January 3-9, 2025

Hello, everyone!

This week, instead of my usual newsletter, I am delighted to share with you the Pickford Staff Favorites of 2024. 

It’s been another wonderful year for movies, and, even more than that, it’s a been a wonderful year for our local community of movie lovers, where we’ve gathered together around a shared love of movies and of what we can experience together: whether it’s big and exciting new-release films like Dune: Part Two, A Complete Unknown, and Nosferatu; or during the vibrant month-long celebration that is the Doctober Film Festival; or at special events like the screening of the original Star Warstrilogy; or for one of our beloved Cinema East series films; or for a uniquely local and remarkable film like Lynden; or for smaller new releases like Free Time and Matt and Mara, drawing just a handful of curious cinephiles. 

All of these unique and individual cinematic events have been a joy for us here at the Pickford to present to you and to experience with you, and so before I announce our staff picks of 2024, I want to say thank you to all of you, our dear patrons, for your ongoing love of movies and for your continued support of your local, independent movie theater. 

Happy New Year, and we’ll see you at the movies! 

Melissa 

Pickford Staff Favorites of 2024: 

Abby, Box Office Manager, Membership & Development Manager: Anora 

“I love a movie that can make me legitimately laugh out loud and then shed a heartfelt tear at the end. Anora swept me up and took me along for an energetic and emotional ride!”

(Honorable Mentions: Challengers, Hundreds of Beavers, Didi) 

Andi, Database Assistant: Nowhere Special

 (Honorable Mention: Kneecap)

Boone, Projectionist: Nosferatu

“Eggers draws from both the 1922 and 1979 film versions of this tale beautifully as well as shines in adding his own unique voice to the story. There is so much to gush over in this film. The costume work is incredible. Down to every little detail in every button and texture, even for the costumes that remain in the shadows. This film is absolutely immersive and had my jaw dropping and my breath taken away from what I was seeing and hearing, Eggers completely masters the tongue of the time with beautiful Shakespearian dialogue that ebbs and flows with the characters. I felt completely sucked into the story in a way that no other film has done for me this year. Skarsgård is completely unrecognizable and fully dedicated to his role in a way that had me appreciating his talent more than I ever have before, truly one of the greats of our time. The sound design is impeccable, the architecture, the cobblestone roads, the beautiful mountain landscapes, all together completely enveloping the viewer in the world. ”

(Honorable Mentions: Lisa Frankenstein, Hundreds of Beavers, Love Lies Bleeding) 

Cassie, Projectionist: Evil Does Not Exist

“Manages to be both brutally real and strangely mythological. A gorgeous, devastating film.” 

(Honorable Mentions: Perfect Days, Flow, Don Hertzfeldt: ME) 

Gray, Marketing Manager: Challengers

“A film that stages drama, desire, and tennis like this watches like a sugar rush—or like the impulse to break into an all-out sprint. Instantly classic.”

(Honorable Mentions: Anora, Dune: Part Two, Janet Planet)

Jane, Doctober Associate Programmer: American Fiction

“The film starts out with a solid script. Dialogue was clever and the cast was the best! I rewatched it on a flight last year and I caught myself laughing out loud more than once. I could see it again. Five Academy Awards nominations with a win for Cord Jefferson for Best Adapted Screenplay.”

Jason, Assistant Manager: Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

“It feels like the current reality. Not what we thought it would be - scraping by, corporations doing their worst, weird filters on a social media platform. It feels like a student film, weird and foreign, but strangely all too familiar.”

(Honorable Mentions: Perfect Days, Kinds of Kindness, I Saw the TV Glow)

Joey, Projectionist: I Saw the TV Glow

“I Saw the TV Glow left me in the deep end of emotion and thought through the credits and several minutes afterward. Fantastic film.”

(Honorable Mentions: Anora, Hundreds of Beavers, Return of the Jedi) 

Joshua, Janitorial: The Substance

“What's to say...I experienced every emotion watching this film....strong influences from some of my favorite directors.”

(Honorable Mentions: Kinds of Kindness, Late Night with the Devil, Dune: Part Two) 

Katie, Accountant: Flow 

“I adored this film! It takes you through every emotion with the perfect mix of magic and reality- Visually stunning and left me feeling content with the world, not to mention super proud of all who worked on it.” 

(Honorable Mentions: Wicked Little Letters, Kneecap, Kinds of Kindness/Robot Dreams tie)

Lesley, Education and Outreach Coordinator: The Beast

“Is it a period piece, a sci-fi allegory, a horror film, or a love story? Yes! Bertrand Bonello smashed these genres together and somehow made it work. After 146 minutes, I still wanted to live in this mind-bending story just a little bit longer. And Lea Seydoux has never been better!”

(Honorable Mentions: Flow, Kinds of Kindness, A Different Man)

Mchyla, Projectionist: I Saw the TV Glow

“No other movie has invaded my psyche and stayed there like this one has, both this year and just in recent movie-going memory. The visceral truths voiced by Shoenbrun through these characters have haunted me all year, which is how I always hope a good movie will affect me.”

(Honorable Mentions: The Beast, Janet Planet, Evil Does Not Exist) 

Melissa, Program Director: Good One

“Like Kelly Reichardt's work with its slice of life feel and delicate nuances in character, but also wholly unique, especially in its subtly-built increasingly taut tension. Lily Collias is brilliant as Sam, the main character, and director India Donaldson so immerses us in Sam’s perspective and her isolation as the only woman on a backpacking trip, that the experience of the film is very much like a thriller. Just a beautifully spun, superbly directed and written narrative.”

(Honorable Mentions: Bird, Janet Planet, Hard Truths)

Mica, Projectionist: I Saw the TV Glow  

“As the credits rolled at the end of this film, I stayed in my seat in the theater, shaking. This movie shook me to my absolute core. It's so beautifully horrifying and I've never felt so much impact from a film in my life. Jane Schoenbrun created a queer film for queer people and I connected with it so intensely that I continue to think about its message to this day. I am so grateful for filmmakers like her and I hope to see more unique representation in media like this!”

(Honorable Mentions: Dune: Part Two, The People’s Joker, Hundreds of Beavers)

Miguel, Projectionist: Anora 

“I loved Anora because it is a bold, fierce, unfiltered tribute to Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, capturing its raw energy through a story filled with wild nights, sex work, and high-stakes Vegas splurges. Despite its gritty and provocative edge, the film surprises with moments of tenderness and insight, delivering one of the most heartfelt portrayals of pole dancing ever put to screen.”

(Honorable Mentions: Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Hundreds of Beavers)

Susie, Executive Director: Perfect Days

“Perfect days. Exactly.” 

(Honorable Mentions: Fallen Leaves, The Old Oak)  

Steve, Projectionist: Nosferatu

“This is a last minute favorite and a surprise. Robert Eggers delivered a movie that is scary and entertaining but like the Demeter, it delivers more than you’re expecting—the new Orlock feels like the first time we’ve seen the literary Dracula properly, which is an amazing achievement but everything else gets the proper attention, too, fit in its right place. By the amazing final scene, I knew I had experienced a ripping new vampire classic; on the way out, I felt like I’d had a long barroom discussion with Robert Eggers on what makes life tick. Dang, that’s good filmmaking! The movie is also a true valentine to the Murnau original. I can’t remember the last time a vampire movie reminded me how good it is to not be a vampire. This may be the first.”