The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1951

Here we are, the final year of this series.  Thanks to everyone who followed along the whole damn way.  I appreciate it.  Apology to Gary Swafford, as I am not continuing on past 1951 at this time.  Maybe in the future we'll crawl and scrape all the way to 20s or something.  Well, here we go, one last time for now.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (aka The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1952)

This weird thing happened when I got to 1952.  I hadn't seen a lot of movies from this year or of the couple I had seen, I didn't really remember or know much to talk about them.  Don't worry, I had plenty to pick from for tomorrow's finale 1951.  However, the one film that was there and one of the easiest and best picks of the entire series was that of the cinematic perfection that is SINGIN' IN THE RAIN.  Why not just give the film its own full day?

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1953

Hey everyone!  1953 is here.  Once again, I'm short on time, but wanted to go ahead and throw my picks out there.  I will mention that while there's a Stanley Kubrick film on the list, I'm not too big on it, but I find it a fascinating look at his early work and skill.  And also, for the second time, both an original and remake have made the list.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1954

1954 turned out to be a pretty strong year for me.  Featuring a nice range of prestige, camp and fun.  This list is one of those years I'd take all picks with me to somewhere forever to watch.  

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1955

This is the year lightning struck the clock tower.  The "Enchantment Under The Sea" dance went over incredibly well and Calvin Klein inspired Marvin Barry.  People may not have enjoyed all of this back then, but their kids would go on to love it.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1956

1956 was a year that I found to have some films (at least in my picks) that inspired a lot of filmmakers in the 70s and beyond.  Whether it be remakes, ideas, plots, or details, something of this group wound up coming back around.  Pretty neat.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1957

Welcome to 1957, another entry with some great great movies, but a bit more brief captioning on them.  Its just how it is, some days I get the time to give them some meat, some days I'm not.  The important thing to me is that I get them up and the choices are made.  Thanks to those of you who have been looking forward to these and keeping up with them.  Its a lot of fun!

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1958

An interesting year for me.  No Best Picture films in my picks once again, but there's one film in here that retrospectively would be one.  Probably considered the best film from this year, it was viewed as a disappointment during this time.  My list for 1958 features some drive-in goodies, cult classics anda musical.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1959

We are out of the Mad Men era and into the Masters Of Sex time period.  1959 proved a solid year with epic classics, cult classics, good movies and enjoyably bad ones.  There was something worthwhile it seems, in almost every genre.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1960

Here's a year that sported some greatness as well.  The 60's get off to a real rocking start.  A lot of influential and legendary films came from this year that are still talked about today or still being ribbed from.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1961

If you haven't been able to tell, I've run into being pretty busy lately.  I have my list, but its pics only.   My apologies, but work, family and Why So Blu reviews come first when it comes to my efforts.   Then again, maybe some of you just skim these just to see the picks and don't even read why, haha.  This is one I'm going to need to return to definitely to fill out some captions for my picks.  But for now, discuss what you like about my picks and some of your own from this year. 

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1962

Its time for 1962!  Lets go through these motions shall we?

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1963

Hey everyone, another busy day, another more brief entry.  1963 was another solid year, with plenty to choose from.  My list this time composes of classics, genre faves and one I think should get some more credit.  

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1964

Another year that had plenty to choose from.  Sorry folks, that Mary Poppins didn't make the list, but sometimes that's how the medicine goes down.  I'm also a My Fair Lady fan too, but only one Best Picture nominee made my list and its not a surprise at all.  Readers will probably also notice as long as there's a Kubrick film or Hitchcock movie that isn't Topaz, there's something I really, strongly enjoy from a given year.  They've been filmmakers that had me at hello and have been with me and influential on my film loving/knowledge/education/work my whole life.  So, you're stuck with me and them. haha

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1965

Its weird, I go just one year earlier and its another batch of films I have plenty of comfort with and have to pick and choose which to include.  Odd how it works that way.  This year includes the only "real" movie I think grandparents ever owned (and that was on a 2 tape VHS set), The Sound Of Music.  The movie that for much of my lifetime, had a special Sunday every year that was dedicated to broadcasting it on NBC.  Much like The Ten Commandments, you always knew you could catch it on TV every year.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1966

I've come to a sort of crossroads with these lists here.  Some of these lists may be less than 6 movies and some of the movies may have a more brief rundown of my thoughts.  I've gotten to a point where a few things have happened with the films in each given year.  It may be as easy as that I haven't seen such and such movie.  Or that I saw the movie so long ago that my memory on it is very dim too the point that I would need to start fresh and see it again, plus I wouldn't be the best conversationalist about it.  Lastly, I saw it, remember I liked it, remember a little bit about it and key points, but finer details and discussion is very vague for me.  I'm getting older and that's how things go for me at this juncture.  

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1967

Its funny, at the time, In The Heat Of The Night may have been the surprise Oscar win, but it may be the picture that would probably hold up best to modern audiences.  I think the favorite of during this race was Bonnie And Clyde.  Sign of the times, too, but Sidney Poitier was in two Best Picture nominated films, and not nominated for either.  It was Rod Steiger who got the nom (and win) for In The Heat Of The Night.  Nonetheless this list of nominees is pretty spectacular with a hint of the odd "Doctor Dolittle for Best Picture?" bit of trivia.  

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1968

Everybody usually always claims that the Academy always "get's it wrong" with the Oscars.  They're never all please and I think have this built in response to not like or stop liking whatever is picked as best picture.  Around Oscar time, you'll see writers who previously championed a film start destroying it because a film they liked just a smidge better may be trumped by it because voters didn't share their opinion.  A shame really.  BUT, here's a year they actually could make a very good argument about "getting it wrong".  Looking back it looks easy, but I'm sure at the time this roster probably makes more sense.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1969

Hey, everyone, this is going to be the laziest post of them all because...well, I want to get this in today, but I don't really have the time.  Forgive me, but, I am just wanting to get this out.  Hopefully this will be the only time, and maybe I'll revisit this post and beef it up sometime in the future.  We'll see.  Oh, what other year is gonna have 3 Westerns on my list?  Something to ponder.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1970

I present to you, the year 1970 which had a massive drop off for me in terms of having a huge collective of films I love.  In fact, for this list, there's only 2 films I even feel close to strongly for and that's because they're a part of franchises I love.  This is the first time this has happened in this retrospective and I think is the first time between this and the "Of" series.  How about you, was this a strong year, was there some I'm forgetting here?

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1971

Apologies to Willy Wonka, Omega Man and Bananas right up front.  Geez, this decade was full of classics at every year and every turn.  Cuts must be made and that's how it goes.  Right off the bat though in 1971 it seems that more "real" type of feel was in place with films that dug into and pushed limits.  We'll be talking about some of the significant ones here in my list, but unlike the other decades when I've done this list, the 70s seems to have just found itself right away and went strong throughout.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime - 1972

This wound up oddly being the first year in this retrospective that I didn't have a whole lot of films that I didn't feel really strongly about.  Yes, plenty of favorites, but it wasn't wrecking my brain making the cuts, it was more wrecking on what to include or what made its case better.  Though, I do have a final list with films I do love.  So we're all good there.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1973

Another year in the 70s, and more hard choices to make.  I'd like to point out one that won't be on this list and that's Soylent Green.  Its a terrific little film, but its overall effect on me and its ultimate twist were severely spoiled by a sketch on Saturday Night Live in the 90s.  Its a great sketch, but man did it ruin one of science fiction's greatest twists for me.  The impact that ending had never was to be for me.  Also here, I had to cut Day For Night, Truffaut's film about making a film achievement.  But, when it comes to this list and making cuts, I've only seen it once whereas the others on this list I've seen a multiple of times.  So, if you're wondering why some really good films or the like are missing, that can be a factor.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1974

I'll begin this one with a crazy confession.  I've seen all but one of these Best Picture nominees from 1974.  The one I haven't?  The Conversation.  I know, I know.  I've been meaning to see that film for probably the better part of 2 decades now, and its just always somehow left my mind or escaped me when it came down to it.  After I finish writing this, I'm going to go ahead and pre-order the Blu-ray and finally get this done.  

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1975

Another great Oscar race was had in 1975.  In both the "Of My Lifetime" and "Before" series I've done this might be the closest its ever gotten to having every nominee for Best Picture show up in my list.  

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1976

1976 had an Academy Awards Best Picture race that is just kinda like "Wow" when you see the list.  And then to see the triumph Rocky had over the rest is still surprising to this day.  It was the audience's champion.  As much of a incredible impact that film had in inspiring audiences to go big and root for the main character, it had that sort of feel with its Awards run too.  

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1977

1977...something big came out that year, didn't it?  Yup its the Star Wars year!  The Academy Awards for this year for many a Star Wars geek and film going enthusiast seemed to have "gotten it wrong" when it came to best picture.  I was one of those for many years.  And then I...you know...actually sat down and watched Annie Hall and realized, its no mistake.  Yes, it could have gone Star Wars way and it was a big, important film...but what many don't realize, is that Annie Hall was just that too.  And folks, don't blame Annie Hall for beating Star Wars (I have met so many damn Star Wars fans who refuse to watch the movie because it beat Star Wars)...that film had nothing to do with the people who voted it Best Picture.  I think a bigger crime is that Close Encounters didn't even get nominated.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1978

Here's our Oscar race

WINNER - The Deer Hunter

Coming Home

Heaven Can Wait

Midnight Express

An Unmarried Woman

Now for me

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1979

I really dig this Academy Award race for 1979.  All 5 films are both significant and great in their own sort of way.  It also includes a couple of glaring omissions from my list, including Apocalypse Now.  It came down to the fact that I've only seen it a handful of times and don't have too much a personal history with the film even though I recognize its importance and do think its great.  Roy Scheider also had a great year with 2 films that just didn't make the cut that I love (All That Jazz and the underrated Last Embrace).  1979 had a lot of good films filling up theater auditoriums.

The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1980

The first year of the 80s wound up being one that didn't have a large quantity of films I feel that strongly for.  It has what looks like a pretty good Best Picture race for the Oscars, though I'm not sure who talks about Ordinary People anymore.  It also featured films from some directors I really like, but ones that weren't really up there with my favorite of their output.  Anyway, I did have to pick and choose through this year, so it was all bad.

The Favorite Films BEFORE My Lifetime: 1981

Sorry about the whole "My 2014" articles not panning out.  Life just wasn't giving me to the time to put forth the effort.  

Last year, during my birthday month I did a series called "Favorite Films Of My Lifetime" which was a lot of fun and people seemed to enjoy and play along with.  So, this time around, I decided I'd follow it up with a prequel, going backward, doing the films that came out before I was born during the whole month of January.  We're going 1981 on down to 1951 and listing my 6 favorite movies from each year.  Backwards instead of forward.  In the comments, Facebook or Twitter feel free to play along and list your 6 favorite films from each year.