Michael Elvidge likes horror films. Michael Elvidge likes science fiction films. Michael Elvidge likes surrealist films. Michael Elvidge likes non-mainstream films. Super Deformed is his catalogue of all four. A project many, many years in the making, this zine is a veritable role call of Elvidge’s favourite flicks and he definitely does have a thirst for the perverse. Over three dozen films are listed and reviewed-but, truthfully, reviewed probably isn’t the best word. Rather, Elvidge tends to summarize the films in long hand, going into great detail in terms of plot and character. It might be the type of stuff you could find online in three to four keystrokes, but as someone who hasn’t seen a lot of these films, I thought Elvidge did a good job of capturing their nuances and painting a picture of what they are all about. Most of his summaries end with a paragraph that discusses what he thought of the films, what worked, what didn’t, and anything else that stood out. Not surprisingly, Elvidge seems to love pretty much all these films and his enthusiasm for the medium is amply conveyed. The only real suggestion I have would be for better consistency, as some of his summaries run two pages deep while others wrap up after a single, short paragraph. But that’s probably just the bean counter in me talkin’. (Cameron Gordon)
Zine, Michael Elvidge, #1, $5, 48 pgs, P.O. Box 663, Durham, ON, N0G 1R0