The June List (2009)
by Rusty W. Spell

I haven’t seen every movie or heard every album. What follows is what I consider the best (that is, my favorite) album, best new artist, best movie, and sometimes worst movie of what I know (see links for what I know). That’s why some years don’t have items listed (including "worst movie," since I don't consider the ones I've seen that year bad enough for that honor), and it’s why sometimes seemingly mediocre movies and albums sometimes win the best award (though it doesn’t happen that often). As is suggested in the title, I update this list every June.  That gives me six months extra to experience some things from the previous year.

As asterisk (*) represents a choice new or different from last year's list.
The June Lists: 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

1916
Best Movie -- D.W. Griffith: Intolerance

1919
Best Movie -- Robert Weine: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

1920
Best Movie -- Paul Wegener: The Golem

1921
Best Movie -- Buster Keaton: The Playhouse

1922
Best New Artist -- Fats Waller *
Best Movie -- F.W. Murnau: Nosferatu

1925
Best Movie -- Rupert Julian: The Phantom of the Opera

1926
Best Movie -- Roland West: The Bat

1927
Best New Artist -- The Carter Family
Best Movie -- Buster Keaton: The General

1928
Best Movie -- Luis Buñuel -- Un Chien Andalou

1931
Best Movie -- Tod Browning: Dracula

1932
Best Movie -- Tod Browning: Freaks

1933
Best Movie -- James Whale: The Invisible Man

1934
Best Movie -- John M. Stahl: Imitation of Life *

1935
Best Movie -- James Whale: Bride of Frankenstein

1936
Best Movie -- Frank Capra: Mr. Deeds Goes To Town

1937
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

1938
Best Movie -- Michael Curtiz and William Keighley: The Adventures of Robin Hood *

1939
Best Movie -- Frank Capra: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

1940
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: Fantasia

1941
Best New Artist -- Bernard Herrmann *
Best Movie -- Orson Welles: Citizen Kane

1942
Best Move -- Walt Disney: Bambi

1943
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: Victory Through Air Power

1944
Best Movie -- Otto Preminger: Laura *

1945
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: The Three Caballeros

1946
Best Movie -- Frank Capra: It’s a Wonderful Life

1947
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: Fun and Fancy Free

1948
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: Melody Time

1949
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

1950
Best New Artist -- Billy Holiday *
Best Movie -- Billy Wilder: Sunset Boulevard

1951
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: Alice in Wonderland

1953
Best New Artist -- Eartha Kitt *
Best Movie -- Ed Wood: Glen or Glenda?

1954
Best Movie -- Richard Fleisher: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

1955
Best New Artist -- Fats Domino
Best Movie -- Walt Disney: Lady and the Tramp

1956
Best New Artist -- Jim Reeves
Best Movie -- Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Knew Too Much

1957
Best New Artist -- Serge Gainsbourg *
Best Album -- Elvis Presley: Christmas Album
Best Movie -- Stanley Kubrick: Paths of Glory

1958
Best Movie -- Mervyn LeRoy: No Time for Sergeants

1959
Best New Artist -- The Chipmunks *
Best Movie Alfred Hitchcock: North By Northwest

1960
Best Movie -- Alfred Hitchcock: Psycho

1961
Best New Artist -- Etta James *
Best Movie -- Robert Wise: West Side Story

1962
Best New Artist -- The Beach Boys *
Best Album -- The Chipmunks: Christmas with the Chipmunks *
Best Movie -- Stanley Kubrick: Lolita

1963
Best New Artist -- The Beatles
Best Album -- The Beatles: Please Please Me *
Best Movie -- Alfred Hitchcock: The Birds *

1964
Best New Artist -- Simon and Garfunkel
Best Album -- The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Night
Best Movie -- Stanley Kubrick: Dr. Strangelove--Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

1965
Best New Artist -- Paul Simon
Best Album -- The Beatles: Help!
Best Movie -- Sergio Leone: For a Few Dollars More

1966
Best New Artist -- The Monkees *
Best Album -- The Beatles: Revolver
Best Movie -- Leslie H. Martinson: Batman: The Movie *

1967
Best New Artist -- The Velvet Underground
Best Album -- The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground and Nico
Best Movie -- Arthur Penn: Bonnie and Clyde

1968
Best New Artist -- Fleetwood Mac
Best Album -- Serge Gainsbourg: Initials B.B. *
Best Movie -- Stanley Kubrick: 2001—A Space Odyssey

1969
Best New Artist -- Led Zeppelin
Best Album -- The Beatles: Abbey Road
Best Movie -- Bill Melendez: A Boy Named Charlie Brown *

1970
Best New Artist -- Paul McCartney
Best Album -- Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice: Jesus Christ Superstar
Best Movie -- Robert Altman: M*A*S*H

1971
Best New Artist -- Billy Joel
Best Album -- Led Zeppelin: IV (Zoso)
Best Movie -- Mel Stuart: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

1972
Best New Artist -- Michael Jackson
Best Album -- Paul Simon: Paul Simon
Best Movie -- Werner Herzog: Aguirre, the Wrath of God

1973
Best New Artist -- ABBA
Best Album -- ABBA: Ring Ring
Best Movie -- Paul Morrissey: Blood for Dracula

1974
Best New Artist -- Andrew Lloyd Webber
Best Album -- ABBA: Waterloo
Best Movie -- Robin Hardy: The Wicker Man *

1975
Best New Artist -- The Alan Parsons Project *
Best Album -- Serge Gainsbourg: Rock Around the Bunker *
Best Movie -- Werner Herzog: The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

1976
Best New Artist -- Ramones
Best Album -- ABBA: Arrival
Best Movie -- Sydney Lumet: Network

1977
Best New Artist -- Talking Heads *
Best Album -- Fleetwood Mac: Rumours *
Best Movie -- Werner Herzog: Stroszek *

1978
Best New Artist -- Prince
Best Album -- Jeff Wayne: War of the Worlds *
Best Movie -- George A. Romero: Dawn of the Dead
Worst Movie -- Michael Schultz: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band

1979
Best New Artist -- The B-52's
Best Album -- ABBA: Voulez-Vous
Best Movie -- Ridley Scott: Alien

1980
Best New Artist -- Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark
Best Album -- ABBA: Super Trouper
Best Movie -- Irvin Kershner: The Empire Strikes Back

1981
Best New Artist -- Depeche Mode
Best Album -- Depeche Mode: Speak & Spell *
Best Movie -- Steven Spielberg: Raiders of the Lost Ark *

1982
Best New Artist -- R.E.M.
Best Album -- Yaz: Upstairs at Eric's
Best Movie -- Don Bluth: The Secret of NIMH

1983
Best New Artist -- Violent Femmes
Best Album -- R.E.M.: Murmur
Best Movie -- Bob Clark: A Christmas Story *

1984
Best New Artist -- Fine Young Cannibals
Best Album -- Prince and the Revolution: Purple Rain
Best Movie -- Ivan Reitman: Ghostbusters *

1985
Best New Artist -- Enya
Best Album -- Prince and the Revolution: Around the World in a Day
Best Movie -- Robert Zemeckis: Back To the Future
Worst Movie -- Teen Wolf

1986
Best New Artist -- They Might Be Giants
Best Album -- They Might Be Giants: They Might Be Giants
Best Movie -- John Hughes: Ferris Bueller's Day Off *

1987
Best New Artist -- Rheostatics
Best Album -- R.E.M.: Document
Best Movie -- Rob Reiner: The Princess Bride

1988
Best New Artist -- The Frogs
Best Album -- R.E.M.: Green
Best Movie -- Martin Scorsese: The Last Temptation of Christ

1989
Best New Artist -- The Magnetic Fields
Best Album -- The Magnetic Fields: Distant Plastic Trees
Best Movie -- Robert Zemeckis: Back to the Future Part II
Worst Movie -- Tetsuo: The Iron Man

1990
Best New Artist -- Ween
Best Album -- They Might Be Giants: Flood
Best Movie -- John Patrick Shanley: Joe Versus the Volcano
Worst Movie -- Dennis Dugan: Problem Child

1991
Best New Artist -- DJ Laz
Best Album -- The Magnetic Fields: The Wayward Bus
Best Movie -- Oliver Stone: JFK
Worst Movie -- Brian Levant: Problem Child 2

1992
Best New Artist -- Morphine
Best Album -- Rheostatics: Whale Music
Best Movie -- David Lynch: Twin Peaks—Fire Walk With Me
Worst Movie -- Ralph Bakshi: Cool World

1993
Best New Artist -- Radiohead
Best Album -- The Breeders: Last Splash
Best Movie -- Harold Ramis: Groundhog Day *
Worst Movie -- Jennifer Lynch: Boxing Helena

1994
Best New Artist -- Weezer
Best Album -- The Magnetic Fields: The Charm of the Highway Strip
Best Movie -- Peter Jackson: Heavenly Creatures
Worst Movie -- Oliver Stone: Natural Born Killers

1995
Best New Artist -- Modest Mouse
Best Album -- Rheostatics: Introducing Happiness
Best Movie -- Amy Heckerling: Clueless
Worst Movie -- Walt Disney: Pocahontas

1996
Best New Artist -- Belle and Sebastian
Best Album -- Weezer: Pinkerton
Best Movie -- Lars Von Trier: Breaking the Waves
Worst Movie -- Tim Burton: Mars Attacks!

1997
Best New Artist -- Future Bible Heroes
Best Album -- Radiohead: OK Computer
Best Movie -- P.T. Anderson: Boogie Nights
Worst Movie -- Joel Schumacher: Batman and Robin

1998
Best New Artist -- System of a Down
Best Album -- Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Best Movie -- Sam Raimi: A Simple Plan
Worst Movie -- Terry Gilliam: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

1999
Best New Artist -- Atom and His Package *
Best Album -- The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs
Best Movie -- David Fincher: Fight Club
Worst Movie -- David Cronenberg: eXistenZ

2000
Best New Artist -- McLusky
Best Album -- Modest Mouse: The Moon and Antarctica
Best Movie -- Lars Von Trier: Dancer in the Dark
Worst Movie -- Ron Howard: Dr. Suess’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas

2001
Best New Artist -- Martin Tielli
Best Album -- They Might Be Giants: Mink Car
Best Movie -- Peter Jackson: The Lord of the Rings—The Fellowship of the Ring
Worst Movie -- Richard Kelly: Donnie Darko

2002
Best New Artist -- Calvin Johnson *
Best Album -- McLusky: McLusky Do Dallas *
Best Movie -- P.T. Anderson: Punch-Drunk Love
Worst Movie -- Rob Zombie: House of 1000 Corpses

2003
Best New Artist -- The Arcade Fire
Best Album -- OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Best Movie -- Quentin Tarantino: Kill Bill Vol. 1
Worst Movie -- Vincent Gallo: The Brown Bunny

2004
Best New Artist -- Jens Lekman
Best Album: The Arcade Fire: Funeral *
Best Movie -- Edgar Wright: Shaun of the Dead *
Worst Movie -- Mel Gibson: The Passion of the Christ

2005
Best New Artist -- Wolf Parade *
Best Album -- System of a Down: Mezmerize
Best Movie -- Robert Rodriguez: Sin City
Worst Movie -- David Cronenberg: A History of Violence

2006
Best New Artist -- Fergie
Best Album -- Belle and Sebastian: The Life Pursuit
Best Movie -- David Lynch: Inland Empire
Worst Movie -- M. Night Shyamalan: Lady in the Water

2007
Best New Artist -- Rivers Cuomo
Best Album -- Arcade Fire: Neon Bible
Best Movie -- P.T. Anderson: There Will Be Blood
Worst Movie -- Craig Brewer: Black Snake Moan *

2008
Best New Artist -- Tim and Eric *
Best Album -- Weezer: Weezer (Red Album) *
Best Movie -- John Patrick Shanley: Doubt *
Worst Movie -- Matt Reeves: Cloverfield *