Movies I can't live without

A few nights ago as I watched "The Princess Bride" for the millionth time my mom rolled her eyes and said "this movie again, what makes it so great that you have to watch it every time it's on?"

That got me thinking about the movies that I will stop time to watch and what makes them so immortal.

1. "The Princess Bride"

To answer my mom it's the seamless blend of comedy, romance and action that makes this such a fun movie. Cary Elwes personifies the word hero in this movie and Andre the Giant and Mandy Patinkin are a great comedy duo.

It's also about all those quotable lines that I never get tired of hearing like:

• "As you wish."
• "Surrender to me, very well I accept."
• "...that's what to the pain means, I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever...drop you sword," I fall in love with Cary Elwes everytime that scene comes on.

It's just a fantastic movie that never gets old and makes me smile no matter what mood I'm in.

2. "The Shawshank Redemption"

This is another movie that is so good I've been known to rearrange my schedule for it. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are at their best in this prison drama that's really about hope and friendship. Even though I always know its coming I'm still blown away when Andy's escape is revealed. A stellar example of great filmmaking. "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

3. "Casablanca"

It's no secret I'm a fan of the classic and for my money this is the best movie ever made. Every line, look, shot and scene has a purpose. There's not a moment of wasted time in the entire film. Plus you'll never see better than Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman at the airport before her plane takes off.

"The problems of three little people doesn't amount to a hill of beans in this world." They don't write dialogue like that anymore.

The real beauty of this movie is in the little scenes like when the police captain is going to shut down Rick's for gambling and then someone brings him his gambling winnings a second later. Pure genius.

While there are several other movies on my list, like "Titanic," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and of course any of the original "Star Wars" films, those are my top three movies I can't live without.