1978: Superman - Some great classics also came out, like Halloween and Dawn of the Dead. But yeah, it's Superman: The Movie. It's no contest for me.
1979: The Muppet Movie - I haven't really seen a lot of classics. Alien almost won here, but I like Aliens a lot more. So Kermit and friends win.
1980: Superman II - Don't get me wrong, I like the Star Wars films. But I'm not as big a fan as others. Plus, more Christoper Reeve, and against a Terrance Stamp hamming it up? Hell yes.
1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark - I'm changing my choice from Time Bandits because while I liked Time Bandits, I don't remember much aside from the ending. I could quote conversations line-for-line with Lost Ark.
1982: E.T. - More great classics like The Thing. And if E.T. wasn't here, Wrath of Khan would absolutely take its place. But E.T. was the first movie I ever saw (at a drive-in!).
1983: Return of the Jedi - Haven't honestly seen a lot from this year. That's okay. Jedi is my favourite of the Star Wars films; mostly because I saw this one in theatres.
1984: Gremlins - Sorry Ghostbusters and Terminator, but Gremlins is on my Top 10 all-time favourites. It's no contest. Too many fond memories, including watching it every Christmas with my nieces.
1985: Back to the Future - More good, classic movies out this year but none hold a candle to BttF. I really should fix the fact that I've never sat down and watched Goonies in its entirety. Always caught it on TV at like the last 10 minutes.
1986: Aliens - The Transformers Movie was a contender, but Aliens just kicks too much ass. I'd argue it's one of the greatest action flicks in history.
1987: The Princess Bride - Monster Squad very nearly won here, but someone kicked Wolfman in the nards. Predator and Robocop destroyed each other in the battle. But Princess Bride came out on top.
1988: Killer Klowns From Outer Space - It was almost Who Framed Roger Rabbit? until I kept scrolling and saw Killer Klowns. Another on my Top 10 list. Sorry Die Hard. No contest.
1989: Back to the Future II - I don't think Batman has aged well. The BttF movies, however, only get better with time. Pun intended.
1990: Gremlins 2 - Lots of solid movies this year, but again, Joe Dante's crazy creatures win it. Honourable mention to Tremors and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
1991: The Rocketeer - Terminator 2 almost made it because it kicks all the ass, but The Rocketeer's charm wins out.
1992: Aladdin - Another change, as I originally had Reservoir Dogs. Amazing movie, but Aladdin is one of my favourite non-Pixar Disney movies.
1993: Groundhog Day - If I ranked my favourites past 10 to maybe 15 or 20, this would make that list. Honourable mention to the very fun Demolition Man.
1994: Shawshank Redemption - My #1 favourite movie. It's no contest.
1995: The Usual Suspects - Toy Story almost won, but I like 2 & 3 more. So we'll give it to a really great crime film.
1996: Independence Day - Plenty of fun movies here. Star Trek First Contact is a respectable second, but ID4 gets many more rewatches.
1997: Good Will Hunting - Tough choice between this or As Good as it Gets. This one's closely debatable. Hercules is a respectable third; another Disney favourite.
1998: What Dreams May Come - My #2 all-time favourite. This one hits very close to home for me.
1999: The Iron Giant - Toy Story 2 almost had this until I kept scrolling. Another no contest as Iron Giant is also in my Top 10.
2000: Unbreakable - Some really good movies like Memento and Cast Away, but goddam, Unbreakable is still amazing.
2001: Amelie - I liked the Lord of the Rings films, but that's it. Monsters Inc is a strong second here. But there was something about Amelie that really grabbed me. I should re-watch it. Been a long time.
2002: Road to Perdition - Again, not a big enough LotR or Spider-Man fan to put them here. Lilo & Stitch almost had it, but the Tom Hanks crime drama wins it.
2003: Finding Nemo - Not a lot of solid competition here, honestly. Plenty of good movies, but not Finding Nemo good.
2004: The Incredibles - Like I said, the choice between this and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind DESTROYED me. They're both in my Top 10, just about the same spot (#5/6ish). Choosing one took me more than 5 agonizing minutes.
2005: Sky High - Sin City was a close one here. Looking at the list again, there was a LOT of crap this year. But Sky High is a massively underrated, fun flick.
2006: Pan's Labyrinth - My #3 all-time favourite movie. Glad that my Top 3 all got to be picked. Strong shout-out to Stranger Than Fiction and Children of Men, though.
2007: Hot Fuzz - I didn't really know what to pick here. Lots of movies I liked, like The Mist or Gone Baby Gone. But of all of them, I rewatch Hot Fuzz the most.
2008: The Wrestler - Wall-E, Iron Man, Dark Knight, Hellboy 2. All great stuff. But The Wrestler was just something else. Tough choice here.
2009: District 9 - Up almost went here, but Pixar already got a lot of love in previous years. I considered Avatar, as I still quite like it. Butman, how great was District 9? I need to rewatch it. It's been awhile.
2010: Scott Pilgrim vs the World - Some REALLY stiff competition here. How to Train Your Dragon, Megamind, Predators, Inception, Toy Story 3, Shutter Island. But Scott Pilgrim was such a rare thing and a severely underrated classic. I was fortunate to live in Toronto when it released because seeing it in a theater filled with fellow Torontonians made it extra special since the film is set and was filmed there.
2011: Captain America: The First Avenger - X-Men First Class almost had this. But Captain America was the Captain America movie I always wanted. It was a spectacular throwback to pulp serials and Chris Evans is the true MVP of the MCU. He knocked this right out of the park.
2012: The Avengers - Cloud Atlas came THIS close to winning it. But I've re-watched The Avengers so many times. It's astonishing they managed to actually pull it off and make a shared film universe actually work.
2013: Pacific Rim - I know all of you are absolutely shocked Man of Steel didn't make it. Not a lot of strong competition here for me, really. Maybe Gravity, but I only saw that once.
2014: Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Whew, this was a tough one. Guardians of the Galaxy, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Lego Movie. But the Captain America movies are my favourite of the MCU, so it's hard to beat.
2015: The Martian - Inside Out is a very close second. But I saw The Martian while I was hospitalized that year after a major depression and suicidal thoughts. Its optimism got me through a very hard time. I really should buy it when I have the money.
2016: Captain America: Civil War - Arrival almost won, but Civil War was just too much fun.
2017: The Lego Batman Movie - It's early in the year, but this and Get Out made this a hard choice. With GotG2, Thor, and Spider-Man coming out, this might be a harder decision come December.