Happy New Year, Letterboxd! Y'know, I wasn't going to do this again, not because I don't enjoy it but because it's been a few years and the end of the previous decade seemed like it put a nice bow on the whole project and we could call it a wrap. But then I decided what the hell and did it anyway.

So 2020, unprecedented times, state of movies and theaters in flux, yada yada — you've read it all before and I have nothing much to add except that spending more time at home has, for me, actually been enriching in some surprising ways. I feel more of a connection with the art that I appreciate and have rediscovered some old interests and hobbies that I feel are rewiring my brain in a profound (and hopefully positive) way.

But most importantly I've embraced the importance of paying for art whenever you can. Supporting local theaters with virtual screenings, buying music (h/t to Bandcamp Fridays!), and shopping local bookstores is the least we should all be willing to do if we have the means to do so. I can't prove that movies are more thrilling and music sounds better when you pay for them, but I choose to believe they do.

Oh! And one last thing I wanted to promote. If you're into weird, offbeat movies (horror, sci-fi, cult, exploitation, general gonzo stuff) check out my new alt account cataloging The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film and give it a follow! I'll be logging a new film every day, chosen more or less at random, from the infamous reference guide. It's a fun little project that might put some new crazy stuff on your radar.

Anyway thanks for reading this far and for all of your support over the years. On to the list!

***

Thank you as always to the writers for their insights, efforts, and perspectives, especially this year. Follow them on Twitter or wherever and subscribe to their work to show your appreciation. I can also strongly recommend supporting The Next Picture Show on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and essays. It's a great little community and if you're reading this you should definitely take a look.

Previous Lists: 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

Notes:

[1] The top 4 films are all fairly close together and also scored much higher than the rest. For some writers, Lover's Rock ultimately stands in for Steve McQueen's Small Axe series as a whole, so consider that implied at #3.

[2] Big gap between #4 and #5, but the #5-12 spots are all 1-2 points away from each other. A lot of variety on the lists and it all came down to placement.

[3] #13-15 are all tied, but the order you see them here is based on how many lists the films ended up on: #13 was on 3 lists, #14 on 2, and #15 on 1.

[4] I haven't put together my own list yet but I probably will. Still a lot of movies to catch up with that I suspect will rank pretty high for me. (But hard for me to imagine at this point that cow's not going to be at the top of mine, too.)

Lists:

Charles Bramesco: Letterboxd

Mike D'Angelo: AV Club

David Ehrlich: Letterboxd | Video

Kate Erbland: Indiewire

Genevieve Koski: The Next Picture Show

Noel Murray: AV Club

Keith Phipps: The Next Picture Show

Tasha Robinson: Filmspotting

Matt Singer: ScreenCrush

Scott Tobias: The Next Picture Show

Outliers:
Films that appeared on only one writer's top 10

Bad Education
Beanpole
Boys State
Collective
Emma
Fourteen
The Grand Bizarre
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
One Night in Miami
The Painted Bird
The Platform
Promising Young Woman
Red, White and Blue
Saint Frances
Shirley
Sound of Metal
Swallow
Tenet
The Twentieth Century
The Vast of Night
Vitalina Varela
The Whistlers
A White, White Day
The World of Tomorrow 3