My top 20 favorite movies of all time.

Phantom of the Opera--I love musicals, as you will see in this list, and I love this movie. Of course the music is unbelievable, and Gerard Butler as the phantom was genius. He's so intense, and I think he plays the phantom perfectly. I was really surprised to find that except for Minnie Driver (who is great!), everyone in the movie does their own singing. Not common with Hollywood actors, but there you have it. 

Two Weeks Notice--One of my favorite chick flicks. I have a very low level of tolerance for cheesiness in movies, and I can love this one because it is blessedly lacking in much of that generic romantic comedy cheese. Sandra Bullock is one of my favorite actresses, and I think Hugh Grant is particularly hilarious in this movie. The focus in this movie is really the "comedy," not the "romantic," and that's why I love it.

The Holiday--That said, I also love The Holiday, which is considerably cheesier, but has such a different cast and storyline that I can tolerate it. I don't love Cameron Diaz or Jack Black, but I do like them in this movie, and I definitely do love Kate Winslet, Rufus Sewell, and Jude Law! Plus that adorable old guy they befriend in California... Man is that sweet. This is definitely a chick flick worth watching.

Pirates of the Caribbean--One, Johnny Depp is hilarious. Two, the musical score is fabulous (I bought the soundtrack). Three, who doesn't love a movie with pirates, good-looking actors and lots of fight scenes?

Moulin Rouge!--If you want a musical with a truly amazing soundtrack, this movie is it. The whole soundtrack is song covers, and they are some very excellent songs. I love Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, and the alternating random hilarity and sweetness of this movie make it a lot of fun to watch.

The Princess Bride--This is pretty much a cult classic, and one of the most quotable movies of all time. I've never met someone who doesn't love it. "Bye bye boys, have fun storming the castle!"

Star Wars (the original trilogy)--I'm cheating a bit and counting trilogies as one movie. I have always been proud to be a girl who loves Star Wars; it seems totally natural to me, but guys have always thought I was cool for it. (Go figure!) Gotta love a young Harrison Ford, and those storylines are classic!

Batman Begins--One of the best action movies I've seen in several years. Way intense Christian Bale is a fabulous Batman, I love that lovable Liam Neeson as a bad guy, and no one could be a better Alfred than Michael Caine. Cillian Murphy is also an excellent villain. (Have you seen Red Eye?)

Lord of the Rings--Again, the trilogy. l haven't read the books (I started to, but got stuck about 100 pages into the first one with that darn Tom Bombadil) but I got obsessed with the movies right along with everyone else. The cast is excellent and, of course, you can't go wrong with Peter Jackson's epic battles!

Hairspray--I dragged my poor, poor husband (fiance at the time) to see this movie at least three times while it was in the theater, and he's seen it more times since. Basically I think this is one of the happiest movies I've ever seen, and I can't help feeling good when I watch it. I love the cast--James Marsden, Christopher Walken, and Michelle Pfeiffer in particular--and I love the soundtrack.

The King and I--I grew up watching and loving musicals, and as much as Yul Brynner sometimes makes me laugh, I have to love him in this movie. There are musicals with better music, I think, but this one has such a moving story to go with its score.

Runaway Jury--John Cusack, believe it or not, is my only long-standing actor crush. He always seems to play characters I can love. I also adore Dustin Hoffman, and he and Gene Hackman are excellent complements to each other in this legal drama. The story is so engaging, and on top of it there's a really twisted mystery that is really exciting when you finally figure it out.

The Music Man--Another fabulous musical I never get tired of. Amazing soundtrack, really fun cast and script, and overall a must-see for anyone who likes musicals.

Up until now the movies have been fairly organized--basically I started with ones I like and moved up to ones I love. However, I love these last six pretty much equally, so they're in no particular order.

The Fiddler on the Roof--Absolutely classic musical about the Jews in Russia in the early 1900s. I've seen this movie countless times since I was a child and I never get tired of it. The music is excellent, the story is funny and dramatic at the same time, and anyone who hasn't seen this movie should.

North & South--Not to be confused with the Patrick Swayze movie about the Civil War; this is a BBC miniseries based on a book by Elizabeth Gaskell. Can basically be described as Pride & Prejudice with the added element of industrial strikes in England. It's a beautiful love story, and it's shorter than Pride & Prejudice! (Don't get too excited--only by an hour.)

Pride & Prejudice--The five-hour A&E version, of course. I can watch this movie over and over and never get tired of it. Colin Firth is the ultimate Mr. Darcy, and I love Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett. This version is so close to the actual book, too, that it's almost the same as reading it.

The Sound of Music--A musical about the beginnings of World War II, and one of my favorite movies ever. Julie Andrews is a nun in Austria who takes time off from the abbey to be a governess for a family, falls in love with the father (Christopher Plummer when he's young!) and sings a lot of really fantastic songs along the way. Excellent movie, everyone should see it.

Beauty and the Beast--The Disney version, of course, since all other versions are low-budget junk even worse than the BBC Chronicles of Narnia. I absolutely love Disney movies, but this is my favorite of all time. Like Pride & Prejudice, I can watch it over and over and never get tired of it. I can't wait for its re-release from that darn Disney vault in 2010!

Love Actually--It has to be said, I cry every time I watch this movie. But don't worry. It's a good cry. First of all, it is chock-full of wonderful British actors--Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson, and others. Second, how can you go wrong with a movie about all different kinds of love? Granetd, I've only seen it edited, but even so it definitely makes the top five of my favorite movies ever.

Okay, a few movies that didn't make the cut but are still on my favorites list (and maybe should be switched with some on the previous list--I just have a hard time putting them in the right order):

Maverick--A really funny western with Mel Gibson, James Garner, and Jodie Foster. Actually I hate westerns, but this movie is more comedy than western and is really worth the time.

Dear Frankie--If you haven't seen this movie, you should. Gerard Butler is a guy who gets hired to pretend to be a kid's long-lost dad for a day. The dad was abusive and made his kid deaf when he was a baby, so the mom won't let him near, but the boy finds out his dad's in town and wants to see him... so yeah. Very, very low on sappy romance, but high in warm fuzzies.

Mamma Mia!--The musical based entirely on songs by ABBA. I LOVE the soundtrack. I also love Meryl Streep, who is fabulous (and apparently can sing!), and Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth as former hippies and headbangers.

Live Free or Die Hard--Also one of the best action movies I've seen in a long time. I didn't realize how much I like Bruce Willis until I saw it. Lots of ridiculous action scenes that might have bothered me in another movie, but really--you know a movie's good if they throw a car at a helicopter and I don't even mind.