Thanks

No new list here. Just a thanks to those of you who caught the following revivals with me over the past 12 months:

WINTER KILLS (this forgotten 1979 conspiracy thriller, starring Jeff Bridges and John Huston, gets a little too out there near the end, but highly recommended. This film only exists on digital, the film prints destroyed missing or too damaged to be saved. Sounds like restoration work needs to be done on most films from 1977-1990 ASAP, but I digress. See this before it's gone.),

THE AFRICAN QUEEN, DOG DAY AFTERNOON,

THE SOFT SKIN (was a little disappointed in this Truffaut. Not by much, but just a small but noticeable sense of "Eh" in the last quarter or so of the film.),

TAXI DRIVER,

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (wonderful Q and A with Angela Lansbury. It was great to re-introduce this classic to someone who hadn't seen it in a long time, and to introduce it to someone who never saw it. And grateful to TCM for sponsoring this free screening. Lousy picture included of Angela. Sorry, did my best.),

THE IDIOT (keeping up with my Kurosawa. Even a Cliff Notes adaptation of the Dostoyevsky novel is very good in the hands of Kurosawa-Mifune, among others.),

THE BIRDS (another wonderful Q and A/ free screening sponsored by TCM, this time with Tippi Hedren. Decent picture above; it's the TCM one that isn't with Lansbury.)

MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE, IT'S A GIFT (2 fun W.C. Fields films, with nice intros/ Q and As from Fields' grandchildren- lousy picture of the grandson listed here somwhere.),

TOP GUN (I've seen this a bunch of times on VHS, but on the big screen, I was pleasantly stunned how much fun it was. Don't think about the script, it can't handle the scrutiny. Just have fun.),

THE MAKIOKA SISTERS (The score is terrible, but this Japanese film is good. In the Criterion Collection.),

ROLLERBALL (the original. Works better as social drama and and fits in the violence with consequences file. I wish more people know this. It's good believe it or not.),

BADLANDS, DAYS OF HEAVEN,

DOGTOOTH (this is now in my top 10 of 2011. Put it at #9; behind Another Year, ahead of Kawasaki's Rose, and knocking Gasland out of the Top 10 all together.),

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH,

LE RAYON VERT- (I can take Eric Rohmer's work, but in small doses. This was a small, pleasant enough dose.),

PLANET OF THE APES (boy, was this a blast on the big screen.),

MONSIEUR VERDOUX (another film I wish more people knew. As long as both this and Modern Times are both on Charlie Chaplin's resume, I'll always put him above Keaton.),

SEVEN CHANCES, AIRPLANE! (that said, I enjoyed 7 Chances immensely. And it was so short, I had plenty of time to catch Airplane with the appreciative crowd at Bryant Park. All in all, a pleasant, funny summer night for me.),

THE DARK CRYSTAL, THE FOG OF WAR (a unique double feature. I admit, the ending for Dark Crystal doesn't make a lot of sense, but the journey is worth it. Interesting Q and A with Muppeteer Kathy Mullins. A Robert McNamara documentary is not an obvious double feature with Dark Crystal but hey, works for me.),

THE WILD BUNCH,

DIRTY HARRY (a quality end to the Bryant Park summer film series, paired with that Bugs Bunny cartoon where he faces off with a mad scientist and that "interesting monster". Was not appropriate for the 8-11 year olds who were watching it, felt seamier that Taxi Driver. Picture of the Bryant Park screens, 3 in total, are above.),

BAND OF OUTSIDERS, MARRIAGE ITALIAN STYLE,

THE LION KING (works great in 3-D. Lean and mean filmmaking, no wasted scenes or sequences. The idea that there was no need to see this on the big screen because there's a musical version on stage still pisses me off. How elitist, no wonder the other 49 states hate New York.),

THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, WEEKEND,

THE BRIDE WORE BLACK (2 disappointing Truffauts for me this year. Entertaining in its style with a good Bernard Herrmann score, but both could only carry the film so far.),

AUNTIE MAME (literally nothing more than a filmed play. An entertaining filmed play with some good to great performances, but good God do I understand why the director made so few films.),

THE LIFE & DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP, EMMET OTTER'S JUG BAND CHRISTMAS, FANTASIA, THE WAGES OF FEAR, THE TREE OF LIFE, THE GOLD RUSH, THE ROAD WARRIOR, 2 episodes of the MUPPET SHOW,

THE ROOM (wow this film was awful. Wow was this film fun. The only disappointment was this college kid who thought she was funnier than everyone else. You should experience this train wreck. The only question is; whether you want to first experience it live where you can't hear half the dialogue and therefore miss getting some of the jokes going on around you, or on TV like say the Adult Swim screenings on April Fools Day, where you hear all the dialogue but may not have the social experience you desire. And you will desire it after watching it awhile.),

and MANHATTAN (maybe not Woody Allen's best, that would be for me, Annie Hall. But Manhattan's probably my favorite of his work. Sorry that the best Woody can feel about this is essentially, he got away with one. The borough has never been captured so beautifully on film.) .

42 in total, compared to last year's 33. Even with repeat revival screenings from previous years taken out of the 42 total, I still managed to make more first time screening over the past twelve months than in the twelve before that. Very nice indeed. Thank you all.