not in your face with a big "dum-dum-duhhhhh!!!!" soundtrack, but it ends quietly, with the wedding video of a happily married couple.

6) Mr. Blonde cuts off a cop's ear (RESERVOIR DOGS) - Yet another Tarantino scene that you most likely heard about before you saw. The media was buzzing with talk of a movie that featured the torture of an innocent cop. Unfortunately, half the journalists writing and critics complaining probably never even saw the film, because the camera actually pans away from the action leaving that to the imagination of the viewer. But watching Michael Madsen, playing sadistic Mr. Blonde to a tee (where have you gone Michael Madsen….), talking into the severed ear of a bound police officer, you don't know whether to laugh or hurl.

5) Indiana Jones shoots a Turkish swordsman (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK) - Trying to decide the greatest moment from RAIDERS is like trying to decide which episode of The Simpsons is the funniest. But one scene tends to stands out above the rest (although the escape with the idol is damn close). Indy is exhausted from running and chasing and when he finds himself cornered by an enormous Turk holding a just as enormous sword, you expect an epic battle to ensue. Instead, Indy reaches in his bag, pulls out a gun and shoots him dead. Perfect.

4) Neo vs. Agent Smith (THE MATRIX) - Ahh, the famed "bullet-time" sequence. What can you say about the film, hell the scene, that revolutionized special effects for the year 2000 and beyond? The W Brothers upped the ante for sci-fi action flicks and in the process won a whole bunch of awards.

3) Vincent Vega plunges a needle into Ms. Mia Wallace (PULP FICTION) - If you paid any attention during 1995, you surely heard all the hype surrounding this scene. "An old woman had a heart attack!" "People are passing out!!" But damned if this scene didn't live up to that hype. The characters have no idea what to do (and neither do you) and the scene goes silent as Eric Stoltz counts to three. You can see the desperation in John Travolta's eyes (if she dies, so do I). The audience peers out from between their fingers and then, THUMP! A shrieking Uma Thurman pops up and scares the living crap out of everyone. Like Rosanna Arquette said, "That was fucking trippy!"

2) Detective Somerset opens "the box" (SEVEN) - I can still remember watching this in the movies and for five minutes or so, my stomach was pure butterflies. For the first time since PULP FICTION (see below) I was actually on the edge of my seat. When I saw that box and then saw Morgan Freeman's reaction as he carefully cut the tape with his switchblade, I knew things were taking a turn for the worse. We have three great actors (give Brad Pitt the benefit of the doubt on this one) and a great director, collectively working their magic. Pure suspense magic.