Dixie's List

1. Shakespeare in Love
   Way more fun than Shakespeare.
   
2. 6th Sense
   Perfect timing, terrifying visuals. Performances so subtle the whole movie feels like silk.
   
3. Chocolate
   Sensual, mystical, French. Johnny Depp! Makes you want to fall in love. And eat.
4. Groundhog Day
   Buddhism, anyone? Bill Murray, over and over.
5. Wall-E
   Pixar outdoes itself.
   
6. Brother, Where Art Thou?
   Ulysees in racist-era south. Who thought this up? Perhaps the Coen Brothers' idea of a romantic comedy.
7. The Shawshank Redemption
   This guy hangs tough. Grim, elegant, and uplifting.
   
8. Ordinary People
   Movie perfection. Intense family drama, not for escapists.
   
9. Crash
   The challenge of being (painfully) human. Hits the bullseye when you least expect it.
   
10. Postcards From the Edge
    Mother-daughter bonding in drugs, black humor, show biz.
    
11. Casablanca
    
12. Chinatown
    The sinister rise of post-war Los Angeles. My favorite noir in color. Plus L.A. Confidential, Body Heat.
    

Oh, No, But What About ... ?

• Double Indemnity
  My favorite noir in black and white. Barb, Fred, and Edward G., all playing against type. Don't forget The Third Man.
  
• I.Q.
  Albert Einstein makes match.
  
• Desperately Seeking Susan
  Amnesia, mistaken identity, magician, lovers. Sounds like Shakespeare!
• The Empire Strikes Back
  Yoda rocks.
  
• All About Eve
  Bette Davis and gang. Conniving, careering, hubris, love.
  
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
  Hard to describe...
  
• Benny and Joon
  Who says you have to have all your marbles to be in love?
  
• Bull Durham
  It Happened One Night, with baseball. And sex.
  

Guilty Pleasures...
Strictly Ballroom
The Terminator
Miss Congeniality
Knocked Up