I sweated. I agonized. In the end, I think half the decisions were arbitrary. It came down to single scenes, single moments—individual lines of dialogue. I mean, how the hell else was I supposed to do this? For instance: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is absolutely brilliant and hilarious, but is there one single moment in the entire film that can hold a candle to Gene Wilder blocking the bookcase with his body in "Young Frankenstein?" I don't think so. And believe me. I thought about it. Overall, "Young Frankenstein" is probably not as hysterically funny as "Holy Grail" but that whole blocking the bookcase with his body moment, it might be my #1 favorite comedy moment of all time. I can't help it. That is a performer working at the top of his game.

And then there are the decisions that have to be made about movies versus filmmakers. I mean, outside of "Ghostbusters," Ivan Reitman's career is pretty unremarkable. But that movie, it's a classic. Whereas Woody Allen has such an extensive body of work—and all of it is so good in so many different ways—that I couldn't find a way to narrow it down to the right one. Do I go with "Shadows and Fog," because everyone else dislikes it, but I think it's phenomenal because Woody represents Kafka—one of my favorite authors—through a very distinct Woody pair of eyes? And what about "Crimes and Misdemeanors"? One of the most intense, haunting and yet incredibly simple dramas, given to us by a man known mostly for his work in the realm of comedy and romantic comedy.

I can't think of a single thing that is wrong with "Trainspotting." It's a perfect movie. Yet I couldn't find a place for it on the list. And I don't know why. "Magnolia" was not so difficult. It's one of the most incredible, brilliant movies I've ever seen. But I could find an easy way to get it off the list—Julianne Moore gives quite possibly one of the worst performances in the history of cinema in this film. Outside of her, the film is perfect. She's kind of a blight on the proceedings.

I find myself dismissing things like "Adventures in Babysitting" and "The Money Pit" because they are silly trifles. But outside of that, do they really have any flaws? No. Because they don't set out to do very much and they accomplish their task admirably.

And where is John Cusack? Sadly, absent from the proceedings. Again, no real reason, just sacrifices had to be made.

Stanley [expletive] Kubrick. An even more impressive (though much smaller) body of work than Woody Allen. And can I find a spot for one of his masterpieces? Again, sadly, no.

"The Big Lebowski." Another perfect, flawless film. Infinitely watchable and brilliant in its dialogue, characterization and comedic set pieces. Where is it?

"Unforgiven." Clint Eastwood buries the Man with No Name once and for good? In a beautiful, haunting study of the Old West and the Old Movie Star at the same time? What the hell is wrong with me that I can't find a spot for this mother[expletive]?

I'm sorry for ranting. This list will have to be revised over the years. For instance, there are two films that have come out in the last year that could easily knock somebody out of position here: "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Amelie." I believe, sometimes, that my love of movies is just too vast. No one should care so much about something so fleeting.

So, here it is. I'll list them alphabetically, because I'm not about to rank them:

• "Almost Famous"
• "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
• "Ghostbusters"
• "Good Will Hunting"
• "Harold and Maude"
• "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
• "Rushmore"
• "Star Wars"
• "Wonder Boys"
• "Young Frankenstein"

— (one exhausted) Scooter

This is it. Jeez, Hoey, I gotta hand it to you. This ain't a cup of tea, this assignment. When I got down to 20, it was chaos. Fifteen? Brutal. But here it is—The Ten Best Movies EVER. With confidence and no apologies, and in alphabetical order:

• "Field of Dreams"
• "It's a Wonderful Life"
• "Kramer vs. Kramer"
• "Quiz Show"
• "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
• "Raising Arizona"
• "Requiem for a Dream"
• "Saving Private Ryan"
• "The Insider"
• "2001: A Space Odyssey"

— The Fish

Damn, boys. I had a [expletive] seizure trying to make this list. This was tougher than making the top 10 films of the '90s (seriously, how the hell could I have cut "Three Kings," "The Insider," "Heat," "Dances With Wolves," "Fargo," "Seven," "Glengarry GlenRoss," "Hamlet" (Kenneth Branagh's), "Unforgiven," and "Grosse Pointe Blank"?).

I used three criteria. First and most importantly, the movie had to exhibit the highest degree of quality filmmaking and be flawless in its direction. Second, the movie had to stand up to repeated viewing and actually illicit repeated viewing. Third, the movie must inspire some extreme response, whether it is laughter, fright, awe, sadness or just plain confusion. Interestingly enough, great acting was not a requirement (you'll see why in a bit).

I had to disqualify many beloved a movie. "Field of Dreams"? Loved it, made me cry like a teething toddler, but it didn't make the cut because the direction, to me, is only above-average but not great. "Requiem For a Dream"—a masterpiece, but I'm not sure if it fits in criteria #2 because it's so profoundly disturbing and without any trace of hope. "Ghostbusters"? Definitely one of the best comedies ever, but let's face it, Ivan Reitman is no genius. I should preface this list by saying that I've never seen "Citizen Kane," "Some Like It Hot," "Raging Bull," "The Graduate," "The Godfather Part II" in its entirety or a single Alfred Hitchcock movie. Here it is in chronological order:

• "2001: A Space Odyssey" — a religious experience that is years ahead of it's time.
• "Jaws" — most suspenseful scenes ever filmed and an exhibition of pure filmmaking genius.
• "Halloween" — the original low-budget masterpiece and best horror movie of all time.
• "Apocalypse Now" — best war movie ever, end of story.
• "This Is Spinal Tap" — a one-of-a-kind comedy and true classic.
• "Do The Right Thing" — best movie on race, ever, and another example of low-budget excellence.
• "Goodfellas" — best mob movie ever and the crown jewel of a director who changed the craft
• "Schindler's List" — a stunning achievement, maybe the best of them all.
• "Pulp Fiction" — I hate Quentin Tarantino but nevertheless a true original and a trend-setting exercise on film.
• "Fight Club" — brilliant social commentary in one of the riskiest, ballsy-est, and astute films in history.

— McFly, the mad film critic