The Alamo Drafthouse prides itself on being a theater chain started by movie lovers, staffed by movie lovers and for movie lovers. Therefore, the staff takes the art of the yearly top ten seriously. Notes are compiled each year. Debates are held in hallways and offices. Friendships are won and lost. It is serious business.
After much deliberation, the creative team at the Austin corporate office, the creative managers in the field, and the lovely folks at Mondo and here at Birth.Movies.Death. each submitted a list of their favorite movies released in the calendar year. I throw everything into a spreadsheet and take a look at how each individual list totals up. It's not surprising that our collective taste skews towards the eclectic but we're also no snobs! We love all kinds of movies from the biggest releases to the smallest niche films. These are the ten that all passed the age-old test: they left us with head to toe goosebumps as we left the theater.
Here's some additional trivia:
This year's survey had 67 entries, and 111 individual films were placed on top ten lists.
The runners-up: You Were Never Really Here, BlacKkKlansman, Mandy, Shoplifters, Roma.
The top five documentaries: Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Minding the Gap, RBG, Three Identical Strangers, Free Solo.
The top five foreign films: Shoplifters, Roma, Burning, Border, Good Manners.
The number of titles only getting one vote: 35.