The new movies opening this week did little to inspire a Top 10 list in my mind, so I decided to take a look at one of my favorite movie-list subjects: Films with one word — and ONLY one word — in the title.

That means you have to throw out any film that uses the article “the” or “a” in the title. You get one word, and only one word; no hyphens or slashes either. It makes it a little tougher. So you won’t find “The Godfather” or “The Sting” (two of my absolute faves) on this list.

You will notice several Alfred Hitchcock titles in the list. Without a doubt, Hitch was the king of one-word titles and I had to leave off a handful of good Hitch flicks, like “Frenzy,” “Suspicion,” “Rebecca,” “Rope” and “Spellbound.” Same goes for Akira Kurosawa, whose “Ran” and “Yojimbo” are excellent films. And I do feel bad about having to leave off “Caddyshack” and “Alien.”

Anyway, here are my picks:

10. Deliverance (1972): This Southern-Gothic float trip from hell is a powerful film directed by John Boorman and based on James Dickey’s novel. Who knew Burt Reynolds could actually act and who can forget Ned Beatty’s character.

"Adrian!"

9. Rocky (1976): Make fun of Sylvester Stallone all you want, but this is one of the most heart-warming and thrilling movies of the last 35 years. True, Stallone sequeled this franchise to death, but the original is the blueprint for all other underdogs movies.

8. Notorious (1946): Hitchcock kept us on the edge of our theater seats for decades, and this film stars Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains (a vastly underrated supporting actor) in a story of love, sex, betrayal, espionage and deceit. Just your basic Hitchcock stuff. 

You go, Marge!

7. Fargo (1996): Still the Coen’s best overall film, with Frances McDormand stealing the show and winning an Oscar for her portrayal of Marge Gunderson, a pregnant sheriff investigating a grisly murder and tracking some nasty hoods. William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi shine in support.

Vacation killer

6. Jaws (1975): You know you’ve had an impact when your movie actually changes national vacationing habits for several years. Steve Spielberg introduced himself as the modern suspense king with this simple tale of three men and one incredibly nasty fish.

Don't look down, Jimmy

5. Vertigo (1958): ,James Stewart stars as a retired San Francisco cop with a fear of heights who becomes obsessed with a woman he is investigating for a friend. Kim Novak is captivating as the woman in question and the shots around S.F. are beautiful and unsettling. 

4. Rashomon (1950): Akira Kurosawa is one of the great directors of all time, and this story about a rape/murder and how four people recalled the incident introduced a plot device that has been used countless time since, and spurred us to think about the nature of “truth.”

Shower killer

3. Psycho (1960): This film is the genesis for most every modern horror film and slasher flick, and it’s still the best of the genre. Tony Perkins plays Norman Bates, a nerdy young man with a decidedly unhealthy mother-son relationship. Still scary after all these years.

"We'll always have Paris."

2. Casablanca (1942): The greatest love story in movie history, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman play former lovers who are reunited in war-torn North Africa during World War II. What began as a simple “pro-West” propoganda film became a cinematic masterpiece because of the great acting and the considerable skills of director Michael Curtiz. 

1. Chinatown (1974): Before Jack Nicholson became Hollywood’s coolest guy, he was its best actor. In this film, he plays private eye J.J. Gittes, whose probing into a political scam involves him with the corrupted and corrupting Cross family. John Huston and Faye Dunaway were excellent in this Roman Polanksi classic. Take a few minutes and check out these scenes from the film which includes the “kitty-cat” scene with Polanski in a cameo:

If you have about 10 minutes, listen to Polanski talk about the making of the movie: