A Life in Movies

I got this great idea after reading Fandango Groovers Blogathon . A life in movies. I know what my favorite movies are. I know what my favorite is from last year. But what if I have to pick my favorite film for every year since the year I was born in. I got really excited so I tried making a list of my own. Appears it wasn't that easy. Some years had so many great movies. But I made it! Here is my life in movies:


1984 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones is my all time favorite movie character. I never understood why this second installment was the least popular in the series, some even say the worst. For me it's a non-stop action, adventure ride and Harrison Ford is magnificent as Indiana Jones.
||Runner Up: Gremlins||


1985 - Back to the Future
This is such an inventive and exciting piece of filmmaking. It's almost impossible to overlook it. Doc Brown is one of the most hilarious movie professors I've ever seen and Marty McFly is the underdog hero who you come to love. It's a funny sci-fi movie I can watch over and over again.
||Runner Up: The Breakfast Club||


1986 - Stand By Me
Young as they are, they explore life and they test their friendship. Four different kids, an odd group, but you come to like every single one of them. It's heartwarming, sad, touching and funny.
||Runner Up: Platoon||


1987 - Empire of the Sun
This is a highly underrated movie from the hand of Steven Spielberg. I was truly captivaded by a young Christian Bale. Already he proved us his acting abilities. "Empire of the Sun" is a heartfelt and emotional story, that touches you time and time again.
||Runner Up: Full Metal Jacket||


1988 - Die Hard
Right after Indiana Jones we have John McClane, my second favorite movie character. We can be assured to be treated to two hours of non-stop action from beginning to end. This is definitely the best acion movie ever made.
||Runner Up: Gorilla's in the Mist||


1989 - Back to the Future 2
I always liked the second one a little more than the first. Especially because of the future world they created. Like that book they had, with all the sports results or the flying skateboard. And again Doc and Marty are a magical duo.
||Runner Up: When Harry Met Sally||


1990 - Dances with Wolves
A movie with an extreme length, but I doesn't bother me one second. It's a beautifully shot film and a well written story. Kevin Costner's best work so far, as an actor and director.
||Runner Up: Goodfellas||


1991 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day
The best sequel ever made, even better than its original. The story is so original and extremely smart. Schwarzenegger created one of the most iconic characters with great one-liners practically everyone can quote. And Linda Hamilton as the kick-ass mother we all wanted to be.
||Runners Up: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Silence of the Lambs, Beauty & the Beast||


1992 - Reservoir Dogs
This movie was so brilliant, because practically the entire movie is shot in an abandonend warehouse. Great characters and fantastic dialogues that only Quentin Tarantino can get away with.
||Runner Up: Thunderheart||


1993 - Jurassic Park
After I saw "Jurassic Park" for the first time, I immediately wanted to rewatch it after the end titles. I was blown away by its great visual effects, the music, the action sequences, the characters and off course the dinosaurs. It's a visual treat, it's exciting and breath-taking! Everything about this movie is just great.
||Runner Up: Groundhog Day||


1994 - The Shawshank Redemption
This is my all-time favorite and everything about this movie is amazing. I don't know where to begin. I still don't understand how "The Shawshank Redemption" didn't win anything at the Academy Awards that year. It's a perfect picture and if you still haven't seen it you're really missing out.
||Runner Up: Forrest Gump||


1995 - Se7en
"Se7en" is a very clever film with a dark and morbid atmosphere. Especially the end scene is almost depressing. Kevin Spacey is brilliant as the serial killing John Doe.
||Runners Up: Die Hard with a Vengeance, The Usual Suspects||


1996 - Fargo
The Coen brothers made a film with a perfect combination of dark humor and drama. That's what I always love about their films. And you feel so sorry for William H. Macy, even though he's planning an awefull scam. Frances McDormand is really great as Marge Gunderson. So cool, literally.
||Runners Up: Leaving Las Vegas, Heat||


1997 - The Full Monty
I love the Brittish for making this film. The story itself is reason enough to watch the movie. My favourite scene is when the men are standing in line and the song Hot Stuff starts playing on the radio. All of a sudden the guys start practicing their routine. Robert Carlyle and Mark Addy are responsible for he most laughs and the reason I love this film.
||Runner Up: Good Will Hunting||


1998 - There's Something About Mary
The funniest movie ever made. Why I like it so much? The quirky characters, the physical jokes, Puffy the Dog, you name it. Really, can anyone tell me a reason why not to like this movie?
||Runner Up: The Big Lebowski||


1999 - The Green Mile
I seem to like Stephen King's prison books and Frank Darabont's prison movies. This is just another masterpiece and also one of the few movies that made me cry at the end. It's such a sad film, just heartbreaking. And you gotta love Tom.
||Runner Up: Fight Club||


2000 - High Fidelity
A lot of people don't understand why I love this movie so much. First, the story is very simple and to the point, but the way it is brought to us is phenomenal. Second, Rob Gordon is a guy I would marry and that doesn't make me weird. Third, the music and the way Rob explains his love for it. Fourth, the top fives he makes for everything. And you know I'm a sucker for lists.
||Runners Up: American Psycho, Memento||


2001 - A Beautiful Mind
At first it seems like a pretty standard story about a man who's misunderstood because of his extreme intelligence. Then it becomes a story of its own. Russell Crowe plays the role of John Nash perfectly, so intense. I never understood how he could win an oscar for "Gladiator" and not win it for "A Beautiful Mind". This is his best role ever.
||Runner Up: Mulholland Drive||


2002 - Catch Me If You Can
During the entire film you ask yourself one question: How the hell did he get away with it? Without any medical knowledge he becomes a doctor, he pretends to be a lawyer while breaking the law at the same time and he boards a plane as a pilot while never actually flying a plane. Unbelievable? No! He actually did all those things and he got away with it. "Catch Me If You Can" is a great mix of humor, drama, action and tension, which makes this film a succes. And even at the end of the movie, you'll ask yourself that same question: How the hell did he get away with it?
||Runner Up: Orange County||


2003 - Lost in Translation
Sometimes the most simple stories make the best films. This movie is the perfect example. However Bob and Charlotte are in the bussiest city on the planet, they feel alone. An uncommon but beautiful friendship arises from their meeting. One reason why I love this movie is because it's so realistic. The characters are so real and it's easy to identify yourself with them.
||Runner Up: 21 Grams, Kill Bill Vol. 1||


2004 - Kill Bill Vol. 2
Where volume 1 gave us a lot of action and gore, the second installment was more personal and had great dialogues. And a cool monologue at the beginning, that I can quote completely. My favorite Tarantino movie.
||Runners Up: The Motorcycle Diaries, Shaun of the Dead||


2005 - Pride & Prejudice
A perfect adaptation of my favorite Jane Austen novel. Keira Knightley is Elizabeth Bennett the way she was intented to, pure and free willing. A great lovestory for us hopeless romantics.
||Runners Up: Brokeback Mountain, Sin City, King Kong, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang||


2006 - Little Miss Sunshine
It's a quirky family, but all of the characters are so likeable. Especially Olive and Frank. And that yellow van, probably one of the most memorable movie vehicles.
||Runners Up: The Departed, The Da Vinci Code, V for Vendetta, The Prestige, Babel, The Painted Veil||


2007 - Hot Fuzz
I always loved the Brittish for its humor. And Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are such an awesome duo. We basically got to thank them for this great comedy. If you think "Shaun of the Dead" was great, you should see this one.
||Runners Up: Atonement, Into the Wild||


2008 - The Dark Knight
It was kind of a sucky movie year, but it gave us one unforgetable film. Heath Ledger is the most memorable actor, he's fantastic as the Joker. Even my brother had to admitt his brilliant performance and he's a Jack Nicholson fan.
||Runner Up: Happy Go Lucky||


2009 - (500) Days of Summer
This is so much more then your typical boy-girl story. It's told in a very unusual way. Tom wants what Summer doesn't want. The story has some unexpected twists and the movie is filmed in a very creative way. An unique way of telling a story, the colors, the music, the characters and the actors. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt is just adorable.
||Runners Up: Inglorious Basterds, Sherlock Holmes||


2010 - Inception
Not a very good movie year either. The two best had Leonardo DiCaprio in it. "Inception" is a movie like I never saw before. It's a visual treat, so intelligent, such an original story and a great cast. I loved this movie from the first minute.
||Runner Up: Shutter Island||