Romance seems to be dying everywhere, in the movies, in life and so on. At least that's what people are saying. I tend to be less pessimistic and say it's thriving. With Valentine's Day only a few days away, I bet there are a few people adamantly saying romance better be alive and well.

For those not spending time with a loved one, how about living vicariously through a romantic movie, or perhaps 10?

Love and romance need not be the stereotypical "chick flick," but it can be laced in every single genre. The following top 10 includes the sappy movies along with those not completely focused on romance. There is no way that these are the best romantic movies of all time, but they are some of my favorites.

1. Moulin Rouge — "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." Who can disagree with that? The musical-comedy, love story slash tragedy is amazing when set to the lyrics of some of the best musicians ever — Madonna, Queen, the Beatles and many more. All the songs fit into the bohemian world with a heart wrenching story all created by Baz Luhrmann. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman outdo themselves in this movie as the writer and the courtesan, plus who knew they could sing?

2. Shakespeare in Love — Shakespeare's romantic tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet" played out in two parallel plots, first the actual play being written throughout the movie and second the story line of Will Shakespeare (played by Joseph Fiennes) and Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow). The cast is stacked with great actors and actresses who all do the infamous play and the wonderful script justice.

3. Love Actually — A hilarious film, which provides romance for not one couple, but several. The fact that every character's life is intertwined with each other also adds to more love to the plot. The romantic aspect is high throughout, like when Keira Knightly's character finds her husband's best friend at her door with signs proclaiming his love for her — minus the tiny problem of her husband. And what Wisconsinite could resist when Colin, "God of Sex," comes to Wisconsin to find love and finds Shannon Elizabeth?

4. Disney movies in general — How is it possible to choose the most romantic Disney movie? Any story involving a princess getting her prince is romantic. The "Cinderella" story has been done so many times, but none of those real life characters could live up to the talking mice (Gus Gus was the best). "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "Mulan," there are romantic aspects to all of them. It's romance with a G rating and maybe a moral or two.

5. The Village — If you don't see the romance of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" let me help. The love story is that of the blind Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard) and the brooding Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix). Though their town is tortured by monsters in the forest, their love is able to blossom. What isn't romantic about the discussion of whether or not Lucius would dance with Ivy on their wedding day in the middle of the night? Or how about the fact that Ivy risks her life for Lucius? The movie is a thriller with a romantic base.

6. Ghost — Love conquers death, or at least Patrick Swayze does. Sam Wheat (Swayze) is murdered, but he gets stuck in between worlds because he has unfinished business. He uses Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a spiritual reader, to save his one true love, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore), from his murderers. But "Ghost" turned pottery making into a romantic setting and helped to make "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers a classic love song.

7. The Notebook — Based on Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name, this is a real tearjerker. Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) have a cookie cutter story, where rich girl meets a poor boy and because of expectations, their relationship is put on hold. Allie is faced with forgetting her first love and marrying her second or going with her heart. Noah's dedication to Allie never faltered. He wrote letters to her daily, declaring his love, but he never got a response. It's heart-warming and heart wrenching at the same time.

8. Dirty Dancing — Another movie about a rich girl who meets a seemingly bad boy and they fall in love. However, it's because of a little bit of dancing, dirty dancing that is. The chemistry between Swayze and Jennifer Grey makes the movie seem more believable. The late Jerry Orbach as Baby's (Grey) overprotective father is also a plus.

9. West Side Story — Semi-updated version of "Romeo and Juliet" with singing and dancing. Who can say they haven't heard at least one song from this musical? The battle rages between rival gangs the Sharks and the Jets, but Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood) can't deny their feelings. They need to overcome the standards of society and peer pressure in order to be able to love.

10. 50 First Dates — When you think of an Adam Sandler movie, romance doesn't automatically come to mind, but "50 First Dates" is a great romantic comedy. Lucy (Drew Barrymore) loses her short-term memory and encounters Henry (Sandler) who becomes smitten. Even though she doesn't remember him the next day, he is persistent in making their relationship work. The best part: Henry's song Forgetful Lucy, which is both funny and unbelievably sweet.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 10 2005.