This is going to be much more fun when I get to where I have seen all the great films of a given year. At least I hope so.

One thing is for sure, it’s too late to try to catch up on the ones I have missed by going back and watching them now. I say that because today I watched a movie that appears on a bunch of “all time funniest” lists and did not enjoy it at all. If you haven’t seen Steve Martin in The Jerk it’s the kind of funny that is painful to watch. The way the late night phone call scene from Swingers makes you cringe. I know that’s what they were going for, but wow that was tough.

That said, as I look at the rest of the options for the year I can’t help but see so many in this time period as ground-breaking. Think Alien, Apocalypse Now, Meatballs, and The Muppet Movie. These movies are just a cut above the rest.

My “haven’t seen but are supposed to be great” films of this year are 10, Kramer vs. Kramer, All That Jazz, and Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The only other important film to bring up is The Black Stallion which I am afraid to watch now as I remember it so fondly but am afraid how much it might not hold up. I guess I should mention Star Trek: The Motion Picture as a film of note for the year, but it was awful. So, painfully slow.

Oh, I guess I need to actually pick a favorite here. I’ll have to go with what seems to be a trend starting with me and my picks, another movie set in space…

 

My favorite film of 1979: Alien