Favorite Movies by Year

The most ingenous fantasy released in years that isn't in a trilogy. The combination of brutal reality with a fantasy world that reflects that brutality, the uncertain ending and Baquero's excellent performance make this movie an unforgettable one.

Just perfect. Writing, acting, direction. It's like Empire Strikes Back good.

The best written film of the new millenium. Carey, Wilkinson and Winslet are great, but Kirsten Dunst steals the show. It's quirky and intelligent, but still touching, not an easy feat.

The epic finale of the biggest of big screen trilogies. Some of the best effects and battle sequences ever. Even if three endings is a little much, I've never had 3 and a half hours fly by so fast. Magical.

The weakest in the LOTR series, this movie still is a hell of a ride. We get our first good look at Gollum, the greatest achievement in effects yet. Oh, and fighting trees? Amazing.

As a stand-alone film, this may be the best in the trilogy. It's pacing is tight and seeing the vividly realized world of Middle Earth for the first time was breathtaking.

Dark neo-noir has never been so compelling. With a labrynthine script, ace direction and a bleak ending, this movie is the pinnacle of the current spate of "mind-fuck" movies. You will want to watch it again immediately after.

There's something so perfect about the quirky likeability of this movie. Johnny Depp's Ed Wood is classic, and Martin Landau is more Bela Lugosi than Lugosi was. This is Burton's masterpiece.

An absolutely perfect film. The most terrifying and touching three hours you will ever spend. If this movie doesn't make you cry, nothing ever will.

Forget what anyone tells you, Marisa Tomei earned every inch of her Oscar. She, Joe Pesci and especially Fred Gwynne will have you in stitches from start to finish. "I'm sorry, what is a yout?"

The best action film ever. The effects still hold up, the script is streamlined and compelling, and Arnold controls the screen. All big-budget guy movies should work harder to follow its example.

It's not quite Raiders, but it's damn close. The addition of Sean Connery as Indy's dad more than makes up for the feeling that Raiders is being recycled here. The action, the laughs, the technical prowess are all high-water marks, and this stands as one of the few truly great sequels.

Perfect fusion of film-noir and animation. There have been few films this visionary, ever. And Bob Hoskins is absolutley pitch-perfect in the lead.

It mixes comedy, fantasy, romance, and adventure like nothing before. It's inconcievable that anyone could not like this movie. "I don't think that means what you think it means."

Zany, off the wall comic genius. The cast is unbelievable and you it's endlessly quotable. "But look what happened to the cook!"

Probably the best comedy ever. Every line is a laugh line, the effects and art design are teriffic. Oh and it has some of the best comic talent ever assembled delivering teriffic dialogue. "Ray, when someone asks you if you are a god, you say YES!"

Take the excitement of the first, add better effects, higher emotion stakes and endlessly quotable dialogue. A recipe for perfection. Oh, and we get to see Yoda as he was ment to be, a muppet, before he went CG and started flipping around like a fucking firework.

Overlong, and slow in spots, this movie is nonetheless beautifully executed. DeNiro and Walken give performances that keep your eyes glued to the screen even as the movie passes the dreaded three hour mark.

There's just so much adrenaline in this. And I'll take these models over 90% of CG any day. Imagine seeing Darth Vader for the first time, busting through that door in 1977? Scary.

Still terrifying all these years later. Scheider, Dreyfuss and Shaw are tremendous and Spielberg's invention of the summer blockbuster couldn't be more entertaining.

The way genre parody should be. Brooks loves Universal horror as much as anyone, and that's why he can dissect it so teriffically. Oh and the cast is superb. "What hump?"

Perfect in every way. Directing, set design, writing, cinemtography, acting (right down to the smallest roles). There's not a hair out of place in this masterpiece. Vito's death might be the most artfully shot scene in cinema.

Just perfect. There may not be a movie in the world that can make me happier. The sets are fantastic, the songs timeless and Dick Van Dyke is my hero.

While there is arguement to be had, this is Billy Wilder's masterpiece. Paired up with his greatest star, Wilder combines his usual side-splitting comedy with some serious dramatics regarding suicide, self-image and sexual exploitation and never misses a step. Lemmon's performance is one for the ages.