My Favorite Films from the Last 30 Years

I’ve seen this trend online for people hitting milestone birthdays choosing their favorite films from every year they’ve been alive. Since I turned thirty this year, here are my favorite films from the last thirty years. These also aren’t the best films that I’ve seen from that year, but my favorite films, which will be determined by whether or not I own it, nostalgia (for older releases), and rewatchability. This is also a chance for me to redo some of my rankings of my favorite films since 2017. I’m also including honorable mentions, trying to limit up to four, but post-2005, I will allow for more. These honorable mentions are also ranked starting with my favorite of the batch and I’m going to briefly discuss only a handful of those. And since for some years, it’s hard to limit to just one film, I’m going to allow for ties.

1994 - The Santa Clause

This isn’t my favorite Christmas film, but it’s one I watch every year, which means it’s the film I’ve watched the most from this year. My biggest problem is that I always loved the sections of the movie in the North Pole but the rest of the film could be more dull in comparison. Still, it does have an imaginative take on Santa that I still enjoy every year. I can tolerate the sequels but they aren’t as good as the original. I need to watch the show, especially after eating lunch next to the catering area for season two while I was an intern at Walden Media on the Fox lot.

Honorable Mentions: Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, Bullets Over Broadway

I enjoy Forrest Gump, though ironically I watched the beginning several times before I finally saw the whole film straight through.

1995 - Apollo 13

Ironically, despite my love of space, this film dissuaded me as a kid from being an astronaut. Even so, this is a great survival film that still holds up twenty-nine years later. It’s a film I’ve appreciated growing up with because I understood more of the details as I became an adult. Despite knowing the ending, it’s still intense and a great watch. 1995 was also a year with some great Jane Austen adaptations and introduced the world to Pixar, but Apollo 13 is still the strongest film.

Honorable Mentions: Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Toy Story, Babe

1996 - That Thing You Do!

This film is very underrated. It is a great music film with a great soundtrack that perfectly encapsulates the sixties. I feel like Guy Patterson by becoming a “permanent West Coaster” myself. It’s perfectly cast, endless quotable, and hilarious. The fact that the Bass Player is never given a name is comedy gold.

Honorable Mentions: Emma, Twelfth Night, Fly Away Home, 101 Dalmations

This year provided two Emma adaptations and I love the Gwyneth Paltrow version and Twelfth Night is very underrated.

1997 - Titanic

Surprisingly, there aren’t a lot of films I love from this year, at least not many that I’ve seen more than once. However, this is the one I enjoyed the most. While long, I really enjoyed it and I keep meaning to rewatch it. Despite it featuring a lot of cliches, it somehow works, and “My Heart Will Go On” is a great song.

Honorable Mention: L.A. Confidential

1998 - Tie: The Truman Show and Ever After

This year features two films that have a unique rewatchability factor that as soon as the film ends, I want to start the journey over again. The Truman Show is a master class of brilliant filming that was ahead of its time. I’ve even gotten to visit Seaside, Florida, where the film was made, and during a master class, I asked Laura Linney about the direction she was given for her wonderful performance (she was given 1950s magazines to study, and you can see the influence on her performance). Meanwhile, Ever After is the best Cinderella adaptation (so far) and one of the best fairy tale adaptations of all time. The idea of making a historical, non-magic take on the classic fairy tale is great and allows for the best romance in a Cinderella film. The script is also great and the film is also well-cast.

Honorable Mentions: You’ve Got Mail, Paulie

I love You’ve Got Mail and think it’s a great modernization of The Shop Around the Corner and I personally think it works better as a whole. Paulie is an underrated, sweet film that wasn’t marketed well.

1999 - Galaxy Quest

This film has been described as perfect and I couldn’t agree more. The decision to tone down the rating was great because it meant I could watch it growing up, long before I was introduced to Star Trek in college. It’s absolutely hilarious, perfectly cast, and very quotable, being ahead of its time in its portrayal of fan culture. I even got to meet the director two years ago. I highly recommend the making-of documentary Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary.

Honorable Mentions: October Sky, Toy Story 2, The Sixth Sense, Stuart Little

I watch October Sky every October and I think Toy Story 2 is the best in the franchise.

2000 - O Brother, Where Art Thou?

This is my favorite Coen Brothers film by far and is probably their most mainstream film. It’s absolutely hilarious, very quotable and the performances are great. It might be my favorite George Clooney performance. It also has a great soundtrack that helps create the atmosphere of the film. One of these days I need to finally read The Odyssey.

Honorable Mentions: Chicken Run, Erin Brockovich, The Tigger Movie

2001 - Shrek

I loved this film as a kid and would watch it every Friday after school for a while, which is ironic since only four years later one of the directors made my favorite film of all time (more on that later). It’s a great take on fairy tale tropes that was ahead of its time and has a great soundtrack. I wasn’t a fan of the sequel so this is the only one I like in the franchise. I must say, though, that I recently saw a screening of it in grad school and that was the most rowdy screening I’ve ever been to.

Honorable Mentions: Monsters, Inc., The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

2002 - Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie

I was a huge VeggieTales fan growing up and I have found myself relating to this film even more once I became an adult. So because of this, the nostalgia angle makes this my favorite from this year. It’s ironic that this film essentially sank the company in the long run, but I’m still glad they made this. The computer game was great and I still love listening to the soundtrack. And just like most Christian millennials who were a kid in the ‘00s, I am very familiar with “Belly of the Whale.”

Honorable Mentions: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Ice Age, The Rookie

2003 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

While I love Finding Nemo, it has the most beautiful Pixar soundtracks of all time (and I’ve told Thomas Newman this last year) and it was one of the few films I saw in theaters pre-Narnia and Lord of the Rings is great, Pirates of the Caribbean is my second favorite series of all time. This is the best of the series (though not my favorite, more on that later). It’s such a great adventure with great humor and a wonderful soundtrack.

Honorable Mentions: Finding Nemo, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Holes, Seabiscuit

I think Seabiscuit would have won Best Picture if it weren’t for Return of the King. It's a great sports movie.

2004 - The Incredibles

This may be one of Pixar’s best films (but I greatly disliked the sequel and thus, I’m not excited about the third one). It has one of Pixar’s best scores and has a great plot, a great villain, and is hilarious. I’m not very familiar with the Fantastic Four to comment on this being the best Fantastic Four film. It’s still one of the best superhero films of all time despite being pre-MCU.

Honorable Mentions: The Polar Express, National Treasure, 13 Going on 30, Spider-Man 2

I love The Polar Express and think it’s the best score for a Christmas film of all time.

2005 - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Yeah, this was a no-brainer, if it wasn’t already obvious from my past blogs. This was the film that got me interested in the film industry and made me obsessed with going to the movies. It’s my favorite film of all time and the most important film of my life. So as much as I love Pride & Prejudice, this was obvious.

Honorable Mentions: Pride & Prejudice, March of the Penguins

2006 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

This is the least of the original trilogy, but it’s still a lot of fun with great world-building. Unlike the first film, I saw this in theaters. In many ways 2006 was significant because it was the first year in which I really started to go see films in theaters, hence why I have a lot more honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions: The Nativity Story, Penelope, Night at the Museum, Flushed Away, Cars, Charlotte’s Web, Ice Age: The Meltdown

The Nativity Story is one of my favorite Christmas films and Penelope and Flushed Away are very underrated.

2007 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

This is by far my favorite of the Pirates of the Caribbean series and is the first film (out of only two) that I’ve seen a total of five times in theaters. This film is a fun run, very funny, and I love how complex it is. There’s no denying that the conclusion to this trilogy feels epic and ends with a great conclusion that I didn’t like on first watch but quickly grew to love. The score is gorgeous and the love theme is, I think, the most beautiful theme in film history. It also has my favorite cinematic wedding. I really don’t understand the hate, but I will always defend this film and it’s my favorite film of 2007 by far.

Honorable Mentions: Ratatouille, Enchanted

2008 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008 was a rough year as it was filled with several massive disappointments (a trend that will continue with another year ending in “8"). However, it still gave us Prince Caspian, which is the movie that got me interested in directing. I wasn’t fully sold on the changes from the book at first, but I quickly grew to love this film, and I now think it’s better than the book. Its themes on waiting have become far more relevant to me as I’ve grown up.

Honorable Mentions: Wall-E, Iron Man

Iron Man is a strange case in which I saw the last third before I finally saw the whole film.

2009 - Tie: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Up

I really like the first Night at the Museum but man, I think the sequel is better than the first. It’s much funnier and more epic. I also love the Washington D.C. setting and since I visited D.C. that summer and got to see some of their promotional materials there, I have good memories of that. Surprisingly, this was the second film I saw a total of four times in theaters. I didn’t mind the third, though it wasn’t as funny. I also love the score for this film, even slightly better than for the second film. By chance, the film tied for my favorite movie of that year, Up, coincidentally was released exactly a week later (that was a great summer at the movies). I think Up might be the best Pixar film. It’s one of the most emotionally moving of their films but has enough humor to balance it all out. Overall, I think this film is a masterpiece, even outside of that famous opening montage.

Honorable Mentions: Star Trek, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Star Trek was my introduction to the franchise and Fantastic Mr. Fox is my favorite Wes Anderson film by far.

2010 - Tie: The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Letters to Juliet

This one was also obvious. Even though a lot of fans don’t like it as much and even I didn’t in my immediate reaction, I love it, to the point that I saw it five times in theaters. Even though the score isn’t quite as good, it’s still beautiful and has some great themes. The ending of this film remains the hardest I consistently cry during any film, especially since this is unfortunately the last of the series. However, I also couldn’t help but mention Letters to Juliet as well, which is also among my favorite films. It’s funny and romantic, which is exactly what you want from a rom-com. I wasn’t as interested in visiting Italy outside of seeing the town that shares my name, but this film has made me want to visit the country. I think the marketing wasn’t very good, though, since it spoiled too much. I do love the fact that the story reflects Venessa Redgrave and Franco Nero’s real love story. It’s really too bad that Christopher Egan hasn’t done a lot of acting since this film. Also, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend writing a letter to Juliet as mine was rather disappointing.

Honorable Mentions: Leap Year, Tangled, Flipped, Despicable Me, The King’s Speech, Inception

Leap Year is the other big rom-com from the year, Flipped was a good adaptation of the book, Tangled is a brilliant take on the Rapunzel story, and I think The King’s Speech deserved to win Best Picture.

2011 - Tie: Hugo and Arthur Christmas

I know this might be a controversial opinion, but I think Hugo is Martin Scorsese’s best film and even though I love The Artist, I think this probably should have won Best Picture instead. The cinematography, direction, and visual effects are amazing, and along with the score, it creates a unique atmosphere for this film. As a silent film buff myself, I appreciate the way the film honors George Melies and that era overall. It’s clear that this film is Scorsese’s love letter to cinema and he more than delivers. Arthur Christmas is possibly my favorite Christmas film. It’s absolutely hilarious and quotable. Its take on Santa is very clever and unique, leading to an interesting take on the idea of old and new technologies. It’s also extremely underrated but I had the fortunate of seeing this in theaters. This is probably Aardman’s best film. Bill Nighy’s Grandsanta is the best character in the movie.

Honorable Mentions: The Muppets, The Artist, Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris is probably my favorite Woody Allen film of all time. Owen Wilson does a great job of replacing the director as the lead actor and playing in his style.

2012 - Tie: The Hunger Games and The Avengers

The Hunger Games was released my senior year of high school and was surprisingly intrigued, especially since I hadn’t (and still haven’t) seen popular YA franchises at the time, such as Twilight and Harry Potter. I watched this before reading the book, but immediately became a fan and quickly read the series. I appreciate Gary Ross’s direction and use of shaky cam, as it works within the context of the story. The score is also amazing and this also has my favorite Taylor Swift song of all time, “Safe and Sound.” I also really enjoyed The Avengers, which I did not see until I started college and had only previously watched the Iron Man films, but this did a good job of catching you up on who the heroes are. This film is still a lot of fun and is very entertaining, with Loki making for a great villain. I had already been interested in Iron Man, but this is the film that got me on board for the MCU as a whole. This also has one of the best post-credits scenes of all time, though I’m not a fan of Shawarma once I tried it.

Honorable Mentions: Argo, Les Miserables, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Mirror, Mirror

Argo is a very tense film that deserved to win Best Picture. The first Hobbit is by far the best in the trilogy and the way they handled the Gollum scene was great. I think Mirror, Mirror was a clever, though imperfect take on Snow White that was the best adaptation from that year.

2013 - Tie: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Frozen

Catching Fire is without a doubt the best in the series, both the books and the movies, and I actually don’t mind the Mockingjay films. It builds on the previous film and does a great job of building tension as the revolution begins, leading to a great cliffhanger ending. Even after all these years, I’m still a big fan of Frozen as I still think it works as a modern fairy tale, even if it barely resembles The Snow Queen. It still has a great soundtrack and I could really relate to “Let It Go” at the time. While I didn’t mind the sequel, there’s no beating the original.

Honorable Mentions: Star Trek Into Darkness, Despicable Me 2, Thor: The Dark World, Nebraska

It didn’t quite make the top spot but I really like Star Trek Into Darkness and its twist, and I think Despicable Me 2 is the best in the franchise.

2014 - The Lego Movie

This film really came as a surprise to me, since I thought it would be dumb, with all the positive word of mouth, I checked it out and I’m so glad I did. This is possibly the most sarcastic film of all time. It’s so clever and endlessly quotable. This really should have been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, but at least “Everything is Awesome” was nominated. It’s a shame that the franchise only lasted five more years. I think the sequel, while not as good, is underrated.

Honorable Mentions: Muppets Most Wanted, Guardians of the Galaxy, Big Hero 6

Muppets Most Wanted is a fun romp and Guardians of the Galaxy was a great start to one of the MCU’s best franchises.

2015 - Tie: Cinderella and Inside Out

Of the Disney live-action remakes, Cinderella is one of my favorites (my favorite one is later down the list) and is my second-favorite Cinderella film behind Ever After. It’s a very charming, old-fashioned retelling with a great score. I also love the credits song for this film. Inside Out is one of Pixar’s best films of the 2010s. It has a very emotional ending that makes me cry every time. This is also one of Pixar’s last truly funny films before a trend of films that tended to be more serious which didn’t break until I’d argue the 2020s.

Honorable Mentions: The Peanuts Movie, Ant-Man, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Creed

I loved how Peanuts was translated to CGI in The Peanuts Movie and I still like The Force Awakens even after the trilogy concluded.

2016 - La La Land

This is a film that came out at the right time for me. I had graduated from college, was going through a difficult time, and was longing to move to LA but had to wait until three more years. As a result, I was easily drawn to this film and I find myself relating to it in different ways as time has gone on. Ironically, my first job was working on the Warner Bros. Lot as a tour associate and I did try to be a barista about a year ago, but it didn’t last because I couldn’t handle it. This is one of the few films I’ve seen four times in theaters. It’s very cinematic and looked great on the big screen. It also has a great score and soundtrack.

Honorable Mentions: Zootopia, Star Trek Beyond

I love Zootopia and wish I had seen it in theaters, but was busy making my undergrad thesis film at the time. Star Trek Beyond is underrated and I want to see more Kelvin timeline Star Trek films.

2017 - Tie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Coco

2017 was a great year for film. So many of the films I saw hit such a high level of excellence and satisfaction that’s hard to top. However, I still have to list the Pirates release as my favorite. This film was not well-marketed because I did not get properly excited until right before its release (though the disappointment of the fourth film probably didn’t help). While it’s not as good as the trilogy, it’s on the right track, mainly by focusing on the Turners again. The ending is also amazing, especially when you consider that the film was released exactly ten years and a day after the release of At World’s End. I also appreciate the score as borrowing themes while sounding distinct. I also love Coco, which is probably the best Pixar film of the 2010s, and I watch it every early November. It has a great soundtrack and the twist leads to a very satisfying conclusion that makes me cry every time.

Honorable Mentions: Cars 3, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok

I think Cars 3 is the most underrated Pixar film of all time and The Man Who Invented Christmas is the most underrated Christmas film of the 2010s. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a huge surprise and I wasn’t familiar with the original at the time. Wonder Woman is by far my favorite DCEU film and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is my favorite of the trilogy.

2018 - Pick of the Litter

2018 was a rough year that was filled with movies that were either disappointments or just didn’t do it for me. I still think that year has the weakest Best Picture lineup since I started following the Oscars in 2009. So for my favorite film of the year, I have to choose a documentary I saw at the Gasparilla International Film Festival. This is a great film that not only benefits from cute puppies but also tells a moving story about dogs training to become guides for the blind. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

Honorable Mentions: Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Grinch, Christopher Robin

I actually don’t mind The Grinch and think it ends very strongly, which I’ve already done a blog about.

2019 - Knives Out

Ah, 2019. The last normal year before the pandemic. There were a lot of good films this year, such as Avengers: Endgame, but Knives Out is by far one of the best films of the last few years. It’s very rewatchable and has many great moments. The cast and script are spot-on. Because it’s not a normal mystery, it doesn’t lose its value after the first viewing. The sequel was a major disappointment, so hopefully the third film will be much better.

Honorable Mentions: Avengers: Endgame, Blinded by the Light, Pokemon Detective Pikachu, Yesterday, Jumanji: The Next Level, The Best of Enemies, Stockholm, The Lego Movie: The Second Part

Avengers: Endgame is such a satisfying conclusion that the MCU hasn’t been able to live up to since then outside of Spider-Man. Blinded by the Light is a film that spoke a lot to me at the time. The ending of Pokemon Detective Pikachu elevated the film. Stockholm is an underrated film I saw at Gasparilla that features a brilliant Ethan Hawke performance.

2020 - Wolfwalkers

This film surprised me. It took me a few minutes to get used to the animation style but once I did, I was engulfed by the story and admired how beautiful it is. This might be one of the best stories from an animated film I’ve seen in this decade. And I was only able to see it because of a free online screening in the midst of the pandemic. As far as I’m concerned, this should have won Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. I want to own this on DVD so badly!

Honorable Mentions: Sonic the Hedgehog, Onward, My Spy, Hamilton

Sonic the Hedgehog was a great film to be introduced to on Election Day when I needed a distraction and I’m glad I got to watch Onward before the shutdowns. My Spy was the last film I saw before the closures and was much better than I expected.

2021 - Tie: West Side Story and Spider-Man: No Way Home

I don’t think West Side Story was marketed well because I wasn’t expecting much from this. However, this is a fantastic remake that expands on the characters and plot. I can’t say definitely that I like it better than the original, but there are things I like better and that’s the subject of a separate blog. I can say that the singing is better and I prefer the first act overall (everything up to the rumble). However, the ending does feel a tad rushed. The direction overall is fantastic and is without a doubt my favorite Steven Spielberg film of all time. The other big film that I loved from that year was No Way Home, which is one of my favorite MCU films and definitely the best one post-phase three, at least from what I’ve seen. The way it resolves things from the original Spider-Man trilogy is brilliant. It’s funny, narratively satisfying, and has a great end for a trilogy, which I’ve already written a blog about.

Honorable Mentions: Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Luca, Encanto, Godzilla vs. Kong, The Most Reluctant Convert

The ending of Ghostbusters: Afterlife was brilliant and I loved how the tone was more serious, making it ironically funnier than the original, which I’m not a fan of. Godzilla vs. Kong is mindless fun I might not have seen it if weren’t for a free online screening.

2022 - Living

This is a quiet yet moving film that feels like it’s from the 1950s to the point that I almost thought I walked into the wrong theater. In many ways, it’s a movie that kind of sneaks up on you. I’m so glad that Bill Nighy was nominated for Best Actor for this. It’s a remake of Ikiru, but I think this is far superior despite its shorter runtime. I highly recommend this film.

Honorable Mentions: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, The Bad Guys, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Top Gun: Maverick, Slumberland, Thirteen Lives

I was so happy I got to see Weird in theaters at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Thirteen Lives should have gotten a theatrical release and I want the DVD of this and Slumberland.

2023 - Tie: The Little Mermaid and The Holdovers

The Little Mermaid is by far my favorite Disney live-action remake and one of my favorite live-action fairy tale movies of all time. I think it’s absolutely wonderful and far superior to the original, but that is the subject of another blog post. And while the fact that I saw this four times in theaters easily proves this is my favorite, I also have to give credit to The Holdovers, which is the best film I’ve seen this decade so far. It’s not only hilarious, but it also has great character development that leads to a surprisingly emotional conclusion that’s very satisfying and memorable.

Honorable Mentions: Elemental, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Society of the Snow, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

2024 (So Far) - Tie: The Fall Guy and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

These are the films so far this year in which I had the best time in the theater, constantly laughing, clapping, and cheering. I really appreciated all the industry references in The Fall Guy. I honestly don’t understand why this film bombed. It has great action, comedy, and romance. I love that most of the stunts were done practically. While it does have a mystery, it’s surprisingly quickly resolved, making way for the action set pieces. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. I wish I had seen it sooner and it didn’t disappear from theaters so quickly. While I haven’t seen Beverly Hills II or III, it wasn’t a requirement to enjoy the fourth film. This felt like a good evolution of the character and franchise. I loved seeing the original come back and I appreciate that this technically has more action than the original. I also liked that they brought back some of the songs in the original, similar to how Top Gun: Maverick brought back “Danger Zone.” I’m so glad I live in LA and could watch it at Netflix’s Bay Theater (which is the “cleanest and nicest (theater) I’ve ever been in”) because it was a great film to watch in theaters. I honestly don’t know why they didn’t give this a wide release.

Honorable Mentions: Inside Out 2, Touch, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Bau, Artist at War

Inside Out 2 is a worthy sequel and Bau, Artist at War is a moving Holocaust film I saw at the Sunscreen Film Festival and will be released later this year.