Updated Two Favorite Films for Every Year List

Updated my list of two favorite films per year. There are certain years where I don't think I have a strong enough pool to draw from and I researched some films from those years that might be worth checking out. This will guide my viewing next time I have a classic film to pick:

2019 Two Popes (Fernando Meirelles)/Knives Out (Riann Johnson)

2018 Green Book (Peter Farrelly)/First Reformed (Paul Schrader)

2017 Florida Project (Sean Baker)/Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MO (Martin McDonagh)

2016 Eye in the Sky (Gavin Hood)/La La Land (Damien Chazelle)

2015 Martian (Ridley Scott)/Spotlight (Thomas McCarthy)

2014 Gone Girl (David Fincher)/Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)

2013 Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron)/American Hustle (David O Russell)

2012 Dark Knight Rises (Chris Nolan)/Flight (Rob Zemeckis)

2011 Artist (Michel Hazanavicius)/Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)

2010 Inception (Chris Nolan)/Scott Pilgrim vs the World (Edgar Wright)

2009 Up in the Air (Jason Reitman)/Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)

2008 Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood)/FrostNixon (Ron Howard)

2007 3:10 to Yuma (James Mangold)/Lars and the Real Girl (Craig Gillespie)

2006 Little Miss Sunshine (Jonothan Dayton and Valerie Harris)/Departed (Marty Scorsese)

2005 The New World (Terrence Malick)/Junebug (Phil Morrison)

2004 The Aviator (Martin Scorsese)/Life Aquatic (Wes Anderson)

2003 Cold Mountain (Anthony Minghella)/Last Samurai (Edward Zwick)

2002 City of God (Fernando Meirelles)/Chicago (Rob Marshall)

2001 Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)/Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff)

2000 Gladiator (Ridley Scott)/Wonderboys (Curtis Hanson)

1999 Three Kings (David O Russell)/Sweet and Lowdown (Woody Allen)

1998 Truman Show (Peter Weir)/Enemy of the State (Tony Scott)

1997 Titanic (James Cameron)/Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant)*.................................. Lolita, Full Monty, Devil’s Advocate

1996 Independence Day (Roland Emmerich)/Evita (Alan Parker)

1995 Apollo 13 (Ron Howard)/Batman Forever (Joel Schumacher)

1994 Ed Wood (Tim Burton)/Quiz Show (Robert Redford)

1993 Fugitive (Andrew Davis)/Pelican Brief (Alan Pakula)*….True Romance, Short Cuts

1992 The Player (Robert Altman)/A League of their Own (Penny Marshall)

1991 Terminator 2 (James Cameron)/Fisher King (Terry Gilliam)

1990 Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese)/Misery (Rob Reiner)

1989 Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir)/Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Stephen Spielberg)

1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Rob Zemeckis)/School Daze (Spike Lee)

1987 Good Morning Vietnam (Peter Weir)/Princess Bride (Rob Reiner)

1986 Children of a Lesser God (Randa Haines)/Star Trek IV (Leonard Nimoy) *…Highlander, Labyrinth, Stand By Me, Space Camp

1985 Back to the Future (Rob Zemeckis)/Witness (Peer Weir)

1984 Amadeus (Milos Forman)/Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Stephen Spielberg)

1983 Year of Living Dangerously (Peter Weir)/Return of the Jedi (George Lucas)* …Outsiders, Local Hero, Silkwood Meaning of Life, Blue Thunder

1982 Verdict (Sidney Lumet) /ET (Stephen Spielberg)*….Tron, Fanny and Alexander, King of Comedy

1981 On Golden Pond (Mark Rydell)/Chariots of Fire (Hugh Hudson)

1980 Gods Must be Crazy (Jamie Uys)/Shining (Stanley Kubrick)*…Urban Cowboy, Xanadu, Flash Gordon

1979 Being There (Hal Ashby)/China Syndrome (Jeff Bridges)

1978 Badlands (Terrence Malick)/Every Which Way But Loose (Hal Ashby)*….Deer Hunter, The Boys from Brazil

1977 Star Wars (George Lucas)/High Anxiety (Mel Brooks) *…Smokey and the Bandit, Turning Point, Close Encounters

1976 Network (Sidney Lumet)/All the President’s Men (Alan J Pakula)

1975 The Man Who Would Be King (John Huston)/Death Race 2000 (Paul Bartel)*…Nashville, Three Days in the Condor

1974 Chinatown (Roman Polanski)/Murder on the Orient Express (Sidney Lumet)

1973 American Graffiti (George Lucas)/Three Musketeers (Richard Lester)

1972 Poseidon Adventure (Roland Neame)/Cabaret (Bob Fossee)*…Slueth, Deliverance, Discreet Cham of the Burgoisee

1971 McCabe & Mrs Miller (Rob Altman)/Live and Let Die (Terrence Young)*….Andromeda Strain, Straw Dogs, Klute

1970 MASH (Rob Altman)/Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson)

1969 Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)/They Shoot Horses Don’t They (Sydney Pollock)

1968 Lion in Winter (Anthony Harvey)/Odd Couple (Gene Saks)

1967 In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison)/Wait Until Dark (Terrence Young)

1966 Our Man Flint (Daniel Mann)/Walk Don’t Run (Charles Walters)

1965 Great Race (Blake Edwards)/Cat Ballou (Elliot Silverstein)

1964 Beckett (Peter Glenville)/Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton)

1963 It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (Stanley Kramer)/Great Escape (John Sturges)

1962 Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer)/To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert  Mulligan)

1961 West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins)/Judgment at Nuremberg (Stanley Kramer)

1960 The Apartment (Billy Wilder)/Magnificent Seven (John Sturges)

1959 North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock)/Some Like it Hot (Billy Wilder)

1958 Touch of Evil (Orson Welles)/Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock)

1957 Bridge on the River Kwai (David Lean)/12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet)

1956 Searchers (John Ford)/Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock)

1955 East of Eden (Elia Kazan)/Kismet (Vincente Minnelli)*….Blackboard Jungle, Desperate Choirs

1954 Caine Mutiny (Edward Dmytryk)/Salt of the Earth (Herbert Biberman)

1953 From Here to Eternity (Fred Zinnemann)/Roman Holiday (William Wyler)

1952 Singing in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)/High Noon (Fred Zinnemann)

1951 African Queen (John Huston)/Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise)

1950 All About Eve (Joseph L Mankiewicz)/Harvey (Henry Koster)

1949 The Third Man (Carol Reed)/Pinky (Elia Kazan)

1948 Key Largo (John Huston)/Treasure of the Seirra Madre (John Huston)

1947 Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles)/Bishop’s Wife (Henry Koster)*…Ghost and Mrs Muir,  Odd Man Out, Secret Life of Walter Mitty

1946 Big Sleep (Howard Hawks)/It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra)

1945 Detour (Edgar Ullmer)/Scarlett Street (Fritz Lang)*…Along Came Jones, Mildred Pierce, Blithe Spirit

1944 Arsenic and Old Lace (Frank Capra)/Meet me in Saint Louis (Vincente Minnelli)

1943 Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock)/Miracle at Morgan’s Creek (Preston Sturges)*…Song of Bernadette, The More the Merrier, Five Graces to Cairo

1942 Sabetour (Alfred Hitchcock)/Major and the Minor (Billy Wilder)*... Ox-Bow Incident, Tortilla Flat, Talk of the Town, Now Voyager

1941 Ball of Fire (Howard Hawks)/Meet John Doe (Frank Capra)

1940 His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks)/Go West (Leo McCarey) *…Great McGinty, Phantom of Chinatown, Great Dictator

1939 Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir)/Mr Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra)

Predictions for the AFI's lists: Sci-Fi

This is definitely the fun part of the AFI releases their lists is trying to predict beforehand, what they will chose:

I'm well-aware that it's 44 minutes into the program as I'm typing this but I give you my guarantee I'm taping the program now and have yet to see anything.

The mystery genre isn't really much of a genre so I skipped that. Mystery is comprised of traditional whodunnit's in the tradition of Murder on the Orient Express or Sleuth; film noir and Hitchkokian thrillers which all follow their conventions. I would have loved to see a list of film noir but I just felt it was impossible to compare such disparate works.
I skipped the gangster genre out of lack of familiarity and I skipped the fantasy genre as well, because that's not really a genre.

So nonetheless, let's get on with our genres, shall we?
Sci-Fi
1. Star Wars, George Lucas- I think it will either be 2001: A Space Odyssey or Star Wars. There's some animosity towards Lucas for not doing anything original in the last 30 years and milking his franchises for every last drop, but I'm betting there are enough Star Wars geeks out there.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick-Kubrick died early and made few films, a clear path to being recognized as genius. Furthermore, 2001: A Space Odyssey doesn't have much dialogue and it runs for several hours, winning over the film snobs in the process
3. Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick-Another entry to make the top 100 both times, it's a work of art, cult film, and widely acclaimed classic. Also, it's Kubrick
4. Blade Runner, Ridley Scott-This one has picked up steam in the last 15 years or so since critic's lists have released their top 100s. It has made a number of publications' top 100 lists.
5. Alien, Ridley Scott-Let's go with two Scotts, two Kubricks, and a Lucas in the top 5. Ridley Scott's Alien has that famous scene that is part of pop culture in wich the alien bursts out of Sigourney Weaver's stomach, it has one of cinema's best heroines, especially at a time when the screen was about to be infused with testosterone-laced heroes (i.e. Rambo, etc). Lastly, Aliens isn't in the running, so less vote-splitting
6. Frankenstein, James Whale-It's regarded as a classic but it is also fun to watch, and has been parodied, sequeled, AND remade.
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Stephen Spielberg-E.T. is probably going to get on the list because it's been on both of AFI's top 100 list, but this is far more sci-fi oriented, as I understand it (haven't seen the film start to finish, unfortunately), and it delves into the philosophical and somewhat hardcore issues that sci-fi fans love to go to
8. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Don Siegel-One of the sci-fi films from the '50s era should really be included and it would either be Invasion or The Day the Earth Stood Still. My money's on Invasion, for some reason. Just a hunch.
9. The Matrix, Wachowski Brothers-I think one of the two bottom choices might be bumped out for E.T., even though E.T. is more about a broken family, than it is a sci-fi film, but I think the Matrix has a storyline that infused itself into pop culture and made many rabid fans. It was a great success in movie marketing and its special effects have influenced every film that came after it
10. Back to the Future, Rob Zemeckis-It spawned two equally profitable sequels, is a classic on DVD, it made Michael J Fox, and it has an absolutely brilliant script. Plus, it's just plain fun and one of the best sendups to the old sci-fi genre in existence
Other possibilities: The Day the Earth Stood Still, E.T., Terminator 2, Planet of the Apes (it got notoriety for being remade and Charlton Heston recently died), Children of Men

Directors by total gross earnings

Here's an interesting chart I compiled through box office mojo. Richar Donner I had to make an . Michael Bay and Brett Rattner (currently at #24 with 840) should have an easy time crossing one billion dollars with Transformers gaining more and more money each week and Rush Hour opening this weekend.

This list goes to show:
-How Stephen Spielberg is on a whole other stratosphere. He averages a very healthy $149 million per picture and that includes films from the 70s and the 80s when he was starting out that were not designed as commercial vehicles like "Sugarland Express" "1941" and "Color Purple."

-His protege Rob Zemeckis is also at #2 with hits like "Forrest Gump" ($300+ million), and Back to the Future and Cast Away which have grossed over $200 million and if you take away his first two unsuccessful films ("Used Cars" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"), his average gross is $147 per film)
-How much a single trilogy like Pirates of the Carribean, Spiderman, or Lord of the Rings can help push these figures up for a director like Gore Verbinski, Sam Raimi, or Peter Jackson, respectively. These film trilogies single handedly earned billion dollars in domestic revenue for their studios, which makes your resume look very good. In actuality, a terrible third edition of a trilogy like Pirates 3 or Shrek 3 can pay off over 100 million in an opening weekend en route to 300 million total before anyone notices that it's really not that good of a film.
-How prolific Clint Eastwood is rather than how commercially successful he is. He made 26 films which means that he just barely passes the $1 billion dollar mark with a pretty low $38 million average. Only two of his pictures grossed more than $100 million dollars and those are the ones he won an Oscar for, meaning that they were able to benefit from post-Oscar releases

This list does not show:
-Much about how commercially successful any director before the last 10 years was because inflation at the box office is not accounted for here. It is true however that the advent of block busters has grown stronger in the last 10 years as people have
-An accurate representation of Andrew Adamson who was one of three directors working on Shrek 2, which has the 3rd highest box office total of all time
-An accurate representation of George Lucas, considering that he is not credited as director of Return of the Jedi or Empire Strikes Back
-An accurate assessment of a comic director like Jay Roach. Roach directed Austin Powers trilogy and the Meet the Parents/Meet the Fockers series, which were successful more due to the talents of Mike Meyers in the former and the Robert De Niro/Ben Stiller chemistry in the latter than the director.

Directors with total earnings in billions (top 3 films in order):

1. Stephen Spielberg 3.447 (E.T., Jurassic Park, Jaws)
2. Rob Zemeckis 1.718 (Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future)
3. George Lucas 1.700 (Star Wars, Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith)
4. Ron Howard 1.606 (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Da Vinci Code, Apollo 13)
5. Chris Columbus 1.568 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Home Alone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
6. Gore Verbinski 1.306 (Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End, Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl)
7. Peter Jackson 1.271 (Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring)
8. Sam Raimi 1.248 (Spiderman, Spiderman II, Spiderman III)
9. Tim Burton 1.235 (Batman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes)
10. James Cameron 1.146 (Titanic, Terminator 2, True Lies
11. Richard Donner 10.96 (Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, Superman)
12. Michael Bay 1.071 (Transformers, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor)
13. Clint Eastwood 1.002 (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Space Cowboys)
14. Andrew Adamson 1.001 (Shrek 2, Chronicles of Narnia, Shrek)
15. Ivan Reitman 0.996 (Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Twins)
16. Joel Schumaker 0.962 (Batman Forever, A Time to Kill, Batman and Robin)
17. Tony Scott 0.943 (Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Enemy of the State)
18. Jay Roach 0.927 (Meet the Fockers, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
19. Tom Shadyac 0.878 (Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, Patch Adams
20. Barry Sonnenfeld 0.880 (Men in Black, Men in Black II, Wild Wild West)
21. Roland Emerich 0.850 (Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla)

Top 10 Sci-Fi films and more

This is in response to an Entertainment Weekly article which identified the top 25 sci-fi TV and movie phenomenoms over the last 25 years.

I have a very detailed version of this I intend to expand upon as I improve on this, but here's what I would say are the ten most definitive sci-fi films of all time and when I get the time, I will expand upon this more. So consider this incomplete without explanations:
1. Star Wars, George Lucas, 1977
2. Metropolis, Fritz Lang, 1927
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick, 1968
4. A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick, 1971
5. Close Encounters of a Third Kind, Stephen Spielberg, 1977
6. Blade Runner, Ridley Scott, 1982
7. Brazil, Terry Gilliam, 1986
8. Matrix, Wolchowski Bros., 1999
9. Alien, Ridley Scott, 1979
10. Back to the Future, Rob Zemeckis, 1985

10 other films of note: The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, War of the Worlds (original), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, Aliens, Minority Report, X-Men, E.T.

10 great Sci-Fi TV Shows I recommend: Lost in Space, Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Seaquest DSV, Futurama, Sliders, Quantum Leap, Firefly, Andromeda, Heroes

10 sci-fi books: Dune; I, Robot, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Ender's Game, The Time Machine, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Farenheight 411, and hmmm, can't think of any other ones.

10 Current Directors worth following

10 Directors to acquaint yourself with: We all know Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas when it comes to blockbusters, Oliver Stone when it comes to controvoursey, Woody Allen for comedy but there are a lot of directors that the average filmgoer might not know of who are doing great work in the 21st century. Being familiar with these names of mostly up-and-coming directors will help you make a safer bet next time you’re in the movie theater line or videostore.
1. Fernando Meirelles: “Stick to your village and you’ll appeal to the whole world,” is the philosophy Meirelles preaches to global filmmakers trying to make it in the global era and one he perfected in the landmark 2002 film City of God, a gripping tale of a young photographer trying to make the most of a short-lived existence in the slums of Brazil. His follow-up which transported the Brazillian filmmaker to the shantytowns of Kenya in an adaptation of The Constant Gardener was received just as well this past year. In an ever-increasing global network of film, Meirelles is paving the way for third world filmmakers hoping to import a brand of filmmaking that retains their local flavor.
2. Wes Anderson: Anderson’s films are a delicately textured feast for the eyes and ears. Unique touches like David Bowie songs translated into Portuguese are infused into eclectic film scores and he pays equal attention to visual tones. His films often feature a central character surrounded by a colorful group of characters and by sorting out the kinks in the relationships in his life, he comes to the conclusion that love them or hate them, be greatful for all the people in your life because they come in handy someday.
3. Sam Mendes: His first film, American Beauty, struck a chord with the American public in capturing the depression of suburban conformity and won an Oscar. His second film Road to Perdition, didn’t get quite as acclaim as the first but still had its admirers (including myself, it’s a personal favorite of mine), while three times did not prove a charm for Jarhead, a film injected with just a bit too much testosterone to be effective. Still, traces of his distinct style are noticeable in all three films: Mendes tends to work from the outside in. In three entirely different settings, the Persian Gulf, The Mob Scene in Depression-Era Chicago, Mendes does a wonderful job, first and foremost, of portraying a world and the characters who inhabit it and the story takes off from there.
4. Stephen Sodebergh: First off, I have to admit that it’s kind of irritating how for such a self-proclaimed champion of independent filmmaking, it seems like the sole purpose of some of his movies is to give his friends Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney something to do. Faults aside, Sodebergh is a very innovative filmmaker whose never-ending desire to experiment makes it so that even if he comes up with a dud like Ocean’s 12 or Full Frontal, you have to give him credit for at least trying something new. When he gets it right, like in Traffic, the results can be classic
5. Rob Zemeckis-Stephen Spielberg’s lesser-known protégé has made some of the most memorable classics of the last 20 years showing great range and innovation. He has explored both the fun and serious sides of the sci-fi genre with the Back to the Future trilogy and Contact respectively. His wacky ideas include infusing the gangster film with animated cartoons in Who Framed Roger Robert and (along with co-writer Tom Hanks) basing an entire film on a marooned castaway befriending a volleyball in Cast Away and surprisingly both worked.
6. Kevin Smith-His humor is admittingly low-brow, but as crude humor goes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more intelligent filmmaker than Smith. To treat his landmark film, Clerks (and now Clerks II) as representative of his work would not be giving him enough credit for his range. Chasing Amy is considered by some to be an insightful take on relationships (personally, I didn’t like it but others do), Dogma is probably one of the best religious satires ever made. While bashed by some, I found Mallrats is a great send-up to adolescent aimlessness. It’s moral is priceless: that the best things in life are the little joys (a new type of pretzel, a signing at the comic store, etc) that are found at your neighborhood mall. And that’s what it comes down to for Smith. Is there anything in life more serious than that?
7. Bryan Singer-Working with small budgets as shown with The Usual Suspects, Bryan Singer demonstrated his ability as a great storyteller. With bigger budgets and biggest casts, Singer has still retained the human element but great special effects were added. He has done much to resurrect the superhero summer blockbuster with X-Men and Superman Returns (my review of Superman Returns was bad, but I think that Singer did a good job with what was given to him), by bringing realism to the genre. I’m not certain of this but it’s a good bet that pretty much everything from The Hulk to The Fantastic Four to Batman Begins took cues from him.
8. Peter Weir-For the 1985 hit film Witness, one of the very few films to use Pennsylvania’s Amish country as its setting, Australian Peter Weir was brought over to Hollywood for the project because they wanted someone with an outsider’s sensitivity and that has been one of his trademarks. Weir shows extroadinary attention to detail in his films, which helped make 2003 sea epic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, set during the Napoleanic Wars, one of the best period pieces to date. He also has a great track record of single-handedly transforming the careers of leading actors he has worked with: Harrison Ford in Witness, Robin Williams in Dead Poets’ Society, and Jim Carrey in Truman Show
9. Alexander Payne-Payne is a UCLA Film School grad who studied abroad in Europe during his undergrad days. It was there where he picked up a fondness for Italian neorealism and he is now basically this generation’s answer to The Bycicle Thief. His last two films, About Schmidt and Sideways have both won multiple accolades, and his first two Citizen Ruth and Election, a high school comedy made with MTV films have developed cult followings. Schmidt and Sideways are marked by brilliant casting choices and a humor that comes from the subtleties and joys of life and they are emotionally affecting in a way few movies are.
10. Edward Zwick-With Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai and the upcoming Blood Diamond, Zwick is most at home making the epic. He is great at period pieces, capturing time and place, and the quality of the art direction in his films (The recreation of 19th century San Fransisco for the opening of Last Samurai, for example) gets taken for granted all too often. He infuses films with wonderfully intense action scenes, and for making his films borderline action/period piece hybrids rather than period pieces, he is often overlooked by the academy, although he did win an Oscar as producer of Shakespeare in Love.