Happy anniversary! My girlfriend's top 10 favorite movies

Elizabeth Rosado, my editor and best friend

Today is my two-year anniversary with my darling girlfriend, Elizabeth Rosado, the light of my life and the cream in my coffee.

She is, like me, an enormous movie fan and a little known fact is she eventually edits each and every one of these blog posts.

So needless to say, a tribute to her is long overdue.

In honor of the time we've spent together -- during which we've probably watched hundreds of films both on the big screen and at home, I am going to take a look at her top 10 favorite movies of all time.

She is not as rigid about her personal favorites as I am. I have so many I've had to bulk my list up to 30, whereas it took some prodding for Liz to pick her 10.

Nevertheless here they are in no particular order...

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Liz is an attorney and although she is not a trial lawyer like the protagonist of this film Atticus Finch (played brilliantly by Gregory Peck), she still has an innate, righteous sense of justice -- which is why, to a certain extent, I think this Oscar winner appeals to her. One of the things I love the most about her is her strong sense of right and wrong. She's one of the most humane, decent people I know and this film reflects her attitudes.

Under the Skin (2014) - I'll never forget seeing this film with Liz on the big screen. We were in midtown Manhattan, hardly a highbrow filmgoing crowd. There were walkouts, there were dumbfounded reactions -- but we were astounded. When we revisited this complex, unusual sci-fi film on bluray, we both fell in love with it all over again. My girlfriend is a passionate and devoted feminist, and she had a very strong read of this film as a meditation on the female body and how women's sexuality is valued.

Don't Look Now (1973) - Even though Liz is a lightweight when it comes to scary movies, she bravely took on this acclaimed, dark, brooding, psychological thriller (which happens to contain one the most satisfying sex scenes of all time) -- and she loved it. This fascinating, arty film is about a couple (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie) haunted both literally and figuratively by the tragic death of their own child. It probably requires repeat viewings to be fully appreciated. But it's definitely one of the great films of the '70s.

Bob & Ted & Carol & Alice (1969) - When this comedy-drama ended (and without spoiling it, the film's finale is oddly poignant), Liz burst into tears. I couldn't comprehend why, but she articulated that the movie's inherent message affirming love moved her intensely. The film is a satirical look at two couples, one seemingly more sexually liberated and another presumably more uptight. The movie is infamous for its climax, which features a very tame attempt at an orgy. Not dated in the slightest, this smart movie has a lot to say about adult relationships.

Groundhog Day (1992) - Like any reasonable movie fan, Liz appreciates the work of Bill Murray. While for my tastes, Ghostbusters is the quintessential Murray vehicle, Liz is a hardcore Groundhog Day fan, and I can't blame her. This brilliant movie has a pitch perfect premise and a truly sweet and romantic core. Liz tells me she loves the idea of a man having to repeat the same day every day until he learns how to respect and please his ideal woman; I wonder if she's trying to tell me something.

The Swimmer (1968) - This oddball cult classic features Burt Lancaster in one of his greatest performances as an aging hunk with a mysterious backstory who is inexplicably dropping in on all his neighbors via their swimming pools. As the movie progresses it grows stranger and more foreboding, leading to a compelling reveal that makes everything that proceeded it somehow more profound. It's amazing that this character study was even made in retrospect, since in so many ways it was ahead of its time. I'm just glad it's sustained an audience and been rediscovered all these years later.

Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer

West Side Story (1961) - It's common knowledge that this update on the Romeo and Juliet mythology is one of the greatest musicals of all time, and it's also undeniably culturally insensitive. I always figure, being Puerto Rican, Liz would not be a fan of this film. But I guess it turns out the music and dancing in this gorgeous production is too irresistible to ignore. I definitely used to listen to the soundtrack to this film incessantly when I was a kid, so it always has held a soft spot in my heart. And it stars the iconic Natalie Wood (pictured above) who appears in two films on this list.

Clueless (1995) - So Liz and I have a pretty strong break when it comes to this one. I think it's one of the most overrated comedies of all time -- but this is one of her adolescent touchstones. Clearly, I was not the target audience, and I find it's catchphrase-heavy dynamic hopelessly dated (even though I always get a chuckle out of the late Brittany Murphy's "rolling with the homies" scene). I get it though -- the Jane Austen source material is right up Liz's alley (she is a sucker for period romances) and it was clearly a movie that spoke to her as a young girl growing up.

Highlander (1986) - Ok, so this movie is utterly silly. Not as bad as its infamously inept sequel -- but in my estimation this is 1980s sci-fi at its worst. But I'll be damned if Liz doesn't love this saga of an underground community of immortals that can only die when their heads get lopped off. I still am not sure why characters are routinely bellowing, "There can be only one!," or what Sean Connery is doing in this goofy movie -- but nevertheless this movie was one of Liz's childhood favorites, and I certainly have my fair share of guilty pleasures like this.

Serpico

Serpico (1973) - Liz feels very strongly about this based-on-a-true-story biopic of a crusading New York City cop who valiantly fought police corruption in the 1960s. Al Pacino, one of my all-time favorite actors, gives one of his greatest performances here -- he's so sympathetic and intense at the same time. Liz is well aware of the fact that the 1970s is my favorite film decade and she too appreciates the complexity and honesty of that era's best films. She also has a big heart -- and she really feels for the Serpico character, who ends up sacrificing everything for a truly noble cause.