A Life in Movies

I came across this blog-a-thon challenge created in 2011 by Fandango Groovers, and I wanted to give it a try too. The idea is to list your favourite movies from each year of your life (based on the film's year of release).

Here are mine:

1982: ET - "ET phone home" - it's cute, it's heartbreaking, it's funny. It's brilliant.

1983: Star Wars Episode VI, Return of the Jedi -  "You underestimate the power of the Dark Side" - ahh the epic conclusion. I didn't see the original Star Wars films until the 90s, but I was hooked straight away.

1984: Ghostbusters - "I am the Keymaster" - this movie scared the crap outta me, especially the part with the fridge.

1985: Back to the Future - "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads" - Apart from having the best last line EVER, BTTF has got to be up there amongst the best films of all time. And given the title of this blog it's obvious that I love, love, love it!

1986: Top Gun - "I feel the need, the need for speed" - there is no way this movie could ever be left off my list. It's essential viewing.

1987: Dirty Dancing - "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" - my absolute favourite film, one I have seen probably 100 times. Oh how I dreamt of finding my very own Johnny Castle.

1988: Beaches - "But enough about me, let's talk about you... what do YOU think of me?" - I've lost count just how many times I've seen this one, but I still cry every single time.  

1989: Parenthood - "I was at Woodstock, for Christ's sake! I peed in a field! I hung on to The Who's helicopter as it flew away!" - I was so in love with this film that I could quote most of it by heart. I still can!

1990: Dances with Wolves - "I'll bet someone back east is going, "Now why don't he write?"" - here's another film that I simply can't watch without crying my eyes out. It gets me everytime. Such a powerfully emotional film.

1991: Fried Green Tomatoes - "Face it, girls, I'm older and I have more insurance" - I laughed, I cried, and I was forever changed by this story. So beautiful.

1992: A League of their Own - "There's no crying in baseball" - well I sure do cry watching this film (do you see a pattern emerging here?!) And Dottie definitely dropped the ball on purpose. What a thoughtful sister.

1993: Philadelphia - "You get in there and you fight for your rights" - this story breaks my heart and I think Tom Hanks is brilliant.

1994: Forrest Gump - "I'm not a smart man... but I know what love is" - Tom Hanks gives another breathtaking performance. There is no way to fault this ingeniously funny and touching story.

1995: Mr Holland's Opus - "Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life" - talk about pulling at heartstrings! This film is so moving and such a reminder of how an individual can change countless lives.

1996: Happy Gilmore - "The price is wrong, bitch" - ahh here is a movie on my list that doesn't make me cry. It sure does make me howl with laughter though. This is Adam Sandler at his best.

1997: Titanic - "You jump, I jump, right?" Why I picked this film needs no explanation.

1998: Object of my Affection - "I want you to be with me, I want you to marry me, I want you to love me the way that I love you" - ahh unrequited love. We've all been there. This is a cute little film where I fell in love with Paul Rudd. 

1999: The Mummy - "Hey, Beni! Looks to me like you're on the wrong side of the river!" - I loved this movie because I love all things Egyptian. And a bit of action killing-bad-guys never hurt anyone (see - I don't just go for weepy films!)

2000: Almost Famous - "I am a golden god!" - I fell in love with two people watching this one - Kate Hudson and Billy Crudup. ohh yeah.

2001: Zoolander - "Who are you tryin' to get crazy with, ese? Don't you know I'm loco?" - come on, you can't deny this film is so ridiculously funny.

2002: Catch Me if You Can - "Put your shirt on, Frank. You're under arrest" - a bit of Leo, and a bit of Tom. Can't go wrong. Made even more remarkable by the fact it's a true story.

2003: Love Actually - "When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around" - a movie to make us all fall in love.

2004: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" - I found this HP film to be darker and much, much better than the first two. And even now, after the series has finished, I still call this one my favourite HP movie.

2005: Brokeback Mountain - "Ya know it could be like this, just like this always" - another weepy. This movie is just too, too sad. I just wanted these two guys to be together and I was heartbroken that it didn't work out for them. 

2006: Little Miss Sunshine - "Everyone, just... pretend to be normal" - ohh boy did I laugh! Love it!

2007: Atonement -  "I love you. I'll wait for you. Come back. Come back to me" - nothing like a tragic love story to get me weeping. Why oh why did this story have to be so sad? But hey, I guess that's why I love it.

2008: The Reader - "Only one thing can make a soul complete and that thing is love" - the quote says it all. Man, I'm a sucker for a tragic love story.

2009: Avatar - "She said all energy is only borrowed, and one day you have to give it back" - I loved the spirituality of this film.

2010: Inception - "I can't imagine you with all your complexity, all you perfection, all your imperfection. Look at you. You are just a shade of my real wife" - Gotta love a film that messes with your mind. Christopher Nolan is brilliant.

2011: Crazy, Stupid, Love - "The war between the sexes is over. We won the second women started doing pole dancing for exercise" - Ryan Gosling is a god. This movie is hilarious!

2012: The Hunger Games - "May the odds be ever in your favour" - a powerful dystopian film with a strong female lead. Brilliant!

2013: Rush - "The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel. It's a wonderful way to live. It's the only way to drive" - an adrenaline-pumped ride about a rivalry/friendship between two men, with some car racing thrown in. :-) I adored it.

2014: The Imitation Game -  "Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine" - a stunning movie with a phenomenal performance by Benedict Cumberbatch. A truly wonderful film about an important moment in history.

2015: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - "Chewie, we're home" - the magic of the original trilogy is back! Great new characters, and familiar faces, make for a fantastic addition to the Star Wars series.

2016: Captain America: Civil War -  "Our very strength incites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe" - this film is action-packed, involves friends fighting each other, and brings nearly all the Avengers together again (plus the added hero-bonus of Spider-Man and Ant Man!); what's not to love?