If you could pick only one film (featuring boys) per year as your favourite, what would they be? You have to narrow it down to one. No ties. No runners-up.

Let's start with the 1990s. (I go by whatever the year is on IMDb.)

My choices:

1990

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You didn't expect me to pick the obvious choices, did you? The Reflecting Skin is by no means a perfect film. A lot of it is overly dramatic, almost theatrical, and some of the acting is a bit weird. But it's a fascinating story, dealing with some very dark themes, and its meditation on childhood as a kind of nightmare makes it a unique and powerful film. And with vampires, child murderers, radiation poisoning, and mummified stillborn baby angels thrown in the mix, you're in for a lot of surreal weirdness.

1991

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Another underappreciated film, this one had me hooked from the brilliantly edited opening sequence. I've come to dislike movies that are edited out of chronological order, but this is an example that seems to work. I was tempted to disqualify it for the movie-of-the-year position, because the boy has less screentime than some of my other choices from that year, but ultimately this is really my favourite.

1992

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Very easy pick for this year. This is one of my all-time favourites and has been for a very long time. I think it works better if you understand French, and even better if you are familiar with Québec culture. Nevertheless, lots of people from around the world seem to love it as well, so there must be something universal about it. Filmed in Montreal.

1993

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Another fairly easy pick. Max Pomeranc's performance is beautiful. Most people are already familiar with this one and seem to agree with me on its quality, so there's no need to say much more.

1994

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I don't think the movie in itself is all that extraordinary. There were lots of much better movies made that year, but not many of them featuring boys. This is not a bad movie, though. It's just kind of ordinary. What elevates it to the status of "favourite" for this year, though, is Elijah Wood's performance. I think it's the best of his career, hands down. The presence of Lucas Black is a big bonus as well.

1995

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I know a lot of people  profoundly dislike this movie and its director, but it still rings true to me. The tagged on message about AIDS is besides the point. This is a razor-sharp, uncompromised portrait of a generation that has yet to be matched.

1996

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(IMDb says 1996 for this title, so I'm going with it even though our database says 1995.)

It was a toss between this and another film which I suspect will be more popular with others (if anyone else participates in this thing). It's been a while since I saw this movie (about eight years) and I'm not sure if a second viewing would make me like it more or less. My tastes have changed a lot in recent years. Let's just say I'm not all that confident with my choice in this case, but I do remember enjoying it a lot when I saw it.

1997

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No comment for this one. I know it's a very unpopular movie around here. I'm not in a mood to fight over it, though, so let's just agree to disagree.

1998

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1998 was a great year for boy movies, as far as I can tell. I had lots of good ones to choose from. But the choice was still easy, since this is perhaps my favourite movie of all time. Mason Gamble is not the lead character, but he's adorable. Everything about this movie is pure genius, including acting, writing, soundtrack and cinematography.

1999

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Lynne Ramsay's directorial debut is striking in its poetic beauty. Her 2002 follow-up, Morvern Callar, is almost as good, but unfortunately doesn't feature any boy. I'm anxiously awaiting her next feature film.

*

Next time: The 1980s.

Wow! It's amazing that of the 10 titles on your list, I have only seen one. That would be Shadrach. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the film, but Scott Terra certainly makes it worth watching.

I'm not even sure I can come up with a favorite for each of those years - may be some years I never saw a good one, tireless movie person that I am. 

Later, I'll have to see what I can do.

AH382: You and I have very different tastes! But I do like some of the movies you listed, especially Home Alone, Addams Family and Simon Birch. Good choices.

Debois: The Mighty is a great movie. It would be in my list if I could choose more than one per year.

That is an impressive list, Cal.

Ditto to approximately 20 percent of your titles, particularily in the 1975-1983 area.... perhaps all are the same on our lists during this era.  However, Greystoke gets the nod over Ciske in '84!

I too stuck to favorites, those that gave me most pleasure, rather than movies I respected, admired and watched more than once. And yes, many years called for cruel choices.








Well, this is the one for 1997 I watched the most!


A very cruel choice for 1999, but I had to choose. Sorry, '6th Sense'

Quote:


Aw, man. Why'd you have to be so eager? Now you'll have nothing to comment when I post the threads about the other decades.

Is there a place we could post our favorite film from each year?  It would be great because if we happen to view an older film for the first time and like it more than the previous favorite..... simple.

But for the time being, bring on the next decade Monsieur Joseph!