30 for 30: My 30 Fave Films Since 1988

I turned 30 this year, back in May. It was a pretty unceremonious birthday, especially since it happened just a few weeks before my big, stressful qualifying exams for my Ph.D program. At the time I said that I'd celebrate in a few weeks once the exam passed, but here it is, two months later...and I still have done nothing at all to celebrate my 30 years of existence. In an effort to remember what an awesome thirty years its been, I present to you my top 30 film picks - one for each year that I've been alive.

Note: this list isn't the BEST film for each listed year, but my FAVORITE films based on criteria like how rewatchable they are, how memorable they are, how much they influenced me, etc. Don't @ me.

1988 - Die Hard

1989 - The Little Mermaid

1990 - Misery

1991 - Beauty and the Beast

1992 - Singles

1993 - Tie: True Romance & Last Action Hero

1994 - The Shawshank Redemption

1995 - Strange Days

1996 - Fargo

1997 - Tie: Con Air & Face/Off

1998 - The Truman Show

1999 - The Matrix

2000 - Almost Famous

2001 - Ghost World

2002 - Catch Me If You Can

2003 - Elf

2004 - Kung Fu Hustle

2005 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

2006 - Stranger than Fiction

2007 - The Mist

2008 - The Dark Knight

2009 - Star Trek

2010 - Scott Pilgrim vs the World

2011 - Attack the Block

2012 - The Cabin in the Woods

2013 - Man of Steel

2014 - Snowpiercer

2015 - Mad Max: Fury Road

2016 - Moana

2017 - Get Out

2018 (so far) - Sorry to Bother You