mike.editor@midpush.com, updated 190407
I’m kind of strange guy. Where we live we don’t get any TV stations, since they are now digital and the signals don’t reach into our valley. And we don’t have cable. And we don’t have a satellite dish.
What do I have? Netflix DVD’s, the radio, and the Internet, courtesy of my smart phone being a wifi-hotspot. Sometimes I feel like if President Roosevelt was around, he would create a 21st century Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for us poor internet users. We don’t have access to MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and heavens to betsy, FOX. So I occasionally go to the movies.
Disclaimer – Note that I am not a professional film critic. I am just an old white guy. How I like a movie may be affected by whether I had a good or bad day when I watched it. I don’t like Hollywood trying to morph my views. But I can learn at times. And note that I may not have seen your favorite movie for that year.
In reverse time order, so I can add to it. My favorite movies.
- 2018 – Beirut – A former diplomat, who knows Beirut, returns to the city to save a colleague. My favorite line of the movie. “It’s Beirut, Mr. Skyles. It depends on who you ask. PLO says it’s the Amal Militia, Amal Militia says is the Christian Militia. Christian Militia says it’s the Druze. Druze says it’s the Syrian Army. Listen to the radio from Damascus, they’ll tell you its the Israelis, making excuses to come across the border. Ask Israel, for them it’s always the PLO.”
- 2017 – The Foreigner – Always liked Jackie Chan movies. He is older in this one, so it’s a bit more cerebral then his other ones.
- 2016 – Passengers – Jennifer Lawrence is good in this film. I could spend all day watching her in this character. In 250 years, or so, this could be a reality.
- 2015 – The Age of Adeline – I am sucker for decent Time Travel movies. This ones was a bit unique for me.
- 2014 – Fury – Fury is based on the true story of a Sherman tank crew in WWII. I could see a little of myself in each of the crew members. And the tank battles, seemed surreal.
- 2013 – Scratching my head here.
- 2012 – Emperor – It scored low with the ratings, but living in Japan in the 60’s as a child. I can remember the Emperor, his palace, and reading about it. So this film hit home with me, especially the final scenes.
- 2011 – Moneyball – Loved seeing how math and statistics helped a team do mo betta. This should almost be required showing in 7th grade math classes. America’s schools need some help in applied mathematics.
- 2010 – Red – I have liked most Bruce Willis movies since his debut on Moonlighting. He’ll probably not win an Academy Award, but I seem to pay to see his movies.
- 2009 – Star Trek – After two wimpy follow on series from the original 60’s series. And a bunch of movies with a lot of Hollywood preaching. This movie hit the mark. Captain Kirk is again manly.
- 2008 – Valkyrie – just liked it.
- 2007 – Ocean’s 13 – Love big crime heist movies.
- 2006 – 300 – Loved seeing King Leonidas getting everyone to go fight the Persians. Of course it’s not 100% historically accurate, but it kept me on the edge of my seat.
- 2005 – Scratching my head here.
- 2004 – The Phantom of the Opera – Not a super musical guy. But this ranks up near Sound of Music for me. Bought the DVD, and still watch it now and then. Beautiful singing…
- 2003 – The Italian Job and Master and Commander – Two movies, sorry, like a teenage girl here, can’t make up my mind. Master and Commander, love the chase, love the Galapagos. and the battle scenes seemed real. Italian Job, love how-to heist job movies.
- 2002 – The Transporter & The Bourne Identity – Two again. These are both great starting movies for a series. I like the Bourne series the best. My wife the Transporter series. Since I’m always trying to make her happy, hers is here also. We need more movies like these. Entertaining. Some violence, some chase scenes.
- 2001 – Zoolander – I’m embarrassed about this one. But with a couple of glasses of wine, this had me rolling.
- 2000 – Gladiator –
- 1999 – The Matrix –
- 1998 – The Parent Trap – A remake that was great. And Lindsay Lohan at 12, seemed to be a sweet child, whoah, what happened? Runner up, “There’s Something About Mary“. A favorite relative, saw this with a few friends that were nuns, oh my!
- 1997 – Titanic – Great movie, me and the Hollywood folks agreed this year!
- 1996 – Mission Impossible – Always loved the late 60’s TV show, it got me to the theater, and I’ve watched all of the ones that followed.
- 1995 – Desperado – Love the music, love the action, and love Selma Hayek, yikes. Second place goes to “Crimson Tide“. I’m also a sucker for submarine movies.
- 1994 – True Lies –
- 1993 – The Fugitive –
- 1992 – Patriot Games –
- 1991 – Silence of the Lambs –
- 1990 – The Hunt for Red October –
- 1989 –Weekend at Bernie’s – One of my favorite comedies, I don’t know how well it will age. The first time I ever saw my father in law really laugh.
- 1988 – Die Hard – The first in a good series. Nope, no Oscars here…
- 1987 – Robocop –
- 1986 – Top Gun –
- 1985 –Out of Africa – Kind of a slow movie, and Meryl Streep always seems to over act to me, so, not that great to me really, but it inspired me to renew my Pilots License and fly again for a bit. So it changed my life?
- 1984 -Terminator –
- 1983 –
- 1982 -Blade Runner – Most folks would say ET, but Blade Runner seemed a realistic future, but more than a century forward. They recently made a remake. It was sooo booring…
- 1981 – The Road Warrior – Looking back, probably not a great movie. But when I saw it, I had never seen anything like it. And things I see today, remind me of the movie. Ie, Burning Man. I had missed the 1979 Max Max movie.
- 1980 -Airplane –
- 1979 -The Jerk –
- 1978 – Animal House – Hmm, saw this when I was 21. Brett Kavanaugh should never have seen this. It sent many young adults in the wrong direction.
- 1977 –
- 1976 – Logan’s Run – This movie reminds me of how everyone has become a sheep and follower in our society, just waiting to be taken care of by the nanny state.
- 1975 – Jaws – Every time I am at the beach, in the water, this movie comes to mind.
- 1974 – Blazing Saddles –
- 1973 – Soylent Green – An awful movie about when you grow old, you go to a place for an hour of pleasure, then you are recycled. I didn’t really like this movie, but I seem to think about it a lot. Is this where we are headed?
- 1972 – Deliverance –
- 1971 – The Andromeda Strain – One of the first virus type movies. When I hear about ebola, measles, typhus, and other quirky outbreaks, this movie comes to mind.
- 1970 – Little Big Man – I’m part Indian, Blackfoot, so I’ve always love this movie. I wonder what Elizabeth Warren thinks about this movie?
- 1969 –
- 1968 – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – I had the original book, by Ian Fleming, as a child and loved it. Saw this movie in a Japanese theater in Yokahama with English talking and I believe Japanese sub-titles. My daughter was almost named after the leading lady as “Truly”.
- 1967 –
- 1966 –
- 1965 – Sound of Music – Who doesn’t like this? Tell me?
- 1964 – Mary Poppins – Saw this as a child when it first came out. I still sing the songs and recite phrases from this movie. A remake was recently done, all good. But the songs just weren’t there.
- 1963 –
- 1962 –
- 1961 –
The Hollywood Walk of Fame opened in 1960, after a bit of legal wrangling.
- 1960 – Ocean’s 11 – I love master heist stories and this is a good one.
- 1959 – The FBI Story – With Jimmy Stewart, after seeing this, I was 8-9, I think, I wanted to be an FBI agent. J. Edgar Hoover, has a cameo where he states something pertinent today, “No one man can build it, but one man can pull it down”
- 1946 – It’s a Wonderful Life – A tear jerker I love.
- 1939 – Wizard of Oz – A great movie, Brains, Heart, Courage, and Family are the true themes.