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1. Close Encounter of the Third Kind

This is a chronicle of man's first contact with intelligent beings from another planet. Writer/director Steven Spielberg brings us a beautiful message of peace, complete with spectacular visual effects. Magnificent soundtrack by John Williams. This movie features Richard Drefuss' best performance, and Francois Truffaut is suave as the world's number one UFO researcher. THE flying saucer movie!

2. The Party

The world's most underrated movie. Peter Sellers, my favorite all-time comedy star, plays an inept Indian actor who accidentally accepts a party invitation from the producer who just fired him. Steven Franken is hilarious as a tipsy waiter. The great Blake Edwards wrote, directed and produced this wonderful film, and on top of that, we get one of Henry Mancini's glorious soundtracks.

3. Goldfinger

The third and best of all James Bond movies, "Goldfinger" is the blueprint for all that followed. In this film, 007 must thwart a plot to rob Fort Knox. Based on the novel by Ian Fleming, this sweeping and thrilling spy movie is brought to the screen by director Guy Hamilton. John Barry's guitar-driven score heightens the atmosphere. Sean Connery is arguably the best Bond ever, and Gert Frobe is the prototypical 007 villain.

4. Titanic

The reason "Titanic" is so good is because you feel like you are there. This is thanks to writer/director/ producer James Cameron, who also got great performances out of two good actors: Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet. This gigantic production won eleven Oscars, including Best Picture, Visual Effects and Director. James Horner's magnificent score also won a statuette.

5. Return of the Pink Panther

Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards and Henry Mancini were an unbeatable team. Director Edwards also wrote and produced. Although Sellers was outstanding, one cannot underestimate the contributions of Herbert Lom as the Chief Inspector obsessed with destroying Inspector Clouseau, and Burt Kwouk as Clouseau's long-suffering man-servant Cato. The early scene with Clouseau asking a sidewalk accordion player if he has a license for the "minkey" is a classic.

6. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

My favorite Western is about greed and the futility of war. Three disparate men seek about twenty million dollars in Confederate gold against the background of the Civil War. Legendary director Sergio Leone also wrote this prequel to his dollar movies. The film stars Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach as the title characters, with Wallach, I believe, turning in the best performance. Composer Ennio Morricone does his best work here.

Honorable Mentions

King Kong (1933)
Forbidden Planet
The Best Years of Our Lives
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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