BEST OF 2020 RELEASES/FILM LISTS
 

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of work that has tended to be seen as marginal even within exploitation genres – the number two kaiju, an outdated Asian mastermind, an outlaw auteur, a test case British sex starlet and a star-director-genre combo which aptly includes a film called So Sweet… So Perverse.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.

Good stuff rob.
Save me starting a seperate thread.

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

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

Anyone else?

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

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:
:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

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

Eh? :confused:

He means you don't know the difference between 10 & 20 [emoji23]

Oh aye! :D
Or even thirty!

[emoji23] Never noticed the 30

:pound:

So Mr.W....What were you're favourites in this shittiest year of shit years? :eyebrows:

I did a top 20, it was quite tough because even though I bought quite a lot of discs this year, not a lot of them were produced and released this year! Also mistakes aside of the F13 set, it's still hands down my favourite release of the year and I wasn't even going to buy it which is madness!

1. Friday the 13th Collection (Scream Factory)
2. Dawn of the Dead (UHD Second Sight)
3. Mallrats (Arrow Video USA)
4. Kwaidan (Eureka Masters of Cinema)
5. Mr Vampire (Eureka Classics)
6. The Alejandro Jodorowsky Collection (Arrow Video)
7. Come and See (Criterion Collection)
8. 976-EVIL (Eureka Classics)
9. Sleepwalkers (Eureka Classics)
10. Silent Night Deadly Night Collection (101 Films)
11. Takeshi Kitano Collection (BFI)
12. Tremors (UHD Arrow Video)
13. The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice (BFI)
14. House by the Cemetery (Remastered BD + CD) (Blue Underground)
15. Safety Last! (Criterion Collection)
16. Beau Travail (Criterion Collection)
17. The Woman in Black (Network)
18. Pitch Black (UHD Arrow Video)
19. The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (Third Window)
20. Pretty in Pink (Paramount)

Yeah good choices!

I was fizzing with myself for missing the ltd. KWAIDAN

Zavvi at their ****ing best.
Should've ordered direct..... :rolleyes:

Always for the best with Eureka ltd stuff, it's free postage as well if I remember right.

Top 3 releases this year:

1-GAMERA SET (Arrow)
2-DAWN OF THE DEAD (Second Sight)
3-FORGOTTEN GIALLI 1&2 (Vinager Syndrome) *I know it's a cheat but seriously, this stuff would be buried otherwise!)

I usually do as well..... :doh:

Mondo-Digital's overview of the year is worth a flick through.

https://www.facebook.com/mondodig/ph...22618917750935

I dont know about my favourite releases. But it is looking like 88 films is my favourite company for the second d time in a row. Brought more of their releases than others.

Good choice Will! :clap:

John Waters reveals his list of the best films of 2020 / lgbtqnation

1. Butt Boy, directed by Tyler Cornack. “A jaw-dropping, deadpan, bowel-bonkers thriller” about a serial killer who “inhales” his victims through his derriere. The final scene takes place inside the killer’s rectum.

2. Swallow, directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis. A horror film about a woman who eats marbles, thumbtacks, and other objects, goes to the bathroom, cleans them, and displays them in her home. Starring Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, and Elizabeth Marvel.

3. The Hunt, directed by Craig Zobel, written by Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse. A political satire about a group of liberal “elites” who hunt down blue-collar types for sport. Before the 2020 election. Republicans tried to block its release, saying it made people from red states look bad when the liberals turned out to be the real villains. Waters nominated Betty Gilpin, who plays one of the Hunted, for “Best Deplorable Actress of the Year.”

4. Why Don’t You Just Die!, written and directed by Kirill Sokolov. This Russian film shows what happens when a detective, his resentful daughter, an angry thug, and a cheated cop get together, all seeking revenge. Waters calls it a “blood-drenched, seat-ripping, Tarantino-influenced Russian grindhouse family revenge comedy” that’s best seen in a packed movie theater.

5. The Audition, directed by Ina Weisse. A drama about a violin teacher who takes an intense interest in a student, while neglecting her own son, also a violinist. Waters calls it an “Ingmar Berman-meets-Joanna Hogg melodrama” that “will fill you with arty masochistic inner peace.”

6. Deerskin, written and directed by Quentin Dupieux. A horror-comedy about a wannabe filmmaker who becomes so obsessed with a fringed deerskin jacket he buys that he sets out to murder anyone who might emulate him. Waters calls it “the fashion film of the year.”

7. The Human Voice, written and directed by Pedro Almodovar. Tilda Swinton, looking more than ever like David Bowie, stars as a woman abandoned by her ex-lover in Almodovar’s first English-language film, based on a 1930 play by Jean Cocteau. Waters says Swinton’s 30-minute emotional crack-up scene is “pure cinematic enjoyment.”

8. True History of the Kelly Gang, directed by Justin Kurzel, with Russell Crowe, Charlie Hunnam, George MacKay, and Nicholas Hoult in the cast. Based on a novel by Peter Carey and filmed in Australia, it’s the story of 1870s-era bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang of robbers, who sometimes dressed in drag just to confuse the authorities. Waters describes it as a “gory, insane, homoerotic, historical western” and says MacKay’ delivers a “truly astonishing, unhinged performance” that “gives new meaning to the word butch.”

9. American Murder: The Family Next Door, directed by Jenny Popplewell, is a Netflix documentary about the Watts family murders that took place in Colorado in 2018. Waters was impressed by how well the story is told and found it both powerful and depressing to learn who the real killer was.

10. There was a tie between The Trial of the Chicago 7, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. This film is a take on the seven men charged with conspiracy to incite a riot after the countercultural protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Noah Robbins, William Hurt, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale and Mangrove, directed by British filmmaker Steve McQueen. The film follows The Mangrove Nine, a group of West Indian immigrants in Britain who clashed with London police in 1970, revealing systemic racism within the police force there. Waters recommends that viewers watch them together as a double feature and then go out and film themselves getting arrested at a protest rally.

A 2020 list by Tim Lucas. God, I miss Video Watchdog

Video Watchdog

Butt Boy made me CRY with laughter tbh. Recommended!!

Film of the year

Possessor

I've seen nothing else that had as much impact on me. Wellllllllllllll .... even I cannot stretch credulity far enough to pick a film from 1987 tee hee. :nod::rolleyes::laugh: