40 X 40
INTRODUCTION: So I’m forty(-ish), and sure it’s cliché, but ever since I crossed the line, I really have found myself reflecting more and more on life’s big picture. Or in this case, the big pictures … as well as the small pictures, the music and the books that made the biggest impact on me over the years. This list includes one movie, album, TV show, and book for each year of my life based on the initial release or air date. (Or, at least, for every year that I could name at least one. I have to admit that the gaps between books are a bit embarrassing.) Some of these I experienced upon first release, others I discovered later in life. Each bent my life in a different direction, sometimes subtly and other times in a major way.
There are lots of different methods of tallying the years, some more fun than others. I hope that you enjoy this trip as much as I did! (And if you can recommend any of your own favorites to fill in the gaps, that would be great...)
1978-1987
1978
Favorite Movie: Superman
Favorite Album: More Songs About Buildings and Food, Talking Heads
Favorite TV Show: The Muppet Show
Favorite Book: The Stand, Stephen King
1979
Favorite Movie: The Warriors
Favorite Album: Tusk, Fleetwood Mac
Favorite TV Show: Soap
Favorite Book: Oh Say Can You Say, Dr. Seuss
1980
Favorite Movie: Airplane!
Favorite Album: Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), David Bowie
Favorite TV Show: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1981
Favorite Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Favorite Album: Controversy, Prince
Favorite TV Show: The Greatest American Hero
1982
Favorite Movie: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Favorite Album: The Golden Age of Wireless, Thomas Dolby
Favorite TV Show: Knight Rider
Favorite Book: The Color Purple, Alice Walker
1983
Favorite Movie: Return of the Jedi
Favorite Album: Power, Corruption & Lies, New Order
Favorite TV Show: Newhart
1984
Favorite Movie: Amadeus
Favorite Album: Purple Rain, Prince and the Revolution
Favorite TV Show: V
1985
Favorite Movie: Brazil
Favorite Album: Listen Like Thieves, INXS
Favorite TV Show: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Favorite Book: Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
1986
Favorite Movie: The Fly
Favorite Album: The Queen is Dead, The Smiths
Favorite TV Show: L.A. Law
Favorite Book: IT, Stephen King
1987
Favorite Movie: The Untouchables
Favorite Album: Paid in Full, Eric B. and Rakim
Favorite TV Show: Friday the 13th: The Series
Favorite Book: Noregian Wood, Haruki Murakami
1988-1997
1988
Favorite Movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Favorite Album: Introspective, Pet Shop Boys
Favorite TV Show: Alf Tales
Favorite Book: The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
1989
Favorite Movie: The ‘Burbs
Favorite Album: Doolittle, Pixies
Favorite TV Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Favorite Book: Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
1990
Favorite Movie: Tremors
Favorite Album: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, The Sundays
Favorite TV Show: Twin Peaks
Favorite Book: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
1991
Favorite Movie: The Rocketeer
Favorite Album: Achtung Baby, U2
Favorite TV Show: The Pirates of Dark Water
Favorite Book: The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman
1992
Favorite Movie: Malcolm X
Favorite Album: Broken, Nine Inch Nails
Favorite TV Show: Batman: The Animated Series
Favorite Book: Ishmael, Daniel Quinn
1993
Favorite Movie: Groundhog Day
Favorite Album: Pale Sun, Crescent Moon, Cowboy Junkies
Favorite TV Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Favorite Book: Einstein's Dreams, Alan Lightman
1994
Favorite Movie: Ed Wood
Favorite Album: Monster, R.E.M.
Favorite TV Show: The Critic
1995
Favorite Movie: Antonia's Line
Favorite Album: Outside, David Bowie
Favorite TV Show: Mr. Show with Bob and David
Favorite Book: Blindness, Jose Saramago
1996
Favorite Movie: The Cable Guy
Favorite Album: If You're Feeling Sinister, Belle & Sebastian
Favorite TV Show: The Daily Show
Favorite Book: Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
1997
Favorite Movie: Grosse Pointe Blank
Favorite Album: I Can Hear The Heart Beat As One, Yo La Tengo
Favorite TV Show: King of the Hill
1998-2007
1998
Favorite Movie: The Big Lebowski
Favorite Album: UP, R.E.M.
Favorite TV Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1999
Favorite Movie: The Straight Story
Favorite Album: Ágætis Byrjun, Sigur Ros
Favorite TV Show: Futurama
2000
Favorite Movie: American Psycho
Favorite Album: Kid A, Radiohead
Favorite TV Show: Curb Your Enthusiasm
Favorite Book: Under the Skin, Michael Faber
2001
Favorite Movie: Donnie Darko
Favorite Album: Amnesiac, Radiohead
Favorite TV Show: Six Feet Under
Favorite Book: Atonement, Ian McEwan
2002
Favorite Movie: The Ring
Favorite Album: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco
Favorite TV Show: The Wire
Favorite Book: Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang
2003
Favorite Movie: X2
Favorite Album: Give Up, The Postal Service
Favorite TV Show: Arrested Development
Favorite Book: Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
2004
Favorite Movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Favorite Album: Thunder, Lightning, Strike, The Go! Team
Favorite TV Show: Deadwood
Favorite Book: Y: The Last Man, Brian Vaughn
2005
Favorite Movie: War of the Worlds
Favorite Album: Guerolito, Beck
Favorite TV Show: Colbert Report
Favorite Book: The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
2006
Favorite Movie: The Descent
Favorite Album: Donuts, J Dilla
Favorite TV Show: Big Love
Favorite Book: Fun Home, Allison Bechdel
2007
Favorite Movie: Hot Fuzz
Favorite Album: Challengers, New Pornographers
Favorite TV Show: Battlestar Galactica
Favorite Book: The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Michael Chabon
2008-2018
2008
Favorite Movie: The Dark Knight
Favorite Album: Skeletal Lamping, of Montreal
Favorite TV Show: Breaking Bad
Favorite Book: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski
2009
Favorite Movie: Inglourious Basterds
Favorite Album: Middle Cyclone, Neko Case
Favorite TV Show: Parks and Rec
Favorite Book: Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann
2010
Favorite Movie: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Favorite Album: Heartland, Owen Pallett
Favorite TV Show: Archer
Favorite Book: Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor
2011
Favorite Movie: A Separation
Favorite Album: Kaputt, Destroyer
Favorite TV Show: True Blood
2012
Favorite Movie: Prometheus
Favorite Album: Love This Giant, David Byrne and St. Vincent
Favorite TV Show: Gravity Falls
Favorite Book: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, Sean Howe
2013
Favorite Movie: Pacific Rim
Favorite Album: Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend
Favorite TV Show: Orange is the New Black
Favorite Book: The Infatuations, Javier Marías
2014
Favorite Movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Favorite Album: St. Vincent, St. Vincent
Favorite TV Show: BoJack Horseman
Favorite Book: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Roz Chast
2015
Favorite Movie: Mad Max: Fury Road
Favorite Album: To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
Favorite TV Show: Better Call Sault
Favorite Book: Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
2016
Favorite Movie: Arrival
Favorite Album: We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, A Tribe Called Quest
Favorite TV Show: The People vs. O.J. Simpson
Favorite Book: Central Station, Lavie Tidhar
2017
Favorite Movie: Blade Runner 2049
Favorite Album: Sleep Well Beast, The National
Favorite TV Show: Twin Peaks: The Return
2018
Favorite Movie: Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse
Favorite Album: Semicircle, The Go! Team
Favorite TV Show: Succession
Favorite Book: Your Black Friend, Ben Passmore