Our Ohio brethren had their Horror Film Marathon this weekend. Here is their recap thread:

http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1260

Ohio is gearing up for their slightly belated SF Marathon on May 19-20. 

http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1348

They have a partial list up including a couple that Boston screened in February. Here's what's booked so far:

*A tribute to the ultra-prolific Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku, featuring his controversial, long banned on these shores 2000 epic BATTLE ROYALE and the rarely screened, psychedelically candy-colored 1968 monsterfest THE GREEN SLIME!

*Wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in John Carpenter’s oft-requested “just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not after you” actioner THEY LIVE!

*Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood (in her final screen role) in Douglas Trumbull’s visionary virtual reality mindbender BRAINSTORM!

*A rare starring role for the Danish military(!) in 1961’s giant reptile extravaganza REPTILICUS!

*THE CREEPING UNKNOWN (a.k.a THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT), one of the finest examples of classic British sci-fi.

*Aliens vs. teen thugs in 2011’s cult hit ATTACK THE BLOCK!

*Electro-pioneers Daft Punk in their surreal 2006 feature debut ELECTROMA!

*Hunky Jake Gyllenhaal in Duncan (MOON) Jones’s time travel thriller SOURCE CODE!

Quote:

Ohio is gearing up for their slightly belated SF Marathon on May 19-20.  http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1348

"Way to Go Ohio!" -Chrissie Hynde

Just to be sure, this is Bruce Bartoo's Marathon in Columbus and not the Case Western U in Cleveland. That one's just before ours. Have I got that right? I have to make that pilgrimage one day. :)

It's our Ohio sister 'thon in Columbus. Their 25th Anniversary.

Incidentally, the "print" of GREEN SLIME is a regular DVD, unfortunately. Believe me, Bruce, I and others have searched for decades to secure a 35mm print - and, they just don't seem to exist. About a year or two ago, I tracked down a print I read about showing at a comic con. I knew the print owner and got him on the phone. Not only was it 16mm, it was a pan and scan TV print. Oh, well.

But, hey, it DOES have one of the great theme songs:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GbG4dRM4eo

London Film Festival announces news to some, deja vu to Boston Marathoids:


Quote:

New Dimensions to Sci Fi London Friday 4 May 2012 11.30 EDT Among the highlights of this year's festival is a period drama with a time-travel twist. Think Merchant Ivory, only steampunk The annual Sci Fi London festival, which is running until Monday at several venues in the capital, always throws up more than its fair share of offbeat genre treats. One of this year's highlights is a period brainteaser with an intriguing time-travel twist that has already picked up awards from the Boston science fiction film festival and the London independent film festival. Dimensions: A Line, A Loop, A Tangle of Threads also benefits from a plucky backstory surrounding its husband-and-wife creative team. Director Sloane U'Ren and writer/composer Ant Neely sold their Twickenham home to help finance the tiny £180,000 budget, and most of the film is shot at the riverside Cambridgeshire home of Neely's brother. Dimensions Directors: Sloane U'Ren Cast: Camilla Rutherford, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Olivia Llewellyn, Patrick Godfrey, Sean Heart More on this film http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2012/may/04/dimensions-sci-fi-london

"Dimensions"  :)

Looks like the Ohio lineup is pretty close to completion. Here' their latest update release:

*See the cheese-tastic retrograde dystopian future of Steve Kostanski's MANBORG!  Cyborgs!  Vampires!  Demons!  Nazis!  Nazi Vampires!  Production values spanning decades!  Someone I've never heard of says, "To put it simply this movie was a total blast."  Someone else I've never heard of says, "Man-what now?"

*Explore the solitude of interplanetary travel with Eric Hayden's critically acclaimed THE LAST PUSH!

*Witness the man who started it all - William Shatner, as he interviews captains from six different incarnations of the classic Star Trek lineage in the brand new documentary, THE CAPTAINS!

*A tribute to the ultra-prolific Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku, featuring his controversial, long banned on these shores 2000 epic BATTLE ROYALE and the rarely screened, psychedelically candy-colored 1968 monsterfest THE GREEN SLIME!

*Wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in John Carpenter’s oft-requested “just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not after you” actioner THEY LIVE!

*Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood (in her final screen role) in Douglas Trumbull’s visionary virtual reality mindbender BRAINSTORM!

*A rare starring role for the Danish military(!) in 1961’s giant reptile extravaganza REPTILICUS!

*THE CREEPING UNKNOWN (a.k.a THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT), one of the finest examples of classic British sci-fi.

*Aliens vs. teen thugs in 2011’s cult hit ATTACK THE BLOCK!

*Electro-pioneers Daft Punk in their surreal 2006 feature debut ELECTROMA!

*Hunky Jake Gyllenhaal in Duncan (MOON) Jones’s time travel thriller SOURCE CODE!

Today is the day. Wish I could be there. Slight change to the schedule. They lost THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (aka ENEMY FROM SPACE) due to print issues. It is replaced by the WAR OF THE SATELLITES print we showed in Feb.

Have a good time, Ohio brethren!

L.A. Connection wrote on May 19^th, 2012 at 9:19am:

Today is the day. Wish I could be there. Slight change to the schedule. They lost THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (aka ENEMY FROM SPACE) due to print issues. It is replaced by the WAR OF THE SATELLITES print we showed in Feb. Have a good time, Ohio brethren!

errrr.........The Quatermass Xperiment and Enemy from Space are two different movies.  The Quatermass Xperiment is known here as The Creeping Unknown.  Quatermass 2 is known as Enemy From Space.  Geez...... some people....

Twitters (or Internet searchers) can follow along with a couple of our Ohio Marathoners at this hashtag: #marathon29

L.A. Connection wrote on May 19^th, 2012 at 7:17pm:

Twitters (or Internet searchers) can follow along with a couple of our Ohio Marathoners at this hashtag: #marathon29

I wonder if they are all singing Tovoli Nights by now.  Part of Reptilicus is a nice little travelogue.....

Seems like the Ohio Marathon has completed successfully. WAR OF THE SATELLITES got dropped when they fell over an hour behind schedule (apparently pretty common there).

The big news: Bruce Bartoo slept through an intermission when he was supposed to appear.

L.A. Connection wrote on May 20^th, 2012 at 12:22pm:

Seems like the Ohio Marathon has completed successfully. WAR OF THE SATELLITES got dropped when they fell over an hour behind schedule (apparently pretty common there). The big news: Bruce Bartoo slept through an intermission when he was supposed to appear.

Looking at that slate that is not the movie that I would have dropped. Happy that it went well for the Ohio brethren. 

Here's a link to reviews and commentary on Columbus as it actually happened. http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1378
A quick summary of the lesser known films.: The Last Push was an excellent small film. Source Code missed by many people, was for recent Hollywood SF, both well made & thoughtful.
Run screaming from any possible showing of  Electroma (Think Folklore without the excitement.) or
Manborg Punk without edge or style. &
Captains A creation of William Shatner's ego that even a true blue Trekkie would find bad enough to convert them to being a Wookie lover. Reduced five capable actors to blithering idiot reflections of Shatner.
Green Slime & Reptilicus: Creature features that would be loved by any genre aficionado.
You probably know the others. Look at the link for details.
Cheers from Cleveland.

Pogo:
Sounds like another stellar 'thon and proof Bruce wasn't asleep at the switch in organizing a great program. ;)


Quote:

The between movie music was very well done, a lot of thought went into the song selections. Having DJ'd many years ago I appreciate the hard work Dave/VitruvianZeke puts into that.

Cool! Could you elaborate? Having that job ourselves, Mrs. F and I would be interested to read VitruvianZeke's playlist. :)
(this may need to go to the music thread eventually)

Sadly GREEN SLIME was only a DVD. But, the print of REPTILICUS sounds very enticing.

Glad to hear the show went well it seems.

Hope you can make it to Boston next year!

Pass the fruit.........
pogo wrote on May 27^th, 2012 at 2:52pm:

Here's a link to reviews and commentary on Columbus as it actually happened. http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1378 A quick summary of the lesser known films.: The Last Push was an excellent small film. Source Code missed by many people, was for recent Hollywood SF, both well made & thoughtful. Run screaming from any possible showing of  Electroma (Think Folklore without the excitement.) or Manborg Punk without edge or style. & Captains A creation of William Shatner's ego that even a true blue Trekkie would find bad enough to convert them to being a Wookie lover. Reduced five capable actors to blithering idiot reflections of Shatner. Green Slime & Reptilicus: Creature features that would be loved by any genre aficionado. You probably know the others. Look at the link for details. Cheers from Cleveland.

L.A. Connection wrote on May 27^th, 2012 at 5:53pm:

Sadly GREEN SLIME was only a DVD. But, the print of REPTILICUS sounds very enticing. Glad to hear the show went well it seems. Hope you can make it to Boston next year! Pass the fruit......... pogo wrote on May 27th, 2012 at 2:52pm: Here's a link to reviews and commentary on Columbus as it actually happened. http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1378 A quick summary of the lesser known films.: The Last Push was an excellent small film. Source Code missed by many people, was for recent Hollywood SF, both well made & thoughtful. Run screaming from any possible showing of  Electroma (Think Folklore without the excitement.) or Manborg Punk without edge or style. & Captains A creation of William Shatner's ego that even a true blue Trekkie would find bad enough to convert them to being a Wookie lover. Reduced five capable actors to blithering idiot reflections of Shatner. Green Slime & Reptilicus: Creature features that would be loved by any genre aficionado. You probably know the others. Look at the link for details. Cheers from Cleveland.

ahaaa! anti shatner sentiment rears it's ugly head. i will have to see this captains doc.

Kirok,
Previously I was agnostic re Shatner. Thought most of his blowhardism was an act. Watched the original series, but like many old farts actually preferred him in his early Twilight Zone roles. Preferred Picard, but didn't hate Kirk.
Captains has to be seen to be believed. My reaction was milder than the guy sitting next to me who had been looking forward to the film. "Number one worst film I have ever seen." Admittedly, a little while later after seeing Electroma, he thought it was a dead heat for last.
Shatner directed, scripted and was totally responsible for the film. "Reduced five capable actors to blithering idiot reflections," was the worst of it. What he does to himself is his choice. What he did to others (including the film audience) is criminal.

that's to bad. in spite of his flaws i love shatner. his star trek 5 is highly underrated. chris pines portrayal of kirk in the reboot was high tribute from a fellow thesbian in that pines captured all the nuances and subtleties of the kirk character. he avoided taking the easy route; a parody of shatner's overacting.
"Shatner's World" is on broadway. i hear it's good.

kirok wrote on May 28^th, 2012 at 5:15pm:

chris pines portrayal of kirk in the reboot was high tribute from a fellow thesbian in that pines captured all the nuances and subtleties of the kirk character. he avoided taking the easy route; a parody of shatner's overacting.

Are you trying to prove he's a replicant or a thesbian?

IT'S HAMMER TIME! :)

http://www.hammerfilms.com/news/article/newsid/368/hammer-celebrations-this-summer

Quote:

Classic Hammer is being celebrated at two events in England this summer. The 11th Fantastic Films Weekend* runs from Friday 15 through Sunday 17 June at the National Media Museum in Bradford, Yorkshire. The festival features a heady mix of horror old and new, and this year features a Hammer Gothic strand, curated and introduced by Hammer archivist Robert J.E. Simpson. The strand includes rare big-screen outings on 35mm for The Shadow Of The Cat and Captain Clegg; plus the European premiers of the new HD master of The Quatermass Xperiment**, and a new extended cut of Ted Newsom's 1994 Hammer documentary - Flesh and Blood. Renée Glynne, veteran Hammer script supervisor, will also be in attendance and will be interviewed on stage. The Man In Black and The Quatermass Xperiment, both of which she worked on, are screening over the weekend. Hammer Has Risen From The Grave** A two-day retrospective graced with a galaxy of guests and screenings. Friday the 13th and Saturday 14th July 2012. Screenings will include Hammer favourites and rarities, plus a world premiere of the newly restored HD release of the company’s seminal Gothic horror The Curse of Frankenstein...

Great news for our friends in the UK, but most of us "...Can't Touch This!"  ;)

*http://hammerfilms.com/events/event/id/68/hammer-gothic-at-fantastic-films-weekend

**http://stage.hammerfilms.com/productions/film/filmid/106/the-quatermass-xperiment

***http://hammerfilms.com/events/event/id/67/hammer-has-risen-from-the-grave

Mrs. F and I are heading out to the Randolph DVD player er, Cinema to see the Rifftrax live fathom event this evening. For anyone not familiar:

http://www.fathomevents.com/originals/event/rifftrax_manos.aspx?d=8/16/2012.

Rifftrax is the current project of half of the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000. We've caught a few of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett's other shows and found them to be pretty good--MST without the Robots.

Anyone else going?

Hey cats, if anyone is adventurous and wants to make the trip out, here's the official lineup and ticket info link for SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK, the 4th Annual Ohio 24-Hour Horror Marathon!

http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1408

Here's a film festival of short Sci-Fi and fantasy films for the coming weekend at the Somerville Theater:

http://www.etheriafilmfestival.com/

There's a short sic-fi film festival out here in Seattle that runs just before the 'thon. It's held at the Cinerama.

Sci-fi London runs from 9-11 November this year.
http://www.sci-fi-london.com/

Here They give a good review to Paranorman:
http://www.sci-fi-london.com/news/cinema/2012/09/paranorman

Here are some of the winners of their "make a short film in 48 hours challenge":
http://www.sci-fi-london.com/48-hour-film-challenge
Oh, and check out their Jury!

More from Sci-fi London:


Quote:

As the festival approaches we are delighted to announce 5 world premieres we are screening! We are almost complete with the festival line-up and will have details of dates and times very soon. This year we are honoured to be holding FIVE, yes five world premieres at the festival, and they are amazing films and London, you get to see them first! -Death -Ghosts With sh!t Jobs -True Love -Cycle -Strange Frame (with the voices of Tim Curry, Alan Tudyk and George Takei)

More here:
http://www.sci-fi-london.com/news/cinema/2012/03/five-world-premieres-sci-fi-london-2012



I count myself among those who love a good premier and despise a bad one. The track record for premiers from the UK and Ireland has been very good for the last couple of years and they have the Gorts to prove it! -RF

Huh, I'm pretty sure I saw GWSJ back in July.  Maybe they've done a little work on it and what I saw is retroactively a work in progress.

Quote:

LACMA's highly successful engagement with the Stanley Kubrick exhibition is now in its second half, and the museum's always creative film programmer Bernardo Rondeau has put together the coinciding screening series "Beyond the Infinite: Science Fiction After Kubrick." It runs March 22 - April 6, and includes Andrei Tarkovksy's "Solaris," Nicolas Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (starring David Bowie) and Saul Bass' "Phase IV," including the lost alternate ending recently unveiled at Austin's Alamo Drafthouse. Vintage trailers for all films in the series below. The full program lineup is... Phase IV Silent Running THX-1138 The Terminal Man Dark Star Solaris ('72) (long vers?) Zardoz Fantastic Planet Quintet The Man Who Fell to Earth

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/lacma-beyond-the-infinite

That's just gotta HURT!-RF :o

It's not all in one day. Just double features. I'm going to try and hit a couple if I can.

Quote:

LA: It's not all in one day. Just double features. I'm going to try and hit a couple if I can.

I'm glad it's not a Marathon!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/Karen_Tom/Movies/thePAIN_zps0fa81d45.jpg
Not all 24-Hour Marathons are as good as Boston Sci-fi! ;)

Richard Carlson night on TMC. It Came From Outer Space, The Magnetic Monster, Riders to the Stars, Creature From the Black Lagoon, Tormented and The Power. A good mini-marathon tonight.

Okay this is probably too far to travel for most of us (except L.A. Connection) but The Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles is presenting a festival of rare 3D films.
http://3-dfilmexpo.com/
Unfortunately the few 35mm prints they'll be showing that might interest us are original dual-interlocked projector format needing a silver screen and polarized glasses and I think that's a format the Somerville is not equipped to show.
Still an interesting fest for film fans and there is a nice link to a large group of 3D trailers too. http://3-dfilmexpo.com/filmguide/trailers

Missed Comic-Con? Me too. Here are 850 pictures of what we missed:

http://www.tested.com/art/makers/456834-comic-con-2013-cosplay-gallery-850-photos/item/sdcc2013_060/

I'm among those who wish the Sci-fi costume contest could be resurrected in a big way. The ranks of costumed contestants have dwindled over time. People are rightly resistant to putting on a costume and sitting through the 24-hour marathon.

What if the contest were held on the last night of the festival? If the Saturday night double feature included the costume contest, plus prizes and even free admission to contestants, participation would be easier and the numbers would increase. Plus pictures of the contestants could be posted in the lobby at the 'thon, on "Feckbook", and in other promotions.

Plus, as the above link demonstrates, costumes are a great promotional tool for creating the festival feel. If there were no costumes at Comic-Con would it still be a low-keyed event known only to the dedicated few? :D

Some good ideas there!

If we aren't going to give away any kind of big prizes, we ain't gonna attract any serious entries.

R_F_Fineman wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2013 at 1:39pm:

Missed Comic-Con? Me too. Here are 850 pictures of what we missed: http://www.tested.com/art/makers/456834-comic-con-2013-cosplay-gallery-850-photos/item/sdcc2013_060/ I'm among those who wish the Sci-fi costume contest could be resurrected in a big way. The ranks of costumed contestants have dwindled over time. People are rightly resistant to putting on a costume and sitting through the 24-hour marathon. What if the contest were held on the last night of the festival? If the Saturday night double feature included the costume contest, plus prizes and even free admission to contestants, participation would be easier and the numbers would increase. Plus pictures of the contestants could be posted in the lobby at the 'thon, on "Feckbook", and in other promotions. Plus, as the above link demonstrates, costumes are a great promotional tool for creating the festival feel. If there were no costumes at Comic-Con would it still be a low-keyed event known only to the dedicated few? :D

I'm a big fan of costuming.
When I was going to Comic Con there was nothing better than just taking a short break, finding a seat and just do some people (or whatever, depending on the costume) watching.
It's always been tough at the marathon because of no real place to change and being in costume for 24 hours has got to be kinda uncomfortable. Maybe that's why they added the tinfoil hat contest. They're easy to make and wear, plus keep the fungus men from the planet mothball from reading your thoughts.

Having it the last night of the festival might work better (weather permitting.)
A reduced rate admission, some prizes, display pictures of the winners, yep sounds like an idea. Maybe even feature a couple of films that lend themselves especially to costuming.
Or even some documentaries on fandom like that Comic Con movie from a few years back.

Please don't freak out, but...

The Somerville Theatre's October Sci-Fi marathon

All 35mm, some good stuff and some bad (and I don't want to hear it, L.A. Connection), running chronologically, which will be neat.  It hasn't shown up on the official FEI website yet, but I figure it will pretty soon.

Also, Ian & company must be expecting that to be a pretty slow weekend, as I just got an email about another event at the theater that weekend, although FilmShift will likely be in the screening room.

Jay Seaver wrote on Sep 9^th, 2013 at 10:48pm:

All 35mm, some good stuff and some bad (and I don't want to hear it, L.A. Connection).

???????????????????

wtf 

:-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-?

I'm pretty sure you're the one who posts anonymous comments on my blog whenever I mention that I don't particularly care for a so-called classic that's in this marathon's line-up - aren't you?  At any rate, whoever it is - continuing that argument will do nobody any good.

Jay:
Are you confusing "Terrorthon" in October with a sci-fi Marathon?


From the Somerville FB:

Quote:

Somerville Theatre August 8. We've got a GREAT line-up kicking off our Terrorthon week in October; on Oct. 12, we're presenting a Noon-to-Midnite marathon featuring the following features - all on 35mm: THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE INVISIBLE MAN, DR. CYCLOPS, FORBIDDEN PLANET, PLANET OF THE APES, WEST WORLD, BUCKAROO BANZAI, TREMORS and maybe a few other treats up our sleeves.... tickets and final lineup will be announced after Labor Day...

Quote:

Jay Sever: Please don't freak out, but... The Somerville Theatre's October Sci-Fi marathon...

R_F_Fineman wrote on Sep 10^th, 2013 at 11:25am:

Jay: Are you confusing "Terrorthon" in October with a sci-fi Marathon? From the Somerville FB: Quote: Somerville Theatre August 8. We've got a GREAT line-up kicking off our Terrorthon week in October; on Oct. 12, we're presenting a Noon-to-Midnite marathon featuring the following features - all on 35mm: THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE INVISIBLE MAN, DR. CYCLOPS, FORBIDDEN PLANET, PLANET OF THE APES, WEST WORLD, BUCKAROO BANZAI, TREMORS and maybe a few other treats up our sleeves.... tickets and final lineup will be announced after Labor Day... [quote] Jay Sever: Please don't freak out, but... The Somerville Theatre's October Sci-Fi marathon...

[/quote]

WestWorld!!!
Tremors
Buckaroo Banzai!!
Dr Cyclops
The Invisible Man
Forbidden Planet!!
Planet of the Apes
Cabinet of Dr Caligari

That's TERRORthon??

We have been betrayed gentlemen.

(Okay, maybe I'm over-reacting)

Jay Seaver wrote on Sep 10^th, 2013 at 12:26am:

I'm pretty sure you're the one who posts anonymous comments on my blog ...

I do post there that way because I'm not signed into any of the ID formats your blog uses.

I'm not really involved with the October event, nor have had any real input in the films selected.

And, I wouldn't go out of my way to mention that Jay Seaver thinks that James Whale's masterful classic THE INVISIBLE MAN is a worse film than such recent SF Marathon entries like MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH, GHASTLY LOVE OF JOHNNY X, ZONAD and, yes, even the awesomely received FOLKLORE. Never would have brought it up.........

:-X

R_F_Fineman wrote on Sep 10^th, 2013 at 11:25am:

Jay: Are you confusing "Terrorthon" in October with a sci-fi Marathon?

In my defense, it was labeled "science fiction marathon" until today. 


L.A. Connection wrote on Sep 10^th, 2013 at 9:20pm:

I do post there that way because I'm not signed into any of the ID formats your blog uses. ... And, I wouldn't go out of my way to mention that Jay Seaver thinks that James Whale's masterful classic THE INVISIBLE MAN is a worse film than such recent SF Marathon entries like MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH, GHASTLY LOVE OF JOHNNY X, ZONAD and, yes, even the awesomely received FOLKLORE. Never would have brought it up......... :-X

(A) You can enter a name and optional URL.  Positing anonymously isn't cool, and I'd disable it if I could.

(B) I can't help but notice you never actually say what The Invisible Man does well, instead just berating me for not liking a movie that was an all-effects-no-script special in its day.

Jay Seaver wrote on Sep 10^th, 2013 at 9:56pm:

R_F_Fineman wrote on Sep 10th, 2013 at 11:25am: Jay: Are you confusing "Terrorthon" in October with a sci-fi Marathon? In my defense, it was labeled "science fiction marathon" until today.

With the exception of Caligari there is not a film that would not be considered sci-fi.
Heck we've been trying to get Westworld for decades.

What's an "optional url"?

James Whale's incredibly awesome classic THE INVISIBLE MAN is brilliantly witty, sardonic and features one of the great early vocal performances of cinema. The effects are great for the period, but Whale was never about special effects over story and performance - unlike that pinacle of current cinema, MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH............

Never would have brought it up if not provoked. Don't wake:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vkE6clryLFo/TNbDo0lGnYI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/-tlj_j7hJZg/s400/Devil.gif

EVIL L.A.

Sci-fi London has a great historic venue in Stratford where Shakespeare plays had first runs. Now they're planning a  Mystery Science Theater 3000 all-nighter this October 12th. featuring:

WEREWOLF
MONSTER A-GO-GO
BRIDE OF THE MONSTER
ROBOT MONSTER
BLOOD WATERS OF DR Z

The official link:
http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013/oktoberfest/programme/all-nighter/mystery-science-theater-allnighter

The show never aired in the UK so this will be an introduction of sorts to Ed Wood, Ro-man and other US independent er, uh, "films".

I can certainly see why they didn't opt for this in the Bard's back yard:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eajMQ6Q3-6s

I wonder how many bootleg VHS and DVDs were sold over there?

MST3K fans' motto was,"Keep Circulating the Tapes!"

http://glitterrock.org/2011/ms-2011-10/ms-2011-10-045-240-180.jpg

R_F_Fineman wrote on Sep 29^th, 2013 at 2:28pm:

Sci-fi London has a great historic venue in Stratford where Shakespeare plays had first runs. Now they're planning a  Mystery Science Theater 3000 all-nighter this October 12th. featuring: WEREWOLF MONSTER A-GO-GO BRIDE OF THE MONSTER ROBOT MONSTER BLOOD WATERS OF DR Z The official link: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013/oktoberfest/programme/all-nighter/mystery-science-theater-allnighter The show never aired in the UK so this will be an introduction of sorts to Ed Wood, Ro-man and other US independent er, uh, "films". I can certainly see why they didn't opt for this in the Bard's back yard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eajMQ6Q3-6s

With Halloween approaching it may be a good time to revisit the question of how to revive the costume contest. There are, no doubt, some talented amateur costumers out there that should be encouraged. As the following picture demonstrates, some even take it to the extreme.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/Karen_Tom/Movies/LabrynthCostumes_zps5092f005.jpg

Maybe a costume picture post thread could start to generate interest.

Both mrs. F and I have friends who would really enjoy the 'thon if they could only be convinced that it wasn't just a gathering of serious sci-fi film officianados, but was also a fun social environment.  Costumes are all about fun! :)

Previously on this thread...


Quote:

LA: Some good ideas there! If we aren't going to give away any kind of big prizes, we ain't gonna attract any serious entries. [quote]R_F_Fineman wrote on Jul 23rd, 2013 at 2:39pm: Missed Comic-Con? Me too. Here are 850 pictures of what we missed: http://www.tested.com/art/makers/456834-comic-con-2013-cosplay-gallery-850-photo... I'm among those who wish the Sci-fi costume contest could be resurrected in a big way. The ranks of costumed contestants have dwindled over time. People are rightly resistant to putting on a costume and sitting through the 24-hour marathon. What if the contest were held on the last night of the festival? If the Saturday night double feature included the costume contest, plus prizes and even free admission to contestants, participation would be easier and the numbers would increase. Plus pictures of the contestants could be posted in the lobby at the 'thon, on "Feckbook", and in other promotions. Plus, as the above link demonstrates, costumes are a great promotional tool for creating the festival feel. If there were no costumes at Comic-Con would it still be a low-keyed event known only to the dedicated few?

[/quote]

Sci-fi London has a very popular costume parade.
While parading through Somerville in February may not be our thing, it is a lot of fun seeing all of the costumes!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/Karen_Tom/Movies/SciFiLondon_zps84731515.jpg

Here's a link to their "programme" (which translates into American as "program" ;).)

http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013/oktoberfest/programme

The CWRU Film Society released their first list of films for their Jan. 17-19, 2014  39th Cleveland Marathon on Facebook.

After Earth
Iron Giant
Brazil
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Primer
Children of Men
Monsters Inc &
World's End

As usual, nothing experimental or particularly original, except perhaps Primer, which received mixed reviews. Later add-ons & (usually 3) Surprises  tend to be oldies, but again, nothing particularly obscure.
The last few years they have shown 14-16 films plus 8-10 cartoons & shorts, so there will be a bunch more announced.
Here's the link http://films.cwru.edu/marathon.php to what they've shown in the past. Scroll down for the listing by specific thon.
CWRU shows a mix of 35mm & digital. Last year it was somewhere around 50-50%.

Now, THAT is an early release of announced titles!!!!


But, really, they would announce AFTER EARTH?

That's supposed to be a "draw"?



pogo wrote on Oct 18^th, 2013 at 3:36pm:

The CWRU Film Society released their first list of films for their Jan. 17-19, 2014  39th Cleveland Marathon on Facebook. After Earth Iron Giant Brazil Killer Klowns From Outer Space Primer Children of Men Monsters Inc & World's End As usual, nothing experimental or particularly original, except perhaps Primer, which received mixed reviews. Later add-ons & (usually 3) Surprises  tend to be oldies, but again, nothing particularly obscure. The last few years they have shown 14-16 films plus 8-10 cartoons & shorts, so there will be a bunch more announced. Here's the link http://films.cwru.edu/marathon.php to what they've shown in the past. Scroll down for the listing by specific thon. CWRU shows a mix of 35mm & digital. Last year it was somewhere around 50-50%.

How do you figure?
Don't think announcements on Facebook are supposed to be draws.
If that were the case they'd wait until they had something like Star Trek Into Darkness. One list has it as the 12th biggest SF film ever http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=scifiadventure.htm Who knew?
Pretty selective list. They don't list The Avengers
Still,  CWRU tries to go simultaneously for the college crowd and the pure Marathon crowd.
My only source at CWRU said as of a month ago they were trying to get Darkness.
The Facebook announcement looks like more of an honest report than hype.

Slight update.
CWRU/Cleveland has now announced ten films - with the usual addition of three surprises

8:00PM -- After Earth (2013)
10:30PM -- The Iron Giant (1999)
12:30AM -- SURPRISE 1!
2:00AM -- Men In Black III (2012)
4:15AM -- Mysterious Island (1961)
6:30AM -- Brazil (1985)
9:15AM -- Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
11:15AM -- Primer (2004)
1:00PM -- Children of Men (2006)
3:45PM -- Dune (1984)
6:30PM -- SURPRISE 2!
9:00PM -- Monsters, Inc (2001)
11:00PM -- The World's End (2013)
Who knows. Perhaps I'll finally be able to stay awake through all (seems like) three hours of Dune.
List is better than it looks - if you like recent stuff. The usual for the Surprises is one new film, one cult, and one absolute deadly sleep inducing turkey.
The timing looks as if they might slip in two Surprises at 6:30 Pm and then go on until three in the morning - a more usual than not occurrence.

pogo wrote on Nov 4^th, 2013 at 7:49pm:

Slight update. CWRU/Cleveland has now announced ten films - with the usual addition of three surprises 8:00PM -- After Earth (2013) 10:30PM -- The Iron Giant (1999) 12:30AM -- SURPRISE 1! 2:00AM -- Men In Black III (2012) 4:15AM -- Mysterious Island (1961) 6:30AM -- Brazil (1985) 9:15AM -- Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) 11:15AM -- Primer (2004) 1:00PM -- Children of Men (2006) 3:45PM -- Dune (1984) 6:30PM -- SURPRISE 2! 9:00PM -- Monsters, Inc (2001) 11:00PM -- The World's End (2013) Who knows. Perhaps I'll finally be able to stay awake through all (seems like) three hours of Dune. List is better than it looks - if you like recent stuff. The usual for the Surprises is one new film, one cult, and one absolute deadly sleep inducing turkey. The timing looks as if they might slip in two Surprises at 6:30 Pm and then go on until three in the morning - a more usual than not occurrence.

Okay, starting with After Earth is really encouraging folks to come late.
The rest looks not too bad especially with Iron Giant on the bill. Men In Black III is a bit under-rated since it is an enjoyable story as a character piece. Monster University is really over rated.
Definitely lacking some classic fifties era films though.

Agree. They usually have some real classic(s) plus at least one vintage creature feature. They do have an affinity for 35mm, so perhaps availability is a factor.
The closest to "Classic" would be Mysterious Island -so they'll probably throw one oldie in at a Surprise slot.
I would point out that luckily they are not showing Monster University, but the actually very creative Monsters, Inc. University is a poor rehash.

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND is a somewhat underrated Harryhausen. In many ways it may actually be the best movie his effects appeared in. It's a very solid adventure tale even without the fantastical elements.

With the exception of the CARS films, MONSTERS INC always struck me as a low point of Pixar, so much so that I didn't even bother seeing the sequel this year.

And, DUNE 20 Hours in? That sounds like torture. But, I gather folks come and go at that Marathon more so than in Boston or Columbus, no?



pogo wrote on Nov 4^th, 2013 at 11:27pm:

Agree. They usually have some real classic(s) plus at least one vintage creature feature. They do have an affinity for 35mm, so perhaps availability is a factor. The closest to "Classic" would be Mysterious Island -so they'll probably throw one oldie in at a Surprise slot. I would point out that luckily they are not showing Monster University, but the actually very creative Monsters, Inc. University is a poor rehash.

Tony,
If you disliked Monsters Inc. -University would have constituted waterboarding level torture.

Two of the three additional movies do seem to add significantly to the heat death of the universe.

Nice thing about the Cleveland Thon. With three SURPRISES (I know they only list two - but I betcha they'll slip another in) you can always hope (usually in vain) for significant upgrades to the program.

Yeah, that 11:15AM to 6:30PM is a tough stretch.
Going from Killer Klowns to Primer is like coming out of hyperdrive by hitting a brick wall (that a geek enough phrase for ya?)
And then Children of Men and Dune?
That better be one heck of a surprise at 6:30PM.

Wait a sec, Killer Klowns From Outer Space is showing in a late breakfast slot?


Posts like this is why we usually get our marathon schedules as we arrive at the Somerville.  8-)

Columbus has just announced the date for their Marathon.
In a message, Bruce Bartoo said, "It just became official - Sci-Fi will be March 15-16."

pogo wrote on Dec 18^th, 2013 at 3:49pm:

Columbus has just announced the date for their Marathon. In a message, Bruce Bartoo said, "It just became official - Sci-Fi will be March 15-16."

Too soon! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I'll never make it to Ohio. Just 3 weeks or so after Boston.......... :'( :'( :'(

M.I.T. announced the line-up for their annual Science Fiction Movie Marathon :

http://lsc.mit.edu/schedule/2014.1q/desc-marathon.shtml

Rich Bartlett wrote on Jan 12^th, 2014 at 7:40am:

M.I.T. announced the line-up for their annual Science Fiction Movie Marathon : http://lsc.mit.edu/schedule/2014.1q/desc-marathon.shtml

Tremors
Pacific Rim
Aliens
MST3K: The Movie
plus a surprise?

Not a bad lineup at all, very tempting.
But can someone survive almost 11 hours of movies?  :)

Just noted that the Columbus list was never posted here. It will be happening (as stated above) March 15 & 16.
Here's a rip & tear from their site.

*The much-lauded 2010 Kino restoration of Fritz Lang's visionary science-fiction masterpiece METROPOLIS! Yes, it's the longest known version of the film, featuring the original 1927 orchestral score, all in sparkling 2K DCP!

*Kurt Russell heading an all-star cast plunged smack dab in the middle of the dystopian prison world of New York City, in a new 2K DCP of John Carpenter's Panavision classic ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK!

*The psychedelic cyberpunk world of Neo-Tokyo in Katsuhiro Otomo's ground-breaking anime landmark AKIRA!

*Arnold Schwarzenegger trapped in Richard Dawson's kill or be killed, ultimate game show nightmare in THE RUNNING MAN (in 35mm)!

*A 35mm print of the post-apocalyptic New Zealand cult classic THE QUIET EARTH!

*Karl Urban bringing cult comic icon Judge Dredd to life in the gritty, underrated DREDD, in hallucinatory 2K DCP Panavision!

*The payoff to one of the great trailers in Marathon history! Yep, it's Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro's post-apocalyptic dark comedy DELICATESSEN!

*A 35mm print of the off the wall, day-glo, Banana Splits on acid, all-time Marathon classic INFRA-MAN!

PLUS!

*Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton on the hunt for a '64 Chevy Malibu in a 2K DCP of Alex Cox's punk classic REPO MAN!

*The definitive 1950's alien invasion classic EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, in xeromorphic 2K DCP!

*Kyle MacLahlan in a 35mm print of the alien possession actioner THE HIDDEN!

AND!

*The 31st Annual Costume Contest with $100 First Prize!
*Vintage trailers and shorts in glorious 35mm!
*The coveted Certificate of Marathoid Behavior to all who survive!
*Surprises! Hilarity! Caffeine-induced dementia!

Tickets for this cinematic starflight are $35 in advance and $40 at the door (if they last).

The Ohio Marathon is today.

EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS is up first.

Did some twitter searching. Found this Ohio Marathoner who posted a video blog after each movie.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyWDj7_emYcOePVlSbbRXGA/videos

http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb475/Bunnyman57/10702124_10152780073871663_159489027832676094_n_zps1baf798f.jpg

This years Terrorthon is more horror than last years. Not too bad a lineup.

Of BIG interest for SF40 is Creature From The Black Lagoon, maybe the last 50's classic still not shown at a thon and it's in 3D too!!!! (just what we need, more eyestrain)  :)

Maybe The Thing too since we have not shown it since SF35.

Here's a rip & Tear from the Columbus site announcing their  24 hour Horror Marathon, SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK!
It starts on October 18.

*The OHIO PREMIERE of the festival hit HOUSEBOUND, an eerie, comedic, haunted house film from New Zealand. Sentenced to house arrest with her parents, trouble-making Kylie soon finds out that her childhood homestead holds a lot more secrets than she bargained for. Peter Martin, of Twitch Film says HOUSEBOUND "“Quickly tears apart the classic haunted-house movie piece by piece, and then reconstructs it on the fly with fresh new materials, garnished with oodles of blood, dark comedy, strong characters, and genuine suspense”, and Peter Jackson calls it "Bloody Brilliant!" See the OHIO PREMIERE with our fantabulously loony audience!

*The OHIO PREMIERE of Helene Catte and Bruno Forzani's psychedelic, psychotropic, mind-bending Italian horror tribute THE STRANGE COLOR OF YOUR BODY'S TEARS. Ainitcool News calls it "Freakish...sexy...and deeply, deeply disturbed", and Fangoria dubs it "Hypnotizing and assaulting". It's a bloody, erotic dreamscape of a tribute to your most primal fears...and beyond. See it first with the Nightmarathon faithful!

*The OHIO PREMIERE of local experimental filmmaker (and longtime Marathoid) Mike Olenick's haunting horror short RED LUCK. The Underground Film Journal calls RED LUCK "gorgeous and disturbing" , and it won the Most Beautiful Film Award at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. We've seen it, and it's one hell of a deranged, lyrical, mind-melting experience. Mike will be on hand for a Q+A accompanying the film.

*An incredibly rare, once in a lifetime 35mm screening of Zoltan Spencer's long lost satanic cult/erotic film THE SATANIST! For almost 50 years, this was thought to be a lost film, but we'll finally be unleashing it once again on a live audience! Outside of a Philadelphia screening a month ago, there's very little known about THE SATANIST...which should make it perfect fodder for your demented minds.

*A new 4K DCP restoration of the one, the only, the ORIGINAL, the greatest drive-in movie ever (to quote Joe Bob Briggs: "The Saw is still king!"), the brand new 4K restoration of Tobe Hooper's THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE!!! For the first time, the filmmakers have gone back to the original 16mm elements to create a TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE experience like you've never seen before. Unleash the terror in this gorgeous, brutal landmark of terror, all in butcherific DCP!

*Lamberto Bava's absolutely brilliant and bonkers "I went to the movies and all I got was this demon possession" gorefest DEMONS! In glorious 35mm! If you enjoy blood, possession, heavy metal and more motor cycles than you can throw a dead cat at, you'll have a blast!

*Dario Argento's sleek, modernist, gory, haunting slasher classic TENEBRE! Anthony Franciosa is an American horror author on book tour in Rome who is haunted by the series of copycat murders that mirror his books. Featuring some of Argento's best gore scenes and a throbbing soundtrack by most of the original Goblin! (NOTE: For years, we've tried to secure a close to uncut 35mm print of TENEBRE, but it's become apparent that we won't be able to secure said print anytime in the near future. So we'll be presenting a high quality digital copy of the film; we've seen it, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Plus, this finally gives us the opportunity to share it with the greatest audience in the world!)

*A brand spankin' new 2K DCP restoration of Werner Herzog's lush, atmospheric remake of NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE, featuring the luminous Isabelle Adjani, the magnetic Bruno Ganz, a haunting score by Popul Vuh......and, oh yeah, the madman of Deutschland himself, Klaus Kinski as everyone's favorite fang-toothed vampire. This comes from our good friends at Bleeding Light Film Group, who brought you the complete version of Andrzej Zulawski's POSSESSION that played in 2012, so expect nothing but the best in this Marathon first.

*Another Horror Marathon first (believe it or not) with a 2K DCP screening of James Whale's creepy and humorous, "why are those pants running down the street" Universal classic THE INVISIBLE MAN.

*Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward and the gorgeous Britt Ekland in the critically acclaimed Final Cut of Robin Hardy's stone cold Brit cult classic THE WICKER MAN (in paganistic 2K DCP.) We've been waiting for years to screen this at the Columbus Horror Marathon, and now, thanks to the twisted folks at Rialto Pictures, you can savor the creeping dread of this horror landmark with the best audience in the world.

*Kubrick! King! Nicholson! Duvall! Redrum! Penderecki! Carlos! Faked moon landings? It's a testament to its enduring power that THE SHINING continues to inspire such diverse levels of appreciation. Now, revisit the Overlook Hotel once again in haunting 2K DCP.

*A rare 35mm screening of the absolutely bizarro gem THE MANITOU, with an all-star cast of Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Stella Stevens, and Burgess Meredith, with a score by the great Lalo Schifrin. Seriously, if you haven't seen this yet (it's out of print on DVD) you should wait until October, and then run to the Drexel like there's no tomorrow to experience all of THE MANITOU's wild charms.

*And last, but certainly not least, is Barbara Crampton in Adam Wingard's superior home invasion shocker YOU'RE NEXT. This one had great buzz coming out of the 2011 festival circuit, but when it was finally released last August, crowds stayed away. Boy, did they miss out, 'cause this one if a tremendous exercise in suspense and raw, bone-chilling terror. Highly recommended, and sure to go over well with this crowd in atmospheric 2K DCP.

Tickets for SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK are
$40 in advance
$45 at the door (if there are any left)

Any intrepid travelers who want to get their October marathon chills on the west coast:

http://www.americancinemathequecalendar ... horrorthon

CREEPSHOW 1982. GARGOYLES 1972. THE THING 1982. THE NIGHT OF A THOUSAND CATS
(LA NOCHE DE LOS MIL GATOS), 1972. THE DEADLY SPAWN 1983. BASKET CASE 1982. ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST (aka DOCTOR BUTCHER, M.D.).

Cleveland/CWRU Marathon, Jan16-17 list announced.

8:30 PM - Godzilla (2014, PG-13, 35 mm)
11:00 PM - [Surprise I] (--, PG, 35 mm)
1:15 AM - The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, UR, 35 mm)
3:00 AM - Sleeper (1973, PG)
4:45 AM - Steamboy (2004, PG-13, 35 mm)
7:15 AM - Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989, PG, 35 mm)
9:00 AM - Forbidden Planet (1956, G)
11:00 AM - [Surprise II] (--, Approved, 35 mm)
12:30 PM - Jodorowsky's Dune (2013, PG-13, 35 mm)
2:45 PM - Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958, PG)
4:15 PM - Edge of Tomorrow (2014, PG-13, 35 mm)
6:30 PM - [Surprise III] (--, Approved, 35 mm)
8:00 PM - Jumanji (1995, PG, 35 mm)
10:00 PM - Tremors (1990, PG-13, 35 mm)
Announcement is on Facebook.
Just noted that  Jodorowsky's Dune  was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary.
Steamboy is manga steampunk by the guy who made Akira.
Usually one surprise is a newbie, one pretty wacko and one humorous - but who knows. Although the overall list is sort of pedestrian a little quality among the surprises would make it a decent (All 35mm!) list.
Most often they add some special treat. They also run about two hours late by the end, taking them well into the next day.
On the odd chance that anyone from Boston is thinking of attending, let me know for lodging/parking/hints.

Thanks, Pogo. Nice to see all the 35mm film on the schedule!

STEAMBOY played the Boston SF marathon - went over so-so.

Note: Jodorowsky's Dune has NOT been nominated for an Oscar yet. But, it did make the shortlist. Announcements come out in January.



pogo wrote on Dec 5^th, 2014 at 5:24pm:

Cleveland/CWRU Marathon, Jan16-17 list announced. 8:30 PM - Godzilla (2014, PG-13, 35 mm) 11:00 PM - [Surprise I] (--, PG, 35 mm) 1:15 AM - The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, UR, 35 mm) 3:00 AM - Sleeper (1973, PG) 4:45 AM - Steamboy (2004, PG-13, 35 mm) 7:15 AM - Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989, PG, 35 mm) 9:00 AM - Forbidden Planet (1956, G) 11:00 AM - [Surprise II] (--, Approved, 35 mm) 12:30 PM - Jodorowsky's Dune (2013, PG-13, 35 mm) 2:45 PM - Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958, PG) 4:15 PM - Edge of Tomorrow (2014, PG-13, 35 mm) 6:30 PM - [Surprise III] (--, Approved, 35 mm) 8:00 PM - Jumanji (1995, PG, 35 mm) 10:00 PM - Tremors (1990, PG-13, 35 mm) Announcement is on Facebook. Just noted that  Jodorowsky's Dune  was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary. Steamboy is manga steampunk by the guy who made Akira. Usually one surprise is a newbie, one pretty wacko and one humorous - but who knows. Although the overall list is sort of pedestrian a little quality among the surprises would make it a decent (All 35mm!) list. Most often they add some special treat. They also run about two hours late by the end, taking them well into the next day. On the odd chance that anyone from Boston is thinking of attending, let me know for lodging/parking/hints.

Thanks for the correction LA.
As I responded to your note on the Columbus board, Jodorowsky's Dune is indeed only on the short list thus far. Still it is a serious acknowledgement of the makers of our genre. Looking forward to seeing it, and to the hope of an actual nomination in January.

A comment. For three years I have attended programs of the Oscar  Shorts & Documentary  nominees. If you want to see quality film check out where they might be shown in your area. If two theaters in Cleveland schedule the programs, then you can probably find a showing in your area.

And I shouldn't have said "All" 35 mm. Looking at the schedule, they only claim 11 of 14. Still the best ratio that I have seen in recent memory.

Got back from the show early this morning.
The three "Surprises" were as old hat as can be imagined. They were:
Mutant Ninja Turtles (Why?)
Island of Lost Souls (A classic, but hard to watch. Saw it at the Thon last year.)
and, the definitive excrement (which I had previously avoided and therefore stayed up for) Plan Nine From Outer Space. There was a 5 minute joke Bloopers reel after the film that was better than the eternity of the actual movie. I question the choice as it was previously shown 25 years ago, (slept that time) which more than fulfills the goof of playing what has been described as the worst movie ever made.
Jodorowsky's Dune, & Edge of Tomorrow were my favorites, and perhaps by no coincidence two of the only three relative newbies. The other, the recent version of Godzilla, was actually quite good, although I missed this version not stomping Tokyo. Made you care about what happened to some of the characters. Not much internal continuity, but great visuals.
I very much like Tremors and Jumanji, and was glad for persons who got to see them for the first time. Unfortunately I had seen both of them recently, but that's my problem.
Sleeper is unique but I couldn't stand seeing it again, so I followed the obvious instruction.
Forbidden Planet is of course a genuine classic, but couldn't get into it for the tenth viewing.
Shrinking Man, 50 Foot Woman & Honey & I Should Have Pureed the Kids are all fillers. and unfortunately do not come up to the level of other retro stuff shown at CWRU in  previous years.
The advisor and movie society members set up a mock CWRU on stage for a lottery winner to stomp, Godzilla style. I credit their good spirits and work. Wish I could have gotten more into the movies. Still a nice event.
Lots of Columbus Marathon types were there. A couple post here. Wonder as to their reactions.

Thanks for the report!

How big was the crowd? How well behaved? And, how many stayed beginning to end?




pogo wrote on Jan 18^th, 2015 at 3:43pm:

Got back from the show early this morning. The three "Surprises" were as old hat as can be imagined. They were: Mutant Ninja Turtles (Why?) Island of Lost Souls (A classic, but hard to watch. Saw it at the Thon last year.) and, the definitive excrement (which I had previously avoided and therefore stayed up for) Plan Nine From Outer Space. There was a 5 minute joke Bloopers reel after the film that was better than the eternity of the actual movie. I question the choice as it was previously shown 25 years ago, (slept that time) which more than fulfills the goof of playing what has been described as the worst movie ever made. Jodorowsky's Dune, & Edge of Tomorrow were my favorites, and perhaps by no coincidence two of the only three relative newbies. The other, the recent version of Godzilla, was actually quite good, although I missed this version not stomping Tokyo. Made you care about what happened to some of the characters. Not much internal continuity, but great visuals. I very much like Tremors and Jumanji, and was glad for persons who got to see them for the first time. Unfortunately I had seen both of them recently, but that's my problem. Sleeper is unique but I couldn't stand seeing it again, so I followed the obvious instruction. Forbidden Planet is of course a genuine classic, but couldn't get into it for the tenth viewing. Shrinking Man, 50 Foot Woman & Honey & I Should Have Pureed the Kids are all fillers. and unfortunately do not come up to the level of other retro stuff shown at CWRU in  previous years. The advisor and movie society members set up a mock CWRU on stage for a lottery winner to stomp, Godzilla style. I credit their good spirits and work. Wish I could have gotten more into the movies. Still a nice event. Lots of Columbus Marathon types were there. A couple post here. Wonder as to their reactions.

Crowd a little smaller. The in and out, especially of the college crowd, makes it very much a question of which film at which time. Watched the departure of a large wave two films from the end, which denied them two of my favorites.
Overall, seemed a little smaller this rear. The Cleveland crowd at its largest is no more than half that of Boston.
Joe comments below on the crowd demeanor. I agree.

See the last two posts from the Columbus Board by Joe & Zeke.http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1803

I get the feeling we're going to see the Dune docu at SF40.

The March 15 Columbus list was just announced. Here's a rip & read from their site.

Yep, it's here: the OFFICIAL LINEUP for SF32 (March 14-15 at the Drexel Theater). This year, we pay tribute to women in science fiction, kickass ladies who take no guff. And what a slate of cinematic delights we have for you. The list is:

*Jane Fonda, Anita Pallenberg and a memorable supporting cast in Roger Vadim's va va voom '60s classic BARBARELLA (in a new Panavision 2K DCP!)

*Master Italian satirist Elio Petri's rarely screened go go entertainment satire THE 10th VICTIM! Starring Marcello Mastroianni and Bond girl Ursula Andress!

*Scarlett Johansson in Luc Besson's visually bombastic, wildly entertaining 2014 romp LUCY! In Panavision 2K DCP!

*A rare 35mm screening of Roger Corman's 1958 feminist power panic camp classic THE WASP WOMAN!

*A rare 35mm screening of the infamous Richard Stanley's 1990 robot vs. man, robot vs, woman, ROBOT VS. EVERYONE gem HARDWARE!

*The OHIO PREMIERE of festival favorite TIME LAPSE!

*The MIDWEST PREMIERE of the brand new mind-bender SHADOWS ON THE WALL!

*Sean Young, Joanna Cassidy, Daryl Hannah, Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and replicants, replicants, replicants in a new Panavision 2K DCP of Ridley Scott's BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT!

*A rare 35mm Panavision screening of Julien Temple's cult classic EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY! With Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, Damon Wayans, Julie Brown, and Jim Carrey!

*A new Panavision 2K DCP of Sigourney Weaver's signature role in ALIEN!

*And a new 2K DCP of its hyper-kinetic sequel ALIENS!

Comment: The list includes several of my all time bests, my favorite silly film, several other goodies, the only recent film I've wanted to see and missed, and 4 that I've never seen, all of which look interesting. An impressive list.
Oh, and Barbarella to sleep through!!!
My 24 hours will be complete.

Quite the lineup, I must say.

My only quibble is showing two ALIEN films. I know Ohio has done this before, but, eh. And, I don't get the love for bringing back the mediocre HARDWARE a 2nd time.

Good lineup, overall.



pogo wrote on Jan 29^th, 2015 at 10:51pm:

The March 15 Columbus list was just announced. Here's a rip & read from their site. Yep, it's here: the OFFICIAL LINEUP for SF32 (March 14-15 at the Drexel Theater). This year, we pay tribute to women in science fiction, kickass ladies who take no guff. And what a slate of cinematic delights we have for you. The list is: *Jane Fonda, Anita Pallenberg and a memorable supporting cast in Roger Vadim's va va voom '60s classic BARBARELLA (in a new Panavision 2K DCP!) *Master Italian satirist Elio Petri's rarely screened go go entertainment satire THE 10th VICTIM! Starring Marcello Mastroianni and Bond girl Ursula Andress! *Scarlett Johansson in Luc Besson's visually bombastic, wildly entertaining 2014 romp LUCY! In Panavision 2K DCP! *A rare 35mm screening of Roger Corman's 1958 feminist power panic camp classic THE WASP WOMAN! *A rare 35mm screening of the infamous Richard Stanley's 1990 robot vs. man, robot vs, woman, ROBOT VS. EVERYONE gem HARDWARE! *The OHIO PREMIERE of festival favorite TIME LAPSE! *The MIDWEST PREMIERE of the brand new mind-bender SHADOWS ON THE WALL! *Sean Young, Joanna Cassidy, Daryl Hannah, Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and replicants, replicants, replicants in a new Panavision 2K DCP of Ridley Scott's BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT! *A rare 35mm Panavision screening of Julien Temple's cult classic EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY! With Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, Damon Wayans, Julie Brown, and Jim Carrey! *A new Panavision 2K DCP of Sigourney Weaver's signature role in ALIEN! *And a new 2K DCP of its hyper-kinetic sequel ALIENS! Comment: The list includes several of my all time bests, my favorite silly film, several other goodies, the only recent film I've wanted to see and missed, and 4 that I've never seen, all of which look interesting. An impressive list. Oh, and Barbarella to sleep through!!! My 24 hours will be complete.

Aside from having both ALIEN and ALIENS as marquee titles to balance out some of the more esoteric fare in the lineup, and as a bookend concept (something we haven't really done at a Columbus Marathon since 1999), their dual inclusion also serves to further chart the progress of women in science fiction film.  The Ripley of ALIEN is tough, but more forced into surviving the ordeal, while in ALIENS she's morphed into the prototypical Cameron-ized badass war merchant.  Also, we were struggling to get some '70s representation, and figured that ALIENS would make the '70s aesthetics of ALIEN stand out even more.

Joe Neff wrote on Jan 30^th, 2015 at 4:28pm:

Aside from having both ALIEN and ALIENS as marquee titles to balance out some of the more esoteric fare in the lineup, and as a bookend concept (something we haven't really done at a Columbus Marathon since 1999), their dual inclusion also serves to further chart the progress of women in science fiction film.  The Ripley of ALIEN is tough, but more forced into surviving the ordeal, while in ALIENS she's morphed into the prototypical Cameron-ized badass war merchant.  Also, we were struggling to get some '70s representation, and figured that ALIENS would make the '70s aesthetics of ALIEN stand out even more.

I get all that, but when you only have Eleven spots it seems a waste to have two movies from the same series represented. If ALIENS is the finale, it would head to the exits early for me if I attended. Add in BLADE RUNNER and you have three biggies all from a very brief range of years.

And, to have only WASP WOMAN as your representative of the early years of sci-fi is a bit thin (it's a fun tiny movie; and, hopefully, it is the theatrical cut because TV prints are heavily padded). Much better to have something from an earlier era than the curious choice of revisiting HARDWARE, which has a tiny cult around it, but, is mainly forgotten, if "gotten" at all.

But, it's nice to have no overlap with the Boston schedule for once, and there seems to be fun to be had. Just wish it wasn't so close in date to Boston's.  :-/

L.A. Connection wrote on Jan 30^th, 2015 at 2:35pm:

Quite the lineup, I must say.

     As long as you somehow overlook all the DCPs, right?


pogo wrote on Jan 29^th, 2015 at 10:51pm:

(in a new Panavision 2K DCP!) LUCY! In Panavision 2K DCP! new Panavision 2K DCP of Ridley Scott's BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT! Panavision 2K DCP of Sigourney Weaver's signature role in ALIEN!

     Just so we're all on the same technical page, there is no such thing as a "Panavision" DCP.  They may make a digital transfer from a movie shot in Panavision, but thats where it stops, kids.

Oh, trust me, if we had the Somerville's projection capabilities, there'd be a whole lot more 35mm film in that lineup.  But hey, you do what you can with what you have.

I love David, but YAY to Joe's comment.
The film is most often superior to the quality of its projection.
You have to go with what you've got.
I do not know enough to have an educated opinion about DCP. But I ask David, do you absolutely determine what you choose by the quality of the print?

David the Projectionist wrote on Jan 30^th, 2015 at 5:43pm:

L.A. Connection wrote on Jan 30th, 2015 at 2:35pm: Quite the lineup, I must say.      As long as you somehow overlook all the DCPs, right?

I was talking the software (movies) not the hardware (prints).

It's a good well balanced lineup overall, with some quibbles.

It's not a bad line-up especially with the inclusion of The Tenth Victim and Barbarella but after that....well, we have some problems.

1950's are woefully absent except for the very minor Corman piece Wasp Woman.  It's fun but as a sole representative of 50's science fiction...meh.  Two Alien movies are overkill. Digital prints, too! Bladerunner is a terrific movie but its' presence merely adds to the log jam of four films (when you throw in Earth Girls Are Easy) covering the period from 1979 to 1988.   

One of the tougher parts about being part of the Marathon scene for so long?  Realizing that the crowds do, indeed, get younger.  And that for a good chunk of that younger crowd, the '80s is the new '50s.  It's something that we've striven to address in crafting the lineups for both Horror and Sci-Fi the last few years.

When we chose to go with the Women in Sci-Fi theme, we knew that the '50s might be a problem.  Quite a few of the prime titles of that era which fit had either played recently or were only available on DVD.  And unlike the Somerville, a good chunk of archival 35mm prints aren't available to the theater that we run out of.  WASP WOMAN was one of the few 35mm titles we could secure that fit into the theme.

Bottom line?  Boston probably has the most long term, hardcore loyal audience of the three major 24-Hour Marathons.  But Columbus has far more of a mix of older and younger attendees.  And if we focus too much on the distant past (at least in the minds of many of the younger fans) we die.

Joe Neff wrote on Jan 31^st, 2015 at 2:23am:

One of the tougher parts about being part of the Marathon scene for so long?  Realizing that the crowds do, indeed, get younger.  And that for a good chunk of that younger crowd, the '80s is the new '50s.  It's something that we've striven to address in crafting the lineups for both Horror and Sci-Fi the last few years. When we chose to go with the Women in Sci-Fi theme, we knew that the '50s might be a problem.  Quite a few of the prime titles of that era which fit had either played recently or were only available on DVD.  And unlike the Somerville, a good chunk of archival 35mm prints aren't available to the theater that we run out of.  WASP WOMAN was one of the few 35mm titles we could secure that fit into the theme. Bottom line?  Boston probably has the most long term, hardcore loyal audience of the three major 24-Hour Marathons.  But Columbus has far more of a mix of older and younger attendees.  And if we focus too much on the distant past (at least in the minds of many of the younger fans) we die.

We have a good audience mix as well.  Believe me, as the guy handing out the loot bags, I see every soul walking into the event and there are a plenty of younger members. I hardly consider picking 2 films from the 50's as too much focus.  Your mileage may vary. To my way of thinking, this era of science fiction film certainly deserves better.  There is not much love for the 70's either.  As I said a decent line-up just not a very representative one.  We all have our holes it seems. I am happy that at long last someone is paying tribute to The 10th Victim, a film I have requested year after year. 

Frank wrote on Jan 31^st, 2015 at 4:22am:

Joe Neff wrote on Jan 31st, 2015 at 2:23am: One of the tougher parts about being part of the Marathon scene for so long?  Realizing that the crowds do, indeed, get younger.  And that for a good chunk of that younger crowd, the '80s is the new '50s.  It's something that we've striven to address in crafting the lineups for both Horror and Sci-Fi the last few years. When we chose to go with the Women in Sci-Fi theme, we knew that the '50s might be a problem.  Quite a few of the prime titles of that era which fit had either played recently or were only available on DVD.  And unlike the Somerville, a good chunk of archival 35mm prints aren't available to the theater that we run out of.  WASP WOMAN was one of the few 35mm titles we could secure that fit into the theme. Bottom line?  Boston probably has the most long term, hardcore loyal audience of the three major 24-Hour Marathons.  But Columbus has far more of a mix of older and younger attendees.  And if we focus too much on the distant past (at least in the minds of many of the younger fans) we die. We have a good audience mix as well.  Believe me, as the guy handing out the loot bags, I see every soul walking into the event and there are a plenty of younger members. I hardly consider picking 2 films from the 50's as too much focus.  Your mileage may vary. To my way of thinking, this era of science fiction film certainly deserves better.  There is not much love for the 70's either.  As I said a decent line-up just not a very representative one.  We all have our holes it seems. I am happy that at long last someone is paying tribute to The 10th Victim, a film I have requested year after year.

Always nice to see you kids discussing the marathon. ;)
Have to agree with Frank about liking the audience mix. Quite a few families along with some grizzled 'thon veterans. Plus groups of film fan friends who come for a fun night of classics & schlock. I usually stress the experience as much as the films to someone thinking of going for the first time.
The Somerville is a big part of that experience with the huge screen and the restored glory of the place making it  something a lot of filmgoers will never see anywhere else.

And you're right about 10th Victim, it does deserve another showing, not only a pretty good action film but its a great time capsule film that's really of its era. Or as the poster for Sleeper put it, "A Nostalgic look at the future."

Hey that's not a bad idea for a future marathon theme. 

pogo wrote on Jan 29^th, 2015 at 10:51pm:

*The OHIO PREMIERE of festival favorite TIME LAPSE!

This is so, so good, one of the best I saw in Montreal last summer.  It's easy for the Boston crowd to miss just how much pretty-good-to-great independent science fiction is being made right now because it doesn't make theaters and Garen tends to care more about premieres than quality in programming the festival, but if you put the effort to find stuff like Time Lapse in, it's not hard to argue that we're in a mini-golden age right now.

As to the complaints about decades being under-represented in either Marathon...  It's inevitable.  The number of decades to include has doubled since these events began but the hours in a day haven't.  Unless you want to push the thon a few hours in each direction, it's going to get thinner.

And I don't know that the fifties being what thins out is really a bad thing; they don't connect quite so immediately to an audience whose birth year is constantly moving forward.  The Cold War concerns are less relevant, they feature fewer non-white-males in prominent, important roles, and a lot of folks younger than me just don't have the nostalgic attachment to them.  And even if they did, science fiction is more about looking forward than looking back.

Joe Neff wrote on Jan 30^th, 2015 at 7:02pm:

Oh, trust me, if we had the Somerville's projection capabilities

     We can all dream!  Oh, wait.....   ;)

pogo wrote on Jan 30^th, 2015 at 10:23pm:

I love David, but YAY to Joe's comment. The film is most often superior to the quality of its projection.

     We're going to disagree on that.  You cant appreciate a miserably projected movie, no matter what excuses come to mind.  And youll get the full monty when you see the digital transfers of Moonraker & The Day the Earth Stood Still.
     If they work, of course.


Quote:

I do not know enough to have an educated opinion about DCP. But I ask David, do you absolutely determine what you choose by the quality of the print?

     I dont get to choose nothing.  Garen chooses the titles.  I run them.  About the only input I have is negotiating the order, because some things are technically more difficult to pull off than others.
     I did tell Garen that the 70mm system would be up & running before the Thon (and it will be), & suggested a bunch of titles, of which 2001 was one.
     Thats as far as my choices get to go!

Jay Seaver wrote on Jan 31^st, 2015 at 3:58pm:

pogo wrote on Jan 29th, 2015 at 10:51pm: *The OHIO PREMIERE of festival favorite TIME LAPSE! This is so, so good, one of the best I saw in Montreal last summer.  It's easy for the Boston crowd to miss just how much pretty-good-to-great independent science fiction is being made right now because it doesn't make theaters and Garen tends to care more about premieres than quality in programming the festival, but if you put the effort to find stuff like Time Lapse in, it's not hard to argue that we're in a mini-golden age right now. As to the complaints about decades being under-represented in either Marathon...  It's inevitable.  The number of decades to include has doubled since these events began but the hours in a day haven't.  Unless you want to push the thon a few hours in each direction, it's going to get thinner. And I don't know that the fifties being what thins out is really a bad thing; they don't connect quite so immediately to an audience whose birth year is constantly moving forward.  The Cold War concerns are less relevant, they feature fewer non-white-males in prominent, important roles, and a lot of folks younger than me just don't have the nostalgic attachment to them.  And even if they did, science fiction is more about looking forward than looking back.

Got to agree. As I have posted, a movie from the Late-80s, Early-90s is JUST AS OLD TO US NOW as a 50s film was when the Marathon began.

Still, it IS best when a line-up is balanced.

Joe Neff wrote on Jan 31^st, 2015 at 2:23am:

One of the tougher parts about being part of the Marathon scene for so long?  Realizing that the crowds do, indeed, get younger.  And that for a good chunk of that younger crowd, the '80s is the new '50s.  It's something that we've striven to address in crafting the lineups for both Horror and Sci-Fi the last few years...Bottom line?  Boston probably has the most long term, hardcore loyal audience of the three major 24-Hour Marathons.  But Columbus has far more of a mix of older and younger attendees.  And if we focus too much on the distant past (at least in the minds of many of the younger fans) we die.

Like a broken clock, Jeff Neff is correct in established intervals.

:exclamation ::)

In a promo gimmick Marvel will be holding a 29 hour marathon leading up to the release of AVENGERS PART DEUX.

Personally, they'd have to pay ME to sit through much of that loud clanking claptrap, but, to each his own. Will there be a champagne toast at the end?


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/09/29-hour-marvel-movie-marathon_n_6829090.html

        6 p.m. IRON MAN

        8:25 p.m. THE INCREDIBLE HULK

        10:35 p.m. IRON MAN 2

        1 a.m. THOR

        3:10 a.m. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

        5:30 a.m. THE AVENGERS

        8:48 a.m. IRON MAN 3

        11:15 a.m. THOR: THE DARK WORLD

        1:45 p.m. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

        4:20 p.m. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

        7 p.m. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

L.A. Connection wrote on Mar 9^th, 2015 at 12:32pm:

In a promo gimmick Marvel will be holding a 29 hour marathon leading up to the release of AVENGERS PART DEUX. Personally, they'd have to pay ME to sit through much of that loud clanking claptrap, but, to each his own. Will there be a champagne toast at the end? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/09/29-hour-marvel-movie-marathon_n_6829090.html         6 p.m. IRON MAN         8:25 p.m. THE INCREDIBLE HULK         10:35 p.m. IRON MAN 2         1 a.m. THOR         3:10 a.m. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER         5:30 a.m. THE AVENGERS         8:48 a.m. IRON MAN 3         11:15 a.m. THOR: THE DARK WORLD         1:45 p.m. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER         4:20 p.m. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY         7 p.m. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Yeah that is a lot to sit through especially considering how many of the films have the same plot. (Someone claimed even the timing of things happening in the films are the same.)

Cleveland/CWRU made their first announcement of films for their 41st, Jan 15-16 Marathon.
8:00 pm - Terminator Genisys (2015, PG-13, 35 mm)
11:00 pm - Surprise I (UR, 35 mm)
12:30 am - Mighty Joe Young (1949, UR)
2:00 am - Re-Animator (1985, R, 35 mm)
3:45 am - TBD
5:45 am - Starship Troopers (1997, R, 35 mm)
8:15 am - Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001, PG, 35 mm)
10:00 am - Time After Time (1979, PG)
12:00 pm - Surprise II (PG, 35 mm)
2:15 pm - The Whisperer in Darkness (2011, UR)
4:15 pm - Surprise III (UR, 35 mm)
6:00 pm - [Will be announced January 1]
8:45 pm - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984, PG-13, 35 mm)
10:45 pm - Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, R, 35 mm)

Plus (it says on their Facebook announcement) "Some terrific, vintage cartoons!"
$30, or $4/film

Cleveland is increasingly mainstream. I used to look forward to their "Surprise!" films, however the last couple of years they have been even less creative than the regular lineup.

Columbus has announced their festival dates as
NOON MARCH 5th UNTIL NOON MARCH 6th.

So now Cleveland will be Jan. 15-16
Boston February 14-15 and
Columbus March 5 & 6.
What will I do the rest of the year?

There's a marathon in Melbourne, Australia in mid December.

Lile wrote on Dec 28^th, 2015 at 4:08am:

There's a marathon in Melbourne, Australia in mid December.

GREAT!
Now what about March - November?

The announced addition to Cleveland is THE MARTIAN.
The atmosphere at CWRU is great. But it's not as if you want to travel cross country to see unique offerings.

Ended at 3:00 AM Sunday.
Which was annoying because the lateness seemed to be for no good reason. CWRU/Cleveland is always of indeterminate duration, but more than an hour was added by what seemed totally unnecessary problems with the last film. While they worked on it, a Star Trek animation was played which would not have been so bad, in theory, if the exact same episode had not been shown last year.
The three Surprises were Rocket Ship!, a movie version of the first Flash Gordon serial (1936).
The Blob! (1958). Sort of fun. I didn't remember from the last time I saw it, about 50 years ago, how bad an actor Steve McQueen was when he started out, and Back To The Future III(1990), always a joy.
Won't do the films in detail, unless others get into it, but actually had a better time that expected. The three heavy recent films, Terminator Gen., The Martian & Mad Max were balanced by Whisperer In The Darkness, an excellent Indie tribute to Lovecraft, The Atlantis cartoon, and the preponderance of light stuff from the 40s through the 80s.
Personally not a fan of Starship Troopers, Max or the latest Terminator, but certainly cannot complain that there was not a mix of types.
Nothing non-mainstream, except for Whisperer, but if you want a mix with a more creative lineup, go to Columbus or Boston (as you should.)

edit: I sort of blew off The Martian, above, due to its familiarity. In all aspects, including humor, acting, respect for science & all the cinematog. stuff that you would expect from a big budget film, the best SF of the last release year. And deservedly on the very short best list of all films last year. Yeah, Star Wars was great, but for different reasons.

And so to bed.

The list for the March 5-6 Columbus 24 hour Marathon (taken from the Columbus website, http://www.scifimarathon.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1939) IS!!!:

-The MIDWEST PREMIERE of Ben Wheatley's gonzo adaptation of cult author J.G. Ballard's HIGH-RISE! With Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, and Elisabeth Moss!

-A NEW DCP screening of George Miller's classic symphony of car crash chaos MAD MAX!

-And Miller's critically acclaimed follow-up, the hyper-kinetic MAD MAD: FURY ROAD! With Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and more practical automotive insanity than you shake a rusty carburetor at!

-A tribute to the late David Bowie with a NEW DCP RESTORATION of Nicolas Roeg's cult classic THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH!

-A NEW DCP of Sean Connery in John Boorman's existentially lunatic utopian takedown, the truly singular ZARDOZ!

-A RARE 35MM SCREENING of John Carpenter's STARMAN! With Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen!

-The NEW 4K RESTORATION of Richard Fleischer's FANTASTIC VOYAGE! With Donald Pleasance and Raquel Welch at the height of her va-va-voom '60s glory!

-A RARE 35MM SCREENING of the 1968 ultimate kaiju smackdown epic DESTROY ALL MONSTERS!

-In what should be an ideal Marathon crowd experience, a screening of the Turkish film industry's definitive Lucas-ian rip-off TURKISH STAR WARS!

-A late night screening of the much-requested (at least in certain circles) FRIDAY THE 13th in space romp JASON X!

We're also pursuing one more premiere to round out the lineup, so keep your eyes peeled here and on our various web outlets for the latest!

PLUS!
-Mike Olenick's sci-fi tinged Wet Darlings music video "Beautiful Things"!
-The 33rd Annual Costume Contest, with $100 FIRST PRIZE (and the coveted BIG CHECK!)
-Galaxies of 35mm Trailers and Shorts!
-And much, much more!

35MM? Are they showing half of our 70MM print of Starman?

But DAMn, I'd love to see Destroy All Monsters added to SF41.

pogo wrote on Jan 24^th, 2016 at 6:08pm:

-A NEW DCP screening of George Miller's classic symphony of car crash chaos MAD MAX! -A tribute to the late David Bowie with a NEW DCP RESTORATION of Nicolas Roeg's cult classic THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH! -A NEW DCP of Sean Connery in John Boorman's existentially lunatic utopian takedown, the truly singular ZARDOZ! -The NEW 4K RESTORATION of Richard Fleischer's FANTASTIC VOYAGE! With Donald Pleasance and Raquel Welch at the height of her va-va-voom '60s glory!

     I would be extremely leery of these, Gary.  In the first place, Ive run a ton of "new" "restored" DCPs, & they all look like doggy doo, & bare no relationship to their original photochemical counterparts.  In the second place, the distributors will slap the word "restoration" on ANYTHING theyve transferred, even if all they did was repair a torn frame, so dont be fooled by that claptrap.
     And in many cases, the studios just port a DCP from their DVD or BluRay master, so all youre getting is the low-rez file from a disc.  Yes, they do that.  They like ripping people off.
     I still have no idea what format we're running the Roeg movie in, but you all better pray it's a print (and I know theres an available print).  If it's a DCP, & it looks anything like the DCP transfers we've run in the last few marathons, you may as well go out for food or take a nap, because it's going to look like dim, off-colour pig vomit.

David the Projectionist wrote on Jan 25^th, 2016 at 8:23pm:

I would be extremely leery of these, Gary.  In the first place, Ive run a ton of "new" "restored" DCPs, & they all look like doggy doo, & bare no relationship to their original photochemical counterparts.  In the second place, the distributors will slap the word "restoration" on ANYTHING theyve transferred, even if all they did was repair a torn frame, so dont be fooled by that claptrap.      And in many cases, the studios just port a DCP from their DVD or BluRay master, so all youre getting is the low-rez file from a disc.  Yes, they do that.  They like ripping people off.      I still have no idea what format we're running the Roeg movie in, but you all better pray it's a print (and I know theres an available print).  If it's a DCP, & it looks anything like the DCP transfers we've run in the last few marathons, you may as well go out for food or take a nap, because it's going to look like dim, off-colour pig vomit.

Ah, my old pal David! You know that we tend to see eye to eye when it comes to the superiority of film. But having seen the FANTASTIC VOYAGE DCP, I can vouch that it looks pretty damn good. Not as good as a nice print, but hey.

And more importantly, while we would LOVE to have the Somerville's booth and your more than able hands running this show....we don't. Different venue, different capabilities, different restrictions. While we have access to 35mm, it's on a MUCH more limited basis than you do.

So when it comes to assembling the lineup, we can't just pick films that we can screen in 35mm. We'd be left with a whole buncha' obscurities and collector prints. Fact of the matter is that for a lot of classic titles, we can only book DCPs. And while I would LOVE to have an entire slate of great looking prints, the reality of the matter dictates otherwise. It's between taking what we can get and not doing the event.

And ultimately, these events are about a gathering of film fans enjoying a shared experience that is something special. Sometimes that can still be achieved even with less than perfect results. And hey, I wrote that damn copy! So watch yer p's and q's mister!  ;)   

Joe Neff wrote on Jan 25^th, 2016 at 11:34pm:

Ah, my old pal David!

     Aw, youre making me blush!


Quote:

But having seen the FANTASTIC VOYAGE DCP, I can vouch that it looks pretty damn good.

     I'll maintain a healthy skepticism!


Quote:

So when it comes to assembling the lineup, we can't just pick films that we can screen in 35mm.

     Well, I wasnt commenting on that.  I was just saying that I take exception to "new" & "restored" DCPs, because no matter what the studios say about them, they always look hideous.
     And, of course, this latest Thon is hardly running everything in 35.  We're running one in 70!  Ha!   ;D
     All kidding aside, I still have no idea in which format I'll be receiving a majority of the titles, so I'm not one to complain.


Quote:

And hey, I wrote that damn copy! So watch yer p's and q's mister!  ;)

     If youd prefer me to watch some letters instead of the screen, so be it!