The American Film Institute has made lists of top movies of all time, dividing them into different lists. In 2007, AFI had a "100 Movies, 100 Years"?10th anniversary edition in 2007. There are lists for best musicals, movie quotes, songs and "100 Cheers." Then there are the top 10 lists for different genres, from westerns to romantic comedies to mystery to courtroom drama.
I don't really think of myself as much of a film buff. I occasionally get to the movies at the theater when they come out with the last being "What's Your Number?" (definitely not Oscar contender or one to get on an AFI list, but it was amusing). I can say that I've been to more movies in the theater than my parents, who haven't been to one since the 1980s. (I remember going to "Return of the Jedi" and "ET"?and other notable '80s movies with my dad at the theater).
I tend to gravitate more toward comedies, like the rom-coms, and independently-made movies. I'll go and see an action/adventure movie once in a great while, but it's never my first choice. Sometimes I'll actually enjoy the action movie; other times I'll be like "why did I?come to this one?" (ie. "Species 2").
AFI's top 10 list of romantic comedies is as follows:
1. "City Lights"
2. "Annie Hall"
3. "It Happened One Night"
4. "Roman Holiday"
5. "The Philadelphia Story"
6. "When Harry Met Sally"
7. "Adam's Rib"
8. "Moonstruck"
9. "Harold and Maude"
10. "Sleepless in Seattle"
Out these 10, I've seen half of them - "Roman Holiday,"?"When Harry Met Sally,"?"Moonstruck,"?"Harold and Maude" and "Sleepless in Seattle." If you look at the list, you see that Meg Ryan stars as the "heroine"?in two of them. Ruth Gordon, who played Maude in "Harold and Maude" also wrote "Adam's Rib." It's a nice mix of contemporary and the classic movies. I've slowly been watching some of those classics as I've admittedly haven't really watched them all that often. But once I?do, I?find myself liking them more and more. In the last year, I've watched a couple of Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy movies (not "Adam's Rib"?though) and really enjoyed them. They don't have the sex scenes and swearing and are extremely entertaining. It's a new habit that I should continue.
There are so many rom-coms out there that creating a top 10 list of my own would be a little difficult. I like almost anything from the cheesy to the really romantic. There are '80s favorites like "Can't Buy Me Love," "Pretty in Pink" and "Say Anything." And there are ones like "The Wedding Singer,"?"He's Just Not That Into You"?and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." But up there on my list is a little known one starring Janeane Garofalo and David O'Shea titled "The Matchmaker." It came out in 1997 and Garofalo is an assistant to a senator who is trying to get re-elected. But the senator is not doing so well in the polls and he wants to find his "Irish" roos so he can be like John F. Kennedy. So Garofalo's character, Marcy, is sent to Ireland during a matchmaking festival in a small town, Ballinagra. Being young and singe, she's the targe for a couple of the town's matchmakers. O'Shea plays Sean, a former journalist, who now runs a bar with his brother. Marcy and Sean are thrown together in a variety of ways while she searches for the senator's Irish relatives. It's a cute story with fun secondary characters. It just didn't get much promotion.