We’re a list-crazy culture, and movie buffs of all stripes can’t help but place certain films in their personal hall of fame.

This film scribe is no different. And, in response to a Big Hollywood reader who suggested I post my own Top Ten Movie List to better introduce myself to this site’s audience, here goes nothing.

A quick note: To me, a Top Ten Movie List is deeply personal. It’s not a list of films that are more poignant, or better directed, or more richly artistic, than most movies. These films spoke to me in some profound way, reflecting both my formative years and the person I eventually became.

1. “Raising Arizona” – I didn’t love “RA” the first time I saw it, but being date-less more often than I’d like meant plenty of time to re-watch films that at the least caught my attention. Not sure if it was the second or third viewing that won me over, but before long I needed to watch this grand Coen brothers romp as often as possible. Great quotable dialogue, slapstick delivered in a deliriously cockeyed fashion, and the single funniest sequence ever committed to celluloid – the Huggies chase. I wanna pop it in my Blu-ray player right now…

2. “Star Wars” – Is there a child from the ‘70s who doesn’t have this space saga on his list? George Lucas’s vision remains a near-perfect depiction of good versus evil set in a galaxy far, far away — no special editions or 3D upgrades required, please.

3. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” – The funniest, raunchiest, sweetest comedy I’ve ever seen.

4. “Jaws” – Director Steven Spielberg may have, for better or worse, kick-started the summer blockbuster tradition with “Jaws,” but for me it distills everything I love about movies into one beautifully constructed package. Bristling tension. Lived-in performances. The fear of the unknown. It’s not summer unless I watch “Jaws” at least one time.

5. “Miller’s Crossing” – It’s the Coen brothers’ most overlooked masterpiece, brimming with dialogue so rich you wish you could print it out and frame it. “Crossing” is a gangster picture without peer, one which has little interest in aping other films in the genre.

6. “Once” – Proof that great movies don’t require big budgets, A-list stars or even a happy ending. The songs are magical, the acting heartfelt and the conclusion so sublime you wouldn’t want it any other way no matter how much your heart breaks.

7. “The Wizard of Oz” - Yes, the Toto connection can get tiring. But Dorothy’s trek to see the wonderful wizard is a testament to great art enduring time and taste upgrades.

8. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – It’s the benchmark all action movies must be measured against, and 99 percent of them stumble along the way.

9. “Alien” – The ultimate fusion of horror and science fiction. Those seven stranded souls are no match for a killing machine aped by nearly every monster maker in Hollywood. Moody, atmospheric and heart-stopping, “Alien” is director Ridley Scott’s masterpiece.

10. “The Descent” – Horror junkies rank “The Exorcist,” “The Shining” or “Halloween” higher, and they may have a point. But this shock fest gave me gigantic scares while taking advantage of modern movie-making techniques along the way. The first half is a smart, assured look at women in charge of their destinies. The second — a monster mash for the ages.

My personal Top 15 are ranked as my favorites always are — based on nothing more than re-watchability. “Rocky Balboa” might not be better written, photographed or acted than any number of films not on this list, but I’m going to watch it a helluva lot more, that’s for sure.  

1. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) – Ever since the lights came up after that first screening, like a drug this lyrical, gorgeously photographed piece of myth-making has tugged me back for another taste. This isn’t easy to admit, but I think I admire Andrew Dominik’s directorial debut even more than John Ford’s “Young Mister Lincoln” (1939), which it resembles in so many ways. Were this also a listing of the greatest performances of the new millennium, Casey Affleck’s portrayal of Robert Ford would rank #1, as well.

2. The Passion of the Christ (2004) – Easily, the purest and rawest emotional cinematic experience I’ve ever had. The Left’s bigoted, venomous attacks combined with the film’s eventual blockbuster success were almost as satisfying as the re-election of George W. Bush.

3. The Dark Knight (2008) - Watching liberal critics gush over a not-so-thinly disguised thank you to President Bush and then harumph and find fault after conservatives calmly explained what this epic of action, character and allegory is really about, was nearly as much fun as the movie.

4. Up (2009) - As far as pure film-making and storytelling goes this exquisite, touching story of the adventure required to help a widower move on after losing the love of his life, is the most perfect picture on the list. In fact, it is perfect. Simply, beautifully perfectly perfect.

5. The Lives of Others (2006) – I’ve read that this unflinching look at the corrosive effects of Big Oppressive Government on the human soul was one of the late great William F. Buckley’s favorites. How’s that for an endorsement? There’s talk of an American remake, which I’m in favor of, because there’s no doubt it will come out as a disastrous failure in every respect. Liberty=good is an idea that no longer computes among those still interested in producing the adult drama. Movies may not be anywhere near as good as they were even ten years ago, but watching Leftist propaganda — which this will surely be twisted into — flop makes for a nice consolation prize.

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6. Mulholland Drive (2001) – Director David Lynch’s masterpiece was reportedly an aborted television pilot, and yet he somehow turned it into something that out-dreams dreams and out-nightmares nightmares. Mesmerizing, sexy, frightening…. and all driven by a visionary director who created a hypnotic puzzlebox unlike anything we’ve seen before or will again. My eternal thanks to my movie-watching buddy Jim Sprader for bringing it over that day…

7. 300 (2006) – God bless director Zack Snyder for not gutting and nuancing Frank Miller’s brilliant take on the Battle of Thermopylae. Hopefully, someday, Hollywood will become a tolerant place where the conservative, pro-Western themes of “300″ won’t have to be disguised in this way. Not that I mind. Visually, “300″ was not only richly rewarding, but proof that in the hands of a genius director CGI can enhance the story as opposed to distract.

8. Once (2006) – A poignant, affecting and unforgettable musical romance made in Ireland for next to no money. The song’s are stirring, the performances impeccable, the script witty… But more than all of that is a tenderness and gentle humanity rarely found in theatres these days. The perfect rainy afternoon comfort food.

9. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - Normally my opinion of quirky is that it’s nothing more than irony gone retarded, but in a remarkable debut, co-writer/director Jared Hess strips the cynicism that usually defines quirk and replaces it with old-fashioned heart and sentiment.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) – Unflustered as he steps from a sinking ship onto a pier, Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow also stepped into cinema lore and earned enough goodwill to carry two lacking sequels to box office glory. At least through 2003, we lovers of classic cinematic adventure could no longer say, “They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”

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11. Ratatouille (2007) – Man, I loves me that little rat. Most people choose “The Incredibles” as their favorite Brad Bird entry in the Pixar canon, but Anton Ego’s monologue about the difference between those in the arena and those, like me, who snipe from the bleachers (“But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so…”) might be the best piece of dialogue since Orson Welles’ take on the cuckoo clock in “The Third Man.”

12. No Country For Old Men (2007) - This Coen Brothers Best Picture winner passes the test of a timeless classic: Each viewing is richer than the one that came before.

13. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – Funny, scary, imaginative and about as original as they come.

14. Gone Baby Gone (2007) – What “Mystic River” wanted to be and its defenders said it was can be found in Ben Affleck’s stunningly mature and emotionally devastating directorial debut. Everything from the character accents, the subtly of the performances and the many, many complicated moral questions raised are handled with precision and confidence. Best of all, Affleck leads us to one final and unforgettable closing shot where Casey Affleck silently proves he’s willing to do more than make the terrible decision which cost him everything, he’s willing to take responsibility for it. 

15. Rocky Balboa (2006) – Who would have ever thought writer/director Sylvester Stallone could pull this off? But he did. And I love it more each time I see it.

20 runners up in no particular order: Friday Night Lights, Dawn of the Dead, Kill Bill I & II, Watchmen, Iron Man, Gran Torino, Casino Royale, Pursuit of Happyness, Amelie, In the Bedroom, Million Dollar Baby, Taken, 28 Weeks Later, The Station Agent, A.I., Sexy Beast, Saving Silverman, Monster’s Ball and Match Point.