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What makes a favorite movie? Is a favorite film separate from that which you believe merits the accolade greatest work of cinema'? It's always kind of troubled me why Citizen Kane hasn't rushed to the top of my list of most watched films. Why it hasn't engaged me beyond its technical and historical influence, largely passing me by like a landmark in a faraway world of which I took a photo and filed away with other long lost memories. Yet, we're constantly told of its brilliance, topping the polls of every academic, middle-class hit-list of the world's best cinema, from those that know better than everybody else. Who am I to disagree? The film itself has an influence on almost every single film I grew up watching, and therefore its importance in why I love cinema is undeniable. It's a work of art; it's a work of technical ingenuity, and it's flawless in its execution but, dare I say it, I don't particularly like it very much. So how do we come to our conclusions about our favorite movies?

I'm sure mentioning the names Citizen Kane and Aliens in the same sentence and comparing their quality as cinematic endeavors, will lose me any credibility I had as a viable film critic, but this isn't about which one is better than the other. This is about why I love Aliens, and why ultimately, it's my favorite film. I'm not alone in finding two and half hours spent with James Cameron's sci-fi adventure the most enjoyable and fulfilling experience one can have with a moving image. On ymdb.com 1196 users voted it in their top 20 favorite movies, which is about 4.5% of the total share. That's pretty good against Kane's 1625 votes, and a 6.1% share. Aliens was voted 15th in the BBC's poll of 100 Movies of the Millennium', 14th in Empire and HMV's similar poll; it's currently lying 6th in Sci-fi Lists top 100 films; Village Voice film critic Justine Elias voted it in her top 10 films of the century; and it's enjoying an 8.3/10 rating on imdb.com with a respectable 79th place in their top 250. But what point am I trying to prove beyond the fact I love the film?

It's interesting how such polls churn out different number 1's each time another is conducted. Channel 4's continuous weekend, primetime-filling clips shows (alternatively titled with the moniker Top 100), are testament to that fact. The Empire Strikes Back is apparently the greatest film ever made according to them, yet they make room for Grease as the best musical, E.T as the best family entertainment and best Tearjerker,

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