Pandemic, isolation, anxiety, guns, alcohol, and the lure of self-harm. Welcome to “20 effing 20”. Now on to my reviews.Extensions II: Victory (2020 Version)
Interesting time capsule. It was an entertaining glimpse into the lives of several of the Extensions stalwarts 34 years prior to Today. Ah, youth…The band rehearsal footage was good fun. The final segment was disturbing with its Columbine-esque ending. Bone chilling actually.

The First Tasting
Good to see The Gourmand Society moving on from cannibalism to other foodstuffs. I detected a subtext on today’s obsession with photographing food for FaceGram and InstaBook fodder. Poor Gordon Stacks didn’t get the memo about being present and experiencing the rare “Fromage de luné”in the moment. His agonizing yelps had to be muted while we watched him helplessly flail about, condemned to see the prized morsel before him evaporate just out of his grasp. A cautionary tale to be sure. Special thanks to Vlindinhauer for liberally using my musical cues throughout the film. It should be noted that they were all written without the benefit of screening the film. 

Sea Peoples
A stellar film in so many ways. I had more questions than answers at the film’s conclusion, but that’s part of what I loved about it. Each viewing provides more insight and more queries. The naturalistic acting by the entire cast gave this film a quasi-documentary feel. Excellent cinematography, score, and performances. Will we see a companion piece to this film sometime in the future? I hope so. There’s so much content yet to be explored. 
The Sleep Demon
This claustrophobic little gem grabbed me and shook me! I’ve heard several tales of sleep paralysis from my nephew and this short captured his description of it vividly. Shades of “The Babadook”. 
The Will
I understood this to be a Zen parable. In English the Buddhist word Nirvana literally means “to blow out” or “extinguish”. “The Will” depicts four participants in a Zoom meeting gathered for their fifth annual Russian Roulette ritual. Talk about the potential for a blow out! Three of the four men appear to outwardly embrace the act while The Preceptor (played by yours truly) is a skeptic who no longer wishes to play along but seems bound by an irrevocable pact. Gregory Silver speaks of how cheating Death only makes one feel more alive. He, however, has his affairs in order should it be his turn to reach the ultimate state of nothingness. Stories and grievances are aired and many toasts are offered before it’s time to spin the cylinders and pull the triggers. What this film lacks in cinematography it more than makes up for with writing and character study.

On the Transmigration of Marjorie Nolan
A welcome desert after the heavy main course. Very funny and a much needed breather.
The Tasting
Same setup as “The First Tasting” but with a wholly different outcome. Did The Count feign a deadly seizure in order to spur the three participants into rushing to his home to snag the remaining moon cheese? Or was he truly incapacitated by one of his turns? We may never know. All I know is no good can come of this! What fate awaits the first to arrive and attempt to steal The Count’s “Fromage de luné”? Perhaps further episodes will tell… Great makeup and special effects in both tasting films. 
When The Alarm Goes Off
This was truly harrowing stuff and, as a creative type myself, a situation I can relate to. F2’s film captures the fear of a blank canvas/page so well. Factor in the isolation bought on by a pandemic and throw in lots of alcohol and you have a recipe for disaster. The cinematography was top-notch, as was the score and the acting. The film-within-a-film injected much needed comic relief. The malevolent little creature that goads the artist into creating his ultimate masterpiece could have been more mysterious. Maybe shrouded in shadow or translucence? Solid film score and use of narration. Great job all around.
The Realization
A satisfying finale to the evening’s festivities. Frank as a MAGA zealot was hilarious. Cool to see the labyrinth and other seaside footage. Nicely edited and scored too. 
girl with the most cake What a shame this wasn’t screened as part of the official festival. An intense short that captured so many 2020 emotions. A leather jacket, a knife, a cake, and barely contained rage combined with the B&W and pink palette gave this film a punk rock sensibility. A brave and bold statement.
2020Another offering from Cherry Maraschino that captured the zeitgeist of a pretty shitty year. Even the adorable Pepper transforms into a wolf like creature in the final frames. Can’t wait to see more from her.

My nomination for The Haverhast: Sea Peoples

When the Alarm Goes Off was a close second.