love stories

Over at Entertainment Weekly's website, staff members have shared their picks for movies to watch for Valentine's Day. Among the 20 choices are "Lady and the Tramp," "Pride and Prejudice" (the one with Keira Knightley), "Heathers" and "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." Getting into the spirit, I've decided to compile a list of my own (limiting the choices to more standard romance fare), in no order:

1. "Pride and Prejudice" (BBC version)
2. "Sense and Sensibility" (the one with Emma Thompson)
3. "Emma" (with Gwyneth Paltrow and, more importantly, Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley)
4. "Never Been Kissed"
5. "While You Were Sleeping"
6. "Much Ado About Nothing"
7. "Just Like Heaven"
8. "The Princess Bride"
9. "Serendipity"

Coming up with a list is harder than I thought. Lots of films are likable at about the same level, like "Just Like Heaven" and "Serendipity," and movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail." Some I've sort of burned out on. But the tops for me are the British ones. My ultimate list would be:

1. "Pride and Prejudice" (BBC version)
2. "Sense and Sensibility" (the one with Emma Thompson)
3. "Emma" (Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley!!)
4. "Much Ado About Nothing"
5. "The Princess Bride"

None of these are exclusively about the romance, though. They're also about tone and mood and, sometimes, being really funny.

What are your picks?