BEST OF 2020 RELEASES/FILM LISTS

[Rob4]

It's that time of year when the great, the bad and the boring of the critics, curators and industry insiders make their end of year lists of the best releases.

here is the BFI's contribution...

https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sou...D-w4KRM-2Sr-V4

Peppered amongst the 'never heard of before in my life' art-house releases are a generous amount of releases of interest to this board which is a bit of a reminder that it hasn't been a bad year at all when you look at the across the label releases.

I've picked out 3 of the lists that were particularly cultish and copied them below. Kim Newman's contribution made me smile...

Michael Blyth
Programmer, BFI London Film Festival/BFI Flare

1. Cannibal Apocalypse
2. Dolly Dearest
3. The Friday 13th Complete Collection
4. Mirror Mirror
5. The Passion of Darkly Noon

In a year that saw the loss of the wonderful John Saxon, Kino Lorber’s remastered release of Cannibal Apocalypse offered some small solace. A deliriously enjoyable slice of anthropophagic exploitation which demonstrates the B-movie maestro’s ability to bring a touch of class to even the most depraved of proceedings.

Elsewhere, Vinegar Syndrome’s release of Maria Lease’s Dolly Dearest proved that her diminutive killer was much more than just a cheap Chucky knock-off, while Marina Sargenti’s offbeat supernatural shocker Mirror Mirror looked better than ever thanks to those good people at Dark Force Ent. And as ever, Arrow treated us to a tasty buffet of home video horrors, arguably the most exciting of which was Philip Ridley’s intoxicating fable The Passion of Darkly Noon – a massively underrated film from a consistently underrated filmmaker.

But the highlight of my year was undoubtedly Scream Factory’s exhaustive Friday the 13th collection, which boasted enough additional content to keep you entertained all through lockdown. Jason most definitely lives.

Kim Newman
Critic, UK

1. Gamera: The Complete Gamera
2. The Fu Manchu Cycle (limited edition)
3. Al Adamson The Masterpiece Collection
4. The Mary Millington Movie Collection (limited edition)
5. The Complete Lenzi/Baker Giallo Collection

A great year for optimal editions/collections of work that has tended to be seen as marginal even within exploitation genres – the number two kaiju, an outdated Asian mastermind, an outlaw auteur, a test case British sex starlet and a star-director-genre combo which aptly includes a film called So Sweet… So Perverse. Extra points for maniacal completism, contextualising extras, and imaginative, sturdy packaging.

James White
Head of Restoration, Arrow Films

1. Dawn of the Dead 4K (limited edition)
2. Eve
3. Daughters of Darkness
4. The War of the Worlds
5. I Start Counting

2020’s been a disaster in so many ways, but one upside of an otherwise terrible year has been the slate of amazing Blu-ray and UHD releases released, which have been particularly welcome given that we’ve all been stuck at home. I’ve refrained from including box sets and have kept my choices to single-title editions here.

Aside from these titles, I was also knocked out by amazing releases by Indicator, Studio Canal, Criterion, BFI, Eureka Masters of Cinema, Second Sight, Second Run, Kino Lorber, Vinegar Syndrome, Severin and Mondo Macabro. As is kosher, I’ve refrained from including any releases my label (Arrow) released, although special mention should be made of the amazing restoration of Flash Gordon produced by Studiocanal and carried out by the Silver Salt restoration team with Mike Hodges, released in amazing new 4K UHD editions by Studio Canal in the UK and Arrow in the US.

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Good stuff rob.
Save me starting a seperate thread.

Let’s hear all members Top GLOBAL releases. ��

[Rob4]

Dawn of the Dead (Second Sight)
The War of the Worlds (Criterion)
The Mystery of the Wax Museum (WAC)
The Curse of Frankenstein (WAC) - chosen by reputation only as not released yet!
Night Tide (Indicator)
I Spit on your Grave (Ronin) - again chosen unseen, its on its way though!!!
Jodorowsky Boxset (Arrow)
The Man Who Laughs (Eureka)
Patrick Still Lives (Severin)
White Fire (Arrow)

They are in no particular order because I always feel it depends on your mood for that day, but if I really had to choose a favourite it would be... drum roll...

Night Tide

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Anyone else?

I'm waiting until I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER arrives....

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

My top twenty UK releases.

20.DEATH SHIP NUCLEUS
19.HOLLOW MAN 88
18.CREEPSHOW 2 ARROW LTD ED.
17.FORCE TEN FROM NAVARONE PH LTD ED
16.DOCTOR SLEEP WARNER
15.THE IRISHMAN CRITERION
14.THE ELEPHANT MAN STUDIO CANAL BOXSET
13.THE GAME ARROW LTD ED
12.ROADGAMES PH LTD ED
11.PSYCHO STEELBOOK UNIVERSAL
10.MACABRE 88
09.WOLFEN HMV PREM
08.PIRANHA 2 88
07.10 TO MIDNIGHT 88
06.FU MANCHU BOXSET PH
05.SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT 1&2 101 BOXSET
04.THE SHINING BOXSET WARNER
03.I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER TRILOGY 88
02.PHANTASM BOXSET ARROW
01.DAWN OF THE DEAD SECOND SIGHT BOXSET.

Honourable mentions go to:
VILLAIN STUDIO CANAL
JOKER WARNER
COLD LIGHT OF DAY ARROW
THE VANISHING STUDIO CANAL
EDGE OF THE AXE ARROW
CRASH ARROW
TREMORS LTD ED ARROW
THE PREY ARROW
PHASE IV 101
MAGIC SECOND SIGHT
THE BEAST MUST DIE PH
NIGHT TIDE LTD ED PH
NEW YEAR'S EVIL 88
BYOND THE DOOR ARROW LTD ED

My label of the year is:

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

MY TOP U.S. releases...

20.HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY BLUE UNDERGROUND 3 DISC
19.THE HILLS RUN RED SCREAM FACTORY
18.X THE UNKNOWN SCREAM FACTORY
17.FRIDAY THE 13TH STEELBOOK PARAMOUNT
16.I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE BOXSET RONIN FLIX
15.FADE TO BLACK VINEGAR SYNDROME
14.WAR OF THE WORLDS CRITERION
13.STRANGE VICE OF MRS WARDH SEVERIN
12.THE BEASTMASTER VINEGAR SYNDROME
11.DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS BLUE UNDERGROUND
10.DEATH WISH 3 SCORPION
09.BLOOD GAMES VINEGAR SYNDROME
08.THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS KL
07.MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH SYNAPSE
06.GRAVEYARD SHIFT SCREAM FACTORY
05.MY BLOODY VALENTINE SCREAM FACTORY
04.CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN WARNER ARCHIVE
03.DJANGO ARROW LT ED.
02.THE LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE SYNAPSE LTD.ED
01.FRIDAY THE 13TH COMPLETE COLLECTION SCREAM FACTORY

Honourable mentions go to:
BEST FRIENDS VINEGAR SYNDROME
SOLDIER BLUE KL
TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE SCREAM FACTORY
DR WHO AND THE DALEKS KL
INVASION EARTH 2150 KL
LA DROMES DE TOMBS VINEGAR SYNDROME
TOURIST TRAP FULL MOON
CEMETERY OF TERROR VINEGAR SYNDROME
SILENT MADNESS VINEGAR SYNDROME
THE LAST STARFIGHTER ARROW
CASTLE OF THE CREEPING FLESH SEVERIN
FORGOTTEN GIALLI VOL 2 VINEGAR SYNDROME
POSSESSOR SIGNATURE


My U.S. label of the year is........

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

And now the rest of the world top releases.....

30.AEROBICIDE GERMANY
29.9 DEATHS OF THE NINJA GERMANY
28.CURSED SPAIN
27.HALLOWEEN (CARPENTER) 2 CUTS FRANCE
26.ERASER SPAIN
25.UNCOMMON VALOUR AUSTRALIA
24.TRUE LIES SPAIN
23.MOTHER OF TEARS JAPAN
22.URBAN LEGENDS 2 GERMANY
21.THE HUNT SPAIN
20.FIRE DOWN BELOW SPAIN
19.GINGER SNAPS TRILOGY GERMANY
18.P.O.W. THE ESCAPE GERMANY
17.PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT MEDIABOOK GERMANY
16.DEADLY FRIEND SPAIN
15.RAZORBACK FRANCE
14.ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD STEEL/SLIP SOUTH KOREA
13.GLIMMER MAN SPAIN
12.THE GHOST GALLEON KULTBOX AUSTRIA
11.BLACULA AMARAY GERMANY
10.AFTER HOURS SPAIN
09.CHILD'S PLAY 1988 SPAIN
08.FRIGHTMARE (WALKER) MEDIABOOK GERMANY
07.DEATH WEEKEND GERMANY
06.STRAW DOGS SPAIN
05.RITUALS (THE CREEPER) MEDIABOOK GERMANY
04.CHILD'S PLAY 88 SPAIN
03.THE HITCHER AMARAY/SLIP GERMANY
02.RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD KULTBOX AUSTRIA
01.TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD KULTBOX AUSTRIA

[Rob4]

^ Reaps, totally didn't read/ignored his own scope. So glad, I love lists

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Eh?

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by The Reaper Man@Cult Labs

Eh?

He means you don't know the difference between 10 & 20