Well, That's That

Hi friends. Happy 2021. What follows is a long post, but since it's a statutory holiday, there was time to have written it (and for that matter, there is time to read it). This is the first of what I hope to be a return to increasing our web presence in the year ahead. I know that I've promised this numerous times in the past, and have fallen short. But it appears that, because of the "unprecedented times" in which we now live (yes, I'm as sick of hearing that phrase as you are), time is the one thing I have a repository of right now. 

This blog post is divided into sections for better navigation: 1) Where We Are. 2) Aspirations. 3) Films Seen in 2020. 4) Best Of's... and other lists. 5. Thank You.

1)  Where We Are

After taking care of some personal matters in the past couple of years, it was hoped that 2020 was going to be "our year", until "this thing" came along. I was fortunate to have still had my day job (no, I don't do ESR for a living) for most of 2020 (working from home since March), whereas a lot of my freelance friends still haven't worked since last spring. Alas, after 22 years, my full-time employment ended at the beginning of December (aided in part by the pandemic). The majority are looking forward to 2021 as a "great reset" after that dreadful year, and I especially will be entertaining new possibilities in the months ahead. The clock turning to January One Twenty-Twenty-One is a great symbol of change, but the planet, and the human race, still need a lot of work. If anything can be salvaged from this horrific malady, it's the realization of how badly some things in our world need to be fixed. We have the power and opportunity to change things: it's up to all of us!

There are greater things to worry about right now than yet another film-related collection of HTML, I know. But if these words can offer a bit of relief and comfort to people, well then, we can ask for nothing greater. In addition to the opportunities we'll be seeking in the new year, we will also be journeying towards the ambition to increase ESR's web presence.

2) Aspirations

As we speak, ESR's website is being renovated, with new design, and a wealth of content: including "classic content" from ESR's original print run, and brand new material (DVD reviews, and so on). In keeping the minimum "six-page-a-day" goal, we envision the "new site" to be active in the next few weeks. (It's been taking longer than anticipated, meaning that we must be something right!) 

Upon reaching a greater web presence (and potentially, a greater audience) than before, it is our intention to resume publishing by the end of the year. I'm still a print guy at heart, and think that ESR can still exist in physical media, even if it is "print on demand". The renaissance of "print film zines" in the past few years has shown that there is a new and old audience to support it.

So, feel free to bookmark this blog for announcements of all things ESR in the future, and for more fun film-related posts.

3) Films Seen In 2020

I saw about 430 films (features and shorts) last year. 285 were first-time viewings. That's a lot of celluloid! We could argue about whether seeing that many movies in one year is something to be proud of. However, film history is my passion, and because I chose to keep myself and others safe, most of my waking hours were spent indoors, watching films (when not doing work stuff on the computer, of course). 

The titles listed below comprise all the features and shorts I watched in the past 365 days, organized by their directors. They are displayed this way, because it acts as a personal diary of sorts: reminding me of half-started attempts to study several filmmakers' bodies of work for articles or reviews that never materialized, and to serve as inspiration for future writings.

Notes: an asterisk (*) signifies a repeat screening; (TV) refers to a made-for-TV movie.

Abel Ferrara: The Driller Killer (1979)*
Akos Rathonyi: Cave Of The Living Dead (1964)
Al Adamson: The Female Bunch (1969), Satan's Sadists (1969), Girls For Rent (1974), Blazing Stewardesses (1975)*, Jessi's Girls (1975), Black Samurai (1977)*, The Kill Factor (1978)*, Sunset Cove (1978)*
Al St. John: Shot In The Excitement (1914)
Alain Cavalier: Have I The Right To Kill (1964)
Alan Parker: Come See The Paradise (1990)
Alan Rudolph: Ray Meets Helen (2017)
Alexander Dovzhenko: Earth (1930)
Alexander Grasshoff: Young Americans (1967)
Alfred Hitchcock: The Lady Vanishes (1938)*
Alfred Sole: Pandemonium (1982)
Amos Poe: Subway Riders (1981), Alphabet City (1984)
Ana Mariscal: El camino (1963)
Anatole Litvak: Blues In The Night (1941)
Andrei Tarkovsky: Solaris (1972)*
Andrew Patterson: The Vast Of Night (2019)
Andrew V. McLaglen: The Hellfighters (1969)*, Cahill: United States Marshall (1973)*
Andy Milligan: Guru, The Mad Monk (1970)
Anthony Mann: Two O'Clock Courage (1945)
Antonio Boccaci: Tomb Of Torture (1963)
Antonio Margheriti: The Wild, Wild Planet (1966)*, The Unnaturals (1969), Cannibal Apocalypse (1980)
Archie Mayo: Sweet And Low-Down (1944)
Arnold Laven: Rough Night In Jericho (1967)
Arthur Dreifuss: Junior Prom (1946)
Arthur J. Bressan Jr.: Buddies (1985)
Arthur Lubin: Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves (1944)
Astrid Henning-Jensen: Krane's Confectionery (1951)

B. Reeves Eason: Truck Busters (1943)
Barbara Hammer: Schizy (1967), X (1973), Dyketactics (1974), Menses (1974), Bent Time (1984), Optic Nerve (1985)
Barry Rosen: Devil's Express (1976)*
Bert I. Gordon: Beginning Of The End (1957)*
Bill Rebane: Blood Harvest (1987)*
Bob Sarles: Fly Jefferson Airplane (2004)
Bong Joon-ho: Snowpiercer (2014), Parasite (2019)
Brian Trenchard-Smith: Dead End Drive-In (1986)
Brian Yuzna: Return Of The Living Dead 3 (1993)
Bruce Baillie: Mr. Hayashi (1961), On Sundays (1961), Here I Am (1962), To Parsifal (1963), Mass For The Dakota Sioux (1964), Quixote (1965), Castro Street (1966)*, Little Girl (1966), All My Life (1966), Valentin de las Sierras (1968), Quick Billy (1971), Roslyn Romance (1976), Tung (1966), Pieta (1998)
Bruce Kessler: Simon, King Of The Witches (1971)*
Bruce Weber: Let's Get Lost (1989)*
Bruno Mattei: Cruel Jaws (1995)
Bruno VeSota: The Brain Eaters (1958)*
Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline: One Week (1920), The Balloonatic (1923)
Buzz Kulik: Warning Shot (1967)*

Caleb Deschanel: The Escape Artist (1982)
Carl Lerner: Black Like Me (1964)
Carl Reiner: Enter Laughing (1967), The Comic (1969), Where's Poppa? (1970)
Carlos Enrique Taboada: Even The Wind Is Afraid (1968)
Carol Reed: Night Train To Munich (1940)*
Chano Urueta: The Witch's Mirror (1962)
Charles B. Pierce: Grayeagle (1977)
Charley Chase: Fifteen Minutes (1921)
Chris Lamson: Soundies: A Musical History (2007)
Chris Robinson: The Intruder (1975)*
Christopher Morahan: All Neat In Black Stockings (1969)
Chuck Bail: Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold (1975), The Gumball Rally (1976)*
Chuck Russell: The Blob (1988)
Cindy Sherman: Office Killer (1997)
Clark L. Paylow: Ring Of Terror (1962)
Claude Chabrol: The Third Lover (1962)
Clint Eastwood: Space Cowboys (2000)*, Richard Jewell (2019)
Constantine S. Gochis: The Redeemer: Son Of Satan (1978)
Curtis Harrington: Planet Of Blood (1966)*
Cynthia Scott: The Company Of Strangers (1990)

D. Ross Lederman: Bullet Scars (1942)
Dale Berry: Hot-Blooded Woman (1965)
Dario Argento: The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970), Inferno (1980)*
Darren Aronofsky: Pi (1998)
David Anspaugh: Fresh Horses (1988)
David Cronenberg: Shivers (1975)*
David DeCoteau: Deadly Embrace (1989)
David Gregory: Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson (2019)
David Howard: The Fighting Gringo (1939)*
David Twohy: The Arrival (1996)
David Wickes: Sweeney! (1977)
Dean Alioto: The McPherson Tape (1989)
Deborah Stratman: Vever: (for Barbara) (2018)
Delmer Daves: A Summer Place (1959)
Diane Kurys: Entre Nous (1983)
Director X: Across The Line (2015)
Don Owen: Partners (1976)
Don Siegel: Hell Is For Heroes (1962)*
Donald Wolfe: Savage Intruder (1970)
Duccio Tessari: Death Occurred Last Night (1970), Un centesimo di secondo (1981)

Eddie Davis: Panic In The City (1968)*

Eddie Romero: Black Mama, White Mama (1972)*, Beyond Atlantis (1973)*
Edgar G. Ulmer: The Cavern (1965)
Edo Bertoglio: Downtown 81 (2000)*
Edouard Molinaro: Just The Way You Are (1984)
Edward Bell: American Heart (1992)
Edward D. Wood, Jr.: Night Of The Ghouls (1959)*
Edward Owens: Remembrance: A Portrait Study (1967), Tomorrow's Promises (1967), Private Imaginings And Narrative Facts (1970)
Edward Yang: Yi Yi (2000)
Elio Petri: The Teacher From Vigevano (1963)
Enzo G. Castellari: Kill Them All And Come Back Alone (1968), Cold Eyes Of Fear (1971), The New Barbarians (1983)
Erle C. Kenton: Devil's Playground (1937)
Ernest Pintoff: Who Killed Mary What'sername? (1971)

Ferde Grofe Jr.: Day Of The Wolves (1971)*
Fernando Mendez: The Living Coffin (1959)
Franco Giraldi: Sugar Colt (1966)
Frank McDonald: Gunfight At Comanche Creek (1963)
Fred Dekker: Night Of The Creeps (1986)*
Fred Olen Ray: Biohazard (1985), Commando Squad (1987)*, Terminal Force (1989)*, Bikini Drive-In (1995)
Freddie Francis: They Came From Beyond Space (1967)*
Fredric Hobbs: Godmonster Of Indian Flats (1973)*
Fritz Lang: House By The River (1950)

Gary Youngman: Rush It (1978)
George A. Romero: There's Always Vanilla (1971)*, Jack's Wife (1972)*, The Crazies (1973)*
George Englund: Zachariah (1971)*
George Marshall: Destry (1954)
George Montgomery: Guerillas In Pink Lace (1964)
Gilbert Cates: I Never Sang For My Father (1970)*, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973)
George Nierenberg: Say Amen, Somebody (1982)
Gilbert W. Taylor: Frankenstein On Campus (1970)
Giuliano Carmineo: Convoy Busters (1975)
Gjon Mili: Jammin' The Blues (1944)*
Gregg Araki: The Living End (1992)*
Greta Gerwig: Lady Bird (2017)
Greta Schiller, Andrea Weiss: International Sweethearts Of Rhythm (1986)
Guillermo del Toro: The Shape Of Water (2017)

Hal Ashby: 8 Million Ways To Die (1986)
Hal Hartley: The Unbelievable Truth (1989)*, Trust (1990)*, Simple Men (1992)*, Opera 1 (1994), Flirt (1995)
Hal Kanter: I Married A Woman (1958)

Harry Sutherland: Track Two (1982)
Harry Thomason: Encounter With The Unknown (1973)*, So Sad About Gloria (1973)*, The Day It Came To Earth (1979)*
Helia Colombo: The Police Are Blundering In The Dark (1975)
Henry Lehrman: Father Was A Loafer (1915)
Henri Verneuil: The Burglars (1971)*
Herb Wallerstein: Snowbeast (1977) (TV)*
Herbert Ross: I Ought To Be In Pictures (1982)
Herman Hoffman: The Invisible Boy (1957)
Howard Hawks: The Crowd Roars (1932), Ceiling Zero (1936), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), Air Force (1943), I Was A Male War Bride (1949), Monkey Business (1952)*, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)*, Rio Bravo (1959)*, Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)*, El Dorado (1967)*, Rio Lobo (1970)*

Irvin S. Yeaworth: The Blob (1958)*
Irving Lerner: Murder By Contract (1958)
Isaac Julien: Derek (2008)
Ivan Passer: Cutter's Way (1981)*
J. Lee Thompson: The Weak And The Wicked (1954), An Alligator Named Daisy (1955), As Long As They're Happy (1955), Tiger Bay (1959), Eye Of The Devil (1966)

Jacinto Molina: The Beast And The Magic Sword (1983)
Jack Sholder: The Hidden (1987)*
Jack Smight: The Third Day (1965)
Jacqueline Audry: Olivia (1951)
Jacques Becker: Antoine And Antoinette (1947)
Jacques Demy: Lola (1961)*, Bay Of Angels (1963)*, Model Shop (1969), Une Chambre en Ville (1982)
James A. Sullivan: Night Fright (1967)
James Glickenhaus: The Astrologer (1977)
James Landis: Stakeout! (1962)*, The Nasty Rabbit (1964)*, Deadwood '76 (1965)*, Rat Fink (1965)
Jan Troell: Zandy's Bride (1974)
Javier Aguirre: The Killer Is One Of Thirteen (1973)
Jean-Marie Pelissie: The Bride (1973)
Jean-Pierre Melville: Le Silence de la Mer (1949), When You Read This Letter (1953), Two Men In Manhattan (1959)*
Jeff Feuerzeig: The Devil And Daniel Johnston (2005)
Jeff Renfroe: I Am Steve McQueen (2014)
Jess Franco: The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus (1962), Two Female Spies With Flowered Panties (1978), The Night Of Open Sex (1983), Bahia blanca (1984)
Jess Robbins: Meet Father (1924)
Jesse Hibbs: Rails Into Laramie (1954)
Jodie Mack: The Grand Bizarre (2018)
Joe O'Connell: Danger God (2019)
Joe Rock: The Whirlwind (1922)
John Ainsworth: The One-Eyed Soldiers (1967)*
John Baxter: Crooks Tour (1941)
John G. Avildsen: Cry Uncle! (1971), For Keeps (1988),  Rocky V (1990)
John H. Auer: Hell's Half Acre (954)
John Hancock: Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971)
John Hayes: Dream No Evil (1970)
John Stewart: Action U.S.A. (1989)
John Sturges: Sign Of The Ram (1948), Mystery Street (1950), The Magnificent Seven (1960)*, Joe Kidd (1972)*

John Sturges, Duilio Coletti: Chino (1973)*
Jonathan Demme: Last Embrace (1979)*, Philadelphia (1993)*
Jose Ramon Larraz: Black Candles (1982)
Joseph Cates: Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965)
Joseph M. Newman: King Of The Roaring 20's - The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961)
Julian Schnabel: Basquiat (1996)*
Julie Dash: Daughters Of The Dust (1991)*

Karim Dridi: Cuba Feliz (2000)
Ken Kwapis: Vibes (1988)
Kenneth Hartford: Hell Squad (1986)
Kenneth Hartford, David L. Hewitt: The Lucifer Complex (1979)*
Kirsten Johnson: Cameraperson (2016)
Kleber Mendonca Filho, Juliano Dornelles: Bacurau (2019)
Konstantin Yershov, Georgi Kropachyov: Viy (1967)

l'Atelier national du Manitoba: Kubasa In A Glass: The Fetishized Winnipeg TV Commercial 1976-1992 (2005)*, Death By Popcorn: The Tragedy Of The Winnipeg Jets (2006)
Lamont Johnson: Cattle Annie And Little Britches (1981)*
Larry Buchanan: Creature Of Destruction (1967)
Larry Cohen: Perfect Strangers (1984)
Laszlo Benedek: Port Of New York (1949)
Lee Philips: Wanted: The Sundance Woman (1976)*
Leigh Jason: The Choppers (1961)*
Leon Klimovsky: Trauma (1978)
Lesley Selander: Revolt At Fort Laramie (1957)
Lewis Jackson: Christmas Evil (1980)*
Lo Wei: The Chinese Connection (1972)
Louis Belanger: Gaz Bar Blues (2003)
Louis Malle: Murmur Of The Heart (1971)*, The Human Condition (1974), Lacombe, Lucien (1974), Black Moon (1975), May Fools (1990)
Louis Myll: Outs And Ins (1916)
Louise Sherrill: Ghosts Of Hanley House (1968)
Lucio Fulci: The New Gladiators (1984)
Lucrecia Martel: La Cienaga (2001)
Luigi Scattini : Ring Around The World (1966)

Mai Zetterling: Loving Couples (1964)
Mario Bava: Black Sabbath (1963)*, Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966)*, Hatchet For The Honeymoon (1970)*, Baron Blood (1972)*, Shock (1977)*
Mark Rydell: On Golden Pond (1981)*
Martin B. Cohen: Rebel Rousers (1970)*
Martin Goldman: Dark August (1976)
Martin McDonagh: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (2017)
Matt Austin: Don't You Forget About Me (2009)
Matthew Chapman: Strangers Kiss (1983)*
Maurice Cloche, Federico Chentrens : The Killer Likes Candy (1968)
Max & Dave Fleischer: The Fade Away (1925)
Maya Deren: A Study In Choreography For The Camera (1945)*
Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid: Meshes Of The Afternoon (1943)*, At Land (1944)*, The Private Life Of A Cat (1946)
Michael Chapman: All The Right Moves (1983)
Michael Fengler, Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Why Does Herr R. Run Amok (1970)*
Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger: Black Narcissus (1947)*, Gone To Earth (1950)

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Rouben Mamoulian: The Wild Heart (1952)*
Michael Rubbo: The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)
Michele Lupo: Master Stroke (1967), The Master Touch (1972)*, Mean Frank And Crazy Tony (1973)*, Why Did You Pick On Me? (1980)
Milos Forman: The Firemen's Ball (1967)*
Monte Hellman: Ride In The Whirlwind (1965)*, The Shooting (1967)*, Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out (1989)

Nagisa Oshima: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

Pelin Esmer: 10 to 11 (2009)
Penny Marshall: Big (1988)*
Peter Adair, Lucy Massie Phenix, Veronica Selver, Andrew Brown, Rob Epstein: Word Is Out Stories Of Some Of Our Lives (1977)
Peter Bogdanovich: What's Up, Doc? (1972)*, Paper Moon (1973)*
Peter Fonda: Wanda Nevada (1979)
Peter Hall: Perfect Friday (1970)
Peter Hyams: The Star Chamber (1983)*
Peter Markle: Youngblood (1986)
Peter Weir: Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)*
Pierre Chevalier: Panther Squad (1985)
Pupi Avati: The House Of The Laughing Windows (1976)

R.G. Springsteen: Hellfire (1949), Hostile Guns (1967)*
Rachel Amodeo: Rest In Peace (1991), What About Me? (1993), Pierre Paolo (1998)
Rafael Baledon: The Curse Of The Crying Woman (1961)
Ray Danton: Deathmaster (1972)*
Ray Dennis Steckler: Wild Guitar (1962)*, The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1963)*, Rat Pfink A Boo Boo (1964)*, The Thrill Killers (1965)*, Lemon Grove Kids Meet The Monsters (1968)*, Body Fever (1969)*
Reginald Harkema: Leslie, My Name Is Evil (2009)
Rene Clement: And Hope To Die (1972)
Rene Daalder: Population: 1 (1986)
Richard Brooks: Bite The Bullet (1975)
Richard Fleischer: The Spikes Gang (1974)*
Richard Kelly: Donnie Darko (2001), Southland Tales (2006)
Richard Stanley: Color Out Of Space (2019)
Rick Sloane: The Visitants (1986)
Riley Stearns: The Art Of Self-Defense (2019)
Rob Nilsson: Gotta Be Otto: (A Film About Going to See a Film) (1970)
Rob Reiner: Stand By Me (1986)*
Robert Aldrich: Ten Seconds To Hell (1959), ...All The Marbles (1981)
Robert Allen Schnitzer: The Premonition (1975)
Robert Clouse: Gymkata (1985)*
Robert Gordon: The Gatling Gun (1971)*
Robert M. Young: Rich Kids (1979)
Robert Michael Lewis: Pray For The Wildcats (1974) (TV)
Robert Siodmak: Cobra Woman (1944)*, Cry Of The City (1948)*
Robert Voskanian: The Child (1977)*
Robert W. Morgan: Blood Stalkers (1976)
Robert Warmflash: Death Promise (1977)*
Roger Vadim: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 (1959)
Roland Klick: Supermarkt (1974)
Ron Howard: The Paper (1994)
Roy Rowland: The Moonlighter (1953)
Rudolph Cusumano: Wild Ones On Wheels (1962)*
Ruggero Deodato: The Concorde Affair (1979)
Russ Marker: The Yesterday Machine (1963)
Ryan Mains: Ferris's Room (2018)

Sam Mendes: 1917 (2019)
Sam Wanamaker: Catlow (1971)*
Sarah Kelly: Full Tilt Boogie (1997)
Satyajit Ray: The Home And The World (1984)
Sergei Goncharoff: House Of Terror (1973)
Sergio Corbucci: The Slave (1962), The Specialists (1970), Odds And Evens (1978)
Sergio Martino: The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh (1971)
Shirley Clarke: Ornette: Made In America (1985)*
Sidney J. Furie: A Cool Sound From Hell (1959)
Sidney Lumet: The Offence (1973)
Stephen Roberts: Cheer Up (1924)
Steven Spielberg: The Post (2017)
Stuart Millar: Rooster Cogburn (1975)*
Susan Seidelman: Smithereens (1982)*, Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)*, Making Mr. Right (1987)
Sydney Pollack: This Property Is Condemned (1966), The Scalphunters (1968)*

Tara Johns: The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom (2011)
Ted Kotcheff: Billy Two Hats (1974)*
Ted V. Mikels: Girl In Gold Boots (1968)*
Teresa Prata: Sleepwalking Land (2007)
Theodore Gershuny: Sugar Cookies (1973)
Theodore Melfi: Hidden Figures (2016)*
Thomas Michael Donnelly: Quicksilver (1986)
Tom Buckingham: The Two Johns (1923)
Tom Clegg: Sweeney 2 (1978)
Tom Gries: Number One (1969)
Tom Moore: Mark Of The Witch (1970)
Tsuneo Kobayashi: Four Hours Of Terror (1959)

Umberto Lenzi: Orgasmo (1968), So Sweet… So Perverse (1969)

Věra Chytilová: Daisies (1966)
Vernon Zimmerman: Fade To Black (1980)
Vincente Minnelli: The Sandpiper (1965)

Wally Campo: Mark Of The Gun (1969)*
Wayne Wang: Slam Dance (1987)*
William K. Howard: Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935)
William Beaudine: Why Wild Men Go Wild (1920)
William Davidson: The Ivy League Killers (1959)
William Wiard: Tom Horn (1980)*
Wolf Rilla: Roadhouse Girl (1953), The Large Rope (1953)
Worth Keeter: Lady Grey (1980)

Zelda Barron: Shag (1989)

(no director credited): An Eye For Figures (1920)

4) Best Ofs... and other lists.

The Best "First Time Viewings" Of 2020

i) Creme de la creme

Yi Yi (Edward Yang) 

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Jeff Feuerzig)

Lacombe, Lucien (Louis Malle)

Parasite (Bong Joon-ho)

Only Angels Have Wings (Howard Hawks) 

Bite the Bullet (Richard Brooks)

Gaz Bar Blues (Louis Belanger)

Antoine and Antoinette (Jacques Becker)

Bacurau (Kleber Mendonca Filho, Juliano Dornelles)

And Hope to Die (Rene Clement)

The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro)

Air Force (Howard Hawks)

Rich Kids (Robert M. Young) 

One Week (Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline)

ii) Honourable Mentions

Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (John Hancock)

Dark August (Martin Goldman)

Perfect Friday (Peter Hall)

Young Americans (Alexander Grasshoff)

Fly Jefferson Airplane (Bob Sarles)

Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (Peter Adair, Lucy Massie Phenix, Veronica Selver, Andrew Brown, Rob Epstein)

Murder by Contract (Irving Lerner)

The Vast of Night (Andrew Patterson)

The Grand Bizarre (Jodie Mack)

The Balloonatic (Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline)

Quixote (Bruce Baillie)

Mass for the Dakota Sioux (Bruce Baillie)

International Sweethearts of Rhythm (Greta Schiller, Andrea Weiss)

Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)

Bent Time (Barbara Hammer)

Vever (For Barbara) (Deborah Stratman)

Gone to Earth (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)

iii) New "Midnight, Cult, Whatever" Discoveries

I loathe the phrase "Guilty Pleasures", which is commonly used to describe B-movies, cult films, or whatever, as if to say that someone should be ashamed of watching these movies. Well, ESR's mandate that "all films matter" has no use for cultural snobbery like that. In fact, many "imperfect" movies such as these offer more memorable and original moments of cinema than other more mainstream, antiseptic (better?) film offerings.

Hell Squad (Kenneth Hartford) - awesome "all-girl team of mercenaries made from showgirls" action.

Cruel Jaws (Bruno Mattei) - amazing Italian Jaws rip-off

Dr. Frankenstein on Campus (Gilbert W. Taylor) - unsung Canadian horror, made at U of T!

Bahía blanca (Jess Franco) - a restoration of an unsung Franco film that begs comparison to a Howard Hawks "hangout" movie.

Action U.S.A. (John Stewart) - more than what the generic title implies, very entertaining, with stunts galore.

Fade to Black (Vernon Zimmerman) - rather ingenious parable of movie love taken to the extreme.

Dead End Drive-In (Brian Trenchard-Smith) - pretty brilliant post-Apoc fable.

iv) Best Revivals of 2020

Before March's lockdown, we still had ten weeks of "normalcy" in the film community last year. Here are the noteworthy revivals I managed to see during that time, thanks to second-run venues and independent cinema-screening collectives.

A Cool Sound From Hell - Long-lost Sidney J. Furie JD film, presented with live jazz band, personal appearance by Phil Nimmons, aged 96, who had scored the movie back in 1958, and Skype interview with director Furie, live from a post-production facility, still working at age 86!

Partners - Ultra-obscure film from Don Owen (Nobody Waved Goodbye), presented as part of U of T's "Toronto Film Review" screenings, with the director's son in attendance to provide some insights.

Tribute To Barbara Hammer - Retrospective of works by Barbara Hammer (see her titles above), who had recently passed away, presented by the CFMDC. Included was Deborah Stratman's Vever (For Barbara), a marvellous tribute film.

Edward Owens - Part of the TIFF Wavelength series, a trio of hard-to-find independent shorts by Edward Owens (see titles above).

5) Thank You

We haven't forgotten about you; we hope you haven't forgotten about us. The light is coming, let's continue hanging in there, being safe, and supporting each other however we can, so that we can reunite in person sooner rather than later. 

Thanks for taking the trip with us. 

All my very best - peace.

Greg