T.'s Favorite Film Per Year: 1995-2024

Spanning my life so far!

Unfortunately, due to continuous post-concussion syndrome with multiple setbacks, I was not able to get a rounded impression of 2024’s movie slate, and given how much time it can take me to produce a post, I feel it's time to take another official hiatus from this blog until my brain's better.

But before my leave, since 2025 will be my thirtieth year in this life, I have replaced what would have been a year in review with a list of my favorite movie from each year of my life so far. Entries that have been mentioned in previous posts will have links to said posts.

Here’s to hoping I’ll be able to get back on track in 2025! Have a Happy New Year!

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1995: Toy Story
While I did love this as a kid, I'm now able to appreciate how sharp and heartfelt its script is in a way I couldn't then.
Runnerup: Jumanji ~ Still a ton of fun despite its poorly aged CGI.

1996: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
This movie artistically, musically, and dramatically wows me in spite of its tonal and spiritual inconsistencies. (T.’s Top 10 Movie Soundtracks)
Runnerup: Star Trek: First Contact ~ No longer what I consider my favorite sci-fi movie of all time, but I am still quite fond of it.

1997: The Edge
Came for the survivalist thrills, got plenty of those as well as what I was worried would be a bleak story of envy and betrayal but turns out to be a poignant story of mercy, reconciliation, and reform.
Runnerup: Men in Black ~ The most sheerly fun Tommy Lee Jones (my favorite actor) movie.

1998: The Prince of Egypt
Both my favorite 2D animated film and my favorite Biblical adaptation. (T.’s Top 10 Favorite Movies, T.’s Top 10 Movie Soundtracks)
Runnerup: A Bug’s Life ~ Back when lesser Pixar was still pretty good.

1999: Galaxy Quest
In a year packed with landmarks and classics, the “Star Trek” movie even anti-Trekkies can enjoy is the one I have the most fun revisiting.
Runnerup: The Iron Giant ~ Basically a hand-drawn Pixar movie.

2000: The Emperor's New Groove
Disney’s most morally resonant as well as funniest animated film.
Runnerup: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ~ One of the most stunning and exhilarating films despite its anticlimactic final showdown.

2001-2003: The Lord of the Rings
The peak of escapist cinema. (T.’s Top 10 Favorite Movies, T.’s Top 10 Movie Soundtracks)
Runnerups:
Monsters, Inc. (2001) ~ Pixar at its most sheerly creative.
Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002) ~ The best stupid movie ever made, and one of the explanations for my sense of humor.
Finding Nemo (2003) ~ Pixar’s second greatest.

2004: Napoleon Dynamite
The comedy I most see myself in. (T.’s Top 10 Favorite Movies)
Runnerup: The Passion of the Christ ~ A film as harrowing as it is beautiful.

2005: Batman Begins
Has grown over the years into my favorite live-action superhero movie, cleverly balancing fantasy and grit at a breathless pace without losing its heartbeat.
Runnerup: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith ~ The movie I most genuinely like in spite of itself.

2006: The Host
There are movies from 2006 I've rewatched more, but I want to highlight more monster movies, and The Host is a really good one.
Runnerup: The Prestige ~ The first time Christopher Nolan blew my mind (unless I first saw this after Inception…).

2007: Spider-Man 3
Another mess I love in spite of itself, especially for the thoughtful theme of vengeance versus forgiveness that every bit of the bloated story devotes itself to, and also for the goofy stuff.
Runnerup: Hot Rod ~ Just my kind of absurdism.

2008: The Dark Knight
The only thing I don't think is great about this film is its morally ambiguous ending, which is made even more disappointing by how poorly The Dark Knight Rises holds up for me; at the same time, I can appreciate how this ending encapsulates the film's refusal to play it safe as a tentpole action film.
Runnerup: WALL-E ~ Has the most endearing protagonist ever put to film.

2009: Avatar
The most lucrative film of our time may have impacted the way movies are made far more than it impacted pop culture at large, but watching Avatar just on a laptop can make me feel immersed in its stunning world like blockbusters rarely do.
Runnerup: Up ~ The first ten minutes are so hard hitting that everyone overlooks how creative and moving the film is beyond them.

2010: How to Train Your Dragon
A charming if wish fulfillment-y fantasy story with one of my favorite musical scores. (T.’s Top 10 Movie Soundtracks)
Runnerup: Inception ~ Haven’t seen this recently enough to say whether it holds up for me, but I remember it being amazing.

2011: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
A contender for my favorite grounded action film. (T.’s Top 10 Favorite Movies)
Runnerup: The Muppets ~ There isn’t a single theatrically released Muppet movie I don’t like.

2012: The Avengers
This has slightly lowered in my estimation over the years, but it’s still a delight to revisit; the way it pays off multiple standalone movies was a cultural landmark that holds a special place in my heart.
Runnerup: Les Miserables ~ Haven’t rewatched this in years, but it was the first movie to make me bawl, and I’ve felt that the infamous closeups and live singing make the emotions feel all the more raw.

2013: Gravity
The movie released during my lifetime I'm most kicking myself for deliberately missing in theaters. (Full Review)
Runnerup: Begin Again ~ Possibly my favorite movie about the artistic process.

2014: The LEGO Movie
Amid another great movie year, The LEGO Movie manages to stand out most for sounding like the biggest cash-in on paper but ending up as a masterpiece!
Runnerup: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ~ A modern masterpiece somehow sits in the middle of a trilogy that I otherwise think is just alright outside of its astounding performances and technical achievements.

2015: Inside Out
It's a miracle that Pixar was able to produce their magnum opus after Cars 2 forever broke their guarantee of quality.
Runnerup: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation ~ Second best of its franchise.

2016: 10 Cloverfield Lane
I can take or leave its final twist, but everything leading to that twist is one of the most riveting thrillers I've ever seen.
Runnerup: Your Name. ~ While this anime doesn’t first come to mind as my personal favorite of its year, it is one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen, both visually and narratively.

2017: Wonder Woman
It has its jankiness for sure, from its overuse of slow-motion to its over-the-top villains, but the climactic realization that only love can save the world moves me like nothing else in a superhero movie.
Runnerup: Dunkirk ~ One of the most stressful movies in the best way.

2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
My favorite superhero movie period, and artistically the most comic book movie ever made. (T.’s Top 10 Favorite Movies)
Runnerup: Aquaman ~ One of the comic bookiest live-action superhero movies.

2019: Godzilla: King of the Monsters
A love letter to the campiest love of my childhood; nostalgia may be a big reason for my appreciation, but I believe King of the Monsters deserves an “It's great, actually!” revisionist movement.
Runnerup: Avengers: Endgame ~ Deserves a ton of credit for how it pays off over a decade of interconnected stories.

2020: Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
An under-the-radar Japanese production that pulls off cinematic magic tricks with practically no budget, resulting in a lighthearted and at times suspenseful hangout movie with a time-bending twist.
Runnerup: Love and Monsters ~ The standalone movie from the past few years that I most want to become a franchise.

2021: Belle
Didn’t get to this until its 2022 US release, but this high-tech anime reimagining of Beauty and the Beast commentates thoughtfully on trauma, internet culture, and virtual reality with some stunning musical numbers and animation, if also with one or two subplots too many.
Runnerup: The Mitchells vs. the Machines ~ Creative and touching with the funniest self-mocking product placement I’ve ever seen.

2022: Top Gun: Maverick
2022 may be the best movie year I've ever lived through period, and this sequel to a film I couldn’t stand to finish somehow ended up being the platonic ideal of a crowdpleaser.
Runnerup: RRR ~ My first Indian movie, and perhaps the most movie I’ve ever seen period.

2023: Full Time
First premiered in 2021, but I've already voted it my favorite of 2023 for its US release; this manages to build tension more masterfully than any thriller I've seen with barely even a threat of violence, and everything that goes wrong makes its final glimpse of hope all the more cathartic. (T.’s 2023 Movie Year in Review)
Runnerup: Tetris ~ An amusing and suspenseful pseudo-lesson on video game history.

2024: Hundreds of Beavers
Of course, this and its runnerup are tentative choices until I can catch up on 2024, but I can't picture any other movie from this year feeling as made for me specifically. (Full Review)
Runnerup: Damsel ~ Also ticks so many specific boxes for me: medieval fantasy, survival thriller, monster horror...

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