The Best Lists

The Top 10 movies I’ve seen from each year

2024:

  1. The Brutalist

  2. Dune: Part Two

  3. Sing Sing

  4. Hundreds of Beavers

  5. Challengers

  6. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

  7. I Saw the TV Glow

  8. A Real Pain

  9. Daughters

  10. La Chimera

2023:

  1. Oppenheimer

  2. Perfect Days

  3. Past Lives

  4. Anatomy of a Fall

  5. The Zone of Interest

  6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

  7. Asteroid City

  8. The Holdovers

  9. All of Us Strangers

  10. How to Blow Up a Pipeline

2022:

  1. Moonage Daydream

  2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

  3. Everything Everywhere All at Once

  4. Aftersun

  5. Argentina 1985

  6. All Quiet on the Western Front

  7. Tár

  8. Avatar: The Way of Water

  9. The Fabelmans

  10. Triangle of Sadness

2021:

  1. Dune

  2. Flee

  3. C’mon C’mon

  4. Drive My Car

  5. Memoria

  6. The Worst Person in the World

  7. Nine Days

  8. Titane

  9. Spencer

  10. Judas and the Black Messiah

2020:

  1. Small Axe: Lovers Rock

  2. Nomadland

  3. Minari

  4. Small Axe: Mangrove

  5. The Painter and the Thief

  6. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

  7. The Father

  8. Soul

  9. Sound of Metal

  10. The Forty-Year-Old Version

2019:

  1. Parasite

  2. The Last Black Man In San Francisco

  3. Portrait of a Lady On Fire

  4. The Irishman

  5. 1917

  6. Marriage Story

  7. Little Women

  8. Waves

  9. Luce

  10. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

2018:

  1. Roma

  2. If Beale Street Could Talk

  3. BlacKkKlansman

  4. First Reformed

  5. First Man

  6. Blindspotting

  7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

  8. Madeline’s Madeline

  9. Isle of Dogs

  10. Minding the Gap


2017:

  1. Blade Runner 2049

  2. Call Me By Your Name

  3. Columbus

  4. The Florida Project

  5. Lady Bird

  6. The Shape of Water

  7. A Ghost Story

  8. Visages, Villages

  9. Get Out

  10. Phantom Thread

2016:

  1. Cameraperson

  2. Arrival

  3. Moonlight

  4. La La Land

  5. 13th

  6. The Little Prince

  7. Manchester by the Sea

  8. American Honey

  9. Hell or High Water

  10. Everybody Wants Some!!

2015:

  1. Anomalisa

  2. Clouds of Sils Maria

  3. Spotlight

  4. Mad Max: Fury Road

  5. Beasts of No Nation

  6. Inside Out

  7. The Look of Silence

  8. The Revenant

  9. Ex Machina

  10. The Hateful 8

2014:

  1. Boyhood

  2. Two Days, One Night

  3. Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

  4. The Grand Budapest Hotel

  5. Selma

  6. Girlhood

  7. Nightcrawler

  8. Whiplash

  9. What We Do in the Shadows

  10. Force Majeure

2013:

  1. Before Midnight

  2. 12 Years a Slave

  3. Under the Skin

  4. The Great Beauty

  5. Her

  6. Inside Llewyn Davis

  7. Short Term 12

  8. Fruitvale Station

  9. Blackfish

  10. Prisoners

2012:

  1. The Act of Killing

  2. Holy Motors

  3. The Master

  4. Jiro Dreams of Sushi

  5. Zero Dark Thirty

  6. Django Unchained

  7. Argo

  8. Silver Linings Playbook

  9. Mud

  10. Beasts of the Southern Wild

2011

  1. Tomboy

  2. The Descendants

  3. Moneyball

  4. Shame

  5. Midnight In Paris

  6. Weekend

  7. The Artist

  8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

  9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

  10. Take Shelter

2010:

  1. The Social Network

  2. Certified Copy

  3. Toy Story 3

  4. Black Swan

  5. Inception

  6. True Grit

  7. Blue Valentine

  8. Restrepo

  9. The Trip

  10. Let Me In

2009:

  1. Fish Tank

  2. Everyone Else

  3. Up

  4. Inglourious Basterds

  5. Fantastic Mr. Fox

  6. Up In the Air

  7. Avatar

  8. Crazy Heart

  9. The Hurt Locker

  10. District 9

2008:

  1. The Dark Knight

  2. Wall-E

  3. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

  4. The Wrestler

  5. Hunger

  6. In Bruges

  7. Slumdog Millionaire

  8. Let the Right One In

  9. Iron Man

  10. Tropic Thunder

2007:

  1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

  2. No Country For Old Men

  3. There Will Be Blood

  4. Zodiac

  5. Water Lilies

  6. Superbad

  7. Juno

  8. Hot Fuzz

  9. Ratatouille

  10. The Host

2006:

  1. Children of Men

  2. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

  3. Pan’s Labyrinth

  4. The Departed

  5. Red Road

  6. Little Miss Sunshine

  7. Casino Royale

  8. The Prestige

  9. The Pursuit of Happyness

  10. Old Joy

2005:

  1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

  2. The New World

  3. March of the Penguins

  4. Joyeux Noël

  5. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit

  6. War of the Worlds

  7. Walk the Line

  8. The Proposition

  9. The Descent

  10. Batman Begins

2004:

  1. Before Sunset

  2. The Incredibles

  3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

  4. Shrek 2

  5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

  6. Million Dollar Baby

  7. The Aviator

  8. Collateral

  9. Hotel Rwanda

  10. Shaun of the Dead

2003:

  1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

  2. Lost in Translation

  3. Memories of Murder

  4. Finding Nemo

  5. Oldboy

  6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

  7. Kill Bill: Volume 1

  8. School of Rock

  9. Big Fish

  10. Wasp

2002:

  1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

  2. City of God

  3. Punch-Drunk Love

  4. Adaptation

  5. Catch Me If You Can

  6. Chicago

  7. Bourne Identity

  8. Lilo & Stitch

  9. Treasure Planet

  10. Gangs of New York

2001:

  1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

  2. The Royal Tenenbaums

  3. Monster’s Inc.

  4. Millennium Actress

  5. Ocean’s 11

  6. Shrek

  7. A Beautiful Mind

  8. Donnie Darko

  9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

  10. Dog

2000:

  1. In the Mood for Love

  2. Almost Famous

  3. Memento

  4. Gladiator

  5. Chicken Run

  6. Battle Royale

  7. American Psycho

  8. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

  9. Castaway

  10. Thirteen Days

1999:

  1. American Beauty

  2. Eyes Wide Shut

  3. The Blair Witch Project

  4. Fight Club

  5. Being John Malkovich

  6. The Matrix

  7. Toy Story 2

  8. Audition

  9. Tarzan

  10. Galaxy Quest

1998:

  1. After Life

  2. Saving Private Ryan

  3. The Truman Show

  4. Rushmore

  5. The Thin Red Line

  6. Mulan

  7. A Bug’s Life

  8. The Big Lebowski

  9. The Parent Trap

1997:

  1. Taste of Cherry

  2. LA Confidential

  3. Good Will Hunting

  4. Boogie Nights

  5. Titanic

  6. Life Is Beautiful

  7. Jackie Brown

  8. Face/Off

  9. Hercules

  10. Funny Games

1996:

  1. Fargo

  2. Secrets & Lies

  3. Scream

  4. Mission: Impossible

  5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

  6. Jerry Maguire

  7. Happy Gilmore

  8. The English Patient

  9. Bottle Rocket

1995:

  1. La Haine

  2. Before Sunrise

  3. Toy Story

  4. Heat

  5. Se7en

  6. Fallen Angels

  7. Apollo 13

  8. The Usual Suspects

  9. Casino

  10. Braveheart

1994:

  1. The Shawshank Redemption

  2. Hoop Dreams

  3. Pulp Fiction

  4. The Lion King

  5. Chungking Express

  6. Three Colours: Red

  7. Leon The Professional

  8. Forrest Gump

  9. Quiz Show

  10. Clerks

1993:

  1. Schindler’s List

  2. Jurassic Park

  3. Dazed and Confused

  4. Three Colours: Blue

  5. Groundhog Day

  6. The Nightmare Before Christmas

  7. The Fugitive

  8. The Firm

  9. Mrs. Doubtfire

  10. Falling Down

1992:

  1. Unforgiven

  2. Reservoir Dogs

  3. The Player

  4. Aladdin

  5. Batman Returns

1991:

  1. The Silence of the Lambs

  2. Beauty and the Beast

  3. Until the End of the World

  4. Terminator 2

  5. The Fisher King

1990:

  1. Goodfellas

  2. Close-up

  3. Days of Being Wild

  4. Edward Scissorhands

  5. Home Alone

  6. Pretty Woman

1989:

  1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

  2. When Harry Met Sally

  3. For All Mankind

  4. The Little Mermaid

  5. Dead Poets Society

  6. Back to the Future Part II

  7. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

  8. Field of Dreams

  9. Batman

1988:

  1. Cinema Paradiso

  2. Rain Man

  3. Die Hard 

  4. Big

  5. As Tears Go By

  6. Beetlejuice

  7. Heathers

1987:

  1. Wings of Desire

  2. Babette’s Feast

  3. Full Metal Jacket

  4. The Last Emperor

  5. Jean de Florette

  6. The Princess Bride

  7. Spaceballs

  8. Manon de la Source

  9. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

  10. Wall Street

1986:

  1. The Sacrifice

  2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

  3. Blue Velvet

  4. Jimi Plays Monterey

  5. Platoon

  6. Aliens

  7. Top Gun

  8. Working Girls

1985:

  1. Come and See

  2. Vagabond

  3. The Breakfast Club

  4. Back to the Future

  5. After Hours

  6. The Goonies

1984:

  1. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

  2. Stop Making Sense

  3. Amadeus

  4. Paris, Texas

  5. Threads

  6. Ghostbusters

  7. Terminator

  8. The Karate Kid

  9. The Killing Fields

  10. Sixteen Candles

1983:

  1. Nostalgia 

  2. Risky Business

  3. A Christmas Story

  4. Scarface

  5. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

1982:

  1. Blade Runner

  2. The Thing

  3. E.T. The Extraterrestrial 

  4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

  5. First Blood

  6. Annie

1981:

  1. Murs Murs

  2. Raiders of the Lost Ark

  3. My Dinner with Andre

  4. Scanners

  5. Documenteur

  6. The Fox and the Hound

1980:

  1. The Shining

  2. Raging Bull

  3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

  4. Airplane!

  5. Blues Brothers

  6. Caddyshack

  7. Superman II

1979:

  1. Stalker

  2. Apocalypse Now

  3. Alien

  4. The Muppet Movie

1978:

  1. Halloween

  2. Days of Heaven

  3. Watership Down

  4. Superman

1977:

  1. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

  2. Suspiria

  3. Annie Hall

  4. Sorcerer

  5. L’une Chante, L’autre Pas

  6. The Last Wave

  7. The Model Couple

1976:

  1. Rocky

  2. The Omen

  3. Chinese Roulette

1975:

  1. Mirror

  2. Jaws

  3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

  4. Manila in the Claws of Light

  5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

  6. Overlord

  7. Three Days of the Condor

1974:

  1. The Godfather: Part II

  2. Alice in the Cities

  3. Je, Tu, Il, Elle

1973:

  1. The Exorcist

  2. Lady Snowblood

  3. The Sting

  4. Badlands

  5. Westworld

  6. Robin Hood

1972:

  1. The Godfather

  2. Solaris

  3. State of Siege

  4. Cabaret

  5. Un Flic

  6. A Well Spent Life

1971:

  1. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

1970:

  1. The Aristocats

1969:

  1. Lions Love (...and Lies)

1968:

  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey

  2. Planet of the Apes

  3. The Producers

  4. Black Panthers

  5. The Swimmer

  6. Night of the Living Dead

1967:

  1. The Young Girls of Rochefort

  2. Dragon Inn

  3. Oncle Yanco

  4. The Jungle Book

1966:

  1. Andrei Rublev

  2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

  3. Black Girl

  4. Persona

  5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

1965:

  1. Le Bonheur

  2. For a Few Dollars More

  3. Time piece

1964:

  1. Dr Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

  2. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

  3. A Fistful of Dollars

  4. Goldfinger

  5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

  6. My Fair Lady

1963:

  1. From Russia With Love

  2. The Birds

1962:

  1. Lawrence of Arabia

  2. Ivan’s Childhood

  3. Cléo de 5 à 7

  4. La Jetée

  5. To Kill a Mockingbird

  6. Dr. No

1961:

  1. West Side Story

  2. The Steamroller and the Violin

  3. 101 Dalmatians

1960:

  1. Psycho

  2. The Apartment

  3. Spartacus

  4. Les Yeux Sans Visage

1959:

  1. Les Quatre Cents Coups

  2. Hiroshima Mon Amour

  3. North By Northwest

  4. Some Like It Hot

  5. Fires on the Plain

  6. Sleeping Beauty

1958:

  1. Vertigo

  2. L’Opera Mouffe

1957:

  1. The Seventh Seal

  2. 12 Angry Men

  3. Les Mistons

1956:

  1. The Searchers

1955:

  1. The Night of the Hunter

  2. Il Bidone

  3. La Pointe Courte

1954:

  1. Rear Window

  2. Godzilla

  3. La Strada

1953:

  1. Shane

  2. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

  3. I Vitelloni

  4. Peter Pan

1952:

  1. Singin’ in the Rain

1951:

  1. Alice In Wonderland

1950:

  1. Rashomon

  2. Cinderella

1940s:

  1. Casablanca (1942)

  2. The Red Shoes (1948)

  3. The Great Dictator (1940)

  4. Citizen Kane (1941)

  5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

  6. Double Indemnity (1944)

  7. Pinocchio (1940)

  8. The Uninvited (1944)

  9. Dumbo (1941)

  10. Black Narcissus (1947)

1930s:

  1. M (1931)

  2. Limite (1931)

  3. Gone With the Wind (1939)

  4. Stagecoach (1939)

  5. City Lights (1931)

  6. Wizard of Oz (1939)

  7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

  8. Vampyr (1932)

  9. The 39 Steps (1935)

  10. Music Land (1935)

1920s:

  1. The Kid (1921)

  2. The Phantom Carriage (1921)

  3. Battleship Potemkin (1925)

  4. Nosferatu (1922)

  5. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

  6. Manhatta (1921)

  7. The Skeleton Dance (1929)

  8. High and Dizzy (1920)

1910s:

  1. A Man There Was (1917)

  2. Shoulder Arms (1918)

  3. The Outlaw and His Wife (1917)

  4. A Dog’s Life (1918)

1900s:

  1. La Voyage Dans La Lune (1904)

  2. The Great Train Robbery (1903)