For me, however, they tend to be old ones. I was brought up watching films late at night with my Mum or sat in front of the telly with my family in the Winter.
I could easily share a list of films that come from way back when, but I'm delving into my DVD collection to pick 10 great films.
They are quite different but all are worthy of watching and with Christmas just around the corner, this is a good time to settle in. I most definitely will.
You may notice, that most of them are feel-good movies.
10) The Dish
The local townspeople are proud to be part of such a momentous event and are eagerly preparing for a visit from the US ambassador.
Meanwhile, at the dish control station, workers Cliff, Glen and Mitch greet NASA employee Al, who has come to help out. But then, during a party held in the ambassador's honour, a power cut causes the dish to lose contact with Apollo 11.
Will they be able to sort the problem out in time for the landing, or are they about to fluff up their big moment?
Heath Ledger is William Thatcher, a peasant squire who breaks all the rules when he passes himself off as a knight and takes the jousting world by storm. The only thing that stands between William and his dream of becoming the world champion is the bad boy of the sport, Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell).
Packed with action, comedy, romance and treachery and with a sensational soundtrack including music from Robbie Williams and Queen, this action-packed comedic adventure of medieval gallantry.
Notionally sent in to protect the ungrateful Rockridge community from marauding gangs, his only ally turns out to be alcoholic former gunslinger The Waco Kid (Gene Wilder).
Though initially expressing racial prejudice the townsfolk eventually adopt the Sheriff to help them outwit Hedley LaMarr, deciding to construct an exact replica of their town to fool the invading posse. The film descends into postmodern chaos as the action spills out of the film set into wider Hollywood.
7) Memento
Guy Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, hunting down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The problem is that "the incident" that robbed Leonard of his wife also stole his ability to make new memories.
Unable to retain a location, a face, or a new clue on his own, Leonard continues his search with the help of notes, Polaroids, and even homemade tattoos for vital information.
Because of his condition, Leonard essentially lives his life in short, present-tense segments, with no clear idea of what's just happened to him.
That's where Memento gets really interesting; the story begins at the end, and the movie jumps backwards in 10-minute segments.
The suspense of the movie lies not in discovering what happens, but in finding out why it happened. Amazingly, the movie achieves edge-of-your-seat excitement even as it moves backwards in time! , and it keeps the mind hopping as cause and effect are pieced together.
6) 12 Angry Men
However, one of the jurors (Henry Fonda), reluctant to send the youngster to his death without any debate, returns a vote of not guilty. From this single event, the jurors begin to re-evaluate the case, as they look at the murder - and themselves - in a fresh light.
5) Il Postino
The two develop a close friendship, and Mario enlists the poet's help to win the heart of the beautiful Beatrice Russo (Maria Grazia Cucinotta). During the courtship, the poet in Mario emerges, and he realises he need not depend on Neruda.
This incredible true story follows the enigmatic Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust.
It is the triumph of one man who made a difference and the drama of those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did.
3) Grease
After their summer romance ends, Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) are unexpectedly reunited at high school when the latter moves to Danny's town.
However, their relationship stalls when it becomes apparent that Sandy is not 'cool' enough to date gang leader Danny. Hit songs include 'You're the One That I Want' and 'Greased Lightning'.
Giuseppe Tornatore's loving homage to the cinema tells the story of Salvatore, a successful film director, returning home for the funeral of Alfredo, his old friend who was the projectionist at the local cinema throughout his childhood.
Soon memories of his first love affair with the beautiful Elena and all the highs and lows that shaped his life come flooding back, as Salvatore reconnects with the community he left 30 years earlier.
According to the celestial guide, this unusual step will result in the appearance of the ghost of his father's hero, the baseball legend Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta).
Bemused yet intrigued by the heavenly intervention, Ray risks his livelihood installing the pitch, and finds an unlikely, and unwilling, partner to help explain the reasons he is doing so: burned-out radical author Terence Mann (James Earl Jones).
The majority of these films are well known - but if you've not seen it and don't find subtitles, check out Cinema Paradiso - it's a masterpiece!
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