WELCOME to the Messageboard for the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival and Marathon!!
The BIG 50th Anniversary Marathon in February! FIRST FILM has been announced - the classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Chime in on your ideas and thoughts.
SF MARATHON INFO LINKS
SF/49 Official Information Page Click here
SUGGESTIONS FOR SF/50 POST here
>List of ALL Films that have played the Marathon. Click below
Click here for The History Of The Marathon/Festival

The Next Marathon will be held Presidents' Day Weekend 2025 at the Somerville Theater.
It will be preceded by the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival. For ticket info: www.Bostonsci-fi.com


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Official SF/47 REACTION THREAD! Your experience (Read 4308 times)
Feb 21st, 2022 at 10:41am

L.A. Connection   Offline
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To those who attended in person, or virtually, give us your report on your experience of Marathon day.

Go!
 
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Reply #1 - Feb 21st, 2022 at 6:07pm

L.A. Connection   Offline
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I did a home Marathon myself. 10 movies. Will post more later.

Anyone else?
 
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Reply #2 - Feb 21st, 2022 at 7:33pm

Dinsdale   Offline
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It was the Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly.
Got to the theater at 8:40 and took our position 10 feet from the front door- that never happens. The line never wrapped up Damnation Alley, at the longest it was halfway to the T station. A WHEAT CHEX cry went unanswered😞 Doors opened at 10:40 and our toes and fingers were very grateful. Vaccination cards were checked as were ticket email confirmations and tickets for those that actually got a physical one-something that never happened for me despite buying mine one year ago and several attempts to contact people to about getting one to add to my collection 😡 No swag bag, no program, we were offered some tin foil and you had to pick up your Fireball from the sales table. I guesstimate there were 150 people at most. You had to scan a QR code to download the 44 page program to your phone. No In Memorium due to “ technical difficulties “, no acknowledgment to its creator anytime during the event. Plenty of room to spread out and stay Covid safe, mask wearing was very good.
The theater rehab was gorgeous, the staff wonderful as usual. Never got to see the Crystal Ballroom, but they did add rest rooms on that level and updated the restroom on the main level.
Garen opened the 'Thon and then handed the MC duties off to Perry from WUMB, he did a fair job, but I miss Major Tom. The sparse crowd struggled through The Galaxy Song and then it was Dock Dodgers time, which was greeted with much enthusiasm and line quoting.
Star Trek First Contact was the opening film, a Good 35 MM print and nice choice for the first film back after the Pandemic. Outbreak followed, another print and not the most uplifting choice, kind of started the depressing trend that followed.
The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a wonderfully restored Digital showing, another downer ending. The Invisible Woman was a light farce, nice to see Shemp on the big screen. Cosmos never showed up so The Mad Max fan documentary was substituted, it was well done and appreciated by the crowd despite it running a bit too long. A lovely 70 MM printed cobbled together from several copies of Interstellar was next. A print of I Robot followed at 1:05 AM and despite the great quality and occasional sound issues I started to slip into short naps. The negativity continued with The Omega Man. Laserblast was disappointing 70's schlock with no point and then it was time for the really awful, cheesy and ugly The Man Who Saved the World, a film that my crowd was glad to sleep through. The campy Superman II was the penultimate film and the closing film was the very enjoyable Love and Monsters, so at least the event ended on a positive note.  Garen returned to the stage for his closing remarks and assured the few that were left that there will be an SF48.
There were two shorts programs, the return of the Paper Airplane contest, the Tin Foil hat contest and the Evil Dr. Dan created his own Ghost Pepper infused Hot Robots for another contest, but all the participants easily survived 3 or 4 of these tasty candies and all went home winners. Back to the lab for next year Dr. Dan!
Overall it was great to be back, but the sparse crowd, lack of coordination in getting everything that makes the event special in place and the film choices left an overall feeling of negativity to SF47.
 
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Reply #3 - Feb 21st, 2022 at 9:09pm

Dinsdale   Offline
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Forgot to mention, there was no music between films and no pizza!!
 
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Reply #4 - Feb 22nd, 2022 at 1:03am

anu3bis   Offline
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Check out the music thread for the playlist!
 

attending since 2003 SF28,
Music Meister since 2016.
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Reply #5 - Feb 22nd, 2022 at 6:53am

BrianInNH   Offline
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Ouch.  It was a gamble to hold a live event while covid was still going strong and it sounds like Omicron played a significant part.  If the thon had been a month later, there likely would have been much better attendance.  Still looking forward to next years thon and hoping it goes smoother.
 
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Reply #6 - Feb 22nd, 2022 at 12:31pm

L.A. Connection   Offline
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Dinsdale wrote on Feb 21st, 2022 at 7:33pm:
It was the Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly.
Got to the theater at 8:40 and took our position 10 feet from the front door- that never happens. The line never wrapped up Damnation Alley, at the longest it was halfway to the T station. A WHEAT CHEX cry went unanswered😞 Doors opened at 10:40 and our toes and fingers were very grateful. Vaccination cards were checked as were ticket email confirmations and tickets for those that actually got a physical one-something that never happened for me despite buying mine one year ago and several attempts to contact people to about getting one to add to my collection 😡 No swag bag, no program, we were offered some tin foil and you had to pick up your Fireball from the sales table. I guesstimate there were 150 people at most. You had to scan a QR code to download the 44 page program to your phone. No In Memorium due to “ technical difficulties “, no acknowledgment to its creator anytime during the event. Plenty of room to spread out and stay Covid safe, mask wearing was very good.
The theater rehab was gorgeous, the staff wonderful as usual. Never got to see the Crystal Ballroom, but they did add rest rooms on that level and updated the restroom on the main level.
Garen opened the 'Thon and then handed the MC duties off to Perry from WUMB, he did a fair job, but I miss Major Tom. The sparse crowd struggled through The Galaxy Song and then it was Dock Dodgers time, which was greeted with much enthusiasm and line quoting.
Star Trek First Contact was the opening film, a Good 35 MM print and nice choice for the first film back after the Pandemic. Outbreak followed, another print and not the most uplifting choice, kind of started the depressing trend that followed.
The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a wonderfully restored Digital showing, another downer ending. The Invisible Woman was a light farce, nice to see Shemp on the big screen. Cosmos never showed up so The Mad Max fan documentary was substituted, it was well done and appreciated by the crowd despite it running a bit too long. A lovely 70 MM printed cobbled together from several copies of Interstellar was next. A print of I Robot followed at 1:05 AM and despite the great quality and occasional sound issues I started to slip into short naps. The negativity continued with The Omega Man. Laserblast was disappointing 70's schlock with no point and then it was time for the really awful, cheesy and ugly The Man Who Saved the World, a film that my crowd was glad to sleep through. The campy Superman II was the penultimate film and the closing film was the very enjoyable Love and Monsters, so at least the event ended on a positive note.  Garen returned to the stage for his closing remarks and assured the few that were left that there will be an SF48.
There were two shorts programs, the return of the Paper Airplane contest, the Tin Foil hat contest and the Evil Dr. Dan created his own Ghost Pepper infused Hot Robots for another contest, but all the participants easily survived 3 or 4 of these tasty candies and all went home winners. Back to the lab for next year Dr. Dan!
Overall it was great to be back, but the sparse crowd, lack of coordination in getting everything that makes the event special in place and the film choices left an overall feeling of negativity to SF47.


Thanks for the detailed breakdown of the good the bad and the very ugly.

Glad the event continued, but, it should have been postponed until all mask mandates were lifted.
 
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Reply #7 - Feb 23rd, 2022 at 12:05pm

L.A. Connection   Offline
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Another year, another odd 'marathon'. Glad to see that the 'thon continued live, even if the turnout was low. After kicking off via the internet with my group as we watched Duck Dodgers, I set off to re-create most of the actual Marathon schedule as possible. Also watched Dan Leblanc's In Memoriam on Youtube - his best job yet. I then started with COSMOS - only to find out later it didn't show at the 'thon (replaced by a Mad Max fan doc).

COSMOS (2019). Directed by British space documentarian brothers Elliot and Zander Weaver this is very much a labor of love. Ambitious, but, too long and drawn out. Artificial suspense is added to create tension (including the old standby - the Car Won't Start!). The Weavers' filmmaking background gives it a decent look especially with the nature and cosmic photography. It's basically three scientists in a van, but the payoff is nice, and it's all based on real science, which is a definite plus.

I, ROBOT (2004) - Of all the ways to adapt Isaac Asimov's stories perhaps the dumbest would be to make it an action cop movie, which, of course, is what writers Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsmith have done here. Director Alex Proyas does what he can, but, Will Smith isn't a very interesting hero and the silliness of the script can't be overcome even as a few interesting concepts are included.

THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORL D (aka Turkish Star Wars) - If it weren't for the clips of Star Wars at the beginning and the end, it really has little to do with ripping off the Lucas epic even if that was the original intent. It's more like Indiana Jones and Flash Gordon as the soundtrack cues hint at - plus, a lot of Turkish religious mumbo jumbo. Saw a 'highlight' reel at a convention years ago. It's basically all you need. Once you see the Star Wars clips, hear the ripped off music, seen the funny costumes and witness a silly faux martial arts bit or two, that about sums it up. The rest is tedium. A newly restored version is out there which only helps bring visual clarity to how inept it all is.

DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE - Tense. Powerful. It's right up there with Fail Safe, On the Beach and Dr. Strangelove as major nuclear disaster films of the early 60s. Val Guest's film is very maturely handled (it's a great newspaper movie as well as a sci-fi). The guest is superb down to the smallest roles. And, the last act is incredibly suspenseful - and, more than a bit depressing.

LOVE AND MONSTERS - Quite enjoyable YA sci-fi. Takes a bit to get started, but once it does, it's an enjoyable ride with some top quality creature effects (it was a surprise Oscar nominee). The young actors are game, but, Michael Rooker steals the show in a supporting role (and his sidekick, Ariana Greenblatt is a hoot). The movie has heart to go along with the goo.

SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT - An interesting alternate version of the Superhero sequel. By its very nature, it's an incomplete film, but it certainly restores a good part of what Donner was trying to do before he got axed by the producers. The biggest plus here is that Marlon Brando is included instead of Supermom Susannah York (she does her best), in the North Pole scenes. Of course, the fact remains that Brando would have been edited out of even Donner's cut over contract demands.
Richard Lester has been the target of ire for many fans over the decades, and Donner himself has been less than kind - even claiming he can't “remember the man's name” - but Lester's version is the zippier, more polished effort. Still, it's quite clear the SUPERMAN II is more Donner than Lester, but, it's good to see that this has been preserved, even if incomplete.

OUTBREAK - Wolfgang Petersen's film certainly doesn't play as sci-fi anymore, sadly. What it actually is though is a pure action film. This isn't to say that the screenplay doesn't have a good dramatic plot, but, right from the get-go the emphasis is on making this an action packed thriller. Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo give it some genuine human feeling, but Donald Sutherland and Morgan Freeman are too obviously one-note characters. Cuba Gooding Jr. is decent, as is Kevin Spacey (how odd it is to see him now). OUTBREAK isn't as crafty as Steven Soderbergh's CONTAGION, but, it's an entertaining ride.

STAR TREK FIRST CONTACT - Never really got into the Next Generation crew, but, this is the best of their films (of course, it's an 'even number' film!). It opens like its just another episode of the TV show, but, it develops into something quite interesting with the Borg and the First Contact backstory. James Cromwell is a fine actor, but, he plays the whole 'I'm not really a hero' bit far too broadly. Much better is Alice Krige as the Queen. Sexy, lethal and alluring - should have been more Krige and less Cromwell. Patrick Stewart is fine as always and the scenes with Afre Woodward are strong. Have to admit I didn't see the final reveal coming - should I?

INVISIBLE WOMAN - Mildly amusing comedy loosely spun off from Universal's Invisible Man series. Virginia Bruce keeps it interesting with her teasingly provacative voice acting, and the cast is fascinating: John Barrymore, Charles Ruggles, Oskar Homolka, Margaret Hamilton, Maria Montez and Shemp Howard, to boot! The SFX aren't perfect but are pleasant enough. It is amusing how they play with how risque it is to have a fully nude woman “on screen”, but, the comedy overall is too broad (sorry, had to do it). Too many pratfalls and silliness to make it much more than a curiosity.

OMEGA MAN - Richard Matheson wasn't happy with this adaptation, even if it remains perhaps the most famous of the three official versions. It's a well-done effort with some good action and production values. Ron Grainer's score is truly incredible. It's a very bizarre combination of traditional action cues, electronics and off the wall experimentation. Unique, and intoxicating, addictive listening.

Charlton Heston is solid in this middle entry in his bitter man sci-fi trilogy (PLANET OF THE APES, SOYLENT GREEN) as are most of the cast. Anthony Zerbe steals the acting ring though as Matthias, the leader of the mutant brotherhood, his increasing mania and disgust for 'mankind' seething throughout. There are some clunky moments as well as some outright cringe-worthy dialogue (“Where did you ever see a stream full of fish in Harlem?”).  Still, there is a reason for it's iconic status, even if it doesn't fully earn it. Now, excuse me, while I whip out my Soundtrack CD!

It certainly wasn't the same as being there, but, by corresponding with my group, Frank Urbano and Harry Lohr throughout the weekend, I still felt a bond.

On to 2023 -- ALL of us in person!
 
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Reply #8 - Feb 23rd, 2022 at 8:03pm

Dinsdale   Offline
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Cosmos took place in a Volvo station wagon, just watched it and agree about the manufactured suspense- over the top!
The Mad Max fan doc was called The Wasteland and had played at the festival.
 
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Reply #9 - Feb 24th, 2022 at 1:55pm

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Dinsdale wrote on Feb 23rd, 2022 at 8:03pm:
Cosmos took place in a Volvo station wagon, just watched it and agree about the manufactured suspense- over the top!
The Mad Max fan doc was called The Wasteland and had played at the festival.


Beyond The Wasteland. I watched the trailer, but the movie hasn't been released yet online.

I also updated the Masthead above and the Info page to reflect the switch from Cosmos to Wasteland.
 
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Reply #10 - Feb 24th, 2022 at 10:17pm

Dinsdale   Offline
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Thanks!
 
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Reply #11 - Feb 27th, 2022 at 7:20pm

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For the fourth year in a row, we recorded our experiences during the marathon for an episode of our podcast, Cinemaspection.

THRILL to our increasing exhaustion! GASP at our nearly incoherent cinematic observations! SHUDDER at the amount of caffeine we ingest!

Check it.out here: https://www.cinemaspection.com/2022/02/boston-science-fiction-marathon-sf47.html...

Or on Libsyn: https://cinemaspection.libsyn.com/boston-science-fiction-marathon-sf47
 
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Reply #12 - Mar 3rd, 2022 at 1:18pm

L.A. Connection   Offline
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UncleTim wrote on Feb 27th, 2022 at 7:20pm:
For the fourth year in a row, we recorded our experiences during the marathon for an episode of our podcast, Cinemaspection.

THRILL to our increasing exhaustion! GASP at our nearly incoherent cinematic observations! SHUDDER at the amount of caffeine we ingest!

Check it.out here: https://www.cinemaspection.com/2022/02/boston-science-fiction-marathon-sf47.html...

Or on Libsyn: https://cinemaspection.libsyn.com/boston-science-fiction-marathon-sf47


Credit for (mostly) staying wide awake. The comforts of home make those naps mighty tempting!
 
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Reply #13 - Mar 24th, 2022 at 2:42pm

L.A. Connection   Offline
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Any more reactions? Comments? Suggestions?
 
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