I Only Have Two Eyes 2012

It's time to present my annual survey of cinephiles' favorite repertory and revival film screenings at Frisco Bay venues. This is one of my favorite uses of my blog -- a way to collectively honor the entire chain of people that go into the creation of a meaningful cinema culture. The filmmakers (some long-dead) who originally produced these works. The archivists over the years who kept them safe for the current and future generations to appreciate, and in many cases performed important restoration work to make sure they look as their makers intended. The specialty distributors (or the increasingly-marginalized specialty distribution arms of major studios) who make them available for theatrical booking, sometimes after going to great expense to strike brand-new prints. The non-profit festivals and screening venues (along with a few for-profit businesses, usually small and family-owned rather than big and corporate) that take risks with their programming choices to ensure that there's a healthy alternative to the Hollywood mainstream on local screens. The projectionists and other theatre workers who help ensure that the presentation of these films maintains, or even improves upon, the standard of care displayed by the other links in this chain. And last but not least the moviegoers themselves, who help fund all the above activities with their box office dollars and cents, and whose enjoyment and intellectual stimulation is arguably the whole meaning of the entire enterprise.

I've done this for five years in a row before now, and I'm always amazed at the number of different films and venues that get mentioned by my generous contributors. I really appreciate the time they've taken to reflect upon their cinematic year and share it with anyone who happens upon this blog. Here's the list of contributors:

Adam Hartzell, writer for koreanfilm.org and many other sites
Rob Byrne, who blogs at Starts Thursday.
Ryland Walker Knight, writer and filmmaker whose web presence has a hub here.
Jonathan Kiefer, a film critic whose reviews are collected at jonathankiefer.com.
Victoria Jaschob, freelance writer and Event Planner for the SF Silent Film Festival.
David Robson, proprietor of the House oF Sparrows.
Lincoln Spector, the man behind Bayflicks.
Jesse Hawthorne Ficks, the mastermind of MiDNiTES FOR MANiACS.
Jason Wiener, who frequently Watches Movies.
Michael Hawley, who blogs at film-415.
Maureen Russell, cinephile and film festival volunteer.
Ben Armington, Box Cubed chieftain, Roxie pinch hitter, furtive film-goer.
Frako Loden, film studies teacher and Documentary magazine contributing editor.
Terri Saul, cinephile, writer and visual artist.
Lawrence Chadbourne, long-time video collector and recent tweeter.
Carl Martin, film projectionist and keeper of the Bay Area Film Calendar.
Kurtiss Hare, who operates Cinefrisco.
Mark Wilson, an artist/filmmaker who features in an upcoming East Coast exhibition.
Brian Darr, a.k.a. me.

THIS POST WAS CREATED JANUARY 14, 2013, AND WAS UPDATED DAILY UNTIL JAN. 24, 2013.