The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

I've been going to the marathon since I heard about it fifteen years ago. I even went to the trailerthon because I wanted the experience. When I tell people about the Columbus Sci-Fi Marathon, I tell them there is a mix of good and campy movies. You can tell the good movies, because everyone is quiet and watching intently; the campy ones are entertaining too because so many funny comments are made during the film (Meow). In recent years, say the last 4 or 5, I've noticed a strong decline in the snarky comments over the cheesiest of movies.

Of course there are a few comments which aren't necessarily offensive, but no one finds funny. I've been in a situation where the guy next to me kicked the back of the seat in front of him to tell the guy sitting in it, to stop with the comments, because they weren't funny. It is because of these comments, I feel, we've embraced a more conservative approach to the campy movies from 60 or so years ago. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe the campy movies just happened to be played while the funny people sleep. Maybe they need to be played earlier in the marathon when we've got more energy and gusto to say what we think might be funny. I'm not saying there hasn't been funny things said during the last few years, I'm thinking maybe we've been too timid to say what might be funny. i think the rest of the audience should keep people in check (politely booing or something like when we let the projection booth know the frame is unaligned).

On this forum, I've read concerns and opinions given for the choice of venue, the movie selection, even the order of the movies we watch films (See above), but I think to really enjoy the marathon, it is dependent on us. We can watch most any of these movies at home, but we congregate here annually for the opportunity that Bruce has given us to share the experience. I think it is time for us to take ownership of that. We are to blame if we don't enjoy it. We've got a movie scheduled this year that is about dangerous falling rocks! If we can't find anything funny to say and make this a memorable movie this marathone, I will be disappointed in us. I'm willing to take the good with the bad this year. Let's hear from everyone who thinks they're funny. We'll let you know if you are.

I wonder, can we bring back the snarky? Should I be careful what I hope for? Am I alone in this?

I kind of see it as "If you build it, they will come."

Let your snark fly. Others will follow.

[quote="jagamar" You can tell the good movies, because everyone is quiet and watching intently; the campy ones are entertaining too because so many funny comments are made during the film (Meow). In recent years, say the last 4 or 5, I've noticed a strong decline in the snarky comments over the cheesiest of movies. [/quote]

I've noticed the same thing in Boston. For the most part, it is a good thing. Too often there were a handful of folks who thought the Marathon was an open audition for a revival of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and just tossed out anything at any time during any movie.

There is also the issue of WHICH movies get the comic treatment. One person's 'so-bad-it's good' flick, is another's childhood guilty pleasure fave that they want to watch and LISTEN to in peace. In Boston we had people who seriously thought we booked Ray Harryhausen's seminal EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS because it was a horrible movie to be mocked! The original classic INVADERS FROM MARS was practically hooted off the screen by a vocal minority of idiots who couldn't see that it was an intentionally child-like vision of a Martian invasion.

So, while I personally miss it when a goofy fun flick like KING DINOSAUR just sort of sits on the screen with a quiet audience, I prefer that over loud-mouths who think any movie made before THEY were born are automatic targets to mock.

Because of that, we've actually started cueing audiences by making an announcement before flicks like THE GIANT CLAW, GIANT GILA MONSTER and this year's REPTILICUS that "audience participation" was not only welcome - but, encouraged. I intentionally scheduled REPTILICUS early in the proceedings so that the crowd was rested, alert and ready with comments. It is very difficult for audiences to have the energy to enthusiastically play along with a flick at 4am. REPTILICUS was one of the best parts of this year's marathon!

P.S. I hate "snark". To me, it implies condescension and an "I Am Superior" attitude. I prefer to think of call-backs as lovingly having fun with the material.

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The movies that LA listed are perfect targets for snarking. These are low budget flicks and deserve to be mock.

Not every film need to be taken seriously LA. Lighten up and have some fun with them.

You can't snark at THE GIANT CLAW I love that movie and want to watch it in complete silence

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Snarking or call-backs are great when it enhances the movie going experience however the better experience is when it's a shared experience by the entire audience at the same time, for example the entire audience laughed when Michael Rennie was talking about showing Bobby a place where trains don't need tracks in "The Day the Earth Stood Still", It was an instant realization by the entire perverted crowd that this was some sort of double entendre.

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CWRU has a deep stage. My preferred location at that marathon is to be lying on that stage.
CWRU is also known, historically at least, for having a noisy audience. Frequent & dumb comments can destroy the watching experience.
But sharp and funny comments are for me, a joy. The point about my stage location is that I have been tempted to abandon it because with almost the entire audience behind me, most often I miss comments that cause real laughter or positive audience reactions.
For me the reactions and sharp comments are part of the group experience, as is laughter when something is funny. You want to watch movies in silence, particularly ones that are, to phrase it gently, not great examples of cinematic art? Then why the hell are you at a marathon?

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Thar’s only two possibilities: Thar is life out there in the universe which is smarter than we are, or we’re the most intelligent life in the universe. Either way, it’s a mighty sobering thought. - Walt Kelly

Willcail: I'm not saying that EARTH VS. FLYING SAUCERS or INVADERS FROM MARS have to be watched in church-like silence, but, that's a far cry from idiots who scream at the screen, making "Metallica!" shout-outs or just plain trying to ruin the movie for folks who can acknowledge that they are important examples of 1950s SF cinema.

I enjoy an occasional crack about even the most beloved classics. But, that is different from the infantile snarks that are more about the snarker's sense of superiority than about anything going on in the movie. And, the distinction is the difference between having fun WITH a movie, and trying to TEAR IT DOWN and ruin it for the rest of the crowd.

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Long Live the Orson Welles Cinemas

Good "snarking" is like a good internet meme. You can't just create it out of thin air, it just has to happen. Not everyone can be Rebecca Black, or PSY. It takes a special coalescence of earnestness, timing and circumstance that is impossible to recreate other than organically.

It can happen at the marathon, like with Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster or my personal favorite Robot Monster, but most "snarkers" make the mistake of trying too hard.

Bruce telling the audience bluntly "you don't have to be quiet during this one" usually helps.

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Aliens? Us?
Is this one of your Earth "jokes?"

There are some great 1950's SF films. Some of my faveorites are Forbidden Planet, The Day the Earth Stood Still, X the Unknown, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

There are a lot of SF films from the 1950's that was made for a quick buck. That is fine.

I think people are afraid they'll say something that will offend now. That's another problem. I remember one year, I think it was during Invasion of the Bee Girls, a certain female in the audience took the "sexist comments" a little too personally and didn't get that the audience was just having fun. It's a 70's exploitation movie for crying out loud. I wonder if she ever came back...

I don't mind the occasional snarking as long as it's genuinely funny and the movie is appropriate for it. It goes with the territory. But some people do it ALL THE TIME, during EVERY SINGLE FILM, and that gets tiresome. Especially because I usually wind up sitting in front of those people and I have to listen to every single comment. There's a time to be funny, and there's a time to shut up and watch the movie.

I'm of the same mind as a few of you: snarking, comments, etc. are entirely organic matters. They come and go as appropriate, and the films in the lineup often drive them in either direction. And the makeup of the crowd entirely affects them as well. For instance, I really dug ELECTROMA, and the crowd's seemingly closed-minded dismissal of it annoyed me to no end. I've always thought that science fiction is supposed to me the most speculative and open-minded genres, based as it is on often fantastical and far fetched possibilities. So to see the crowd vociferously crap all over ELECTROMA (which, granted, isn't great...but I think is at least interesting) was pretty disheartening. Now maybe part of this had to do with Bruce introducing the film as a real groaner. Or maybe most of the audience just wants to see a nice, conservative, ray-gun driven slate of films.

But you know what? None of my concerns matter in the big picture. Because I walked into the Drexel last year knowing full well that the audience could turn on a film that I really liked. And that's the beauty of the Marathon experience. Who knows how everyone will react? I was at that Boston showing of INVADERS FROM MARS that L.A. references. It was my first viewing of the film, and yeah, some of the yahoos went on a bit long. But I knew it was coming, and I was able to tune enough of it out that most of my memories of that screening remain fond.

That's not saying that anything goes. Every few years, someone steps up to fill the highly coveted role of GUY WITH NATURALLY DEEP AND LOUD VOICE WHO BROADCASTS EVERYTHING IN HIS HEAD TO THE AUDIENCE. And that guy is usually the direct opposite of funny. At Boston's SF30, I had the distinct displeasure of sitting directly across from one of those guys. Believe it or not, I've never told someone at a Marathon to shut up. But damn, I came close to reaming this guy out after 24 hours of non-stop stupid one-liners and comments. Haven't seen him since, so maybe we all won in that case.

But the larger point is that you just have to know how to read the room. Over the history of these Columbus events, we've had quite a few memorable callbacks that have stuck and remained charming (Shut the door! AARGH!). It's usually pretty easy to know when they succeed.

A bigger question, I think, is if the general energy level of the audience has diminished. I have very fond memories of seeing EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS for the first time, back to back in the middle of the night at the 1993 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREXEL. The crowd's lusty reaction to both was a large part of those fond memories. Most of you can think of other similar examples. But over the last 5-10 years, it seems like there are less and less moments of outright crowd exuberance like these. Part of it is probably the greying of a good deal of the audience. But there's been a steady infusion of new blood, so it's not like we're in a Marathon retirement home. But then again, I was pleasantly stunned by the reaction to last fall's screening of POSSESSION. I was convinced that the crowd would tear it apart, but they really glommed onto its eccentric and mercurial tone, reacting in a manner none too reverential nor mocking.

So what do you think? Are we just becoming way too damn civil at the Marathons?

I think some of the films may be the problem. Of course people are going to be revved up during Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. When half the lineup is made up of art-house films, people aren't going to be so revved up. Not that I have a problem with art-house films, I'm just saying they don't exactly crank up the audience the way a fan favorite does.

Not to be too critical of the lineups, but I've noticed lately that a lot of the "crowd-pleasers" seem to show late at night lately, when a third of the audience has either left or is asleep/tired. This is true of both the sci-fi and horror marathons. You're not going to hear a lot of snarking after 4 am. Snoring, maybe...

Someone who's 45 likely just isn't as funny nor as lively as a 25-year-old. Nor as willing to open their mouth without thinking. (In general of course.)

And by the way, reading that post reminds me: a huge THANK YOU to you and everyone who is responsible for getting Possession to show at the marathon. After a decent amount of time has passed now, I think it's safe to say that Possession is in my top 2 or 3 favorite marathon films of all time. I just loved the hell out of it. Loved the way it grabbed me (and the whole audience) and wouldn't let go until the lights came back up. A crazy ride that was equal parts absurdity and intensity.

Joe in my opinion was in the minority when it comes to Elctroma. Sitting in a theater with a malfunction HAVAC system while watching The Captains I heard some audable groans myself included.

The Captains would be fine if it was around 70 to 80min. A 97min film that was all about William Shatner was hard to sit through. While he drone on about himself and Avery Brooks being out there.

Now here is my own rule about snarking. If the film have a 6.0 or lower IMDB rating or appears on MST3K then its safe to mock.

Edit due to my sometimes absient minded when it comes to Joe name.