I've been keeping an eye on TIME's Movie Madness Top 100, checking the listing and watching as the online voting final ended up being Godfather vs. Star Wars. (It appears Star Wars has won, by the way.)

Through some thought process I don't recall exactly, this has got me thinking about my FAVORITE movies... not necessarily the BEST movies, but my favs that I could pop in any time and enjoy watching again and again.

I quickly realized that virtually all my favorites have direct ties to Star Wars. Did this life-shaping experience of seeing Star Wars at six really color my taste in movies for the rest of my life?

In no particular order, some of my all-time favorite movies. (I recommend them all, but note that many are rated R, and some are pretty intense.)

The Godfather
I actually enjoy the entire trilogy, but the first is best. Did you know that George Lucas was the uncredited second unit director for this movie? George would have "won" the TIME final either way.

Highlander
Thanks to Return of the Jedi, I was hungry for ANY movie with sword fighting... and Highlander was all about swordplay. A B-movie, but I can't count the number of times I've watched it. (Do yourself a favor... don't watch any sequels.) It's still true to this day... if the movie has a sword in the trailer, I'll see it... because of Star Wars.

Jurassic Park
Those dinosaurs made me re-love the process of movie-making all over again. Naturally, it was Dennis Muren and the folks at ILM making it happen.

Heat
Simply a phenomenal ensemble that's a joy to watch. Pacino. De Niro. I've seen it dozens of times. Who's that 14-year-old suicidal step-daughter? A pre-TPM Natalie Portman.

Alien / Aliens
The original Alien was made only because in 1978 it was the only script Fox Studios had access to that was even remotely like Star Wars.

Indiana Jones Trilogy and Willow
Story by George Lucas. (Plus Willow has swords!)

The Incredibles
Since Pixar started as a Lucasfilm division before its sale to Steve Jobs, I'm going to give a permanent Lucas tie-in to all Pixar films for all time.

Blade Runner
Harrison Ford's first big non-Lucas role (as I remember it).

I love movies of all kinds, and this is only the briefest of lists... but man, that George Lucas has sure influenced a lot out there.

(Some unrelated mentions that don't exactly fit the mould above: Lord of the Rings trilogy, Batman Begins, Fletch, Rattle and Hum, Goodfellas, Rocky, Diggstown.)