I usually don't participate in Facebook lists (especially since I am not on Facebook), but this one intrigued me.
The challenge is to go through your life and list the best movie from each year of your life. You can have a tie once per decade.
I found this idea challenging and interesting. What I found the most interesting is how little interest I had in most of the movies that came out just before I was born, but I have a strong affection for movies from my early childhood. I wonder if that is common to most people who do this?
Anyway, here is my list. For the sake of anonymity, I have started my list with the decade of my birth rather than my birth year (maybe).
| 1970 | Julius Caesar | Heston as Marc Antony is cinematic gold. |
| 1971 | The Big Boss | Bruce Lee's first starring feature. A bit violent, but you can see the star power |
| 1972 | The Godfather | An unquestionable masterpiece that changed cinema. |
| 1973 | American Graffiti | The influence of this movie is unnoticed but powerful, especially on television |
| Enter the Dragon | The gold standard of modern martial arts movies | |
| 1974 | The Godfather Part II | Darker and a bit overly long, but the best movie of this year |
| 1975 | Jaws | A nearly perfect film |
| 1976 | Rocky | Despite being sequalized repeatedly, it is still raw and strong |
| 1977 | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | Movie magic. |
| 1978 | Superman | The best superhero movie ever. |
| 1979 | Time After Time | A tense and clever thriller. Malcolm McDowall's best performance |
| 1980 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | Even better than the original Star Wars |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | For the sword fight alone |
| 1982 | ET: Extra-Terrestrial | One of the most transcendentally child-like films |
| 1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | The best of the Star Wars Saga |
| 1984 | Ghostbusters | Unrepeatable comedy/action/adventure/horror |
| 1985 | Back to the Future | Extreme laughs, thrills, and nostalgia all at the same time |
| 1986 | Aliens | The greatest action movie ever made. |
| 1987 | The Untouchables | Brian DePalma's best film. Powerful. |
| Predator | Manliest movie of the 1980's. | |
| 1988 | Young Guns | It has one of the strongest last lines of any film |
| 1989 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | The greatest adventure movie off all time. |
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent | The best legal drama of all time. |
| 1991 | Dead Again | The best thriller of all time. |
| 1992 | Noises Off! | One of the funniest films I have ever seen. |
| 1993 | Schindler's List | Every frame, every angle, every cut is genius. |
| 1994 | The Shawshank Redemption | Overlooked when released, it has stood the test of time. |
| 1995 | Braveheart | Epic in scope, action, and human spirit |
| 1996 | Hamlet | Visually stunning and enveloping |
| Swingers | A small, indie comedy with confidence and cool | |
| 1997 | Titanic | Despite the haters, this is actually a fantastic, moving film. |
| 1998 | Life is Beautiful | A unique film that uplifts with laughs and tears |
| 1999 | The Green Mile | Sad and profound. It sticks with you long after its over |
| 2000 | Memento | One of the best films ever made. Unlike anything else. |
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | A fantasy with some real gravitas |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Improves upon the first |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | One of the most emotionally satisfying movies. |
| 2004 | The Passion of the Christ | The greatest film ever made. |
| 2005 | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith | The best of the prequels. |
| 2006 | Casino Royale | The bond reboot works on so many levels. Best of the Bond films. |
| 2007 | Juno | Simple premise with lots of heart. Sneaks into your heart like a child's laugh. |
| Lars and the Real Girl | A strange movie that should be filthy but is richly innocent | |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | The best Batman movie ever. |
| 2009 | Up | Devastating, hilarious, and uplifting. |
| 2010 | Inception | A puzzle wrapped in an enigma |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 | The best of this franchise |
| 2012 | Les Miserables | Pure emotional power |
| 2013 | Man of Steel | Visually and thematically mature take on Superman |
| 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Taught political thriller and action film |
| Interstellar | Amazingly bold in concept and emotion | |
| 2015 | Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens | A worth successor to the series that is full for fun and heart. |
A few observations on my own list (updates in bold):
-5 movies directed by Steven Spielberg
-4 movies directed by Christopher Nolan
-3 movies directed by Peter Jackson
-3 movies directed by George Lucas
-3 movies directed by Kenneth Brannagh
-only 4 movies are comedies (not to be confused with drama-dies)
-only 6 are tragedies (in the sense that they do not have a "happy ending")
-5 of the 7 Star Wars movies are represented
-4 of the movies are superhero films
-2 movies based on Shakespeare plays
-2 movies not in English
-only 1 Western
-only 1 Musical
-3 movies involve time travel
-only 5 of the movies have a woman as the lead.
-7 Harrison Ford movies
-13 are sequels
-7 won the Oscar for best picture
-14 were nominated for best picture but did not win
-13 are sequels
-7 won the Oscar for best picture
-14 were nominated for best picture but did not win
Thoughts?
My Celtic blood compels me to call you out on Braveheart.
ReplyDeletePreferred Rob Roy, William Hobbs was the sword master.
The nickname and over all story is from Robert the Bruce, whom the movie treated shabbily.
Patrick McGoohan is always worth a look.
The movie's Battle of Sterling Bridge had no bridge.