me chillin' with the boyfriends cat. my #1 favourite relaxation technique
Hello dearest readers. Today is my birthday (I want no gifts for myself other than donations -- here's our fundraiser since we'd love to go to Venice again and keep active through the fall film season. Or if you'd like to subscribe you can see that in the sidebar and choose a small monthly donation amount).
Let's have fun with lists, shall we? Obviously movies aren't made with any one person in mind -- that would be insane -- but have you ever felt like a movie was made just for you or was just what you needed or found yourself unable to not obsess? Because nostaglia has struck me, herewith are the (mostly) movies from each year from 1989 forward that felt (at the time) like personal gifts to me...
For fun I've also included a "soundtrack" of that year though I am not really a music person, drifting in and out of awareness in that showbiz field. You can see I drift most to pop, folk, and showtunes
DISLCAIMER: These aren't necessarily the entertainments I'd call the best of that given year but just the ones that were most personally meaningful to me at that very moment OR that I have the most in-the-moment memories connected to for lots of different reasons. This is a very chaotic umbrella description, I'm aware. Would love to hear which entertainments fit this description for YOU in the comments.
1989 The Fabulous Baker Boys / Madonna's "Like a Prayer"
1990 Postcards from the Edge / George Michael's "Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1"
1991 Truth or Dare / Lucy Simon & Marsha Norman's "The Secret Garden"
1992 Bram Stokers Dracula / Batman Returns / Annie Lennox's "Diva"
1993 Addams Family Values / Björk's "Debut"
1994 Reality Bites / Hole's "Live Through This"
1995 Priest / Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill"
1996 Evita / Tori Amos "Boys for Pele"
1997 Boogie Nights / Indigo Girls "Shaming of the Sun"
1998 Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Off Broadway) / Madonna's "Ray of Light" / Lauryn Hill's "The Emancipation of Lauryn Hill
1999 Run Lola Run / Missy Elliott's "Da Real World"
2000 Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) / Magnetic Field's "69 Love Songs"
2001 Moulin Rouge! / Rufus Wainwright's "Poses"
2002 Far From Heaven* / Jason Robert Brown's "The Last Five Years"
2003 Angels in America (TV) / Madonna's "American Life"
2004 I Heart Huckabees / Patty Griffin's "Impossible Dream" / Scissor Sister's "Scissor Sisters"
2005 Brokeback Mountain / Antony & the Johnson's "I Am a Bird Now" / Adam Guettel's "The Light in the Piazza"
2006 Shortbus / Madonna's "Confessions on a Dancefloor"
2007 Once / Björk's "Volta"
2008 Rachel Getting Married / Pink's "Funhouse"
2009 Precious / Mad Men (TV) / Lady Gaga's "The Fame Monster"
2010 Mad Men (TV) / Robyn's "Body Talk"
2011 Bridesmaids / Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"
2012 Magic Mike / Madonna's "MDNA"
2013 Short Term 12 / Frances Ha / music???
2014 Pride / Captain America Winter Soldier / Sia's "1000 Forms of Fear"
2015 Carol / Mad Max Fury Road / Carly Rae Jepsen's "Emotion"
2016 The Witch / Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton"
2017 Lady Bird / Miley Cyrus "Younger Now"
2018 A Star is Born / Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's "A Star is Born"
2019 Parasite / music ???
2020 Normal People (TV) / Taylor Swift's "Folklore/Evermore"
2021 The Power of the Dog / Adele's "30"
2022 (thus far) Everything Everywhere All At Once / Kacey Musgraves "Star-Crossed"
Randomness. Share your own in the comments. any set of years!