Six and a half years, you ask.

Did I not study?

Did I miss a lot of class?

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Did I even go to class?

The answer could be in any of those, but I’m going to pin it on spending too much time at the movies. For three years, I have had the privilege of writing about movies for the Daily Egyptian, and even when those stodgy suckers didn’t pay me for it, it was still the best work I ever got to do. Movies, in the end, are second only to air for me. I obsess over them, I read about them constantly, and when I’ve seen a truly great one, I refuse to shut up about it.

Here are 10 from my college years that I will continue to not shut up about. Although a few are regrettably missing, such as “Minority Report,” “Office Space” or any of the “Lord of the Rings” films, this list sums up the best I’ve seen. Sure, a few of these would never be found within miles of a major awards ceremony, but what do those people – you know, film critics – know anyway? Besides, the only real reason for doing something like this is to provoke disagreement. Have at it.

Musicals are sort of a thing of the past, so when director Rob Marshall set to work on adapting the popular Broadway musical “Chicago” to the big screen, it could have gone either way. Fortunately, it was an unbounded success. By far one of the most visually exciting films made in recent times, “Chicago” is a feast for the senses that keeps the energy buzzing until the final frame. Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones are terrific, but it’s Richard Gere as shrewd lawyer Billy Flynn who steals the show. Winner of 2002’s Academy Award for Best Picture.

9. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

This animated French import from director Sylvain Chomet is, quite frankly, the most pleasantly bizarre film I have ever seen. To attempt to regurgitate the plot would be pointless; if you must know, it involves a biker being kidnapped by the mafia at the Tour de France and being saved by his grandmother and a bunch of singers who eat frogs. It’s silly enough on its own, but when you add the stylistic and distinctive animation, the film is nothing short of a treat. Plus, it’s almost completely silent. At a time when movies do far too much talking, this one understands that less is more.

8. Old School (2003)

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You didn’t see this one winning any awards, but I’ll bet on one thing:You did see it. Bad and perfunctory college flicks are a dime a dozen, but this one draws true inspiration from the diverse comic teaming of Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Rude, raucous and totally out of control, “Old School” finds new highs in lowbrow comedy and makes for one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Will Ferrell will never look the same after the almost constant camera coverage of his ass.

7. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)

Is it a cinematic masterpiece or the quickest way to a seizure? The jury is still out on that one, and I’m not ready to put my money in either column quite yet. However, it is impossible to deny that Quentin Tarantino’s fourth film is some sort of disturbed force to be reckoned with, and it’s not a film that is easily forgotten. Uma Thurman is absolutely gorgeous as the bent-on-vengeance Bride, and the insane, frenetic melding of genres is a shot of liquid cinema that only Tarantino would have the guts to actually do. The climactic showdown with Lucy Liu’s personal army is unforgettable. Followed by the equally interesting but slower “Kill Bill Vol. 2.”

6. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Director Wes Anderson’s bittersweet take on generational crises and patriarchal redemption is as funny as it is moving. Royal Tenenbaum (a superb Gene Hackman) tries to reestablish ties with his estranged family, telling as many lies and bogus stories as it takes, and he comes to know them all in a new light. Filled with wonderful acting from a who’s-who of today’s stars, “Tenenbaums” is hilarious but also whimsical in its approach, using an excellent soundtrack and visual style to become a funny and poignant look at people just being people. It’s charming and constantly rewatchable.

5. Bowling For Columbine (2002)

Say whatever you want about Michael Moore. It’s true that just like the media he so often criticizes, he too is choosing what he ends up showing. However, it cannot be denied that “Columbine,” his 2002 film about guns in America, strikes on a central nerve, and the frightening America he shows is one that really does lurk just outside. Dissecting our schools, our children, our media and, most importantly, our fear, “Bowling For Columbine” is a wake-up call I cannot stop showing to other people. Although Moore has since broken through with this year’s “Fahrenheit 9/11,” this film is where the money is at. There’s truth – real terrifying truth – at work here. Plus, it’s pretty damn funny.

4. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Admittedly, most Adam Sandler movies have the depth of a two-hour sit on the can. Thus, it’s all the more remarkable that the talented Paul Thomas Anderson was able to make a film that essentially includes all the old Sandler clichs while still making what counts as rapturous art. It’s all here:the disturbed childhood, the retarded mumble, the anger management problems and the redeeming girl. The difference is the approach.

“Punch-Drunk Love” is colorful, wistful and uses its soundtrack to achieve a startling sense of the bizarre. Plus, Sandler, clad in an awful blue suit, gets one of his cutest girls in Emma Watson. When it all gets added up, it makes for the most adorable film I have ever seen.

3. Master and Commander:The Far Side of the World (2003)

Russell Crowe has starred in some great flicks, from the guts-and-glory “Gladiator” to the thought-provoking “A Beautiful Mind.” However, there is a sense of refinement that comes with this tale of adventure in the 19th-century British Navy. Crowe does nothing short of command the screen as Captain Jack Aubrey, and he is matched with equal grace by co-star Paul Bettany, who also shared the screen with him in “A Beautiful Mind.” From the ship battles that frame the film to the stirring classical soundtrack, “Master and Commander” is an intelligent film that gets better with each viewing. It is one of the most elegant guy movies ever made.

2. The Matrix (1999)

Sure, it’s just another phenomenon now, but when this sci-fi brain trip first hit the screens, it was an event all its own. Playing to society’s endless obsession with technology and a detached paranoia that has grown even more timely, “The Matrix” takes everything from kung fu to comic books and turns it into an eye-popping trip with special effects that are still pretty darn special. Keanu Reeves, of course, is the star here as the messianic Neo, but Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus adds the danger to the mix. Two thought-provoking but ultimately crappy sequels tarnished things a bit, but “The Matrix” still stands as wild and unforgettable film.

1. Fight Club (1999)

There was never any doubt what film would take the top spot. Director David Fincher’s “Fight Club,” which people are still trying to figure out how to digest, is without a doubt the only film I have ever seen that fundamentally altered my worldview. This is not just a film; as any fan will tell you, it is a religion of sorts.

On the surface, it’s just a bunch of guys beating the snot out of each other, but underneath, it is a screaming manifesto against rampant consumerism and the decadence of a society that has spun out of control.

Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt in a defining role) is not just a soap salesman – he is a pedestal for anarchy and mayhem, a figurehead for brutality and disturbing fatalism. Something about his words rings frighteningly true. Few of us will grow up to be the millionaires and movie gods and rock stars we were told we could be. Can you blame us for being pissed off? This film is a revolution that arrived at exactly the right moment.