On this page, I’ll list my top ten favorite films of all-time as well as for every year since 2010. Do note that the all-time list might change over time, seeing as it’s incredibly tough to rank your favorites of all-time.
One of the things one usually gets hung up on is the idea that the highest rated movie is a critic’s favorite film. I’m not saying it isn’t ever, but that’s not always the case. These films aren’t necessarily ranked on their IJR-score, and thus it will not be mentioned here.
Whereas the Movie of the Year is the highest IJR-rated film, the top ten is a ranking of my favorite films of that year. Documentaries can be featured in my yearly top ten lists. I reserve the right to update the top ten lists after their initial release, as I tend to have to wait until February or March of the next year to see every film I need to see.
All-Time
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Directed by Irvin Kershner.
- Taxi Driver (1976) – Directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – Directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen.
- La La Land (2016) – Directed by Damien Chazelle.
- El Laberinto del Fauno (2006) – Directed by Guillermo del Toro.
- Zodiac (2007) – Directed by David Fincher.
- Her (2013) – Directed by Spike Jonze.
- Jurassic Park (1993) – Directed by Steven Spielberg.
- The Departed (2006) – Directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Spider-Man 2 (2004) – Directed by Sam Raimi.
Honorable Mention: Toy Story (1995) – Directed by John Lasseter.
2010
- The Social Network – Directed by David Fincher.
- Inception – Directed by Christopher Nolan.
- Toy Story 3 – Directed by Lee Unkrich.
- Incendies – Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
- The King’s Speech – Directed by Tom Hooper.
- Shutter Island – Directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – Directed by Edgar Wright.
- The Town – Directed by Ben Affleck.
- How to Train Your Dragon – Directed by Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders.
- Blue Valentine – Directed by Derek Cianfrance.
Honorable Mention: Black Swan – Directed by Darren Aronofsky.
2011
- 50/50 – Directed by Jonathan Levine.
- Midnight In Paris – Directed by Woody Allen.
- X-Men: First Class – Directed by Matthew Vaughn.
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Directed by David Fincher.
- Moneyball – Directed by Bennett Miller.
- Warrior – Directed by Gavin O’Connor.
- Drive – Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Directed by David Yates.
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Directed by Brad Bird.
- We Need To Talk About Kevin – Directed by Lynne Ramsay.
Honorable Mention: Captain America: The First Avenger – Directed by Joe Johnston.
2012
- Marvel’s The Avengers – Directed by Joss Whedon.
- Looper – Directed by Rian Johnson.
- The Master – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
- Life of Pi – Directed by Ang Lee.
- Wreck-It Ralph – Directed by Rich Moore.
- Lincoln – Directed by Steven Spielberg.
- Skyfall – Directed by Sam Mendes.
- Django Unchained – Directed by Quentin Tarantino.
- Silver Linings Playbook – Directed by David O. Russell.
- Kapringen – Directed by Tobias Lindholm.
Honorable Mention: Seven Psychopaths – Directed by Martin McDonagh.
2013
- Her – Directed by Spike Jonze.
- Jagten – Directed by Thomas Vinterberg.
- Before Midnight – Directed by Richard Linklater.
- 12 Years A Slave – Directed by Steve McQueen.
- The Wolf of Wall Street – Directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Gravity – Directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
- Prisoners – Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
- Enemy – Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
- Captain Phillips – Directed by Paul Greengrass.
- The Conjuring – Directed by James Wan.
Honorable Mention: Fruitvale Station – Directed by Ryan Coogler.
2014
- Whiplash – Directed by Damien Chazelle.
- Nightcrawler – Directed by Dan Gilroy.
- Boyhood – Directed by Richard Linklater.
- Locke – Directed by Steven Knight.
- Under the Skin – Directed by Jonathan Glazer.
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Directed by James Gunn.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo.
- Gone Girl – Directed by David Fincher.
- Interstellar – Directed by Christopher Nolan.
- The Guest – Directed by Adam Wingard.
Honorable Mention: The Grand Budapest Hotel – Directed by Wes Anderson.
2015
- Inside Out – Directed by Pete Docter & Ronnie Del Carmen.
- Mad Max: Fury Road – Directed by George Miller.
- Spotlight – Directed by Tom McCarthy.
- EX_MACHINA – Directed by Alex Garland.
- Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – Directed by J. J. Abrams.
- Sicario – Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
- Creed – Directed by Ryan Coogler.
- Steve Jobs – Directed by Danny Boyle.
- The Lobster – Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.
Honorable Mention: Brooklyn – Directed by John Crowley.
2016
- La La Land – Directed by Damien Chazelle.
- O. J.: Made in America (Documentary) – Directed by Ezra Edelman.
- Moonlight – Directed by Barry Jenkins.
- Arrival – Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
- Hell or High Water – Directed by David Mackenzie.
- Manchester by the Sea – Directed by Kenneth Lonergan.
- Silence – Directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Sing Street – Directed by John Carney.
- Paterson – Directed by Jim Jarmusch.
- 13th (Documentary) – Directed by Ava DuVernay.
Honorable Mention: Captain America: Civil War – Directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo.
2017
- Get Out – Directed by Jordan Peele.
- Blade Runner 2049 – Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
- Phantom Thread – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
- Call Me By Your Name – Directed by Luca Guadagnino.
- Dunkirk – Directed by Christopher Nolan.
- Coco – Directed by Lee Unkrich.
- Baby Driver – Directed by Edgar Wright.
- War for the Planet of the Apes – Directed by Matt Reeves.
- The Shape of Water – Directed by Guillermo Del Toro.
- The Square – Directed by Ruben Östlund.
Honorable Mention: Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi – Directed by Rian Johnson.
2018
- You Were Never Really Here – Directed by Lynne Ramsay.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman.
- Burning – Directed by Lee Chang-dong.
- Roma – Directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
- First Reformed – Directed by Paul Schrader.
- First Man – Directed by Damien Chazelle.
- The Favourite – Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
- Annihilation – Directed by Alex Garland.
- Widows – Directed by Steve McQueen.
Honorable Mention: Hereditary – Directed by Ari Aster.
2019
- Parasite – Directed by Bong Joon-ho.
- The Irishman – Directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Little Women – Directed by Greta Gerwig.
- Marriage Story – Directed by Noah Baumbach.
- 1917 – Directed by Sam Mendes.
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Directed by Quentin Tarantino.
- Knives Out – Directed by Rian Johnson.
- Avengers: Endgame – Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
- Ford v Ferrari – Directed by James Mangold.
- Ad Astra – Directed by James Gray.
Honorable Mention: Uncut Gems – Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie.
2000s
- El Laberinto del Fauno (2006) – Directed by Guillermo Del Toro.
- Before Sunset (2004) – Directed by Richard Linklater.
- The Departed (2006) – Directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Zodiac (2007) – Directed by David Fincher.
- Requiem For A Dream (2000) – Directed by Darren Aronofsky.
- No Country For Old Men (2007) – Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen.
- The Prestige (2006) – Directed by Christopher Nolan.
- The Dark Knight (2008) – Directed by Christopher Nolan.
- There Will Be Blood (2007) – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
- The Pianist (2002) – Directed by Roman Polanski.
Honorable Mention: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) – Directed by Andrew Dominik.
1990s
- Schindler’s List (1993) – Directed by Steven Spielberg.
- Toy Story (1995) – Directed by John Lasseter.
- Before Sunrise (1995) – Directed by Richard Linklater.
- Festen (1998) – Directed by Thomas Vinterberg.
- The Green Mile (1999) – Directed by Frank Darabont.
- Jurassic Park (1993) – Directed by Steven Spielberg.
- Goodfellas (1990) – Directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Groundhog Day (1993) – Directed by Harold Ramis
- Good Will Hunting (1997) – Directed by Gus Van Sant.
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – Directed by Jonathan Demme.
Honorable Mention: Eyes Wide Shut (1999) – Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
– Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 