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Mike’s Top Ten of 1979
If I had an affinity for 1978 because it has two of my all-time favorite films, double down on that for 1979. I’ve got two top ten favorite films this year. And there’s a bunch of stuff I love down below the line too.
There’s just so much great stuff here. And, in a way, this is really the last of the auteur years. People often point to the 70s as being the best decade in American film. Typically what they mean is 1967-1976. That’s the decade. But even so, that ’70s’ mentality hung around for the last couple years after Star Wars, before it started getting phased out. This is the last year where it had a noticeable presence. 1980 was the year where it officially ‘ended’, before being turned over to big corporations and mainstream filmmaking. This year still feels like it has some freedom for the cool auteur stuff to come out. Though you can definitely see things coming to an end based on what we had five years before this. Read the rest of this page »
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Pic of the Day: “You think you know something, don’t you? You think you’re the clever little girl who knows something. There’s so much you don’t know, so much. What do you know, really? You’re just an ordinary little girl, living in an ordinary little town. You wake up every morning of your life and you know perfectly well that there’s nothing in the world to trouble you. You go through your ordinary little day, and at night you sleep your untroubled ordinary little sleep, filled with peaceful stupid dreams. And I brought you nightmares. Or did I? Or was it a silly, inexpert little lie?” (75th Anniversary)
Mike’s Top Ten of 1978
A lot to like about 1978. Two of my all-time favorite movies came out this year. So I’ll always think back fondly on it. Plus, there are a couple of really iconic films, aside from those two. The superhero movie started this year. The comedy genre changed forever this year. The horror genre definitely changed forever this year. There’s not really an overarching cinematic change here so much as the 70s continue to churn out great movies.
If there’s one thing I can say about this year, it’s just… Magic. Go see Magic. It’s awesome. Read the rest of this page »
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Pic of the Day: “There can’t be such a thing as civilization unless people have a conscience. Because if people touch God anywhere, where is it except through their conscience? And what is anybody’s conscience except a little piece of the conscience of all men that ever lived?” (75th Anniversary)
Mike’s Top Ten of 1977
1977 changed moviemaking forever. This is when the blockbuster began. Technically Jaws is the grandfather, but this is the year the floodgates broke open, and the one that changed cinema forever. Ironically, this is the year that ended whatever future the auteur era of the 70s had. After this, the studios all got bought by conglomerates, and we moved toward where we are today, a cinema built on franchises and tentpoles. There are still some twists and turns along the way, but that’s what this year ultimately led to.
The big movies take a bit of the air out of the room this year, and you also start to see a bit of the changing of the guard anyway. The auteur works that defined 1971 to 1976 are all starting to look a little stale. They aren’t working as well as they used to, and you start to see a couple of big failures start to happen, which is what will ultimately (after 1980) push Hollywood away from that system and a more studio-driven format.
Still, there’s some cool stuff here. Read the rest of this page »
Mike’s Top Ten of 1976
1976 is a year that a lot of people gravitate to because it’s got some of the most memorable films of the 70s in it. The Best Picture list of this year includes All the President’s Men, Network, Rocky and Taxi Driver. That alone means it’s gonna have a lot of eyeballs on it. And then there’s some other really iconic films from this year too. You could pinpoint a lot of really pivotal moments for film that all happened in this year. John Wayne’s last film, the last great western before the genre died out, and, oh yeah… those four films previously mentioned.
The other great thing about this year, as is the case with most 70s years, is that there are so many great films below the top ten that are just great, most of which are true hidden gems that are largely forgotten nowadays.
Also take a look out for one of my absolute favorite comedies of all time. Read the rest of this page »
Mike’s Top Ten of 1975
If 1973 isn’t the strongest year of the decade, then 1975 for sure is. This top ten list, though. Holy shit. When the weakest one in the bunch is something that you disagree with because it’s not your cup of tea, that’s a strong year. You can’t argue with the cultural impact or strength of any of these films. Kubrick, Lumet, Spielberg, Gilliam, Altman, Forman, Pollack, Russell. That’s just 8 of the top 10. That’s nuts.
I will admit, it’s somewhat top heavy a year, as the lower films aren’t as strong as the ones in some other years. But still, when you have a top ten as strong as this one, you don’t need much else. Read the rest of this page »
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