HERE IT IS: THE TOP 5 can you stand it?

Nelson: Well tonight we are giving you our top 5 movies all time. Due to a small glitch, I had to come up with a number 5, I had a movie on my list twice, I wonder who can guess which one, hmm?!?!?!?!?!?
5. "Notting Hill" I really love this movie, as I stated earlier I had had a movie on my list twice, but this movie would have made my list if I hadn't thought I already had 35, and it is definitely one I would grab on my way to the bomb shelter, I can watch it over and over. It always gets me at the end when they are on the bench and she is pregnant. 5+ stars
4. "The Godfather" Classic storytelling here, great cast, and story. Really strong enough to be even higher on my list because I can watch it anytime. The way Michael is drawn in, is compelling, at one point he wants nothing to do with the family business, then all of a sudden he is in. By the third movie he wants out desperately, but , "everytime I think I'm out, they drag me back in." 5 bajillion stars.
3. "Avatar" I have seen this movie twice, in a few years after I have seen it 10-20 times it will work it's way to the top I am sure. As I came out of the theatre I said it was the best movie I have ever seen, and I still believe that but I do not have enough time invested in it yet to be no. 1 here. 5+ stars
2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This is the trilogy, all three movies together because really if you have 6 -8 hours to kill, it is really just one long well thought out and acted movie. Each one is as good as the last, not like some trilogies or sequels that are just not as good as the original. The fault there is that the first movie is typically written to stand on its own, and since it is a hit, they have to manufacture more story to make more money. I wish I could tell all you readers how hard it is to sit here and type with an English major over your shoulder. This one as well 5+ stars
1. This is also a trilogy, The Bourne Trilogy. I know that some of you may be let down by my choice, but if I could only take these 3 movies with me into solitary confinement for a few years, i would be ok with that. I really enjoy the action, drama, romance, scenery, locales, plot, just everything. The story is so intricate and well thought out, Matt Damon is at his best here. 6 stars, so really off the chart, for me.

Pam:
5. "It's a Wonderful Life" - Jimmy Stewart filmed this movie right after he returned from WWII, and was hesitant to do the love scene with Donna Reed, but you'd never know it. The scene of Mary and George kissing and embracing while on the phone with "Hee Haw" is beautiful and passionate and sets the stage for the rest of the movie. Nelson says this movie is comparable to "Family Man," but I disagree. This has an almost horror element to it in that George gets to see what the world would be like had he never been born. It's almost like the Angel of Death scene in "A Christmas Carol," where Scrooge is horrified by his own gravesite. Imagine seeing your mom, but she has no idea who you are. Scary. This movie helps me put my problems into perspective - and realize I have so much to be thankful for. Watchability: 5 stars Emotional Appeal: 5 stars
4. "Love Actually" - All the story lines in this movie are interwoven in such a wonderful way that it took me a few times watching it to get it all figured out. It shows love in all forms from young adolescents to newly marrieds to a mature couple facing infidelity. There's only one story line I don't like out of about eight that run through the movie, but the rest of the movie is so good, I'm willing to sit through those few scenes. This movie makes me cry every time: once when Emma Thompson's character realizes her husband has been unfaithful and she sits in her bedroom listening to Joanie Mitchell's song "Both Sides Now." Meanwhile, in the other room, her husband and children sit under the Christmas tree waiting for her to return, unaware that anything is wrong. It's a feeling I can identify with - women who are mothers and wives sometimes have to suppress the pain and keep going for the sake of the family. My heart hurts for her in that scene. The other scene is at the end in the airport when Liam Neeson and his stepson meet up with the little boy's girlfriend and she plants a kiss on the boy's cheek. What's so uplifting is the boy's faith in love. He believes, and so do I. W: 5 stars E.A.: 5+ stars
3. "Sex and the City" - These are my girls, whose lives I have followed since the beginning of the series. In my mind, I have sat at breakfast with them gossiping, and I have been out on the town with them drinking cosmos. They're my fantasy of what girlfriends should be. This movie has all the payoff I was looking for: I got to see how everything turned out for all four women. The joy and the pain in the scenes is so real, I felt like it was happening to me. When Carrie goes to Mexico and sleeps for days in the condo, I thought, that's exactly what I would have done. It shows that the pain of her breakup was real and that it lasts and it takes time to heal and recover. I cried when Miranda and Steve met on the bridge, I cried when Charlotte told Carrie she was pregnant, I cried when Carrie and Big met in the closet. Jennifer Hudson adds a lot to the mix of sisterhood as Carrie's assistant. Wouldn't mind seeing her again in the next movie. W: 5+ stars E.A.: 5+ stars
2. "Star Wars" trilogy - There are some things that are not all that great in this series: Ewoks, Jar Jar Binks, Hayden Christiansen's acting...but despite these faults, these movies are nearly flawless to me. I love the idea of the Force and that there is something possible for humans besides warfare and hatred. W: 5+ stars E.A.: 5 stars
1. "Lord of the Rings" trilogy - I agree with Nelson, these movies really fit together as one long film and if you've got the gumption, try sitting down and watching them all back to back. To understand the world created in these movies, it's important to have read the books written by J.R.R. Tolkien. He wrote his own Elfish language, drew maps and atlases of locations and worlds, wrote family histories and mapped family trees, and outlined various races and groups of people. Of course a movie would never be able to reveal all of that, especially to a casual watcher, but these three movies come close. Every aspect is perfect: attention to detail, a true adaptation of the books, accuracy, scenery, casting and acting. Special effects are seamless - I never really noticed them, which says a lot. Viggo Mortensen's characterization of Aragorn is perfect - he's the reluctant hero, humble yet fierce, a true leader ready to sacrifice what's needed, and in love with a beautiful, powerful Elfin princess, Arwen. It's Arwen's love, passion and vision that carry Aragorn through the worst battles and moments of self-doubt. I think she is the true heart and soul of these movies. Beautiful, inspiring, and my favorite. W: 5+ stars E.A.: 5+ stars