It......LIVES!
     Well, here we go again.
     FYI: At the end of October, over Hallowe'en weekend, we will be running vault prints of Frankenstein & Psycho.  These are restricted to single reel, changeover booth only presentation.
     So come on down & give us some money!
     I'll post about print condition when they arrive.
     And we ran some spectacular stuff over the summer.

     Also, on 12 November, Alloy Orchestra will be playing their music to Metropolis, the great-granddaddy of SF movies.  This is the new, expanded version, integrating footage that was thought to be lost forever.  It will, unfortunately, be projected digitally.  There seems to be one, and only one, 35mm print of this, it's being held in Germany, and they are not letting it out.  Ce la vie.
     In addition, after years of planning, we have exhumed the theatre's original orchestra pit, which was covered over in 1932.  I expect Alloy will be setting up in there.

dave, i've heard alloys score and i've found it very wanting. it features 3 motifs that are repeated 6 times each during the course of the 3 hour movie. i use the term motif charitably. its the same 3 tunes 6 times each with varied tempo and volume. if at all possible convince the management to switch to the orchestral score on the dvd or give alloy a bad set of directions to somerville or otherwise divert them.

Hooray! I am amazed that the load-bearing piano in the orchestra pit has finally been unearthed! Can't wait to see the new pit in person.

I will totally be there for Frankenstein and Metropolis, digital or no.

Spatch from the balcony wrote on Oct 10^th, 2011 at 11:43pm:

Hooray! I am amazed that the load-bearing piano in the orchestra pit has finally been unearthed! Can't wait to see the new pit in person. I will totally be there for Frankenstein and Metropolis, digital or no.

I will be there for Metropolis with my posse. And we have balcony seats so come over and say hello.

look for me there as well/ i'll be the smiling curmudgeon sporting a pair of bose noise reduction headphomes and listening to the original score.

kirok wrote on Oct 10^th, 2011 at 5:27pm:

dave, i've heard alloys score and i've found it very wanting. it features 3 motifs that are repeated 6 times each during the course of the 3 hour movie. i use the term motif charitably. its the same 3 tunes 6 times each with varied tempo and volume. if at all possible convince the management to switch to the orchestral score on the dvd or give alloy a bad set of directions to somerville or otherwise divert them.

     Lets understand that I'm simply announcing -- to people on a SF board -- that a venerated SF movie is playing at a theatre at which I happen to work.
     I'm not commenting on the movie, because most people wouldnt like what I think about it.
     I'm not commenting on the music, because Alloy has hired me to do the projection.
     And I'm not commenting on Alloy in general, because they have rented the theatre, & their last showing of this sold completely out.  So they must be doing something right.  And theyre nice guys.
     So.

Spatch from the balcony wrote on Oct 10^th, 2011 at 11:43pm:

Can't wait to see the new pit in person.

     It can also be covered up with boards.  Pretty cool.


Quote:

I will totally be there for Frankenstein and Metropolis, digital or no.

     Metropolis will be projected digitally because, as I said, we have no choice in the matter.
     Frankenstein, on the other hand, will be a 35mm vault print.  So at least youll be able to see that right.

Spatch from the balcony wrote on Oct 10^th, 2011 at 11:43pm:

Hooray! I am amazed that the load-bearing piano in the orchestra pit has finally been unearthed!

     Yes, that was exhumed after all these decades.  It was a concert grand, and at first I thought it was a Chickering -- a rare and valuable piano -- because that was the logo on the keyboard cover.  It turns out that it somehow isnt a Chickering, and no one has told me what it actually is.  Last I heard, it's sitting in a warehouse, & management is trying to decide what to do with it.

The best way for me to sit through Metropolis again would be to run the 8mm Castle film version.  They need to start losing a few reels.  Now I understand the importance of the movie and its' place in movie history but I have seen enough versions of the thing to last me a few lifetimes.   

Frank wrote on Oct 11^th, 2011 at 12:34pm:

The best way for me to sit through Metropolis again would be to run the 8mm Castle film version.  They need to start losing a few reels.  Now I understand the importance of the movie and its' place in movie history but I have seen enough versions of the thing to last me a few lifetimes.

     And Ive run so many differing versions of this it's not to be believed.
     This new one is the longest, by far.  They found some footage in Argentina, on a battered 16mm print that was struck from a deteriorating nitrate 35; the latter being the original, uncut release that had been thought lost.
     The aspect ratio (and print quality) changes radically when the 16mm print is used.  The scenes and shots from that adds to the running time.
     What also adds to it is the habit that DVD authors & film archivists have these days of slowing the frame rate down so that all the movement appears "normal," which certainly isnt how it was run originally.
     I will say that this version is far more coherent than the previous ones, which is a plus; but it also drags more in spots, which isnt.

dave. would you be averse to plugging in an FM transmitter to the auxiliary audio output of the dvd player during your projection of metropolis? please get back to me on this.

kirok wrote on Oct 13^th, 2011 at 1:49pm:

dave. would you be averse to plugging in an FM transmitter to the auxiliary audio output of the dvd player during your projection of metropolis? please get back to me on this.

     What an odd question.  I suppose it's possible.  I take it you want to hear the soundtrack thats on the disc?  And you think you can drown out the sound from Alloy?
     And wouldnt it be cheaper & easier to just watch the movie at home?

stay home? i don't have an 80 foot screen that's why. is the original orchestral score on the dvd?

kirok wrote on Oct 13^th, 2011 at 3:17pm:

stay home? i don't have an 80 foot screen that's why.

     Well, we dont have an 80 foot screen, either!  I think it's 31 feet wide.  It would be narrower for Metropolis.
     I wish we had an 80 foot screen.  What I could do with that....


Quote:

is the original orchestral score on the dvd?

     I have no idea.  This is the disc:http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Metropolis-Blu-ray-Brigitte-Helm/dp/B0040QYROK/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1318551307&sr=1-1

Here ya go, kirok. Just bring your iPhone and earbud up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16TLqSJHZ9o&feature=related

     Okay, folks, for those horror fans amongst you, heres our Hallowe'en line-up:

     24 Oct:  Satanic Rites of Dracula at 8.00
                    A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 at 9.45
     25 Oct:  It's Alive at 4.00 & 8.00
                    It's Alive 2 at 6.00 & 9.45
     26 Oct:  Demons at 4.00 & 8.00
                    Night of the Comet at 6.00 & 9.45
     27 Oct:  The Shining at 5.00 & 9.30 (this print has faded somewhat)
                    Halloween at 7.45 (the colour in this print has also shifted)
     28 Oct:  Psycho at 4.00 & 8.00
                    Frankenstein at 6.30 & 10.00
     29 & 30 Oct:  Psycho at 4.00 & 8.00
                             Frankenstein at 2.30, 6.30, & 10.00
     31 Oct:  Same as 28 Oct.

     The horror!  The horror!
     Hope to see you here!

Here's a little video I made with a little help from Stanley Kubrick and the Al Bowley Orchestra (click to play..I hope)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/Karen_Tom/Vacation/th_Halloween_Shining_0002.jpg

     Okay, the prints of Psycho & Frankenstein are in, & Ive inspected them.  They are virtually new: no splices, no dirt, no wear, no scratches.  Amazing!
     The density -- as is the case with almost all modern B&W prints -- is a bit on the thin side, but I doubt anyone will pick up on that.
     As most of you know, we have the best 1.37 picture around!  And our 1.85 is damn good as well!
     Amusingly, some moron Universal labeled both the cans & each reel of the print of Psycho "1.66."
     Never fear: we'll run it in its correct ratio.

     The prints look really good on screen!  If youre in the area, try to see them!

will you be getting new prints of hitchcock's the birds, notorious or rebecca in the foreseeable future?

kirok wrote on Oct 29^th, 2011 at 4:34pm:

will you be getting new prints of hitchcock's the birds, notorious or rebecca in the foreseeable future?

     Nope; havent heard any plans to run those, & I would actually prefer some good old prints to the new ones, if we could get our hands on them.
     I would take an old IB Tech print of The Birds over a new strike any day of the week.
     And Ive run some gorgeous old prints of the other two.  Old B&W is superior to the new.

     This just in: we'll be running the first six Bond movies at the beginning of March.  I know thats a bit of a distance away, so I'll remind you when we get closer; ie, post-Thon.

Running them two at a time? Clarification.... you said the first six Bonds.  That is the five Connery Bonds and the Lazenby Bond leaving out Connery's Diamonds Are Forever, correct? 

Also, Frankenstein and Psycho were superb.  Hair-Raising Hare as the cartoon was a neat opener. 

I am going to try and attend all of the Bonds. 

"I'd say it was a 30-year-old fine indifferently blended with an overdose of bon bois".

i'd go with from russia with love & goldfinger. then thunderball & you only live twice. then doctor no & on her majesty's secret service.(and i'd skip the last pairing)

you expect a good turnout for on her majesty's secret service? i admire your courage.

Frank wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 10:55am:

Clarification.... you said the first six Bonds.  That is the five Connery Bonds and the Lazenby Bond leaving out Connery's Diamonds Are Forever, correct?

     Correct.


Quote:

Also, Frankenstein and Psycho were superb.

     Gorsh!

kirok wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 11:50am:

you expect a good turnout for on her majesty's secret service? i admire your courage.

     I cant predict the turnout, but OHMSS is a fun movie.
     You prefer The Man with the Golden Gun?  License to Kill?  Die Another Day?

I agree with you OHMSS is a lot of fun.   

David the Projectionist wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:59pm:

kirok wrote on Nov 3rd, 2011 at 11:50am: you expect a good turnout for on her majesty's secret service? i admire your courage.      I cant predict the turnout, but OHMSS is a fun movie.      You prefer The Man with the Golden Gun?  License to Kill?  Die Another Day?

okay goldfinger. you've made your point.

kirok wrote on Nov 4^th, 2011 at 5:54pm:

okay goldfinger. you've made your point.

     Thats my James!

    REMINDER!
     Metropolis plays here on 12 November in all its digital (errrr) glory.  Those of you who are interested should get your tickets now.

From the Somerville Theater Facebook page...any takers?


Quote:

J. EDGAR opens Friday. In honor of the former FBI head: Men: show up in a dress this Friday night and get a free small popcorn!

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150453575251663&id=131940086662

Metaluna wrote on Nov 7^th, 2011 at 4:40pm:

From the Somerville Theater Facebook page...any takers? Quote: J. EDGAR opens Friday. In honor of the former FBI head: Men: show up in a dress this Friday night and get a free small popcorn! https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150453575251663&id=131940086662

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjGAZjRe8t4

Metaluna wrote on Nov 7^th, 2011 at 4:40pm:

From the Somerville Theater Facebook page...any takers? Quote: J. EDGAR opens Friday. In honor of the former FBI head: Men: show up in a dress this Friday night and get a free small popcorn!

     Personally, Ive never believed for a moment the cross-dressing/homosexual rumours that have circulated about Hoover, however delicious I consider those rumours to be.
     The facts that we can ascertain is that Hoover was a disastrous public servant: a cold-blooded, power-hungry/mad viper, who abused the trust of his office and, in the end, did far more harm --- what with his communist conspiracy BS (after the Brinks Job: "We may have at last found the connection between organized crime & the Communist Party) (to give but one easy example) --- than good.
     Ultimately, like so many others who gained great, unaccountable power in the US (Robert Moses, Dick Cheney, Father Coughlin, Westerbrook Pegler, Joe McCarthy, et al), he was a repellent disgrace, and, really, his name should live in infamy.
     I have my doubts about the right-wing Mr Eastwood successfully dealing with such nuances, but I will watch the movie (one of the perks of my job).

Frank wrote on Nov 7^th, 2011 at 10:40pm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjGAZjRe8t4

I'll have your spam, Frank. I love it.

i might go if i knew meta luna was not waiting outside with a cell phone camera.

     Been working on Metropolis since 9.30 this morning.  Got the picture to look better than it really has a right to.

David the Projectionist wrote on Nov 12^th, 2011 at 12:51pm:

Been working on Metropolis since 9.30 this morning.  Got the picture to look better than it really has a right to.

Thanks for your efforts! It looked terrific and we all had a great time. We had ten people in our group, several of whom have not been to the Somerville in years. They remarked on the transformation that has taken place over those years.

I have only ever seen Metropolis at the marathon before tonight. It was actually kind of nice to see it on its own. Alloy Orchestra was fantastic.

My wife and I also enjoyed the show. Good Job.

Metaluna wrote on Nov 13^th, 2011 at 12:44am:

Thanks for your efforts! It looked terrific and we all had a great time. We had ten people in our group, several of whom have not been to the Somerville in years. They remarked on the transformation that has taken place over those years.

    Yeah, the place is much different & much better from when I first started working there, when I was hauled out of retirement by the now-General Manager.  He built me quite a booth!

Rich Bartlett wrote on Nov 13^th, 2011 at 6:51am:

My wife and I also enjoyed the show. Good Job.

     Thanks! 
     But I think Alloy & Fritz Lang deserve most of the credit.

     For those of you who are interested, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the new one) opens at the Somerville on Tuesday night.  There will be, on that Tuesday night, one show only in the big house, & then it moves to one of the other theatres to make room for Slutcracker (which has been selling out).
     Even though it was shot on digital, we will be showing it on FILM.

David the Projectionist wrote on Dec 18^th, 2011 at 8:13pm:

For those of you who are interested, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the new one) opens at the Somerville on Tuesday night.  There will be, on that Tuesday night, one show only in the big house, & then it moves to one of the other theatres

     Correction: It will be running in the big house for most of the week, & then moving in there for Christmas.
     You wont see it better anywhere else.

Nice piece on the Bond series at the Somerville. Ian Judge is interviewed. The website, Cinema Retro, is well worth bookmarking, too:

http://www.cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/6747-JAMES-BOND-FILM-FESTIVAL-IN-SOMERVILLE,-MASSACHUSETTS-CINEMA-RETROS-HANK-REINEKE-REPORTS.html#extended

     Well, those craptastic television projectors have now mostly been installed, & what a frigging nightmare it has been.  We've had more technical glitches & problems with these terrible tinker-toys over the past three weeks than we've had with the 35mm equipment since I began working here many years ago.  What does that tell you?
     This swill was, as I'm sure most of you must know, forced upon us by the studios.  The amount of money they cost to buy & install!  And the image from these things looks like s h i t.  I mean, absolute S H I T.  (No, Tony, you cant edit that, or I'll leave again.)  I watched a show of Savages -- the latest waste of time from Oliver Stone -- and I couldnt believe how horrible the picture looked: these things are not ready for prime time, yet theyre being installed literally everywhere.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qskaSRkns8A/Sqdihdp_q5I/AAAAAAAAHoQ/Bw_77r-VeLY/s400/pota.jpg
GODDAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!

     And, no sooner did these installation of these junkpiles begin when we received a frantic call from Warners -- those of the "just run it on DVD" crowd -- asking us if we could still run film because Christopher Nolan wants his Dark Knight trilogy shown on 35mm.  Ian & I looked at each other in wonder.
     Yes, we can still run 35mm, but only in three of our five houses now (thanks, in no small part, to my screaming my lungs out).  The installations are not yet complete, & there are still some adjustments & tweaks I have to learn how to make, but, as Ive told many people, I cant make a silk purse out of pig poo, & these things are so limited it makes me retch.
     Thanks to some technical shortcoming in its design, the bigass projector in house 1 still isnt operational (try to imagine how broken up I am about that).  We going to have to jump through several technical hoops to make it work, so film is still running there, as well as (currently) house 3: both Dark Knight houses are projecting film, thanks to Nolan's insistence on quality (the quality of the movie itself is another matter).  Unfortunately, the lab work now is so sub-par that the prints we've received dont look as good as the first two Batcrap movies I ran last night.
     Meanwhile, two small rays of sunshine:
     One.  Thanks to this, we've installed stereo & surrounds in houses 2 & 4 (not yet totally completed), and,
     Two.  It looks like the installation of the 70mm sound equipment is going to begin this month, at last, at last.
     Keep your fingers crossed.   ;D

David the Projectionist wrote on Jul 20^th, 2012 at 11:28pm:

...yet theyre being installed literally everywhere.

Literally? Will I get a heads up when one is scheduled to be put in my bathroom? I don't want it to make me late for work.

No doubt that Digital projection stinks. I saw a screening of SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED and there was a shot were it looked like the image was disintigrating. First day it came out. 4K Digital projection. The film was shot in a cheapo digital format to boot. Several of us in the theater gasped. But, hey, who cares. They already had our $12.

I guess the only "good" thing about the Somerville's conversion is that it will open the Marathon up to some more recent titles that are not available in 35mm. Quality be damned......... :(

Article in the Phoenix about some Projectionist named "David". Not sure, if we ever heard of him?  :D

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/movies/141871-most-exacting-movie-projectionist-in-boston-fa/?page=1#TOPCONTENT

Kind of hard to tell from this mugshot:

http://cache.thephoenix.com/secure/uploadedImages/The_Phoenix/Movies/Features/main_Kornfeld_480.jpg

L.A. Connection wrote on Jul 30^th, 2012 at 6:52pm:

Article in the Phoenix about some Projectionist named "David". Not sure, if we ever heard of him?

     His origin & purpose still a complete & total mystery.....

To call this article inspiring (while being concurrently depressing) would be an understatement.

Here's to you David!  Keep up the good fight!

     I realize this is sort of a last minute announcement for you few people still on this almost deserted board, but the Somerville will be running DARKMAN today for Hallowe'en.
     As the connoisseurs of this board surely know, DARKMAN is one of the very best bad movies ever made: a real check-your-brains-at-the-door-and-enjoy-the-ride pile of fun.  And a lot of movie references winks as well.
     Hope some of you show up!

Updates on the tech of the theater(s)?

     For some reason, I couldnt get on the board for the last few days, so this comes, again, as a last minute thing:

     We've acquired (somehow) a show print of Jurassic Park, from 1993.  It's in excellent condition.  For those of you who like this movie, and even for those of you who dont, you will never see this movie better than this, ever.
     I worked for hours yesterday to get the DTS up & running (Jurassic was the first DTS film), and succeeded (!), but, unfortunately, something is wrong with the time code on the print, & the unit wont recognize any reel except reel one (though I'm going to go to the theatre in a few minutes & see if can solve that problem).  Chances are slim, but the fact that the DTS is functional means that the Somerville is probably the only theatre in all of New England that can run that virtually extinct format.
     Hope to see some of you there!   :D :D :D :D :D

     Just received the schedule of silents to be shown from June to November, all on 35mm, all with live accompaniment by my pal, Jeff Rapsis.

     All shows on SUNDAYS at 2.00pm!  Mark your calendars!!  Seeing these on film is getting harder & harder, and getting them on film is more difficult still!  The Somerville is rapidly becoming one of the very last venues to INSIST on showing old movies exclusively on film, and I'm rapidly becoming one of the biggest morons on the planet for continuing to work at this dying craft!!

     8 June:  Three Keaton films: The Navigator (feature), with The Convict and The Electric House (shorts).

     13 July:  Orphans of the Storm.  This rarely shows.

     10 August:  Four shorts by Chaplin (all First National):  A Dog's Life (wonderful), Shoulder Arms (pretty good), Sunnyside (okay), and A Day's Pleasure (very okay).

     14 September:  The Kid Brother (considered to be Lloyd's best), plus two shorts TBD.

     5 October:  The Crowd.  This also rarely shows.

     16 November:  The Strong Man (one of Langdon's very best, almost never screens), with two marvellous Keaton shorts, Cops and One Week.

     There will also likely be an additional silent film TBD shown for Hallowe'en, plus yet another one shown for our second annual 12 hour horror marathon, which I hope more of you decide to attend.  We like us our silents!
     And if thats not enough, we are also planning a bunch of kids' movies & midnight movies during the summer, all, you guessed it, on film.
     These programmes need all the support they can get, so make sure you spread the news around!  We need butts on seats, people!!  Who else is crazy enough to do this?  :o :o :o

     We'll be running our annual showing of Jaws on 1 & 2 August, and the print we've received is the best Ive ever seen or run or handled.   :o :o :o :o :o :o :o

     Attendance strongly recommended.

David the Projectionist wrote on Jul 26^th, 2014 at 11:18pm:

We'll be running our annual showing of Jaws on 1 & 2 August, and the print we've received is the best Ive ever seen or run or handled.   :o :o :o :o :o :o :o      Attendance strongly recommended.

WHAT?!! No JAWS 3D!?

Metaluna wrote on Jul 21^st, 2012 at 11:59am:

David the Projectionist wrote on Jul 20th, 2012 at 11:28pm:  ...yet theyre being installed literally everywhere. Literally? Will I get a heads up when one is scheduled to be put in my bathroom? I don't want it to make me late for work.

this will literally happen in your lifetime.

COMING TO THE SOMERVILLE THEATRE THIS SUMMER!
     We have midnights, & we have two director retrospectives!  ALL FILM PRINTS.  NO DIGITAL.  MUST EMPHASIZE.

        MIDNIGHT MOVIES - Saturdays Only

        27 June        Kids in the Hall Brain Candy
        11 July         Rock 'n' Roll High School
        18 July         Ferris Bueller's Day Off
        25 July         Blue Velvet
        1 Aug          Heavy Metal
        8 Aug          Serial Mom
        15 Aug         Jaws (plus our regular showings, of course)
        22 Aug         Repo the Genetic Opera

        PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON RETROSPECTIVE - Thursday Nights Only

        2 July          Hard Eight
        9 July          Boogie Nights
        16 July        Magnolia
        23 July        Punch Drunk Love
        30 July        There Will Be Blood
        6 Aug          The Master (70mm)
        13 Aug         Inherent Vice (Warners, for whatever reason, will not send us a 70mm print of this.  We tried.)

        SAM PECKINPAH RETROSPECTIVE - Wednesday Nights Only

        We'll be running ten of Peckinpah's fourteen features.  What we're skipping:
        The Deadly Companions - disowned by the director
        The Ballad of Cable Hogue - the only Peckinpah film Ive never been able to warm up to
        Junior Bonner - a real gem, but couldnt get for various reasons
        The Osterman Weekend - better than youd think, but we're not running it.

        So, that leaves:

        1 July          Ride the High Country
        8 July          Major Dundee
        15 July        The Wild Bunch (70mm) - no one else around can run this print!
        22 July        Straw Dogs (IB Tech print)
        29 July        The Getaway (IB Tech print)
        5 Aug          Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
        12 Aug        Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
        19 Aug        The Killer Elite with Convoy
        26 Aug        Cross of Iron (only surviving print, rare screening)

     It would be nice if the word were passed & attendance were better than we get for the horror marathon we run.  Just sayin'.  ;)

I guess if you are looking for me on Wednesday nights this summer, you should look for me in the Somerville Theater first.  Thursdays, ditto.

Don't miss this opportunity or come September old man Sykes will say to you:

Here you are, with a handful of holes to thumb up your ass and a big grin to pass the time of day with.

David the Projectionist wrote on Apr 18^th, 2015 at 7:46pm:

COMING TO THE SOMERVILLE THEATRE THIS SUMMER!      We have midnights, & we have two director retrospectives!  ALL FILM PRINTS.  NO DIGITAL.  MUST EMPHASIZE.

Yeah, but, do you have the newfangled Laser projection?

http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/58809587.jpg


But, yes, I would love to see WILD BUNCH in 70mm.

        JUST ANNOUNCED!
        Our annual, sparsely-attended Hallowe'en Marathon hits the screen once again!  It would be nice if people actually showed up to watch the goddamn thing!
        NOON to MIDNIGHT on 31 October!!
        Here are the titles -- ALL FILM -- NO DIGITAL -- MUST EMPHASIZE

        West of Zanzibar (1928)  Extremely scarce print!  Lon Chaney stars!  Jeff Rapsis plays!
        Dracula (1931)  We all know this one!
        The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)  Not just prehistoric mollusks!  Not just giant prehistoric mollusks!  Not just giant, prehistoric mollusks that inexplicably feed on people, but giant, prehistoric, people-eating radioactive mollusks!  Watch as pudgy Tim Holt, young Hans Conreid, & busty Audrey Dalton battle this terror from the sea!  Rarely shown!  Worth the price for this print alone!
        Seconds (1966)  John Frankenheimer's creepy movie about trying once again!  Those of you who have seen this know how good it is!
        Aliens (1986)  James Cameron's kick-ass movie!  Gorgeous print!
        The Lost Boys (1987)  If only these annoying vampires would move somewhere else!

        Spread da woid!

http://feitheatres.com/somerville-theatre/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/12-HOURS-OF-HORROR-page0001-791x1024.jpg

Hopefully, there will be a better turnout than in the past. I'd love to be there myself with ALIENS being a nice dinner-break flick (the 2nd most overrated SF film ever).

I could see MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD at the Marathon - pass the salt.  ;)

SECONDS has played the 'thon, but, might be worthy of a second shot.

Good luck with the screenings!



David the Projectionist wrote on Sep 18^th, 2015 at 9:36pm:

JUST ANNOUNCED!         Our annual, sparsely-attended Hallowe'en Marathon hits the screen once again!  It would be nice if people actually showed up to watch the goddamn thing!         NOON to MIDNIGHT on 31 October!!         Here are the titles -- ALL FILM -- NO DIGITAL -- MUST EMPHASIZE         West of Zanzibar (1928)  Extremely scarce print!  Lon Chaney stars!  Jeff Rapsis plays!         Dracula (1931)  We all know this one!         The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)  Not just prehistoric mollusks!  Not just giant prehistoric mollusks!  Not just giant, prehistoric mollusks that inexplicably feed on people, but giant, prehistoric, people-eating radioactive mollusks!  Watch as pudgy Tim Holt, young Hans Conreid, & busty Audrey Dalton battle this terror from the sea!  Rarely shown!  Worth the price for this print alone!         Seconds (1966)  John Frankenheimer's creepy movie about trying once again!  Those of you who have seen this know how good it is!         Aliens (1986)  James Cameron's kick-ass movie!  Gorgeous print!         The Lost Boys (1987)  If only these annoying vampires would move somewhere else!         Spread da woid! http://feitheatres.com/somerville-theatre/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/12-HOURS-OF-HORROR-page0001-791x1024.jpg

I wish I could make it, but the kids will want me around that night. Damn kids wanting to go trick or treating for candy....

ALSO JUST ANNOUNCED!
The Weinsteins have let us know that The Somerville Theatre -- along with our friendly competitor across the river, The Coolidge Corner -- have been selected to show the exclusive 70mm Ultra Panavision engagement of The Hateful Eight.

We worked hard to get this, & we did!  You wont see it better anywhere else!

David the Projectionist wrote on Oct 21^st, 2015 at 6:52pm:

ALSO JUST ANNOUNCED! The Weinsteins have let us know that The Somerville Theatre -- along with our friendly competitor across the river, The Coolidge Corner -- have been selected to show the exclusive 70mm Ultra Panavision engagement of The Hateful Eight. We worked hard to get this, & we did!  You wont see it better anywhere else!

too bad it's for a QT film! Can't you guys just sneak in another run of 2001 in 70mm instead? :)

David the Projectionist wrote on Oct 21^st, 2015 at 6:52pm:

ALSO JUST ANNOUNCED! The Weinsteins have let us know that The Somerville Theatre -- along with our friendly competitor across the river, The Coolidge Corner -- have been selected to show the exclusive 70mm Ultra Panavision engagement of The Hateful Eight. We worked hard to get this, & we did!  You wont see it better anywhere else!

Congrats on that.
Saw an article that they're only making up 100 copies of the 70MM print so it's a pretty exclusive club. Supposed to be 6 minutes longer than the one that will open wider in January. And that's not including the overture and intermission.

da_Bunnyman wrote on Oct 24^th, 2015 at 5:13pm:

Saw an article that they're only making up 100 copies of the 70MM print so it's a pretty exclusive club.

     It's actually an open question as to how many theatres will playing a 70mm print; the Weinsteins havent yet announced all the venues.
     It's also an open question as to whats going to be used as the printing element.  I guess I'll find out, sooner or later.


Quote:

Supposed to be 6 minutes longer than the one that will open wider in January.

     Yes; hes on the record as saying hes recut the "television version."


Quote:

And that's not including the overture and intermission.

     Intermissions have never been included in running times.
     Of course, I still have no idea who's going to be running a majority of these prints, so take it as a given that most of them will be trashed in the first weekend or so.  Not, however, at the Somerville.

Yeah I know you don't count intermission in a running time. Although Tarantino is saying the intermission for Hateful Eight will be 12 minutes. I think the last film I saw with an intermission was Grindhouse.
I remember running re-issues of Gone With The Wind and Dr. Zhivago and intermissions for those lasted as long as their were lines at the concession stand.

I was going by this article about the number of 70mm prints. And I misread it since it says they're trying to get UP TO 100 prints.
http://variety.com/2015/film/in-contention/quentin-tarantino-hateful-eight-roadshow-multiplex-70mm-1201615357/

So, any Terrorthon reviews and notes? Turnout??

As Dave pointed out at the start, they secured six pretty great prints for what was not a bad selection of movies at all.  The highlight for me was West of Zanzibar, whose racial attitudes may be pretty ugly but which is a fun silent melodrama beyond that.  I still can't say I love the Lugosi Dracula or Seconds the way I should, and Aliens is even more solidly in the same category as Terminator 2 for me (fine execution of a bigger scale that inadvertently loses much of what made the original great).  I'd never seen The Lost Boys, though, and that is a hoot.

Turnout...  Well, Ian said at the start that he kind of wished there were 500 more people there, but I understand that not being the case - noon to midnight on Halloween means sacrificing a lot of fun other activities, especially with the Coolidge's running at midnight the same day.  You kind of had to commit to this as your only Halloween activity, which is tough to do with a slate movies that, while good, has three probably seem more sci-fi than horror to many.

I wonder if a tighter theme would help.  Dave ran a lot of trailers for Corman/Price/Poe movies, and maybe just doing those as the marathon next year would be more enticing. I love that Ian & Dave build these things as chronological samplers across a broad range of films, but I don't know how many other potential ticket-buyers feel the same way.

Too bad. It sounds like a great event that just isn't happening on the local scene.

I guess it shows that good intentions can't make up for the decades of history behind the Sci-Fi marathon that keeps people coming year after year.


Jay Seaver wrote on Nov 2^nd, 2015 at 2:07am:

As Dave pointed out at the start, they secured six pretty great prints for what was not a bad selection of movies at all.  The highlight for me was West of Zanzibar, whose racial attitudes may be pretty ugly but which is a fun silent melodrama beyond that.  I still can't say I love the Lugosi Dracula or Seconds the way I should, and Aliens is even more solidly in the same category as Terminator 2 for me (fine execution of a bigger scale that inadvertently loses much of what made the original great).  I'd never seen The Lost Boys, though, and that is a hoot. Turnout...  Well, Ian said at the start that he kind of wished there were 500 more people there, but I understand that not being the case - noon to midnight on Halloween means sacrificing a lot of fun other activities, especially with the Coolidge's running at midnight the same day.  You kind of had to commit to this as your only Halloween activity, which is tough to do with a slate movies that, while good, has three probably seem more sci-fi than horror to many. I wonder if a tighter theme would help.  Dave ran a lot of trailers for Corman/Price/Poe movies, and maybe just doing those as the marathon next year would be more enticing. I love that Ian & Dave build these things as chronological samplers across a broad range of films, but I don't know how many other potential ticket-buyers feel the same way.

That's a great slate of films (and I do mean FILMS...always a pleasure to see David project from those magnificent machines), but as several of you have noted, there are probably a lot of factors working against the event in its current incarnation. Holding it on Halloween is challenging enough, and knowing that the Coolidge event is that night probably cuts into your audience even more. And as cool as the lineup is, it's leans too heavily on Sci-Fi titles and not enough on films that will appeal to a younger crowd (70s and 80s fare, a newer film or two.)

For decades now in Columbus, we've held the 24-Hour Horror Marathon at least one weekend before Halloween, and preferable the third weekend of the month. We had to move it one weekend later a few years back, and attendance dropped precipitously, mostly due to a large handful of regulars telling us that they had parties to attend that weekend.

With horror fandom in full flush these days, a 24-Hour Horror Marathon should be able to work at the Somerville...or even a reduced version. It would probably just take some tweaking of the concept.