Top10s — Features — Cinema As We Know It

Kevin's Top Ten Films of 2022

Without fail, every passing year is a good year for movies filled with stories worth your time. Showcasing what’s possible on the silver screen, 2022 produced an array of dazzling images, the very same ones I assume Nicole Kidman still speaks of to this day. But like always, the quiet innovations in storytelling between the lines and on the pages were a rush to see too. Talking more about what stories stole our hearts and stuck in our minds is always a highlight of my year. So without further ado…

Cynthia’s Top Ten Films of 2022

If 2021 was the year that brought the return of cinemas, then 2022 was the return of cinemas being a social experience, at least for me. I found myself less alone in the theater, with more packed screenings and livelier audiences, to the point where I finally experienced sitting in the overflow balcony of my local theater for an exciting screening of Chunking Express. If 2022 was just a preview of the electricity that could be felt in the theater again as a social experience, then bring on 2023!

Theo’s Top Ten Films of 2022

If you’re anything like me, you might have slight list fatigue; 2022 ended with Sight and Sound magazine’s once-in-a-decade poll of the best films of all time, which meant months and months of film writers getting philosophical about lists followed by fierce online debate about whether its winner was a worthy one. (New Year’s resolution: spend less time on Twitter.) Only time will tell if any of the films I’ve chosen below have what it takes to crack a future version of the Sight and Sound list, but for now it’s enough for me that I loved them all.

Greg’s Top Ten Films of 2022

In 2022, I saw fewer new releases than any previous year I’ve made a top ten. How or why this year was different could be any number of things, but truth be told, I just think 2022 was just an okay year for new releases. It might be heresy to say, but I found greater enjoyment from the loud brass of the big screen spectacle than the vast majority of quieter award contenders (and even some festival favorites). This is usually never the case, but credit where credit is due, the blockbuster, and the adjacent $100 million passion project, were frequently among my favorite films of the year.

Megan's Top Ten Films of 2021

2021 offered a smorgasbord of unique films. So unique, in fact, it’s hard to draw any conclusions about trends or new themes in my own taste. In years past, it was the coming-of-age story that was in fashion, or tales of American hardship and triumph that hit home. It would be a tall task to find a box that comfortably fit a sports documentary, an art-rock marionette baby, an Arthurian legend, and whatever descriptors you’d use for Titane. Perhaps common denominators are overrated. Eclectic in the best way. My top picks of the year each seemed to be plucked from disparate corners of the medium to form a delightful lineup with something for any mood.

Kevin’s Top Ten Films of 2021

Most films try with all their might to convince me I am anything but a passive witness. In return, I try (with all of my might) to forget that I am not just in a darkened room. This unspoken compromise can be a beautiful thing between individuals and artists who likely will never share the same space. In one way or another, my favorite movies of 2021 seem to be chipping away at passively existing- a feeling exacerbated by yet another year of precautions. As with me, I hope that art helped you feel a bit more alive in some way this year. Before we move too far into 2022, let’s reminisce together about some films that did that for me…

Theo’s Top Ten Films of 2021

If 2020 was the year of watching movies at home, 2021 was the year of the movie theatre. For me, it meant a return to two cinemas I particularly adore which provided a chance to catch up with favorites old and new. But as the year drew to a close with COVID-19 cases again on the rise in the UK, the bizarre question of whether I should be going to the cinema again weighed on my mind. And so, it was another weird year for movies and moviegoers – but far from a bad one. The difficulty I had in putting this list together is testament to the fantastic quality of films released in the period; any year in which sublimely sweet works from Paul Thomas Anderson and Céline Sciamma didn’t make my top ten is surely a good one.

Greg’s Top Ten Films of 2021

Looking back on 2021, the major theme has to be the return of theaters. What they have to offer — spectacle, shared experience, dialog — cannot be replicated at home in isolation, and more so than any one release, the return of theaters was notable based on the simple fact that they enable exhibition. Going from sitting at home and streaming movies for most of 2020 to being able to finally watch a film on the big screen served as a potent reminder of what is lost when theatrical exhibition is removed from the equation. While you should seek out these films by any means necessary, my favorite films from 2021 go hand in hand with the cinematic experience.

Megan's Top Ten Films of 2020

I wasn’t breaking any Letterboxd records with my new viewing habits this year. There were times when film felt inappropriate to the moment, or stood as a reminder of unbearable reality, or just didn’t play nice with new schedules. I’m glad others found inspiration, solace, and comfort in film, but admittedly it was a challenge for me to sit through a 90 minute experience. But when the mood struck, it was an interesting exercise to get so exploratory about finding new films. I look forward to a time where film feels right again, and when we’re able to enjoy it together. Until then, here are the ones that were the most important to me this year.

Theo's Top Ten Films of 2020

This last year I’ve needed movies more than ever, and I’ve also noticed a few interesting effects that 2020 has had on my film-watching habits – aside, that is, from the fact that I saw none of the movies on this list in a cinema. With most of 2020 spent locked up indoors, I started relishing the little incidental bits of audio-visual information that graced my screen. At the same time, the dismaying responses to local and global political circumstances have only intensified my desire for a cinema that is both attentive to the realities of everyday life and critical of the various systems that govern our lives, and I think the films I’ve designated as my top ten of this year reflect that.

Kevin's Top Ten Films of 2020

It’s hard not to view this year in movies in the context of the year of 2020. Many of these features are what we turned to when things went the worst. They took us far away from the present or sometimes felt like reflections of our current state. This year graced us with a number of great films, and it is crushing that none of my favorite films screened in a movie theater this year. But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t an abundance of excellent entries to talk about. So without any further ado here are my top ten films from 2020.

Greg's Top Ten Films of 2020

2020, a sinisterly bad year. While the world caught fire all at once and every facet of normalcy went up in flames, cinema was a true comfort in these troubling times. The last 365 days were a challenge all their own, full of hardship and loss, but from the other side, I can say I appreciate the movies that made things a little easier on the days that couldn’t get any worse. The sheer act of ranking art with numerical values is in and of itself a contradiction, but these ten films prove that, even when the world turns sideways, cinema will always be there to renew faith in our collective existence, now and into the future.

Greg's Top Ten Films of 2019

This past year I saw 122 new releases, and admittedly, most weren’t worth my time. However, every year there are thirty or so films that make watching hours upon hours of film worth it. Finding a hidden gem, having your expectations blown away, seeing that long awaited film, experiencing that euphoric feeling only cinema can provide. It’s something special. And 2019 had no shortage of them. These are as good as it gets, so let’s begin.

Kevin's Top Ten Films of 2019

Right before the decade came to a close, 2019 went out with a particularly strong bevy of films. So much so that there are still many I have yet to watch, but from what I have seen, this year has been nothing short of remarkable. Compassion, joy, wonder, laughter, heartbreak. I believe you can find all these and more in the films from this year, and while there are so many I admire, here are the ones that stick out in my mind, providing a range of feelings that are particularly delightful to bask in for 2019.

Ivy's Top Ten Films of 2019

Looking back, 2019 was a great year for film, especially for women filmmakers. When I was thinking of which films to include in my list, I was struck by how many films I’ve seen this year that were directed by women. Now, I don’t know whether this is simply a cause of my own selective viewing habits or whether it is symptomatic of a wider positive change in the industry, but whatever it is, I’ve been happy to see increased representation. As always, it’s hard to make a definitive list, however, these are the films from the past year I’d personally encourage people to see. But with that aside, here are my favourite ten films of 2019…