A decade of cinema releases, voted for by Picturehouse staff
Jack Toye
23 Dec 19
A lot can happen in a decade! From January 1st 2010 to December 31st 2019, there have been a fair number of big screen, theatrical releases across Picturehouse. In November 2010 we even started releasing our own films; My Afternoons With Margueritte kicked-started our distribution arm: Picturehouse Entertainment - which has gone from strength to strength with releases as varied as The Lobster, The Wife, Monos, and Capernaum.
Over the last decade we've opened 9 new cinemas, Hackney (2011), Dukes At Komedia (2012), East Dulwich (2015), Central (2015), Crouch End (2015), Ashford (2018), West Norwood (2018), Bromley (2019), and Fulham Road (2019), bringing the total number of cinemas in the Picturehouse family to 26. We asked our staff across all our cinemas, in our Customer Care Team, and in our Head Office Team, for their Top Films of the Decade. 256 films were voted for in total, 10 made it to the top. We hope you enjoy discovering the results below!
10. Get Out
"Get Out is the intelligent modern-day horror classic that re-ignited my interest in the horror genre. I found this to be one of my favourite movies in 2017. It's one of those movies that you can watch multiple times and notice something new each time! "
"Masterfully told and beautifully acted, Kenneth Lonergan's screenplay, coupled with an impeccable classical score, offers a quiet reflection on grief that feels so real it will shatter even the coldest of hearts. An emotional powerhouse, this is a film that left me crying so hard in the cinema that the person next to me had to ask if I was okay. And that can only be a good thing." Milly Maloco - Marketing Coordinator
Joint 9 & 8. Blade Runner 2049
"Denis Villeneuve directs a deeply immersive, meditative and visually breathtaking sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 masterpiece. Taking the story forward in terms of masculinity and what, indeed, it is to be human. Ryan Gosling's K is a truly beautiful portrayal of hope and yearning within an automated, dystopian system."
Felicity Beckett - Video Content Coordinator
7. Boyhood
"This film, for me, goes beyond the usual parameters of film (or movies may be a more useful term here). Not only is it a piece of entertainment that is well shot, scored, designed and edited, it is a document of life and growing up. The audacity of writer/director Richard Linklater in undertaking a 12-year film project and having the trust of his cast and crew to commit to that is remarkable and is what makes the film stand apart from any other in the decade."
Codie Entwistle - Film Programmer
6. Phantom Thread
"American auteur Paul Thomas Anderson's most recent, exquisitely sly provocation combines deeply classical filmmaking style with subtly puerile humour and a sophisticatedly modern understanding of sexual politics. The story of an emotionally repressed fashion designer and his increasingly frustrated girlfriend, PHANTOM THREAD unfolds in elegantly framed staccato scenes bursting with unspoken emotion and beautifully acted by leads Daniel Day Lewis and Vicky Krieps, moving to a perverse and gross out conclusion of shocking tenderness. Johnny Greenwood's lovely score is the icing on the cake for this richly emotional masterwork."
Paul Ridd - Acquisitions Manager
5. Whiplash
"The most controversial film about jazz there has been, with screams and shouts from jazz musicians across the world both positive and negative. Regardless of it's representational value of the classical music world this is an incredible film full of energy and fury and great performances and one not lightly forgotten. Then he made La La Land..."
Madeleine Mullett - Senior Programmer
Joint 4 & 3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
"The film that made me realise Ralph Fiennes had great comedic depth! Wes Anderson conveys the passing on an age in differing aspect ratios and an all-star cast. I love the soundtrack, the set and costumer design is magical, and I'm proud to have the poster on my wall to this day"
Jack Toye - Programming & Marketing Administrator
Joint 4 & 3. Moonlight
"Barry Jenkins' Best Picture winning opus is a glorious movie of the decade. Following the story of a young gay black man as he tackles his mother's drug abuse and his love for his best friend, Moonlight is a raw and earnest depiction of growth and sexuality. Palpable emotions combined with stirring visuals and Nicolas Britells intense score make Moonlight incredible. But Jenkins stirring writing and astute direction make Moonlight unforgettable."
Sarah Cook - Marketing Manager, Picturehouse Central
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
"My film of the decade, George Miller's epic chase movie had everything going for it - guns, gears, gasoline, even flame-throwing guitars! Plus, the film put paid to the idea that all reboots/remakes are just a cynical cash-in."
Charlie Rutter - Marketing Manager, Fulham Road.
1. Call Me By Your Name
"The truest and purest of love stories that doesn't do labels. Soaked in Italian sunshine, you see a relationship develop and grow. You become so invested and attached with every passing second that it leaves your heart completely and utterly wrenched by the end."
Jess Willingham - Marketing Manager, Cambridge Arts Picturehouse.
