Always tough to just settle on 5, but here's off the top of my head.
Movies
  1. Matrix
  2. LOTR (series)
  3. There Will Be Blood
  4. Without Limits
  5. Contact
Books (cheating with 10)
  1. Fountainhead
  2. Gone With the Wind
  3. Red Rising (series)
  4. Battlefield Earth
  5. The Power Broker
  6. Pillars of the Earth
  7. Dune
  8. Atlas Shrugged
  9. The Stand
  10. Count of Monte Cristo
Contact is under appreciated. Love that movie.
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Lots of great picks. I recently read Monte Cristo unabridged and i loved it.
Would love to hear about the following picks - why they made the list:
-There Will Be Blood (very well made and well acted, but there's probably more to it if it's #3 on the list)
-Battlefield Earth
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I thought There Will be Blood was nearly perfect from a cinematic perspective. Cinematography, score, plot, acting, everything. The first time I saw it, I kept it on repeat for 3 straight days, basking in its achievement.
Battlefield Earth is a masterpiece of fiction, huge in scope and detailed in execution. Johnny might be my favorite hero. He goes from loin cloth primitive to galactic dominance in a believable way. I learned a lot from him.
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