The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

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First of movie theaters make their money by consessions. No consessions buying no theater. True The Drexel is not for profit. That doesn't allowed them to operate in the red. They have to carry a zero balance each fiscal quarter. Now that's being said.

I am very disapointed on how SF 30 is being planned this year. What is the point in going this year? It seems that they can't get their frakking house in order. In my opinion that Bruce have been completely removed from the planning stages and replace by people who don't know what they are doing. Do they understand that first is to sercure the rights to the film or films before announcing them. How hard is that? The lineup is incomplete and it is seven days to go. People put in a lot of their money into travling to the Drexel. They want to know what the film list ahead of time so it will be worth the gas money and or the cost of the plane ticket or tickets. Now Cleezer I'm not in the mood of your BS I Don't Care rountine.

Is Frank even involed at all?! I can't understand how Frank who runs the Drexel for over thirty years drop the ball like this. Is this CAPA doing? To end the SF Marathon? This pisses me off.

They should skip this year and offer refunds or honor the tickets for next year. Start again next year at the Grandview so Bruce can have complete control over the marathon. I don't blame Bruce or Frank. I think this is CAPA's doing.

I'm still planning to go. So Far.

Wow, I can't believe the negativity that has popped up in this thread.

The marathon is supposed to be fun. It's about having fun. That's why the line-up is of secondary importance, at least to me. But the 'tude that's being thrown around is removing a lot of that fun right now.

I'm as bummed about the date as anyone - because of Free Comic Book Day, I'm not going to make it to the theatre until at least 3:30 or 4:00. But rather than bitch and moan, I'm trying to find the excitement.

You can't control what happens to you - but you can control your attitude about it. If the marathon isn't fun for you, then don't go. Or try to find ways you can help. If you don't like the direction things are going, get involved. Send Bruce an e-mail and ask if there's something you can do. Maybe you can contact theatres about swag, or comic shops. Maybe you can do an interview with the local paper to get some notice.

I don't know how much of what's going on behind the scenes has to do with Bruce, or Jeff Frank (his name isn't Frank), or how much of it is CAPA. I don't know whether or not it's feasilble to move the Sci-Fi Marathon away from the Drexel without causing serious bad feelings and animosity with the Drexel and Jeff.

What I know is that this event has been a major part of my life for over twenty years, and I want it to keep going, and that's only going to happen if Bruce still wants to keep it going. If I were Bruce, and I were reading the site right now, I would be asking myself "Why do I put myself through this?" and seriously consider retiring from running this event. So, ya know, let's lose some of the negativity and remind ourselves why we love the event.

And before it starts, if you feel like responding with some snarky "Keep living in your dream world" response, piss off. Not interested. I'm not naive. I'm not blind to the things that have gone wrong with the event. I'm not unaware of the shrinking crowds. I'm not ignorant of the fact that this year's marathon feels a little haphazard. I know where there are things that could be better. But I want to see us focus on what we love about the marathons, and think of what we can do to make it better. Or there won't be a marathon to complain about next year.

"There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know.
There are known unknowns; that is to say, there are things that we now know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don’t know."
-Don Rumsfeld/Former Defense Secretary/a.k.a. "Rummy" a.k.a. "That Guy with the Pained and Creepy Grin"

Yeah, I never thought I'd see the day when I was quoting THIS guy in connection with the Marathon. But strange times call for strange measures, no?

So without further ado, here are my known knowns when it comes to all things Marathoid:

*As Aaron has so succinctly and accurately stated, the experience of the event is really what has kept folks coming back for all of these years. If these Marathons had just been 12 films shown with none of the accoutrements (trailers, host organisms, intermission music, t-shirts, programs, etc.), they'd have died a long time ago. In keeping with this known known, it can safely be said that a great experience can overcome a less than stellar lineup.

*HOWEVER, no matter how great the accoutrements are, the film lineup ultimately does count. Trust me, from a marketing perspective, it's much easier to draw newbies to the Marathons by enticing them with a cool slate of films, and then really setting the hook with the rest of the experience. And as far as the veterans go, sure a less than stellar lineup probably doesn't kill your commitment to the cause. But damn, think of those times when a Marathon has had a REALLY killer lineup. Think of how much it stokes your excitement even more in the days and weeks beforehand. Because after all, this is still a filmic event, and the films are part of what drives the overall experience. Yeah, it can come across as a bit of a chicken and egg argument, but over years of planning the Horror Marathons, I've definitely found that the lineup still counts. You, the vets would mostly be sold no matter what; but there are many others out there who need a bit more motivation to make it their first time...or their second time...or their eighth time.

*As the years have passed, the advance planning of the Sci-Fi Marathons has become more and more fragmented. No opinion there, just a factual statement. And almost none of that deterioration has been due to Bruce. Yep, we've had this discussion many times on this forum (including a few times this year), but the Drexel still holds the ultimate decision making power in this endeavor. Don't get me wrong: Bruce is still the driving creative force behind much of the event, and there have been years when you can really see his fingerprints all over it. But there have also been years (more recently than in the past) when he's been severely limited in his contributions because, hey, the Drexel ultimately has final say on what films are booked, when the event is held, etc. etc.

*I'm all for emphasizing the positives of this event. And yes, it can be easy to bitch and moan about things along the way. Don't like a few films in the lineup? Join the crowd, my friend, because we've all had that experience over the course of our Marathon-going experience. Like any event of this kind, there will never be 100% audience satisfaction with the lineup, a sentiment that's probably not helped by the broader culture's increasing shift toward maximum personalization (but that's probably a discussion for another day...and another thread.)

That being said, there are many of us who deeply care about these events. And ultimately, we ARE the event. Without us (and by that I mean the entire audience), there would be no Marathon. It's quite easy to advocate loyalty to the event no matter what, but realistically that can only go so far. 'Cause I'm here to tell you folks, if the attendance always stays about the same, if no one ever really votes with their feet or their dollar, the Drexel really has no motivation to shape up their role in the planning process. (See Frog Slowly Boiling in Water adage.)

*So what am I saying? Well, like we've repeatedly stated this year, if you have a deep problem with how parts of this event are being run, go to www.drexel.net and send them your complaints in e-mail form. It might not do a whole bunch, but at least you'll know that your voice is out there. I can vouch for those of us behind the scenes (even though Dave Z., Jen C. and work in a more limited form on the SF Marathon) that Bruce and the three of us are doing all we can to make this work. But as long as the event stays at the Drexel, they're the ones calling the major shots. Volunteering to help with the event, or offering help to Bruce is great and recommended. But all the volunteering and help in the world won't change things if the Drexel continues to plod along as they have.

While the movie lineup issues are defiantly dampening the excitement a bit. *But* Its not the be all end all. I got my best friend coming back into town so he wouldn't miss it. haven't seen him since Nov. so this will be good times.

I started going to these back in the Drex days with my (almost)brother and his dad. This year our 'group' /people that we have talked up to come to the Marathon will stand at around SIXTEEN. I do anything and everything to try and get more people in the doors.

there are SO many factors that can go into A> what you can do to help B> what can go wrong

I think most people halfway through will forget all about how bad they thought things would be and about what they posted in this thread.

Me - I'm just going to blame everything on the mysterious and evil JEFF NEFF

Well, it looks like I will be unable to attend this year, purely for health reasons. I had hoped these problems would clear up by the marathon date, but it looks unlikely. Otherwise I would be there. I don't think anyone wants me coughing up a lung during every single film, and I don't want that either, so I have to bow out. I will be in town visiting friends however, so if any of "the gang" sees this and has time to stop by, feel free, we'd love to see you.

I just wanted to say that I pretty much agree with Joe here. But these problems with the Drexel are hardly new, nor do they signify "the end of" anything. It's pretty much been this way for a long, long time now. That's been my understanding. I think it's just the way they run things, and they seem to think it's working for them. It doesn't seem like they pay any attention to this message board at all or what anyone says on it. That's pretty clear. I don't know what the reason for that might be. But complaining here obviously does no good whatsoever. It seems like if you want to get through to Jeff Frank, you need to find a way to get through to Jeff Frank. Seems like an obvious statement, but is anyone doing it? I've been reading and hearing complaints about the lineups for several years now, but no one's made any effort to say anything to anyone who could do something about it. So naturally things stay as they are. In years past, they've managed to pull out something good like Trollhunter or Endhiran, but now it seems like they're just grabbing whatever they can get frankly. So if you're unsatisfied, talk to the man at the top.

Here's what it comes down to: I'm not going to be there when Jeff Frank shows up this year. You are. If you have something to say about the film lineup, that's the time to say it. There's no better time to bring it up.

The odd thing is - Columbus Underground posted a nice little "the sci-fi marathon is happening this weekend" post... and Jeff Frank (or at someone using "JeffDrexel" - maybe its the evil and mysterious JEFF NEFF) posted in reply a couple times there. So - 1. He's paying attention there and using *some* social media. 2. is more active elsewhere than here. (which is a shame)

Edited w/ link --

http://www.columbusunderground.com/foru ... el-theatre

I'm still glad that Mega Monster Battle and Danger 5 is still listed. These are the only two entries that keeping me from NOT asking for a refund.

As I concur on the Columbus Underground postings that this years lineup is very weak. As a die hard marathonoid I'm very disapointed on how SF 30 was handle for this year.

"JeffDrexel" could be the Bread Man himself Kevin S. O'Brien

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[quote="Joe Neff]*So what am I saying? Well, like we've repeatedly stated this year, if you have a deep problem with how parts of this event are being run, go to http://www.drexel.net and send them your complaints in e-mail form. [/quote]

If "the powers that be" don't even lurk the forum and we have to email them than why does this forum exist?

Also Many times it has been stated that this forum is not a "voting forum" and it's been proven time and time again that really awesome theme and film suggestions also will be ingnored. If this forum is simply a place to talk about the current and previous marathons amongst our selves than I think that should be posted loud and clear so everyone on the board knows not to expect "the powers that be" to listen (or see) what the true fans really want from the marathons. That should put an end to a lot of negativity on the forum and that negativity can be projected elsewhere.

Also we can stop cluttering up the forum with "wish lists" aka "I hope they will show" type of posts.

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Good points, but this should be qualified that it specifically pertains to the current SciFi Marathons.

Joe has much more creative control with the Horror marathon (at least for now) and frequently posts here, more than likely he is also a consistent lurker.

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