These. I love these, they’re my favorite type of story.
I also like alternate history (though not time travel), stories that partially take place “behind” or “underneath” our normal world, like American Gods and Neverwhere. I also enjoy stories where you get thrown headfirst into a strange universe, and slowly find out how things work and how they got to be the way they are, kind of like Gungrave, although I know there are better examples I can’t think of right now.
Cool!!
Also: have you ever read Tim Powers? He seems to do those what I call “between-the-cracks” histories (rather than the term alternate histories, which seems to be a different ball game entirely), as does Frederick Forsyth (but his don’t have any fantastical elements to them).
I just thought of another one…the “We Follow the Old Ways, Here” plot. The Lottery, Harvest Home, Wicker Man.
Stories with very intelligent, confident, somewhat socially awkward (not inept, just out of touch), capable characters (for example, Spock or Sherlock Holmes)–preferably if they’re really good at one thing or a small subset of things, and kind of clueless about typical everyday affairs.
“Test the hero to the point of destruction” stories (especially when the hero in question is of the type I mentioned previously)
Two people who can’t stand each other are thrown together and forced to accomplish something. (Bonus if it ends up as respect/friendship but not romantic attachment–I generally prefer this type of plot with two guys rather than a male/female pair).
Horror based on old legends, especially if it’s set in the modern day.
Good twist endings (such as “The Sixth Sense.”) Not so much cheesy ones, though.
In The Heat of the Night immediately came to mind.
Stories that have women in traditional male roles and doing well in them.
Prime Suspect
GI Jane
Xena
Alien(s)
Quarterback Princess
Working Girl
A caper.
Give me an overly involved heist requiring too many people with impecable timing, and I’m hooked.
As far as I’m concerned there can never be too many sequals to “The Itailian Job” or “Oceans 11”
Any movie where all the hot young babes who take their tops off wind up as bait for the psycho killer, and the good girls who stay modest wind up escaping.
Mine is the calm, ruthless bad guy. The complete monster that has no redeeming qualities and is just evil.
No Country for Old Men
Mission Impossible III
Eye for an Eye
Yeah, that’s another good one. For me it has to go one step further, though–the bad guy has to be classy, and it helps if he’s British. 
I love Hannibal Lecter, and Hans Gruber (from Die Hard). I also love Marvel Comics’ Magneto, back when he was done well. Actually, I wouldn’t say so much “no redeeming qualities” for me, but rather supreme confidence in his abilities and his cause.
I actually saw a book by Tim Powers at the bookstore earlier today. Three Days to Nowhere, I think. From the back of the book, it looked more like a conspiracy/race-against-time sort of thing.
Things like the remake of The Thomas Crowne Affair.
And RomComs.
A good feel-good holiday film. (Although it has been a long time since I’ve seen a new one.)
I just like to come away from a movie feeling good.
Aliens, Heists, Prisons & Nuns. Or a combination of those. 
Give me a good apocapypse any day.
Yes I know I wrote “apocapypse”. But hey, during the apocapypse, no one will care if you write “apocapypse”. They’ll be too busy hoarding ammo, dodging zombies and thieves and rapists, and wondering who among their closest friends will get infected next and have to be destroyed. It’s the apocapypse!!!
I mostly go for anything historical fiction between 1600-1945 as long as it isn’t a war theme (the time period can be during a war and often is, but I don’t like it to be about the war- with the exception of Flashman Papers).
I really don’t care for sci-fi at all… BUT if it involves the human spirit triumphing over technology like Gattaca and The Island, I’m sucked right in and fascinated.
I just wanted to resurrect this thread long enough to point out: Turner Classic Movies tonight showed back-to-back movies that Robert Osborne described as “young bride moves into big old mansion with new husband who is not all that he seems”. Holy crap…kind of a really specific niche to have more than one movie represented. But they found 2: Dragonwyck and Rebecca. And I think that describes Jane Eyre, as well, doesn’t it?
A character improves the lives of others without knowing how powerfully, until they are there for him at the end.
Superhumans. Superheros, supersoldiers; enhanced humans or the improved descendents of humans. Especially when they aren’t cliched Master Race Nazi-wannabees. Something like a Known Space Protector being a good example of a not-nice superhuman that isn’t a Nazi ripoff.
Powerful, capable, or dangerous women. Both the “Action Girl” types, and the less physical types that are dangerous or effective in other ways.
Alien aliens. Creatures that are physically or mentally very different.
Big Technology. Huge machines or artifacts. Ringworld, for example.
Fantastic Archaeology/ruins. Where what is being dug up or explored is an alien starship, or the ancient ruined keep of a millennia dead wizard. Probably one reason I read so much Andre Norton; that sort of thing is common in her work.
“Scientific” style magic. A magic system that appears to be clearly worked out; to have some logical system behind it. The scientific magic of the Lord Darcy novels for example.
Anything that is a Jane Austen Pride & Pejudice That Kinda Thing feel to it, I will watch.
Con men stuff. (Ocean’s 11)
Sticking it to the man ( Hopscotch, with Walter Matthau is particularly delightful.)
Senseless Action Films ( a redundancy, I know.) Pretty much anything with Jason Statham in it is a good, brainless kickass film.
Time Travel
I like shows where the main leads are capable and intelligent, in any ways, and the villains are equally capable.
I like any action movies where the action scenes are clearly shot, well-framed and well-paced. Sadly, the last time I see saw what I consider as a good fight scene was Kill Bill Vol 1. The Phantom Menace’s one is good, but after that the other 2 movies take a nosedive.
I am also a sucker for science-fic and fantasy. Unfortunately besides for Star Trek (reboot) and Lord of the Rings, can’t seem to find any of those genre which I could consider good.