1983 for genre stuff
RETURN IF THE JEDI
SUPERMAN 3
PSYCHO 2
SMOKEY & BANDIT 3
JAWS 3
AMITTYVILLE 3
STAYIN' ALIVE
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
OCTOPUSSY
SCARFACE
FLASHDANCE
SUDDEN IMPACT

While I agree that 1939 was the best year, 1999 probably the best year any of us have ever seen. The above list didn't even include the top ten box office movies of that year:

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
The Sixth Sense
Toy Story 2
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
The Matrix
Tarzan
Big Daddy
The Mummy
Runaway Bride
The Blair Witch Project

Yes, 1999 immediately came to mind. I'd also have to say 2007 wasn't bad, because I saw more movies theatrically last year than any year before.

I'll let film historians debate different years, I just know what I liked.

I'd have to vote for 1939 as well.

Some of my favorite years are 1951 with:

Strangers on a Train
Alice in Wonderland
An American in Paris
The Day the Earth Stood Still
A Place in the Sun
A Streetcar Names Desire
Scrooge
The African Queen
Death of a Salesman
The Thing From Another World


You know, we could do a list that that for almost every year from 1939 on up.

The real best year is the current year, because we have access to everything, new and old.

how about the single worst year for movies?

2000 Hands down.


Other good 1999 movies:
Titus
The Green Mile
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
ANy Given Sunday
The World is Not Enough (Not a great movie I guess but it does have one of the best Bond songs f not the best.)
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Being John Malkovich

1962 had:

Birdman of Alcatraz
Cape Fear
Carnival of Souls
Day of the Triffids, The
Dr. No
How the West Was Won
Lawrence of Arabia
Lolita
Longest Day, The
Manchurian Candidate, The
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Miracle Worker, The
Music Man, The
Mutiny on the Bounty
Ride the High Country
To Kill a Mockingbird
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

1984:

amadeus
karate kid
ghostbusters
indiana jones and the temple of doom
gremlins
beverly hills cop
police academy
footloose
romancing the stone
purple rain
the natural

That would be 1982 for me...let's see:

E.T.
Blade Runner
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Tootsie
An Officer & A Gentleman
48 Hours
Ghandi
First Blood

Yes, I ammend my answer...1982 WAS the best year for movies.

To me nothing tops 1999 for it's overall selection, 2007 doesn't even come close. Here are a few that come to mind.

American Beauty
Cider House Rules
Magnolia
The Insider
The Sixth Sense
Being John Malkovich
The Hurricane
Eyes Wide Shut
Snow Falling on Cedars
The Matrix
Fight Club
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
The End of the Affair
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Girl, Interrupted
All About My Mother
Election
The Green Mile

1974. Not bad.

The Godfather Part II
Chinatown
Lenny
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Conversation
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Phantom of the Paradise
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
A Woman Under the Influence
Death Wish
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
California Split
Blazing Saddles
Young Frankenstein
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry

1989

Batman
Lethal Weapon 2
Dead Poets Society
Back to the Future Part II
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
When Harry Met Sally...
Parenthood
The Little Mermaid
Cinema Paradiso

Negative.

2000 was a great year.

Almost Famous
American Psycho
Amorres Perros
George Washington
Gladiator
In the Mood for Love
Memento
O Brother Where Art Thou?
Snatch
Traffic
Unbreakable
X-Men

4 of the films are my favorites of the decade.

One comes to mind 1986. I found maybe a couple that I wanted to see or rented that I liked.

And just to add on to 1939:

Gunga Din (which Leonard Maltin gives 4 out of 4 stars, and describes it as THE Hollywood action-adventure movie)

and Son of Frankenstein, one of the last of the great Universal horrors of that era.

I'm in for 1939. 1969 has its supporters too:

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Easy Rider (1969)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
The Italian Job (1969)
Andrey Rublyov (1969)
Take the Money and Run (1969)
True Grit (1969)
Z (1969)
Sterile Cuckoo, The (1969)
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The (1969)

the first 4 are among my favs of all time.

1982 wasn't so bad...

1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Universal) $359,197,037
2. Tootsie (Columbia) $177,200,000
3. An Officer and a Gentleman (Paramount) $129,795,554
4. Rocky III (United Artists) $125,049,120
5. Porky's (Fox) $105,492,483

6. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Paramount) $78,912,963
7. 48 Hrs. (Paramount) $78,868,508
8. Poltergeist (MGM) $76,606,280
9. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Universal) $69,701,637
10. Annie (Columbia) $57,059,003
11. The Verdict (Fox) $53,977,250
12. Gandhi (Columbia) $52,767,889
13. First Blood (Orion) $47,212,904
14. The Toy (Columbia) $47,118,057
15. Firefox (Warner Bros.) $46,708,276
16. The Dark Crystal (Universal) $40,577,001
17. Conan the Barbarian (Universal) $39,565,475
18. The Sword and the Sorcerer (Group 1) $39,103,425
19. Best Friends (Warner Bros.) $36,821,203
20. Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip (Columbia) $36,299,720
21. Friday the 13th Part III (Paramount) $34,581,519
22. Tron (Buena Vista) $33,000,000
23. Young Doctors in Love (Fox) $30,688,860
24. Sophie's Choice (Universal) $30,036,000
25. The World According to Garp (Warner Bros.) $29,712,172
26. Victor/Victoria (MGM) $28,215,453
27. Blade Runner (Warner Bros.) $27,580,111
28. Airplane II: The Sequel (Paramount) $27,150,534
29. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Universal) $27,092,880
30. Some Kind of Hero (Paramount) $23,671,186
31. The Road Warrior (Warner Bros.) $23,667,907
32. Bambi (Buena Vista) $23,000,000
33. Pink Floyd — The Wall (MGM) $22,244,207
34. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Paramount) $21,437,879
35. Things Are Tough All Over (Columbia) $21,134,374
36. Night Shift (Warner Bros.) $21,095,638
37. Creepshow (Warner Bros.) $21,028,755
38. Quest for Fire (Fox) $20,959,585
39. The Man From Snowy River (Fox) $20,659,423
40. Six Pack (Fox) $20,225,989
41. My Favorite Year (MGM) $20,123,620
42. Deathtrap (Warner Bros.) $19,282,134
43. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (Universal) $18,196,170
44. Peter Pan (Buena Vista) $17,200,000
45. Zapped! (Embassy) $16,897,768
46. They Call Me Bruce (Film Ventures Intl) $16,894,678
47. Death Wish II (Filmways) $16,100,000
48. Kiss Me Goodbye (Fox) $15,782,759
49. Star Wars (Fox) $15,476,285
50. Grease 2 (Paramount)

they may not all have been box office gold, but some of them are oft talked about genre classics in some regard.

I think we have a winner for worst year. All those movies suck except Raiders of the Lost Ark and Blade Runner.

Uhhhh...

I hope you were just kidding.

Star Trek II - GREAT movie
Rocky III - Hell of an entertaining movie
First Blood - Damn good movie

(and that's just a few of the good/great ones)

Uhhhh...

I stick to my post. Citing Rocky III as a good example from 1982 is like saying 2008 was pretty good because of Cloverfield.

movies don't have to be Oscar caliber to be quite enjoyable, endurable loves of yesterday. most of the ones that i bolded are popular as hell, classic in the genre sense, not Oscar worthy, but just re-watchable and entertaining as hell.

1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial...bonafide classic
2. Tootsie...very highly regarded
3. An Officer and a Gentleman...romantic schmaltz that has lasted thru years
4. Rocky III...not deep by 1 & 2 standards, but a lot of fun.
6. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan...bonafide classic and arguably best in entire series.
7. 48 Hrs....genre defining
8. Poltergeist...horror staple
12. Gandhi...Oscar winning
13. First Blood...cult favorite
16. The Dark Crystal...cult favorite
22. Tron...cult favorite
27. Blade Runner...cult God
29. Fast Times at Ridgemont High...cult favorite
31. The Road Warrior...genre defining
33. Pink Floyd — The Wall...mind-bending classic
37. Creepshow...cult favorite
45. Zapped! ...c'mon now!

Gee that's interesting because...



I think we have a winner for worst year. All those movies suck except No Country For Old Men, Juno, and Superbad.

Many would argue that those three all sucked. And that many you thought sucked were awesome.

Personally, I think Juno and Superbad were mediocre films. But There Will be Blood and No Country for Old Men are two of the best films of the last ten years, so they bring the year up.