Like movies? I do. And with the new millenium nearing, there's been a lot of talk about what have been the best movies of the century. Lately, AFI, the American Film Institute, came out with a list, called "100 Years, 100 Movies," naming the 100 best movies made this century. I didn't completely agree with what they chose, however, so I made my own list, many of which I think you'll agree with.

My 20 personal favorite movies of this century:

20) THE BIG HIT
A little known movie, it still packs enough action and comedy into two hours to make it a worthwile rent. The fight scenes are tremendous, and some of the gags will make you laugh so hard you fall out of your chair! A great mix of funny jokes and spectacular action setpieces.

19) THE MASK OF ZORRO
This movie brought the classic swashbuckler back to the big screen, with more excitement than it ever had before! The masked menace rides again, followed by a great culture score by James Horner, and some prestigious actors, like Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, and the newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones. Now that's some quality entertainment.

18) EXCALIBUR
This is a mammoth fantasy, directed by John Boorman, which is an attempt to put everything ever written about the Arthur legend into one movie. It's really long, but the action is great, the armor looks cool, and the plot is so thickly woven you counldn't unvravel it with a broadsword. Great if you've got about two and a half hours to spare.

17) INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
Not nearly as good as the other two, this one still has the most important ingredient for an Indiana Jones film: Indy himself. The action in Temple of Doom never stops, though it is considerably more violent than the other two (as a matter of fact, it was this movie that covinced the NPAA to create the PG-13 rating). Still, it's good fun, and some very famous scenes.

16) THE MATRIX
This film is a newcomer, but it's still good enough to make it on my list. It's got a very intriguing plot, some great action scenes, and a style that's out of this world. The special effects are amazing, and, though some people have said that it's just a crowd-pleaser, I still think that it's a very good movie.

15) ALADDIN
So it's a Disney cartoon. Big deal! It's still a hilarious movie, and the animation is great. In my opinion, it's the best of the Disney fare, and it's really fun to watch. Isn't it fun to get in touch with the kid in you every once in a while?

14) FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
It may have been aimed at teens, but this is still the funniest movies I've ever seen, with some great acting, by then up-and-coming talents, besides. The deadpan delivery is hilarious, and the way the main character talks to the audience adds to the comic variety of the film, much like Kuffs. If you're in the mood for a lot of laughs, rent this -- and remember, after the credits is the best part!

13) HIGH NOON
Few of you will probably have heard of this movie, but I believe it to be one of the three films which all modern westerns are patterned after (the other two are Stagecoach and The Magnificent Seven). It's very short, but it deals with so much symbolism that it seems much longer. Every time you watch it, you notice something new, a trait many movies today seem to be lacking. This film is truly a work of art.

12) JURASSIC PARK
Nearly twenty years after Jaws came out, Spielberg (and Williams) proved that they could still scare us. Not to mention the fact that Jurassic Park made a leap in special effects technology equaled only by those of Star Wars and King Kong. The thing that made Jurassic Park so scary was, in my eyes, that the dinosaurs looked alive.

11) JAWS
The quintissential Spileberg movie. Not only does it have the most famous music in movie history, it is still frightening when you've seen it a thousand times... and the jokes still make you laugh! It's the most masterful combination of horror and humor ever attempted, with every joke or scare placed at a strategic point in the plot. And, it proves that what you don't see is much scarier than what you do. And you thought it was safe to go in the water!

10) RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
Raiders is the movie that started it all, and made "Indiana Jones" a household word. Directed by Spielberg, written by Lucas, scored by John Williams (one of the most memorable movie themes), and starring Harrison Ford, this movie takes blockbusters to a whole new level!

9) INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
The third of this series truly is the best. It may be the unfaltering action, it may be the hilarious reparte between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, and it may be the intriguing plot, but something made this one of the few movies I would pay five bucks to see in the theater ten years after it originally came out. Hats off to you, Junior!

8) WILLOW
It has to be one of the best fantasy movies ever made, and that's no lie. Willow has it all: action, adventure, romance, magic, and it was scripted by George Lucas! This one deserves its place in my list.

7) THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Sure, it's billed as a kid's movie now, but who can see this movie and not love it? It's got a simple plot (save the girl, revenge), it's got lots of swashbuckling action, it's got heart-stopping adventure... the list goes on and on! Plus, it's a great way to start your kids out on fantasy, since it doesn't have any sex, has minimal violence, no blood, and only one really bad cuss word (not that that isn't memorable, anyway!) And, no matter what anyone says, I still think it has the best duel sequence I've ever seen.

6) ALIENS
The first one was okay, the third one sucked, and the fourth one was so-so. It's the second movie in the Alien series, however, that really made the entire franchise worthwhile for me. James Cameron, a truly great director (despite the fact that he made Titanic), and James Horner, a truly great composer (despite the fact that he scored Titanic), came together to make this movie virtually a work of art, from the first frame to the last. Frightening, action-packed, and riveting, with the most haunting score I've ever heard, Aliens is the best of the horror genre -- even if it's really a SciFi/Action movie.

5) THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
A lot of people wonder why this movie is the highest in my list that is not affiliated with Star Wars. Though it is old, it's an extremely well-written and well-filmed movie, the plot is really excellent, and it has one of the most exciting conclusions I've ever seen in a movie, despite the fact that it has very little blood. More than that, the viewer comes to truly care about the characters, something that a generation of moviemakers raised on Eastwood movies like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly seem to have forgotten.

4) STAR WARS, EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE
This is the newest Star Wars movie, and, while a technological wonder, it seems to have lost a little in the script -- the dialogue, mostly. It's still Star Wars, though, and I treat it as such; plus, it has some truly great characters, like Jar Jar, whom I found to be hilarious!

3) STAR WARS, EPISODE VI - RETURN OF THE JEDI
All of the technology in this one is better, and the starfighter scenes (and lightsaber duels) are more exciting, but I still can't help feeling that this one is in its rightful place as third in the trilogy. Sure, it's the most exciting, but it is also the conclusion, and with something as great as Star Wars, you don't want it to end!

2) STAR WARS, EPISODE V - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Although Empire is the darkest of the original trilogy, I still think it is really good because of its great dialogue, and the mystery that builds around what is revealed in it. Of course, we learn that Vader is Luke's father, but look at all the stuff we wondered about after seeing it that, beforehand, hadn't ever occured to us!

1) STAR WARS, EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE
It was the first of the saga, and, in my opinion, it was the best. Not to say that Empire, Jedi, and lately, Phantom Menace, weren't excellent, but this one just seemed to have that spark that comes only with the original in a series. I realize, of course, that original trilogy was first written as a single movie, and I am judging it as such, but I still think that the first one, if only from a sentimental point of view, was the best.