How could you put Titanic at the bottom of the list? There are people that saw this 16 times in the theaters. The only way that EVER happens is when a movie touches a very deep, primal, mythological core, way down inside.
It touched a chord with people across the planet. Sure, it's got Leonardo DiCraprio and a slightly cheesy love story at its core, but I was absolutely BLOWN away the first time I saw this movie. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I saw it opening night, before ANY of the hype, when it was still uncertain whether this was going to be a big hit or a stupendous, studio-sinking flop. Not to mention I saw it projected on an IMAX screen.
It's hard to look at the movie now with fresh eyes, years after all the box-office records, hype, Celine Dion hysteria...but there are truly unforgettable images in that film. I would rate it as Jim's second only under Aliens.
I guess in the end there are guys that are too macho to say they like Titanic. It is, in essence, a girl's film. Syd Field (the screenwriting guru), in one of his books, said that he tried long and hard to figure out why his young, teenage niece and friends had returned to see this film OVER and OVER again, playing their small part in helping to make it one of the top grossing films of all time (at the time). It wasn't the epic scale or the special FX (a lot of movies have that). It wasn't the historical accuracy (or inaccuracy). When asking the group of teenage girls why they saw Titanic 16 times in the theater, they said it was because "Jack dies".
Think about that. Especially any executives reading this. The reason they saw this over and over was because it had a relatively unhappy ending, with one of two main characters drowining and freezing to death. Rose, in experiencing Jack's death, grows as a character. It is cathartic for her, as well as the audience. She finds her independance and herself through loss.
Anyway, I am rambling, but I just wanted to stick up for Titanic. Very few films, when I remember them, give me such vivid visual memories. I always think of the old couple on their cot, shot from overhead, as the boat is sinking, clutching eachother, with water rushing under their bed.
Amazing.