The Movies of My Years

It's meme time! I hope you won't mind me indulging in a list after that month long extravaganza I just finished. This one is fairly simple - pick your favorite movie for each year you have been alive. I decided to vary it slightly and whenever possible, pick the movie I loved that year, rather than what would be my favorite now.

1981

Raiders of the Lost Ark

For my 30th Birthday party, I chose this movie as the theme.  Obviously, I can't remember any movies that year, but I've had a crush on Indy from a very young age.

1982

The Last Unicorn

 I obviously didn't discover this until a few years later, but I loved this movie as a small child.

1983

Return of the Jedi

I loved it then, and this is my favorite of the original trilogy.

1984

Ghostbusters

Splash and The Karate Kid were close runners up for this year, but Ghostbusters is the one I probably watched the most and still love to this day.

1985

Peewee's Big Adventure

Another close call, but I chose Peewee because this movie keeps a smile on my face the whole time I watch it.

1986

Short Circuit

 I can't tell you how many times my brother and I watched this one together.  I watched it again late last year for the first time in ages.  Sure, it's not exactly a masterpiece, but I think it's still a cute kids comedy.

1987

The Princess Bride

I remember watching a scene of this at a friend's house, but not really getting into it.  I actually didn't discover it until much later, but I didn't see any other films this year that I loved as a kid that were worthy of taking its place.

1988

Big

I miss Tom Hanks doing comedy.

1989

The Little Mermaid

 I didn't just love this film - I wanted to be Ariel.  I still remember anxiously going to the store to get my copy on VHS that would play daily in my house.

1990

Back to the Future Part III

Why do people talk bad about this one?  It's not that bad. Really, it's not.

1991

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

I don't have to explain this, right?  I've been over it before.

1992

Batman Returns

I remember watching a lot of behind the scenes stuff on TV, excited for this movie to come out, mostly because of Catwoman.  It's quirky and bizarre, but I actually prefer it to the first film.

1993

The Nightmare Before Christmas

I still remember going to see it in the theater, and I fell in love immediately.  It seems like the rest of the world caught on about ten years later.

1994

The Crow

I may not have actually watched this until high school a couple years later, but I watched it frequently.  I need to revisit it and see how well it holds up.

1995

Batman Forever

It was the introduction of Dick Grayson into the movie continuity, so I really really loved it then, even if I don't know if I would sit through it now.

1996

The Rock

Sean Connery + Nicholas Cage = win.  Another one I really need to rewatch.

1997

Chasing Amy

The beginning of my love for Kevin Smith films.

1998

A Bug's Life

 Pixar's second film has largely been pushed aside now, but I loved it when it came out.

1999

Fight Club

My absolute all time favorite film.  One of these days I'm going to do a post or two about it.

2000

X-Men

I was so excited to finally see them in a movie, and done right on top of that.

2001

Ghost World

I fell in love with this movie immediately.  It has some pacing issues, but I still think it deals with teenage uncertainty and being an outcast extremely well.

2002

The Two Towers

I liked Fellowship well enough, but The Two Towers was what made me fall in love and want to give the books a try.

2003

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

I wasn't as in love with Johnny Depp as some other girls were, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a movie based on a theme park ride that ended up being so good.

2004

Van Helsing

I don't understand why this movie is so poorly regarded. It has Hugh Jackman and David Wenham and it's a fun film!

2005

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

I really loved this movie, and it made me go back and read the entire series again.

2006

The Prestige

This one blew my mind when I saw it. I really need to revisit it.

2007 

I Am Legend

I know it pales in comparison to the book, and really in comparison to most horror/creature movies as well, but a less well versed in horror me loved this one a lot.

2008

The Dark Knight

The best Batman film ever made, in my opinion.

2009

Watchmen

There are other films from this year I like better, but this one was the biggest deal to me at the time.

2010

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

This movie and I are only just now passing the infatuation phase.  I don't know if it's turned into true love, but I still think it's a fun film.

2011

X-men: First Class 

I'm thinking it's fairly safe to say this movie will probably not be eclipsed by any others this year for me.