I'm reminded of the quote from John Carpenter's "Starman" (1982)

Starman:"What I like most about you (humans) You are at your very best when things are at their worst."

Yes Marathoids, things were looking looking pretty terrible there when the crowd showed up to face the vast empty dark void in the place where Major Tom has been for decades. No ATOMICFireballs! :o  Somebody stepped up!

Have you heard the weather was bad?

The 'thon started with "Snowpiercer" and what I fully expect will be among the most infamous lines ever uttered over its 40 year history: "I know what people taste like. Babies taste best." The great Douglas Trumbal stepped up:
Using that groaner of a line as an example of everything that's wrong with the current crop of SF films.
Did you hear about the weather... ;) ;)
The heat failed: hours of single digit temps were too much for an historic structure of the Sommerville's size. Everybody stepped up and endured the long cold night in solid, if not typical numbers.

Somewhere in there was everything that makes the Marathon great.

Yeah, what he said.

Except my quote about this 'thon would have been Harry Tuttle from the film Brazil.
"We're all in it together."

Nice words guys. Glad I got a chance to chat with you bbth. THE most hearty marathon crowd ever! More later.

that was the most evenly matched applause rating i have ever experienced at the marathon. some say 2001 won first place but i think it was edge of tomorrow. moon raker was a surprise hit.

eot was groundhog day meets starship trooper. i loved it but…
why on earth didn't they bring a gun with a silencer into the generals office, get the alien hookup device, shoot him and walk out?

Best snark was at the end of Snowpiercer when the first boot hits the snow- "We've got more than that!"

No film by film review recaps yet? Ill probably write mine tomorrow  but lets see some othersl

No film by film recap reviews yet?? Ill probably do mine tomorrow but lets see some others!

Now that it's over, now that the snow has begun to recede...for the time being, now that Klaatu has left the earths orbit and MOONRAKER has once again been safely hidden in the MGM/UA vaults.....it's time for a little reflection on the late, great SF40(!).  And so, some thoughts in bullet point form:

*About halfway through the opening greeting/extended book pitch from Harlan Ellison, several of my Columbus crew and I turned to each other and said "A crummy commercial?  Son of a b*tch!".  We guessed it was a sentiment that the Cleveland-born Harlan would appreciate.  But seriously, it was very cool to have some words from such an icon.

*Speaking of icons.....Doug Trumbull.  At the end of the Marathon, I joked with a few people that we paid for 24 hours, but only got 23 (as we ended quite early.)  It was a flippant quibble, but looking back it might have had some weight when it came to Mr. Trumbull.  Here was a certifiable living legend, a true visionary and artist who helped to craft some of the most indelible, influential images of our cinematic times...and he only got 15 minutes or so for his Q+A, and was essentially played off so we could get to the Tin Foil Hat contest.  And right as he was starting to launch into some seriously intriguing anecdotes.

I get that the late start weighed on everyone, but when you have a guest the magnitude of Trumbull, you give him all the time he wants, or all the time that the audience would like to engage with him (he seemed to be having a good time when he was given the hook.)  We didn't even touch on BLADE RUNNER, BRAINSTORM, STAR TREK: TMP, etc.  And we ultimately had quite a bit of time in the schedule to kill.  It's too bad, because he was a tremendous guest.

*I continue to like SNOWPIERCER more and more.  It's a wildly entertaining mash-up of genres, while also being a deft critique of the modern video game-oriented, men on a mission blockbuster style (something the film turns on its head halfway through.)  Did anyone else notice that this and EDGE OF TOMORROW were effectively (and I'm guessing unintentional) bookends which dealt with the possible futility of rebellion within power structures?  Oh, and gimme more Tilda Swinton and her marvelous false teeth any day of the week.

*I've spoken with Jeff Rapsis several times, including right after his performance for CALIGARI on Sunday, and each time I've complimented him by noting that there are times in his gigs in which I forget that someone is playing along to the film.  He manages to combine a somewhat traditional accompaniment style with enough interesting flourishes so as to create a completely immersive experience.  Bravo to him, as always.

*I enjoyed the 4pm start, but the opening salvo of SNOWPIERCER, 2001, CALIGARI and FANTASSACHERIE established such an intellectually ambitious, dream-oriented state that the films thereafter started feeling like "The Rest of the Lineup."  I know that the weather caused a lot of this temporal dissonance, but as I said before the event, the lineup construction also tended to be a bit schizophrenic to begin with.

*That being said, being able to watch the ineffable David Kornfeld ply his trade in Ian Judge's magnificently maintained electronic megaplex and pleasuredome...well, that winning combo has kept me coming back even when the lineup isn't always to my taste.  Thanks to them, once again, for being who they are.  We're so lucky to have a venue like this for the Marathon, staffed by people who actually care about film as art and the exemplary presentation of it.

And thanks to everyone else as well: Garen, Tony D, Frank, the usual gang of accomplices.  And the crowd.  After all, the films are nice, but without a great crowd, any Marathon is just a series of images being projected on a screen for 24 hours. 

My favorite moment from SF40.
Fran and I were walking to the lobby from our usual front row seats.  As we approached the lobby doors, I heard, “Hey! How are you”?  I look to my left and I see Bruce Bartoo.  Without any hesitation, I pulled the man close to me and hugged him tightly.  I was overcome with joy seeing this man at SF40.  I had been feeling disheartened after having been told that Bruce could not attend.  For me, as well as for many who began attending the Marathon in the Welles’ years, Bruce represents the heart and soul of this event.  Seeing Bruce Bartoo and Joe Neff provides me with a sense of comfort and security.  Although they hail from Ohio, their presence lends a certain something to the Marathon.  It was a pleasure gentlemen and seeing you both pulled me out of my funk.  My son and daughter and crew were unable to attend and I was feeling a bit soured on the whole event.  Your conversation and smiles changed all of that.            

I'm very curious to know what films won awards at SF40. I checked the facebook page, twitter, and the official SF40 site and have seen no announcements.

Thank you for the kind words, Joe. I echo Frank in saying that seeing Bruce, Joe and Zeke from Ohio was a highlight for me, particularly considering all the missing folks in the crowd. Kind of ironic that people from out of state who had the wherewithal to fly into town and get a hotel, had a better chance of attending than some of those within the state.

On the Trumbull & 'short' Marathon thing: In reality the two had nothing to do with one another.

1. Trumbull. From the begining of the scheduling process, Trumbull was always scheduled to do a 15 minute Q & A, long before the weather issues. I argued that he deserved more time (at least 1/2 hour), but that was the decision from the outset. I guess the thinking was that Saturday night's Evening with Douglas Trumbull Festival event was sufficient (about 30 - 40 people attended). I got to attend and Trumbull did put on a detailed 2 hour show complete with powerpoint presentation with clips and behind the scenes photos from BLADE RUNNER, SILENT RUNNING, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS etc. as well as 2001. Trumbull even stayed afterwards for another 15 minutes or so to speak with many in the crowd one on one. Since that event was in the small Cinema 2, Trumbull wanted to see the big screen where the Marathon was held and I was lucky enough to escort him on a brief tour along with David K. our projectionist extraordinaire. He was impressed.

2. As to the shortened 23 1/2 hour or so Marathon. It was a conscious decision. Considering the 4pm start and the weather conditions, it was decided that we should err on the side of shorter rather the usual running long. RAGNAROK got bumped in the process (although it did show in the micro-cinema). It runs 96 minutes, so if we hadn't bumped it, the Marathon would have run close to an hour over, ending at 5pm. People had travel plans, family committments and heck, just had to get home and shovel MORE snow. As it was, there were as few folks in the theater at the end of this marathon than just about any in memory; Imagine how sparse it may have been an hour and a half later?! The only other backup plan we had would have been to cut the Twilight Zone episode AND Bruce's trailer and shorts reel which including the indeciferably delicious SPACEBOY! The Trumbull Q&A was a non-factor (and, we actully got more Trumbull than scheduled, as he was just supposed to say hello when he introduced 2001, but, instead gave a nice 10 minute or more talk. We stayed on schedule because we wisely padded the 2001 running time because of the Intro and Exit music, plus intermission.  ;)).

P.S. This isn't the first Marathon to run "short". I remember one specific one at the Orson Welles that ended at a similar time. One guy started yelling out, "Hey! We want more film! Show us some shorts or trailers! Anything!"


Joe Neff wrote on Feb 18^th, 2015 at 11:44pm:

... *Speaking of icons.....Doug Trumbull.  At the end of the Marathon, I joked with a few people that we paid for 24 hours, but only got 23 (as we ended quite early.)  It was a flippant quibble, but looking back it might have had some weight when it came to Mr. Trumbull.  Here was a certifiable living legend, a true visionary and artist who helped to craft some of the most indelible, influential images of our cinematic times...and he only got 15 minutes or so for his Q+A, and was essentially played off so we could get to the Tin Foil Hat contest.  And right as he was starting to launch into some seriously intriguing anecdotes. I get that the late start weighed on everyone, but when you have a guest the magnitude of Trumbull, you give him all the time he wants, or all the time that the audience would like to engage with him (he seemed to be having a good time when he was given the hook.)  We didn't even touch on BLADE RUNNER, BRAINSTORM, STAR TREK: TMP, etc.  And we ultimately had quite a bit of time in the schedule to kill.  It's too bad, because he was a tremendous guest....

The surprise highlight of the Marathon.  SPACEBOY. The combination of the deelicious Florence Marly and the electronic tonalities of (wife and husband team) Bebe and Louis Barron send me.  I could watch this every year as a counterpoint to Duck Dodgers.  Heck, throw in Quasi and a reel of trailers and I will be a happy camper. 


Cosmonaut Sean, Space Boy, beware
Velarna is waiting for you out there
Don't cross the parallel of time and space
Or you'll die of love in a cruel embrace
Velarna is the queen and fate is her cold (?)
Velarna the lover, sex without soul
Sean! Space Boy, Space Boy.

Laughing at the danger in amorous jest
He soared through the space on his gallant quest
But there in ambush behind heaven's gate
Mysterious Velarna was lying in wait
Spellbound he looked into her blazing green eyes
She smiled and stirred her enticing thighs
Sean! Space Boy, Space Boy.

A thousand fires pierced his flesh
He pledged his love with tender caress
Fireballs and sunbursts showered them delights
Then the two lovers held a sacred rite
Her kisses were deadly, the cosmic night grew dark
She tightened her green arms around his heart
A sob of sorrow echoed to the sky
He sighed "I love you," then he died
Oh, Sean! Sean! Space Boy, Space Boy.

Then he was buried among the stars
The legend says wherever you are
You can hear on certain nights
A young man's calling from the heights
Velarna, Velarna, come back to me, my love,
Velarna, Velarna, Velarna, mon amour!
Oh, Sean! Space Boy, Space Boy.

First of all, a big THANK YOU to all those who participated and attended! It was by far, the most trying Marathon ever (it made the 36 hr. SF/10 look like a walk in the park). Like I've written, this was the heartiest audience we've ever had. Still, that joy was certainly tempered by all the Marathoners - many of them 'lifers' who couldn't make it. I truly hope that either a date change is in order, or, that the we luck out with the weather.  On to the program:

In Memorium - I appreciate it, but, like I wrote last year, it needs to be half as long. Do a 'Director's cut' and put it online, but the Marathon edition should be 15 minutes max.

Duck Dodgers - Still puts me in a veritible time warp every time it opens the Marathon

SNOWPIERCER - One of last year's kookiest, most original films. I like to call it A BOY AND HIS DOG on a train. Director Bong certainly has his own way with story structure (to put it mildly), but he makes it work. I had forgotten about how unpleasant the cannibalism speech was! And, yes, the approapriatness of the booking in light of the blizzard was eerie!

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - When a film is as familiar as the Kubrick classic, you often go in cycles as to your enjoyment level. The last time around, I found the pacing difficult. This time, it seemed to fly by in comparison. Showing it early helped. The intermission was a relief. Having Doug Trumbull in the house, certainly did. But, the nice 70mm print was the topper. There were certain shots in this print that were almost hallucinatory in their vividness. Digital smidgital. A DCP still can't hold a candle to something like this. What is also odd is now that I have totally immersed myself with Kubrick and Clarke's story, it seems to make perfect sense that is so 'obvious' you wonder why some people still find it obtuse!  ;)

Douglas Trumbull - There were about 30-40 people there Marathon eve for Trumbull's appearance at the Festival. He did over 2 hours there, but, was still a very welcome presence at the 'thon. 2001, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and BLADE RUNNER are still the holy trinity of special effects pre-CGI.

Aluminum Foil Contest - Our best contest. The entries really try

CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI - Sci-fi? Nope, but, it had been decades since I saw this. It's a marvellously original and influential silent. Without using camera tricks, just set design, makeup and costumes, it does plunge you into the mind of a patient. Jeff Rapsis? What is to say? You are FANTASTIC!

Quiet Zone & Prelude to Axanar - Quiet is cute, but slight. Axanar, I found to be a loooong kickstarter commercial

FANTASSACHERIE - This is one of those movies where you can see what the filmmaker was trying to do, but, you get frustrated because the various story threads never come together. Interesting, but failed. And, not sci-fi in the least

THEM! - Frankly, the special effects ants were never all that convincing. But, the acting, writing and direction are all so above the level of most SF of the era, that it all works. And, the queen ant colony set and egg props are damned fine

MOONRAKER - Save for the stuff with Jaws and a few gags, this Bond flick had completely been erased from my memory! And, I can see why. You could see that Broccoli and the 007 team really felt the heat from STAR WARS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS et al and tried to step up their game - but, most of the gags are pretty lame, some groaningly so (the asian hitman being the most egregious). And, Lois Chiles is amongst the most boring Bond girls ever. The 3rd non-Sci-Fi film on the slate.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL - Still holds up. Whether you take it as straight SF, or look upon it as a parable with major Christ-like overtones, this remains one of the best of 50s films. And, it really struck me how Film Noirish both this and THEM! feel (of course Directors Robert Wise (DAY) and Gordon Douglas (THEM!) had experience in that genre). My young niece has come up with her own charming twist on the classic catchline: Klaatu Burrito Nacho!

Twilight Zone - I Sing The Body Electric - A good if somewhat slight and soft episode. But, it is time to do something else with the 'available to us only on DVD' slot!

Exo-Planet Fitness Contest - What did you think, folks? I thought the contestants gave great effort, but, this was a taxing 'thon to initiate this contest in.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA - I was a big Carpenter fan when this came out. I thought the trailer was fantastic! I was psyched to see it in 1986. Unfortunately, I thought it was a stupid misfire. For decades folks have been telling me, 'You have to give it another shot! It's great!'.... Uh, I was correct in 1986. This is a monumentally stupid film. Sure, there is fun to be had with Russell doing his John Wayne thing and Cattrall was a cutie, but, this is a misfire. The fourth non-Sci-Fi film on the slate.

IRON GIANT - I've only seen this the two times it has played the 'thon. Loved it both times. It's a little stretched in the middle section, but, the ending is a killer. In retrospect, it's not that difficult to tell why the film failed at the box office: the 50s setting, the highly specific period details, the lack of 'modern day' pop culture jokes and songs etc. As much as WE love it, it just was never going to be a Pixar level hit.

Marathon History Symposium - I pushed for this, for it is (sadly) unlikely that we will ever get Bruce Bartoo, Larry Jackson and Garen on the same stage again. I hope the younger Marathoners got something out it, along with printed History which Harry & Judy Lohr, Da Bunnyman and I put together. When I mentioned a reunion at SF/50 to Bruce, he said, "Can the stage accomodate wheelchairs!?"

THIS ISLAND EARTH - I know some don't care for this one, but, I still find it a prototypical 50s B movie - for good and ill. It's colorful and schlocky and moves along well enough. Plus, it hadnt shown unexpurged in over 30 years. But, yeah, it belongs on the 'moritorium' list for the next decade or more.

Harlan Ellison Greeting - A monumental thank you to former Marathoner Nat Segaloff for putting this together and sharing it and Mr. Ellison with us.

EDGE OF TOMORROW - I still love the first 2/3 of this. One of the sharpest, wittiest and well put-together SF films of the past decade. And, I could watch 'Full Metal Bitch' Emily Blunt read the phone book. SPOILERS BELOW AT END OF POST*

Wrapping up. I want to thank Ian Judge, David Kornfeld and the entire staff of the Somerville who endured and conquered! Frank and Fran Urbano, Harry Lohr, Bruce, Joe and the Ohio Contingent, Metaluna (who got an applause line!), Lile, Brian, Wally, Simon, and my 'Connection' diehard quartet who haven't missed this in over 25 years! and all those who help make this trip special every year (and this year was VERY special!). I hope next year finds us hit the 400 or 500 mark once again.

Cheers!








*2nd time around and I still don't buy the ending. Why would Cruise risk everything for his 'last' go around with a completely new plan? We've seen him go through hundreds if not thousands of variations to get 99% of the way to success just to toss it away and start all over with no 2nd chances? And, of course, there's some mysterious green goo that shows up at the very end in order for the two DEAD soldiers to get revived for one more 'Meet Cute'.

The main site has posted the Festival Awards here: http://bostonscifi.com/filmmakers/

Here are some of them:

Audience Award – The Noah (US) d: Daniel Bourla

Best World Film – Fantastacherrie di un Passagitore Solitaro (It) d: Paolo Gaudio

Best Indie Film – Uncanny (US) d: Matthew Leutwyler

Best Local Film – Blessid (US) d: Rob Fitz

Best Documentary – Painting the Way to the Moon (US) d: Jacob Okada

Best Animated Film – The Looking Planet (US) d: Eric Law Anderson

Best Cinematography (tie)
Boy 7 (Neth) d: Lourens Blok
Parallel (US) d: John Turk

Best Editing – Fade to White (US) d: Elizabeth Lucas

Geekiest Film – Prelude to Axanar (US) d: Chris Gossett

Best Monster – Wyrmwood (Aus.) d: Kiah Roache-Turner

Best Sci-Fright Film – El Circulo de Raynald’s Circle (Sp) d: Maria Valle

Best Short Film – When Tears Have Fallen (Swe) d: Henrik Henziger

Best Web Series – Limbo (US) d: Ben Johnson

Best Space Time Continuum Disruption Film – History of Time Travel (US) d: Ricky Kennedy

Special Award: Ian Judge (Somerville Theatre)

Special Award: Larry Jackson (The Creator of our festival)

Special Award: Bruce Bartoo (Keeper of the Flame)

booooo to the on stage political rants of dave the projectionist and bruce bartoo.

kirok wrote on Feb 25^th, 2015 at 8:29am:

booooo to the on stage political rants of dave the projectionist and bruce bartoo.

Yeah I'll join ya on that one.

No other full reviews of the Marathon??! One week later, what struck you the most?

For me, it's still Douglas Trumbull and seeing 2001 in 70mm.

This week I saw a new movie in digital. Brand new. Oscar nominated, and yet the colors weren't as vibrant as a 50 year old flick on a print that David said was a mediocre 3rd generation one.

L.A. Connection wrote on Feb 25^th, 2015 at 12:30pm:

No other full reviews of the Marathon. One week later, what struck you the most? For me, it's still Douglas Trumbull and seeing 2001 in 70mm. This week I saw a new movie in digital. Brand new. Oscar nominated, and yet the colors weren't as vibrant as a 50 year old flick on a print that David said was a mediocre 3rd generation one.

Yeah I put a review up earlier on a separate SF40 review section.
But yeah we are a bit short on reviews and comments this year.

Highlight for me was the "Charlie On The MTA" singalong.
Also Doug Trumbull zapping Garen with the raygun he found in his bag of swag.

da_Bunnyman wrote on Feb 25^th, 2015 at 10:52am:

kirok wrote on Feb 25th, 2015 at 8:29am: booooo to the on stage political rants of dave the projectionist and bruce bartoo. Yeah I'll join ya on that one.

I agree. On stage stabs at political humor have no place at an event which featured IRON GIANT (anti-militarism), DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (anti-nuke, anti-war), EDGE OF TOMORROW (critical of war mentalities), SNOWPIERCER (a mix of advocacy for socialism and critique of political rebellion in general) and CABINET OF CALIGARI (whose creators originally wanted the film to serve as a critique of the oppressive German government.)

Whew.  Glad we got that settled.

Joe Neff wrote on Feb 25^th, 2015 at 6:27pm:

da_Bunnyman wrote on Feb 25th, 2015 at 10:52am: kirok wrote on Feb 25th, 2015 at 8:29am: booooo to the on stage political rants of dave the projectionist and bruce bartoo. Yeah I'll join ya on that one. I agree. On stage stabs at political humor have no place at an event which featured IRON GIANT (anti-militarism), DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (anti-nuke, anti-war), EDGE OF TOMORROW (critical of war mentalities), SNOWPIERCER (a mix of advocacy for socialism and critique of political rebellion in general) and CABINET OF CALIGARI (whose creators originally wanted the film to serve as a critique of the oppressive German government.) Whew.  Glad we got that settled.

I'd disagree only on Iron Giant, for a change the military personnel are just doing their job at a very paranoid time in our history. And they're more than willing to stop when they are told it will only hurt the situation. Manley on the other hand is a total ass and we're never really told who he is working for (if anyone.) Can't recall if he even flashes a badge.

True.  Granted IRON GIANT is probably more of an anti-violence story.  And the script hammers home the "you are not a gun" sentiment quite a bit.

Wait, does that mean we're treading into gun control?  Uh oh... ;)

Joe Neff wrote on Feb 25^th, 2015 at 8:37pm:

True.  Granted IRON GIANT is probably more of an anti-violence story.  And the script hammers home the "you are not a gun" sentiment quite a bit. Wait, does that mean we're treading into gun control?  Uh oh... ;)

And THANK YOU, for not pointing out I sort of missed the point of your comment. :)
Iron Giant is one of those hot topic movies for me that I tend to get rather defensive about.
(Hey, that might make a good topic here. )

Reviews, anybody? Comments on the actual films? Contests?

As to the political comments. Even if you find them out of place, they are only moments in a 24 HOUR event. Let 'em pass.

L.A. Connection wrote on Feb 26^th, 2015 at 2:41pm:

As to the political comments. Even if you find them out of place, they are only moments in a 24 HOUR event. Let 'em pass.

     And if those minor comments really disturb the poor li'l trolls, they can avoid the shocks to their thin-skinned, over-senstive systems entirely by staying home.
     Problem solved.
     Dont thank me: it's a pleasure.

Y'know, looking back at SF40 I'm kind of sad that because of the blizzard and train shut down we were more celebrating the fact that the event actually happened.
We couldn't really get in to celebrating the 40 year history of the thing.
Plus we were missing some of our regular attendees.

da_Bunnyman wrote on Mar 7^th, 2015 at 10:33am:

Y'know, looking back at SF40 I'm kind of sad that because of the blizzard and train shut down we were more celebrating the fact that the event actually happened. We couldn't really get in to celebrating the 40 year history of the thing. Plus we were missing some of our regular attendees.

Yeah, I guess that's part of why it's so quiet these past couple of weeks. I thought the Garen-Bruce-Larry Jackson reunion was cool. Like I told Garen, it's unlikely that we'd get all 3 of them on the same stage again, so it was kind of special.

But, it was also quite the shame that many Marathoners broke Marathon attendence streaks lasting from a few years...to DECADES.

I really enjoyed SF 40, but it felt like something was missing. There were a number of people that didn't make it, and they were missed. The snow made it very difficult for many this year.

I feel that we should borrow a page from Ohio and have a time warp marathon where we go back in time and have SF40  a second time... with different films, of course......

Frank wrote on Mar 8^th, 2015 at 11:35pm:

I feel that we should borrow a page from Ohio and have a time warp marathon where we go back in time and have SF40  a second time... with different films, of course......

Maybe have a sub-theme of an SF40 do-over?
Of course we could not repeat the films (or maybe we could in the mini-cinema, some of them at least.)

We could hold it this fall. Maybe in conjunction with the Somerville and their annual (?) October marathon.


da_Bunnyman wrote on Mar 9^th, 2015 at 10:39am:

Frank wrote on Mar 8th, 2015 at 11:35pm: I feel that we should borrow a page from Ohio and have a time warp marathon where we go back in time and have SF40  a second time... with different films, of course...... Maybe have a sub-theme of an SF40 do-over? Of course we could not repeat the films (or maybe we could in the mini-cinema, some of them at least.)

L.A. Connection wrote on Mar 9^th, 2015 at 12:25pm:

We could hold it this fall. Maybe in conjunction with the Somerville and their annual (?) October marathon. da_Bunnyman wrote on Mar 9th, 2015 at 10:39am: Frank wrote on Mar 8th, 2015 at 11:35pm: I feel that we should borrow a page from Ohio and have a time warp marathon where we go back in time and have SF40  a second time... with different films, of course...... Maybe have a sub-theme of an SF40 do-over? Of course we could not repeat the films (or maybe we could in the mini-cinema, some of them at least.)

Or even an idea to kick off SF41 ticket sales, a showing of films that were supposed to be shown at SF40, that way folks who did make it could go.
Actually I'd love seeing the Boston Sci-Fi doing some rare showings during the year.

da_Bunnyman wrote on Mar 9^th, 2015 at 8:03pm:

Actually I'd love seeing the Boston Sci-Fi doing some rare showings during the year.

     Well, we ran something like that......and virtually no one showed up!  :'(

What was run?

David the Projectionist wrote on Mar 10^th, 2015 at 6:28pm:

da_Bunnyman wrote on Mar 9th, 2015 at 8:03pm: Actually I'd love seeing the Boston Sci-Fi doing some rare showings during the year.      Well, we ran something like that......and virtually no one showed up!  :'(

If you didn't insist on showing all those golden moldies on 35MM no less (how old fashioned!), you might have a better turnout. I hear MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH II and FOLKLORE MEETS FRANKENSTEIN were available to show on DVD projection.

For the record, here was the lineup:

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
THE INVISIBLE MAN
DR. CYCLOPS
FORBIDDEN PLANET
PLANET OF THE APES
WESTWORLD
BUCKAROO BANZAI
TREMORS

If Dave's talking about last summer's midnight series, I don't think they were all on 35mm (although most of the digital ones were the current indie stuff), but, yeah, the ones I attended were seldom particularly crowded.  Granted, I tended to go more to the more obscure ones than Pitch Perfect, The Big Lebowski, etc.  I suspect Boston's a tought place for midnight movies, though - when the weather's nice enough for people to consider staying up late, the students who might make up much of the audience are gone.

L.A. Connection wrote on Mar 11^th, 2015 at 2:01pm:

David the Projectionist wrote on Mar 10th, 2015 at 6:28pm: da_Bunnyman wrote on Mar 9th, 2015 at 8:03pm: Actually I'd love seeing the Boston Sci-Fi doing some rare showings during the year.      Well, we ran something like that......and virtually no one showed up!  :'( If you didn't insist on showing all those golden moldies on 35MM no less (how old fashioned!), you might have a better turnout. I hear MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH II and FOLKLORE MEETS FRANKENSTEIN were available to show on DVD projection. For the record, here was the lineup: THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI THE INVISIBLE MAN DR. CYCLOPS FORBIDDEN PLANET PLANET OF THE APES WESTWORLD BUCKAROO BANZAI TREMORS

Ah the Terror-Thon.
Yeah I was at that one, nice lineup for a sci-fi marathon but it was being pushed as a Halloween horror show.

I was thinking more in the line of one night double features with shows of old films that could be sold as "see it on the big screen" or drive in type schlock that are fun to see with a crowd.
Throw in a short or two and a couple of cartoons.