What
a fucking chore this turned out to be!
I
saw a Facebook post by our good friend Chad
J. Shonk
on Sunday morning that was a list of his favorite movie from each
year that he has been alive. I thought it was neat and I’m pretty
much a sucker for gimmicky new ways to make lists of favorite things,
so I decided I’d participate. Of course, once I got started I
realized a few things:
*This
undertaking would certainly produce enough material for a Needless
Things article rather than a mere Facebook post
*Browsing
through every movie made (listed on Wikipedia) in the last forty
years was going to take many hours
*There
were going to be quite a few years where it was incredibly difficult
to pick a favorite
*Wikipedia
is the drizzling shits as far as accuracy goes; it took me two
different lists to do this and I still think there are some movies
that got overlooked
*Hollywood
has produced far, far
more movies that I don’t care about than it has movies I do and of
those an overwhelming majority are hot garbage
Over the course of putting this post together I can’t even begin to count how many times I winced at the remembrance of movies, had trouble believing some got made, or was just outright embarrassed to be part of a species that had produced such crap.
Of
course, some of you are going to look at some of the films on my list
and feel the same way.
I
have run down each year and listed my favorite movie from that year,
but I also included the list I put together for each year to parse it
down to the single favorite movie.
I
had a fairly strict set of requirements for the favorite from each
year:
1
– I must own the movie
2
– I must have watched it more times than I can remember (except for
things that came out on the last decade – those had to be more than
twice)
3
– I must not have to think too hard about the plot and I can’t
have trouble singling it out from any sequels or related films
4
– I will, under no circumstances, choose a favorite based on what I
think anyone’s
perception of the pick will be; no choosing Brazil when I know for a fact I enjoy A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 more, even if I am somewhat loathe to admit it
perception of the pick will be; no choosing Brazil when I know for a fact I enjoy A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 more, even if I am somewhat loathe to admit it
Rewatchability
is my number one requirement for a favorite movie. There are movies
that I think are phenomenal, but that I’ve only watched the one
time because that was just enough. Those are not favorites. They’re
just great movies.
So
now, nine-and-a-half hours after I started, here’s The List!
1976
– Rocky
– In my opinion the greatest movie about personal triumph ever
made. No list here because I immediately knew.
1977
– Star Wars: A New Hope
– Nothing else from this year even compared. How much more do I
need to say about Star
Wars?
1978
– Dawn of the Dead
– This one was tough, you guys. I love the two listed below, but if
I’m looking at my shelf, I’m most likely to grab Dawn
of the Dead
to watch.
Runners-Up:
Halloween, Superman
1979
– Alien
– One of the greatest and most unique horror movies of all time.
That could also be said about Phantasm
( by me), but there’s no denying that Alien
is simply a better movie. Soon to be part of the Needless Commentary
collection!
Runners-Up:
The Muppet Movie, Phantasm
1980
– Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
– The epic space fantasy continues! As much as I might love the
others – and I do – this isn’t just the best movie of 1980,
it’s one of the all-time best.
Runners-Up:
The Shining, Superman II, Caddyshack, Mad Max, Flash Gordon
1981
– Raiders of the Lost Ark
– It was really
close between this and History
of the World,
but I realized that I do not currently own Mel Brooks’ epic comedy.
I sold the DVD some time ago in anticipation of buying the Blu-ray
and have yet to do so. I don’t know that I could have otherwise
picked between those two. And if you know me, Evil
Dead
may seem like a no-brainer, but I don’t love the original quite
as much as I do the sequels.
Runners-Up:
Clash of the Titans, Escape from New York, Evil Dead, The Great
Muppet Caper, History of the World: Part I
The
Beastmaster, Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek II, The Road Warrior
1983
– Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
– People seem to like to shit on Jedi,
but not me. I love it. And this isn’t some new, against-the-grain
stance. I’ve loved it since my dad took me to see it in ’83 and
that’s never changed. Well, maybe a bit with the Special Edition,
but I still love the theatrical cut!
Runners-Up:
National Lampoon’s Vacation, Trading Places, Octopussy
1984
– Ghostbusters
– This was another tough year. I dearly love Buckaroo
Banzai,
Nightmare,
and Temple
of Doom
(another long-time favorite, despite the general consensus), but
Ghostbusters
is one of the most rewatchable films of all time. It never gets old
and it has aged immaculately.
It’s just as good today as it was back then.
Runners-Up:
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones
and the Temple of Doom, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Terminator
1985
– Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
– Things really get tough here in my formative years. This is where
I was starting to really develop my own opinions about movies and pop
culture, so everything starts to have more personal weight because I
was finding things on my own. And Pee-Wee was definitely my own. This
movie spoke to me so
strongly. I love every one of the films below, but Pee-Wee Herman
will always be extra special to me.
Runners-Up:
Back to the Future, Brazil, Fletch, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, A
Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Re-Animator, The
Return of the Living Dead, Rocky IV, Silverado, Spies Like Us, A View
to A Kill
1986
– Big Trouble in Little China
– My all-time favorite movie.
Aliens,
The Fly, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Three Amigos, Transformers:
The Movie
1987
– Evil Dead 2/ A
Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors/
RoboCop
– And this is where I lose serious credibility points and you guys
leave me forever because I wuss out and can’t pick between these
three. I bet I’ve watched all three of these movies – each
cinematic perfection in my opinion – over a hundred times each.
That may sound crazy, but you don’t know how much I love them. I
could go home right now and watch all three in a row if I didn’t
have other stuff to do like post on Needless Things.
Asking
me to pick between these is like asking Vince Neil to pick between
whores, cocaine, and playing rock n’ roll – it just isn’t fair.
Runners-Up:
Hard
Ticket to Hawaii,
Hellraiser, Lethal Weapon, , Predator, The Princess Bride, Spaceballs
1988
– Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
– If you’re under thirty or so, you probably don’t even
understand how mind-blowing this movie was when it came out.
Maybe
you do. It’s not fair of me to presume.
But
seeing Daffy and Donald in the piano duel and Mickey and Bugs having
a mid-air conversation are among the most incredible moments of my
life. Add that to the glorious sight of Bob Hoskins’ furry little
torso and you’ve got a bona fide winner.
Side
Note: I read an article the other day where a guy said Bob Hoskins
should have been Wolverine and he was totally
right.
Runners-Up:
Beetlejuice, Child’s Play, Coming to America, Die Hard, Dirty
Rotten Scoundrels, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!,
They Live
1989
– Batman
– I love UHF.
There is no bigger deal in the world than the fact that one of my
biggest heroes, Weird Al, got to make a movie and that I got to see
it in a theater. But Batman
defined everything
the year it came out and for many years after. It changed superhero
movies forever, made Tim Burton a household name, and gave us what I
think is the most iconic and memorable version of the Joker (you may
disagree – that’s for another time).
Runners-Up:
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Bill & Ted’s Excellent
Adventure, Leviathan, The Little Mermaid, National Lampoon’s
Christmas Vacation, UHF
1990
– Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
– Hot on the heels of the game-changing Batman,
my newest (at the time) favorite comic book heroes got their own
movie. And it was (and still is) awesome! As much as I revere Sam
Raimi and love Darkman,
it just isn’t as much fun as the Heroes in a Half Shell.
Runners-Up:
Home Alone, Total Recall, Darkman, Night of the Living Dead
1991
– Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
– This might
be my favorite of the Trek
films. I love the whodunit nature of the story and it ties in with so
many of the themes and narratives of the original show and the prior
films. To me, this is the send-off for the original crew. Generations
is best left unmentioned.
Runners-Up:
The Addams Family, City Slickers, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,
Cape Fear, Hudson Hawk (that’s right – I said Hudson
Hawk),
Nothing But Trouble, The Silence of the Lambs
1992
– Reservoir Dogs
– I don’t think I could recite this movie off the top of my head,
but I could certainly talk along with it. Tarantino’s film changed
everything for me. It was my gateway into a years-long obsession with
crime movies, though none ever satisfied me in the same way. From The
Godfather
to Carlito’s
Way and
even to Menace
II Society,
I ate up crime movies like pizza for years.
All because of this incomparably cool flick.
Runners-Up:
Aladdin, Batman Returns, Singles
1993
– Army of Darkness
– Ash at his best.
Runners-Up:
Addams Family Values, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Dave, Jason Goes
to Hell, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tombstone, True Romance
1994
– Pulp
Fiction
– The year I graduated high school was surprisingly sparse. But
that’s okay because it would take an awful lot to beat what is
still my favorite Tarantino film (as of this writing).
Runners-Up:
The Chase, Fear of A Black Hat, True Lies
1995
– Toy Story
– Jaw-dropping wonder and beauty. Emotional wreckage. Huge laughs.
Everything that is right and good about Disney, animation, and
technology.
Runners-Up:
Babe, Bad Boys, Billy Madison, Friday, Mallrats, The Quick and the
Dead
1996
– From Dusk Till Dawn
– I did not like this movie the first time I saw it and I have no
idea why. Maybe I was still too deep into my crime phase and was
actually disappointed that the wild action movie turned into an
insane, gory vampire flick. If so, what a dope I was. At least I
learned.
Runners-Up:
The Birdcage, The Frighteners, Mars Attacks!, The Rock, Star Trek:
First Contact
1997
– The Fifth Element
– Twenty years later and there still hasn’t been a film that is
as unique and entertaining as this one. Obviously there have been
plenty of great movies, many of which might be better than Luc
Besson’s masterpiece. But no other science fiction film has come
close to capturing what this one did. I am anciously awaiting
Valerian
and the City of a Thousand Planets.
Runners-Up:
As Good As It Gets, Austin Powers, Boogie Nights, Event Horizon,
Jackie Brown, Orgazmo, Starship Troopers
1998
– The Big Lebowski
– I love all of the other movies here, but I haven’t watched them
nearly as many times as I have this one. The Coen Brothers are among
my favorites. I’d love to see them direct a Babe movie.
Runners-Up:
Babe: Pig in the City, Blade, A Bug’s Life, Deep Rising, Out of
Sight
1999
– Beyond the Mat
– This movie hit at just the right time and captured the most
amazing pro wrestling stories ever devoted to film. Long before WWE
was producing long-form documentaries on their superstars, Barry W.
Blaustein was constructing the most compelling documentary film I
have ever seen. It provided an unprecedented look behind the scenes
of the business, depicting the heroes of my favorite sport in a frank
and sometimes graphic way that I had never seen before.
There
are some heavy
hitters this year, but I have dissected every frame of Beyond
the Mat
and can’t get enough of it.
Runners-Up:
American Pie, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Deep Blue Sea,
Dogma, Fight Club, Galaxy Quest, Idle Hands, Magnolia, he Matrix, The
Mummy, Office Space, South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut, Toy Story 2
2000
– Almost Famous
– I became a fan of Cameron Crowe’s work back when Singles
was released, but this movie stands out to me as his best work. It’s
a powerful look at rock n’ roll and the lifestyle that comes with
it. Crowe’s excellent cast of characters will draw every emotion
you have out of you. Especially when they’re all signing “Tiny
Dancer”.
Runners-Up:
Best in Show, Charlie’s Angels, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Pitch
Black, Unbreakable, X-Men
2001
– The Royal Tenenbaums
– This is the movie where I got on board with Wes Anderson. I
didn’t get Rushmore
at first, but this one did the trick.
Runners-Up:
American Pie 2, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Tomb Raider,
Monsters, Inc., Wet Hot American Summer
2002
– Jackass: The Movie
– I love everything about the Jackass guys. This movie was another
landmark for me, as I have never
laughed as much in a theater as I did when watching this. And I still
laugh every time I do watch.
It
was tough to pick this one over some of the others down there, but I
know that I have watched it many more times than any of those.
Runners-Up:
Austin Powers in Goldmember, Cabin Fever, Comedian, Harry Potter and
the Chamber of Secrets, Jason X, Punch-Drunk Love, Resident Evil, The
Ring, Spider-Man, Scooby-Doo
2003
– Elf
– This is, to me, the
perfect Christmas movie. I have watched it every year since it came
out. That means I might
have actually watched X-Men
2 more
times, but FOX decided to call it X2,
which is stupid, so it’s disqualified even though I love it.
Runners-Up:
Bad Boys II, Coffee and Cigarettes, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse
of the Black Pearl, X-Men 2
2004
– Anchorman
– I have absolutely watched this more than any other movie this
year. It is my all-time favorite comedy.
Runners-Up:
Blade: Trinity, Club Dread, Dawn of the Dead, Hellboy, The
Incredibles, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Man on Fire,
Spider-Man 2, Team America: World Police
2005
– The Devil’s Rejects
– This is my favorite Rob Zombie flick and one of my favorite
movies in general. This might get a Needless Commentary soon. With
Wilson, if you’re lucky.
Runners-Up:
The Aristocrats, Serenity, Sin City, Sky High, Walk the Line
2006
– Slither
– James Gunn’s disgusting outer space creature flick edges out
Jackass
Number Two
because that one felt a little dark to me. I still think it’s great
and have watched it a bunch of times, but there’s something off.
And not even the grand return of James Bond can defeat the appeal of
Nathan Fillion fighting a snotty Michael Rooker space monster.
Runners-Up:
Casino Royale, Monster House, Talladega Nights, Jackass Number Two
2007
– Stardust
– Another tough year to pick, but Matthew Vaughn’s fun and
beautiful fantasy pic won my heart the second I saw it. This is the
kind of movie that makes me a fan for life.
Runners-Up:
TMNT, Grindhouse, Evan Almighty, Rob Zombie’s Halloween, Resident
Evil: Extinction, The Mist
2008
– The Dark Knight
– This was a solid year, but Christopher Nolan’s most Batmanly
movie remains excellent despite my feelings about the other two.
Heath Ledger as Joker is fantastic and though I call Nicholson more
iconic, I don’t think anyone will ever equal Ledger’s
performance.
Runners-Up:
Rambo, Iron Man, Wall-E, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Burn After
Reading, Zack and Miri Make A Porno, Quantum of Solace, Punisher: War
Zone, Splinter
2009
– Inglorious Basterds
– Another big year, but this film is a masterpiece, pure and
simple.
Runners-Up:
The Haunting in Connecticut, Star Trek, Drag Me to Hell, Up, Brüno,
The Collector, District 9, Rob Zombie’s Halloween II, Pandorum,
Zombieland
2010
– Jackass 3D
– I wish so badly that I had gone to see this in the theater, but
it was two years prior to my eye surgery and I couldn’t see 3D yet,
so I didn’t think it was a priority. Not only is this movie
pants-shittingly funny, it’s a story of redemption and friendship.
I love these guys.
Runners-Up:
Kick-Ass, Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, Insidious, Inception
2011
– Captain America: The First Avenger
– Stiff competition from the likes of Matthew Vaughn and Stephen
Spielberg, but this one did everything just right in my opinion. It
remains my favorite Marvel movie and possibly my favorite superhero
movie.
Runners-Up:
Attack the Block, Thor, X-Men: First Class, Rise of the Planet of the
Apes, Fright Night, The Adventures of Tintin, The Muppets
2012
– The Cabin in the Woods
– An instant classic for me. As much as I enjoy the other
selections from 2012, this is the one I would zero in on every time
if they were on a shelf together.
Maybe
I’ll go home and organize my movies by year.
Probably
not.
Runners-Up:
Chronicle, 21 Jump Street, The Avengers, Safety Not Guaranteed,
Brave, The Possession, Dredd, Wreck-It Ralph, The Collection, Django
Unchained, The Hunger Games
2013
– Evil Dead
– I know everyone isn’t on the same page here, but I freaking
love this gruesome flick. I feel like it doubled down on the horror
of the original and brought a solid story with it, to boot. It’s
another one that I could go home and watch right now.
Runners-Up:
Texas Chainsaw 3D, Iron Man 3, Pacific Rim, The Conjuring, Kick-Ass
2, You’re Next, Carrie, Thor: The Dark World, The Hunger Games:
Catching Fire
2014
– Guardians of the Galaxy
– One of the greatest movies of all time. Imminently rewatchable.
Baby Groot won everyone
over.
Runners-Up:
The Guest, The LEGO Movie, Chef, Captain America: The Winter Soldier,
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Birdman, John Wick, Big Hero 6,
Paddington, Kingsman: The Secret Service
2015
– The Hateful Eight
– Another classic from Tarantino. It came out less than two years
ago and I’ve watched it five times, once when it came out in the
theater.
Side
Note: It
Follows
might have edged Hateful
Eight
out, but it might be considered to have come out in 2014 by some
people, and I don’t need any controversy!
Runners-Up:
It Follows, Ex Machina, Cinderella, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mad Max:
Fury Road, Ant-Man, Straight Outta Compton, Crimson Peak, Spectre,
Krampus, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2016
– Green Room
– It’s really too soon to be judging, but this is the movie that
stayed with me the most from last year. If you haven’t seen it,
correct that situation ASAP.
Runners-Up:
The Boy, Deadpool, Zootopia, Captain America: Civil War, The
Conjuring 2, The Shallows, Suicide Squad, Don’t Breathe, Doctor
Strange, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Rogue One
2017
– Logan
– Obviously it is pure nonsense to even select a movie this early
in the year, but when something absolutely destroys me, feels like
the ultimate representation of everything I have ever read about a
character, and leaves me suiting in my car crying afterward, it
deserves some recognition.
No comments:
Post a Comment