I've seen all of those. I'm here to save you some time.
Skip these:
- Top Gun
- Evil Dead
- Space Balls
- Rambo
- Rocky Horror
- Heat
Don't feel guilty about not seeing these. They're good movies, but not crucial:
- Schindler's List
- Requiem for a Dream
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
- Platoon
- Mystic River
You really need to see the rest.
- Big Lebowski is one of the funniest movies I've seen.
- Braveheart is just an excellent action movie
- Cuckoo's Nest is simply amazing. You'll love it.
- Apocalypse Now I almost put it on the list above, but there are too many classic scenes illustrating the absurdity of war. It's really good and very quotable.
- Same with Strangelove. It's a quirky dark comedy that's maybe not as funny as it used to be, but it's a truly memorable and quotable film.
- 2001 I know a lot of people who hate this boring movie, but I find it mesmeric, creative, intellectual. Approach with an open mind.