Film Years: The Good, The Bad, and 1975

Earlier in this year, many critics dubbed it, "The Worst Film Year Ever." While they have been largely quieted by the successes of The King's Speech, The Social Network, and Black Swan, among others, it is still a good opportunity to discuss some notoriously good and notoriously bad film years.

1953
This was a horrendous year, it's only decent offering being Julius Caesar. While avoiding good films, 1953 managed to rack up such garbage as the undeniably cheesy western, Shane, How to Marry a Millionaire, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, both lackluster cookie cutter Marilyn Monroe vehicles, and Hondo, an easily forgettable and mind numbingly predictable John Wayne film.

1969
With classic films like Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Wild Bunch, and Easy Rider, 1969 was a defining year of the American New Wave of Filmmaking and a year that will go down in the history books.

1975
A year marked by such immortal films as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Barry Lyndon, Nashville, and Dog Day Afternoon, 1975 continued to display the great works that defined the American New Wave, and planted the seeds of the Hollywood Blockbuster in its most famous film, Jaws.

1976
One of the finest years in film history, 1976 saw the release of Rocky, All The President's Men, Network, and Taxi Driver. While some of the films of 1976 have fallen into a pit of cultural insignificance, they remain important documents of America as the nation finished its second century.

1983
While Terms of Endearment and Return of the Jedi managed to keep this year from being a disaster, few other films released in 1983 held any lasting interest.

1995
Braveheart and Toy Story were undoubtedly classics, but 1995 was brought down by weak films like Batman Forever, Casper, Die Hard With a Vengeance, and the infamous flop, Waterworld.

1999
American Beauty, Magnolia, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, The Matrix, Fight Club, and cult favorite Being John Malovich were all released in this stunningly good year.

2009
In 2009 the Academy changed the number of best picture nominees from 5 to 10 films to fit all the great films released that year. Up in the Air, Inglorious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, An Education, Up, Precious, and A Serious Man were all products of 2009.

While some years are good and some are bad, even the worst years have a few redeeming films. And even the best years have to suffer a few Waterworlds.