Reactions to the movies announced for the Marathon here:



KING KONG (1933) has been announced for the FESTIVAL, not the 'thon.

I really like that movie, is it digital or film?

Lile wrote on Oct 14^th, 2018 at 12:34am:

I really like that movie, is it digital or film?

KONG is in 35mm, but, as I indicated, I believe it is showing as part of the Festival and not the 'Thon proper. It was shown at SF/31 during our lone year in the West Newton.

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK announced!



Looooooooooooooooong overdue, but, finally here!

L.A. Connection wrote on Oct 16^th, 2018 at 10:35am:

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK announced! Looooooooooooooooong overdue, but, finally here!

Agreed. A favorite of mine.

1975's ROLLERBALL has been announced! 35mm print!

L.A. Connection wrote on Nov 6^th, 2018 at 8:20am:

1975's ROLLERBALL has been announced! 35mm print!

Is this for the ‘thon? I don’t think it’s ever played, would make a great kickoff to sf 44.

Lile wrote on Nov 7^th, 2018 at 2:37am:

L.A. Connection wrote on Nov 6th, 2018 at 8:20am: 1975's ROLLERBALL has been announced! 35mm print! Is this for the ‘thon? I don’t think it’s ever played, would make a great kickoff to sf 44.

Yes, 'thon. And, no it hasn't played before!

Speaking purely from a music standpoint...yeah, I think I can work with this <g>.  I only regret that I don't do music after Jeff (after all, who could follow that?) because there are so many good songs for after Frau im Munde.

I'll just have to content myself with all the Disco goodness for Rollerball.

Annihilation

Andromeda Strain

Frau im Mond (Woman In The Moon) Live music by Jeff Rapsis!

Escape from NY

RollerBall

Star Trek VI (70mm)

Love the lineup so far and the repeat was from sf 2.

Lile wrote on Nov 25^th, 2018 at 11:57pm:

Love the lineup so far and the repeat was from sf 2.

As the expression goes - you ain't seen nothin' yet!

I'm so excited about this year's lineup that Mrs. F and I are seriously considering making the trip from KC this February. We've missed the Festival and Marathon terribly since our last trip in 2015.

ps. There's a comic typo I just have to point out:

"Frau im Munde" was listed as a film above in this thread.

That translates from the German as "Woman in the Mouth" :)

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-german/moon

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/german-english/mund?q=munde

"Frau im Mond" is correct for the Fritz Lang classic.

This is in keeping with a famous lunar exploration tradition:

[list bull-blackball]

Neil Armstrong's famous quote "One small step for man...one giant leap for mankind." was supposed to be "One small step for a man..." 

The text on the plaque placed by Neil and Buzz Aldrin in 1969 was written by William Sapphire, well known for being a grammar fanatic. The plaque has a typo on it.

R_F_Fineman wrote on Dec 1^st, 2018 at 12:01pm:

I'm so excited about this year's lineup that Mrs. F and I are seriously considering making the trip from KC this February. We've missed the Festival and Marathon terribly since our last trip in 2015. ps. There's a comic typo I just have to point out

Thanks. Fixed. (I was copying off the official email).

Hope you can make it back this year. Missed you and your music!

Three more announced - all in glorious 35mm!

DR. CYCLOPS
DESTINATION MOON
INNER SPACE

Loving the lineup so far!  Some I have seen before, some I have not.  This is shaping up to be a great thon.

BrianInNH wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2018 at 1:45pm:

Loving the lineup so far!  Some I have seen before, some I have not.  This is shaping up to be a great thon.

Agreed, this is shaping up as a really good ‘thon.

Anu3is wrote:

Quote:

Speaking purely from a music standpoint...yeah, I think I can work with this <g>.  I only regret that I don't do music after Jeff (after all, who could follow that?) because there are so many good songs for after Frau im Munde Mond. I'll just have to content myself with all the Disco goodness for Rollerball.

Doing the music after the live performance is one of the great challenges/opportunities of the gig. The performer needs extra time to take down the equipment, this gives you lots of chances to play "Moon" themed songs, of which there are many.

"Escape from New York" is also just asking for the treatment and I don't mean Frank Sinatra's anthem. Mick Jagger, the late Jim Caroll, and others had a lot to say about the poor state of the city back in the 80's when the movie was made. Sorry Caleb, it looks like your home town is going down. ;)

There are a good number of pain and violence songs to accompany "Rollerball" plus a total piece of 70's schlock concerning roller skates. The list goes on. You've got yourself a good music year.

ps. If you want me to privately send you some of the things that Colossus, the song database has come up with I'd be glad to.

I take any and all suggestions, and select as capriciously as I always do.  Send me what you got!

oh, and the main reason I wait to play music after the Live music is respect - if I play something goofy, it detracts. If I play something serious, it doesn't compare.  Better a short break than mixing mitzvot. 

SOURCE CODE and SUNSHINE announced!

Haven’t seen either of these movies, am looking forward to  seeing them at the ‘thon.

Quick take on what looks to be a pretty complete lineup:

SUNSHINE - not a personal fave, but, I'll give it another shot. Certainly, one of the more acclaimed SF movies of recent years

SOURCE CODE - Liked it the first time around

DR. CYCLOPS - Hasn't shown since SF/5! To see it again in 35mm on the big screen will be a colorful treat. Can't wait for the reaction to the shotgun scene!

DESTINATION MOON - 50th Anniversary of the moon landing. Hasn't shown since SF/13.

INNERSPACE - One of those titles that somehow fell into the Marathon black hole. How it hasn't shown before is a mystery.

ANNIHILATION - the year's most acclaimed SF movie. And, to think the studio almost dumped this straight to streaming!

STAR TREK VI in 70mm - The last ride of the original cast. Haven't seen it since it came out. I had just returned from 6 months making a movie in Russia and the Cold War sybolism was more than palatable to me

ANDROMEDA STRAIN in 35mm -- Hard to believe that this Crichton-Wise collaboration hasn't shown since the 2nd ever 'thon!

ROLLERBALL in 35mm. Even more shocking than INNERSPACE for the title of 'How the F#$k has this one never screened at the 'thon! The film is essentially the same age as the 'thon itself. Finally, it gets it's baptism here. 

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK - Broken record, but, again, how has this one never shown?! (Note: Part of it has been print availability; but that was no excuse in the 80s and early 90s!)

WOMAN IN THE MOON - It's long, but, Jeff Rapsis will keep things in gear. If your butt is sore by the end (2 1/2 hours), just think of Jeff's fingers!


All in all, methinks this is the best lineup in years.

Agreed as long as there are no last minute substitutions. Would still have liked to have seen King Kong at the ‘thon this year.

L.A. Connection wrote on Jan 4^th, 2019 at 6:51pm:

WOMAN IN THE MOON - It's long, but, Jeff Rapsis will keep things in gear. If your butt is sore by the end (2 1/2 hours), just think of Jeff's fingers! WOMAN IN THE MOON (Frau im Mond) 1929. 146 mins. Restored full length version. Fritz Lang's classic silent will be accompanied live by Jeff Rapsis musical score! Much of the same team that worked on Lang's METROPOLIS brought this moon landing drama to the screen. Said to have been the first countdown in cinema.  DCP.

Wrong.  The "restored full length version" of this over-rated slogfest runs a whopping 200 minutes, something I have said repeatedly.  Now youre stuck with it.  I will enjoy my three+ hour break.
Prepare for narcolepsy.


Quote:

All in all, methinks this is the best lineup in years.

Something you have said every single year as far back as I can remember.  Very consistent, Tony.

David the Projectionist wrote on Jan 16^th, 2019 at 12:51am:

L.A. Connection wrote on Jan 4th, 2019 at 6:51pm: [quote]All in all, methinks this is the best lineup in years. Something you have said every single year as far back as I can remember.  Very consistent, Tony.

Show me that quote. You won't find it.  Certainly, not about the last couple of lineups....

And, the 146 minute figure came from Ian. (modified to 169)

If the Woman In The Moon is really the 200 min version hopefully they'll schedule an intermission in the middle.

da_Bunnyman wrote on Jan 29^th, 2019 at 5:34pm:

If the Woman In The Moon is really the 200 min version hopefully they'll schedule an intermission in the middle.

It's 169 per Ian and the distributor.

On 'Frau im Mond,' don't let the length throw you. (Or the negative comments in this thread from our favorite projectionist, whom we all love but who has always been cranky about this title.) It's early sci-fi at its bizarre best, and director Fritz Lang makes sure that it really moves. Consider: it was released just two years after Lang released 'Metropolis' (1927), so that's the level he was working at. It's an ambitious film cut from the same cloth: big themes, intense drama, weird futuristic visual design, amazing retro tech, industrial espionage, a torrid love triangle, and even some comedy along the way. As a whole it's an on-screen realization of early space travel pulp fiction stories, which Lang collected. One reason 'Women in the Moon' isn't as well known as its more famous predecessor was because Mr. Hitler suppressed the film due to the German rocket technology on display (for which he had other uses in mind), and then for years it was only available in mutilated excerpts that made nonsense of the film's floridly melodramatic plot. The full restoration, with Lang's original full-strength loopy pulp fiction vision intact, makes for a great cinematic ride. Seen with an audience and live music (as intended), it really comes to life! So give it a chance. Looking forward to doing music for this unique film, which I think laid the groundwork for so much sci-fi cinema to come.

Jeff Rapsis wrote on Jan 31^st, 2019 at 4:34am:

Or the negative comments in this thread from our favorite projectionist, whom we all love but who has always been cranky about this title.

Yeah, because it's boring, dated, & it sucks!
As these people are about to discover.....
Sorry if I'm pointing out the obvious!
And I like the idea that I'm "cranky about this title", while youve been a love-struck fanboy!   :D

I for one can't wait for Woman in the Moon. I've been disappointed each time it didn't make the Marathon cut. It's gorgeous-looking (to be expected with Fritz Lang), it features some surprisingly accurate predictions about spaceflight, and it's a fun mix of sci-fi and spy melodrama. The lengthy run-time flies by.

I'm excited to see (or more accurately, hear) what Mr. Rapsis brings to the experience with his score and it'll be fun to compare this to Destination Moon elsewhere in the line-up.