I'll have what she's having.

Last week, I walked by the river with my friend Matt, our own personal going away party as he's leaving today for a semester in Israel. As we walked, I made many jokes about being proposed to on a nighttime stroll by the river, and finally I got down on one knee myself and declared my love. Two observations about proposals: it is sincerely uncomfortable to take a knee on a cold sidewalk, and Matt seemed genuinely embarrassed. Mission: Accomplished. Later in the night I managed to fit one of my favorite movie lines into conversation:

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees outside. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend a day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Years Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Swoon. It's quotes like these that have so warped women's expectations of love.... Guilty.

Anyway, when I realized Matt hadn't seen the movie and had no idea what I was talking about, I knew had to force the issue as soon as the opportunity presented itself... and wouldn't you know his roommate had the DVD laying out on the coffee table when we got back to Matt's apartment.

If you haven't seen When Harry Met Sally-- first of all, if you haven't, go get it. Now. Right now. Go on-- it references Casablanca quite a few times. And if you don't know me, you need to know that Casablanca is my favorite movie of all time... and it just so happens to be the greatest movie of all time. Seriously, it wins, like, every time. Casablanca is this really tragic, passionate romance between silver screen greats Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and it provides some pretty quotable quotes itself:

"I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue."

Ilsa: "A franc for your thoughts."

Rick: "In America, they'd bring only a penny, and, huh, I guess that's all they're worth."

Ilsa: "Well, I'm willing to be overcharged."

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world she walks into mine."

And, of course...

"...Here's looking at you, kid. " and "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

It's important for you to know, too, that the famous line, "Play it again, Sam" is never actually said in the movie. Not once. But Woody Allen did make a movie by the same name.

Those quotes probably don't mean anything to you, but I can quote Casablanca like most people my age can quote Dumb and Dumber and a handful of YouTube videos.

So where I'm going with this it that I'm on kind of a classic movies kick. And what I mean by "classics" is "movies that I see referenced quite a bit" or "movies that have won lots of awards." I think pop culture makes you a more well-rounded individual. This summer I crossed Citizen Kane, The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, and Jaws off my list, but I'm thinking it's time to update the list. Drumroll, please...

-The Godfather, Part II

-One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

-Goodfellas

-Rear Window

-Indiana Jones... all of them.

-Lord of the Rings... all of them.

-Dr. Strangelove

-Saving Private Ryan

-Vertigo

-Back to the Future

-Slumdog Millionaire

-Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

-Ben-Hur

-The Graduate

There are more, unfortunately. I have a long way to go in my mission to be a pop culture expert. But there could be worse fates in life than watching one classic movie after another.