The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 2:39 pm 
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Just leaving this here for now ... I'll fill in the details later.
EDIT: And this is me, now, filling in the details. :)

IN GENERAL
I'll try to keep everything short in this, since otherwise I'll just gush on and babble about how much I enjoyed this thing. I do want to say that I was incredibly happy to see the attendance to the event improved, and the audience this year was generally very well behaved (at least in my neck of the woods.) I really hope people enjoyed the experience, I think the lineup this year was one of the best I've personally seen, and seeing some of these films in a positive environment with an enthusiastic audience made all the difference.

So, that having been said, here's a film-by-film breakdown ...

THE FILMS
MAD MAX
I've always loved this film and the DCP restoration looks really, really good (and has the original Australian soundtrack!) I've always loved the way it presents society descending into armageddon not with a bang but a whisper. Not much more to say, really, except to say that thematically it fits incredibly well with a lot of the rest of the lineup.

STARMAN
Another one of my favorites, and one that's been suggested for many years, this is the Carpenter film that doesn't FEEL like a Carpenter film. It's the film that everyone seems to forget that Carpenter made. Brilliant little piece of character drama with admirable practical visual effects and stunning performances from Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges both. If nothing else, Carpenter has a strong sense of the interplay of light and shadow and he uses it to great effect here. I think it's a fantastic example of his range and diversity. Impressive print, too.

ARROWHEAD

I really liked this one. It's probably a bit more complex than its budget and runtime allow for but overall I think it works pretty well. I also think it gets an awful lot out of the budget it had. Really great to have Jesse O'Brien on the phone (loved the nod to ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS, which leapt into my head almost immediately.) Here's hoping we can fly him out to premiere the sequel. ;)

NOTE: I have a few overall comments on the next three films. I can totally see how this might have been a tough block for some people. The films are all pretty deliberate, and long, and they all have a significantly 70's feel to them. The things the films have to say are pretty lofty (often with a very surreal presentation) and they all have pretty down endings in their own way. I understand they're not everyone's cup of tea and unfortunately I don't think you could have run this schedule too many other ways. I will say, I'm way happier to have seen them play when they did, rather than buried in the early morning hours ... people just wouldn't get as much out of them when they're half asleep. That being said ...

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
I love this film, but it's so emotionally draining for me. Roeg's treatise on what society does to the outsider is as important today as it was back in 1976, and there are few entertainers out there that could imbue the film with a sense of the alien better than Bowie. Boston be hanged, I think our audience appreciated it quite a lot. It's not a "thunderous applause" kind of film, but it is an important (and visually stunning) one. You can really see Roeg's pedigree as a cinematographer. Those eyes will haunt me forever Mr. Bowie, you shall be missed.

HIGH-RISE
Wow. OK, full disclosure, I'd been really excited about this film from the minute we announced it. Even not knowing how the crowd would react, the texture of Ballard's writing and the prospect of Wheatley's direction were a big draw. I can't speak for the audience reaction (honestly, I was WAY too engrossed in the film to pay attention) but for me this was a HUGE win. I took to the film's style almost immediately. I can see how it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but in a marathon already showing some great examples of humanity's descent into barbarism and the deconstruction of societal norms, this was definitely a prize. I loved it, from its wry humor to its brutality. Having it as a premiere was definitely a marathon high spot for us, I think. I can't wait for the general release, because I really want to see this one again. I'm sure there's a lot there that I missed.

ZARDOZ
Another divisive film, and certainly the most surreal of the bunch, this is one that I've recommended for a LONG time that I'm sure was tough for people to get through. The gonzo imagery and seriously drug-fueled 70's aesthetic are one thing, but there's honestly a lot being said in this movie. The conflict between Brutals and Eternals, the essential failing of utopian idealism (and the curse of immortality), and the inevitable collapse of extreme social stratifications are again as important today as in 1974. Difficult but brilliant, and the sort of radical experimental film-making that you just won't see coming from Big Studio film-making anymore (not just me that thinks so, check out what Ben Wheatley, loves ZARDOZ, has to say. :) ). And hey, breasts! Lots and lots and lots of breasts!

DÜNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM
Maybe I was just in the prime mood for it after the MAN WHO FELL/HIGH-RISE/ZARDOZ trio, but even having seen most of this I laughed until I cried. For me this fits the fundamental definition of "So bad it's enjoyable." I know a lot of people were dozing at this point, and the dialog was a difficult read on the best of days but man ... it really is what it is. Talk about unintentional comedy. And hey, let's all play the "Which soundtrack are they going to steal next?" game!

JASON X
I won't go into my opinion on this one. I hope enough of the audience got something out of it to make it worthwhile. Myself, I managed to get about 45 minutes of sleep. So there's that, at least.

FANTASTIC VOYAGE
I'd seen this beautiful 4k DCP restoration at the Wexner a while back and it really is gorgeous. It's an all-time classic and I think it still holds up pretty well today (though it's maybe a bit slow for 6:30am.) I did drift off after the first antibody attack and woke up at the end but I was still happy to see what I managed to see. No need to bore you all with my story issues. <deletes rant about "shrinking" films/>

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
One of my two absolute favorites of later Kaiju films, this and GHIDORA THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER are probably the best of the original "team up" offerings. I had to gather up some things from the theater and get them out to the car, though, so I missed some of it. Plus, the print had gone more pink than I'd hoped, good shape and still watchable but a little disappointing. It also reminded me of the phenomenal MOTHRA print that opened the marathon in 2005 which is one of my favorite experiences in marathon history.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Every time I see this film I'm more impressed with it. The fact is, I think George Miller managed to score lightning in a bottle with this one. I just think it's incredibly well made. Stellar performances from Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron both. Incredibly tight editing with near-constant action punctuated by just the right amount of pause and introspection. Phenomenal practical effects in the foreground seamlessly merged with digital effects in the background. The movie does so many things right it seems almost criminal to go into the flaws. And since this was the end of the marathon ... I won't. :)


THANKS TO EVERYONE
I probably sound repetitive thanking everyone involved with this thing, and I know I'll miss out on people if I try and list all the names. Most importantly, THANK YOU, THE AUDIENCE; first for attending and second for getting the word out about our humble event. Keep doing what you're doing because we love putting these things on and we really hope you love seeing them! Bring more people into the fold! The Hive must grow ... The Collective must absorb! One of us! One of us!

*ahem* Sorry, I may have said too much. :)

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 8:04 pm 
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Guess I'm first, which is kind of appropriate since I left early.

Overall a good but not great marathon. Missed a lot of trailers, am I mistaken but in recent years haven't they run 35mm trailers before most digital features? I know that must be a pain but it really is such a huge part of the marathon for me.

By title:

Mad Max - decent DCP, maybe a little over-sharpening going on. Great little film that shows some budget restraints, but equally shows the genius of George Miller.

Starman - I haven't seen this film since the late 80's and wasn't sure if it would fit the marathon. But it did. While I think it seemed a little disjointed, almost like there were missing scenes, I really enjoyed it. Easy to see why Jeff Bridges was Oscar nominated.

Arrowhead - some intersting ideas, and I'm really impressed with what was pulled off on such a minuscule budget, but the film just never really caught me. I think it was due to the lead actor not being that interesting.

The Man Who Fell to Earth - I had seen this years ago and didn't really feel like it again, so went out to dinner.

High Rise - I really need to see this again. Work issues pulled me into the lobby for 15-20 minutes and I missed quite a bit of story. Walked out with everyone getting along; walked back in to full on class warfare. Seemed well done and interesting.

Zardoz - oh god, this was the film for me. There always seems to be one film in every marathon that just knocks me out due to pacing and scheduling. I started dozing during this one. Based on what I saw, everyone was heavily drugged in the 70's. Surprisingly, this was one that I was looking forward to as I have been seeing stills since the early days of Starlog magazine. On a side note, apologies to Kevin Carr if it freaked him out when I recognized his voice in the lobby. Seriously, one of the better film review podcasts.

Turkish Star Wars - I had seen bits and pieces of this so I thought I knew what to expect, but nothing prepares you for this film. Never have I seen something so inept, worse the Birdemic, The Room, Manos... anything I can think of. Anyone in the marathon audience could eat a reel of Kodak and crap a better movie. But... I really enjoyed it. I would've enjoyed it much more if it had been 30-45 minutes, it becomes very repetitive, but overall it woke me up.

Jason X - not a huge Friday fan but the campiness of this one makes it enjoyable. I made it about halfway through this film and had to call it a marathon due to a 90 minute drive.

Like I said above, really wanted more trailers and missed being able to order crepes from next door. On a positive note, loved the new bathrooms (though, maybe if the plumbing is still hooked up in the old bathrooms they could leave them open for the marathons to ease the lines?) and can't wait for the new chairs to be fully installed, didn't sit in one but looked really comfortable. Also, was nice to see what seemed like the biggest crowd in years.

Thanks to everyone that continues to work hard on these. Though we all nitpick about titles and schedules, it is impossible to satisfy everyone but you guys really do a great job.

Were any titles announced for the horror marathon?


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 8:34 pm 
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Biggest crowd in years, that's awesome!
New bathrooms, I had no idea, what a pleasant surprise. That's awesome.
Looks like there might be all new seats by the time of the horror marathon. If so, that's awesome.

One thing that stood out to me during the "clap for the films you liked" segment right before the last movie is that there were no standout hits this year, and no standout losers either. Most films got pretty much the same applause. Though I suspect the winner might have been Fury Road, based on applause at the start and at the end, and the large number of folks who stayed until the end. (For a few years there, I would have an entire row or two all to myself for the last few films. But that's gone away the last few years. Lots of folks staying until the end lately.)


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:16 am 
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Here is my two cents of the films that played.

Mad Max: Had been a while since I had seen this one. It gets a little overrated in some circles (the second and fourth in series are the masterpieces) but it is a solid B movie and a good start to the marathon.

Starman: Jeff Bridges is so freaking good in this that I find myself believing there really is an alien trying to figure out how to work this body he is in. And Carpenter shows he really could direct in any genre if he were given a chance. This is as much a romance as anything else and the relationship is handled really well.

Arrowhead: An interesting film that bit off a little more than it could chew, but some of the flaw are budget related. It is the type of film that really make me look forward to what director O'Brien can do next. This establishes him as a name to watch.

The Man Who Fell To Earth: An intriguing film that needs a little more focus. I found the relationships between Bowie and the other three main characters intriguing. When it went beyond that it lost me a bit. I think I tighter film about 30 minutes shorter would have kept its unique feel but been more effective. Still glad I finally seen it.

High Rise: Sorry, I thought it was a big disappointment. Where was the second act? You didn't really miss it, svarney. It isn't there. The first act doesn't establish the characters distinctly enough, then a three minute montage shows all hell breaking loose, and then everyone has gone crazy. The character motivation is badly missing. I suspect the novel had an effect on the screenplay for Her, which handled the themes of modern alienation much more subtly and believably. This film also suffers in comparison to another recent class warfare scifi, Snowpiercer.

Zardoz: You know that WTF expression most people have when they see Spaceboy the first time. Yeah.

Turkish Star Wars: Hilarious at first (that opening sequence was quite possibly the worst edited I have ever seen) but it grew wearying after about the halfway point.

Jason X: Seen it once before. Didn't want to see it again. Went to get an early breakfast at Tee Jays. My review of it would be to state that the original Friday the 13th movies are some of the poorest technical work on a movie that a major studio (Paramount) ever released. Jason X was made by New Line, and at least New Line brought the technical credits up to level that approaches its Nightmare on Elm Street series (a much, much better series in my opinion). But ultimately, this is just a dressed up slasher film, and I don't care for slasher films. While I argued with Tim about the film's booking, I will second him on his statement about pushing for a film you want to see. I pushed for several years for 12 Monkeys and succeeded. I guess that means I need to renew my push for Superman 2 (Donner cut).

Fantastic Voyage: With a full stomach, I could not stay awake for a movie I have previously seen and enjoyed.

Destroy All Monsters: Toho delivered what it advertised here. I very much mean that as a compliment.

Mad Max Fury Road: How the Oscars could nominate this film for so many awards and pass over Charlize Theron for best actress is beyond me. She carries this film. For so much of the film I could feel the pain of her past in her eyes which she refuses to bow to, that when she wails in the scene when she discovers what happened to her homeland, it gets me every time. For my money, this is easily the best film of 2015 (and I loved Brooklyn and Spotlight).

Thanks to all of you reading that had any hand in getting this together. It means a lot to many of us. I was able to thank Bruce personally, so let me especially send that to Joe. I especially enjoyed your commentary between films.

Please play Spaceboy and the Sesame Street Muppets Loews ad next year. I really missed them both.


Last edited by SRCputt on Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 7:05 am 
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I may go into more detail later, but here are a few bullet points while They are still fresh in my mind:

-I was impressed with the amount of people who stayed until the end, probably the highest percentage that I can recall in recent memory. I strongly suspect that the stellar final film had a lot to do with that. In many ways, this year felt like an "old school" Marathon, crowded and uncomfortable. And I mean that in the best possible way.

-That being said, I thought the crowd energy was mysteriously low-key. After rightfully being told to be respectful of those who wanted to watch The Man Who Fell to Earth, that "respect" seemed to unfortunately carry over into some of the more goofier offerings that followed. I have always felt like "less is more" when it comes to random audience "participation" and general overall goofiness, but I kind of missed it this year.

-I was totally unprepared for how much of an impact emotionally watching Starman would have on me after not having seen it in years. It is a fantastic film which picked me up and smacked me around on Saturday because a lot of the emotional beats hit me on a deeply personal level that I wasn't expecting, and this will now easily go down as one of my favorite Marathon movies ever. Sure Jeff Bridges is phenomenal, but upon further inspection, I had also forgotten just how good Karen Allen was as well.

-it was nice to finally experience one of my favorite things in the world with my two teenage sons, although I unfortunately picked the year with perhaps the most boobs in Marathon history. Thanks, Joe. I know sometimes we get a body count, did anyone this year get a "boobie count?"

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 10:14 am 
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Sounds like it was a fantastic marathon.

This was the first time I've missed a Sci-Fi Marathon since I began attending - 25 straight, and then missed this one, but with the date change, the event happened over my Anniversary weekend, and my wife didn't want to do that for our Anniversary.

Glad to hear everyone had fun!


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 1:16 pm 
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AEinhorn wrote:
Sounds like it was a fantastic marathon.

This was the first time I've missed a Sci-Fi Marathon since I began attending - 25 straight, and then missed this one, but with the date change, the event happened over my Anniversary weekend, and my wife didn't want to do that for our Anniversary.

Glad to hear everyone had fun!


:( Too bad to hear you missed out on this. It ...... was.....AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, to fill you in on how everything went down (and to give my report of this most awesome of Sci Fi events in Ohio), here is MY REVIEW OF THE 33RD (30TH???) OHIO 24 HOUR SCIENCE FICTION MARATHON
(ECHOES: marathon....marathon....marathon.... ;) )

First, I absolutely MUST thank Bruce Bartoo, Joe Neff, everyone who worked on and volunteered to create the decorations, the flyers, the program schedule, the website, and the entire staff and management of The Drexel Theater! You guys (and gals) are awesome and I LOVE YOU! You are my second family! A suggestion I have: While standing in line for either of the Sci Fi Marathon or the Horror Marathon, I think that it should be mandatory to have the line break up in gaps where doors are in the way. That way, anyone coming out of the doors won't have to wait to have people in line move out of the way. And now, on to the movies...

MAD MAX
This may come as a huge shock to everyone, but I have never seen Mad Max before, or any Mad Max movie for that matter. I definitely wanted to someday. I just never got around to it before. I definitely wanted to watch all of the Mad Max movies back to back, in order, which brings to mind the question: What is the proper chronological order of the Mad Max movies? In other words, where does Mad Max: Fury Road fit in to the franchise? A very enjoyable film, but the ending left me scratching my head. I expected a giant, dramatic stand off between Max and the leader of the biker gang, and was very disappointed when it never happened. :/ Otherwise, a WONDERFUL film!

STARMAN
My favorite movie in the entire line up, and that is saying something with titles like MAD MAX: FURY ROAD! I am a big softie when it comes to movies like these. This is my kind of Romance movie. It isn't some sappy, by the numbers Romance movie. It is a Romance movie that is so beautiful...so perfect that it tugged on my heart strings.....and I'll just leave it at that LOL :( Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen did a HELL OF A JOB in this! I can't give it enough praise, and a huge reason for the movie being so awesome is the OUTSTANDING score by Mr. John Carpenter!!!

ARROWHEAD
The worst part of this movie was finding out that the lead actress had died, and the best part of the movie was seeing her alive again. I truly hate seeing characters I enjoy in movies and shows get killed off, especially if there is a male that they have some kind of relationship with that is left alone without them. I would DEFINITELY watch a sequel to this. There is always more you can do with a good story, especially with Sci Fi.

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (or walked down a hill) A.K.A. THE COOKIES THAT FELL TO THE KITCHEN FLOOR!!!
.....um......(scratches head).....??? How to sum up this movie.... Well, I have so many questions, it is hard to know where to start. I get that it's about an alien who SOMEHOW got to Earth (not by falling, at least not that was shown), but HOW IN THE WORLD did this alien just up and get all "famous, powerful and know all about how to get along on Planet Earth" when he had JUST LANDED!!??? With STARMAN, Jeff Bridges portrayed a very realistic portrayal of an alien who just now landed on Earth and didn't know much of anything. THIS ALIEN all of a sudden knows the entire English language, how to do everything, and has the red carpet rolled out for him..... ??? And HOW THE HELL did the other characters fit into it? It seemed like a few mini stories thrown together. Very confusing, Bowie's worst.

HIGH-RISE
This is the very first film that I started to get REALLLLY drowsy during. Sadly, I began losing my battle with sleep deprivation with this one, which is a shame, because JESUS CHRIST ON A CROSS!!!! did this movie look over the top! LOL I will HAVE TO watch it again.

ZARDOZ A.K.A. BANANA HAMMOCK: THE MOVIE!!!
A truly bizarre movie from what I could make out from it, as unfortunately, this is the 1st film that I slept through. With High Rise, I got drowsy. With Zardoz, I simply could not win and took a nap, missing out on this strange, trippy experience. :(

TURKISH STAR WARS
The 2nd movie I fell asleep during. All I can really say is...........WHAT THE @#$%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????
......What? You expected more words? Do I NEED to say anything else? lol

JASON X
YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!! THANK YOU for finally showing this! I am one of the (very, very few) people that wanted to see this, and by golly damn was I happy when I finally did,.....even though two morons behind me wouldn't STFU, even after I asked them both POLITELY! Apparently, Joe's warning to everyone about being quiet just didn't come through that clearly. This is one movie I REALLY did not want to be bothered while watching, as it is a big deal (to me), and lo and behold; TALKERS. This brings up another idea I have. How about we NOT have any more alcohol served at this, or any movie theater ever again? Alcohol has no place in any movie theater, as being drunk encourages talking, something that ruins the entertainment value of a movie. That being said, I LOVE this movie. Sure, it isn't perfect and has flaws, but what movie doesn't? This movie had two of the HOTTEST women in the entire Friday The 13th franchise in it (the lead actress Lexa Doig, the blond woman who operated on Jason) <3

FANTASTIC VOYAGE
The 3rd film I fell asleep during, which particularly upset me, because I really did want to see this, as it is connected to one of my favorite shows, Sealab 2021. In particular, the episode "Craptastic Voyage", which spoofs "Fantastic Voyage". If you have never seen this episode before, here you go:
http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/Sealab-20 ... e?id=27866

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
The 4th and final film I fell asleep during (DAMMIT!!!). Definitely one of the best Godzilla flicks in existence. And gosh darnit, is Godzilla's son not adorable? ;)

MAD MAD: FURY ROAD
My 2nd favorite movie at the marathon, being topped only by Starman, this was every bit as kick ass as I had imagined it would be. It was filled to the brim with stunts, and reminds me of a cross between The Hills Have Eyes and the Twisted Metal video game series. I truly feel like at LEAST one Rob Zombie song needed to be in this movie (Dragula perhaps? This movie has Rob Zombie written all over it and it would have fit in. The fact it DOESN'T include any music by White Zombie OR Rob Zombie, WTF!? >:[ This movie is freaking blisteringly amazing as all Hell and Heaven too!

Thanks again to everyone who helped to get this marathon out of your brains and into the real world. SEE YOU ALL IN OCTOBER!!!!
:D


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 4:05 pm 
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I echo the thanks expressed by attendees at the theater and the posters above.
Like any really successful event or group it takes an obsessive leadership and huge amounts of effort by them and others to make a success of a creation of this caliber.

In support of that work and of future success I wonder if people could find new concrete ways to support the occasion. I will bring this up again in about nine months. Unfortunately the dropoff in participation on this board is such that no real conversation can go on. If you have any ideas probably the best thing to do would be to suggest them as they occur to you. Personally I thought to donate the services of a massage therapist - during the event - as a drawing prize. And my friend the therapist has been to the last three SF Marathons, so he knows what he would be getting into.

The negatives first.
Fallout of the great attendance was the lack of seating for a few. ANYONE could have been assigned to go row by row to find the empty seats, they were there, rather than leaving people standing for one or two movies.
Was it the movies & good planning that made for the turnout? For the huge effort should a better space be found? Would finding a larger theater kill the Golden Goose? Would throwing away the advantages of the intimacy and good service of the Drexel even be worth a move/ assuming that anywhere else would be a possibility? Bruce & Joe et al are professionals and enthusiasts. This one would really have to be up to them. But still. Any comments?

Second negative. The overt sexuality and sadism in the choices for the audience that was there.
It's a conundrum. Would warnings have been appropriate? Were there some that I missed? I don't know whether it was the advertising or enthusiasts bringing another generation, but there were an awful lot of young kids for the fare on the screen. How can you present adult fare when of course you want a wide audience? I dunno. I am sure that JoeBruce have thought about this. Anyone's thoughts?

Positives. My wife wants the idiot box, so I'll come back and add on later.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 4:25 pm 
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Giving credit where credit is due: I love John Carpenter's music, and I highly recommend his album "Lost Themes" which is movie music he wrote but never attached to a movie. That said, he didn't do the music for Starman. The composer of Starman's score is Jack Nitzsche, who also did scores for films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, An Officer and a Gentleman, and (gulp) 9 1/2 Weeks.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 5:52 pm 
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pogo wrote:
The overt sexuality and sadism in the choices for the audience that was there.
It's a conundrum. Would warnings have been appropriate? Were there some that I missed? I don't know whether it was the advertising or enthusiasts bringing another generation, but there were an awful lot of young kids for the fare on the screen. How can you present adult fare when of course you want a wide audience? I dunno. I am sure that JoeBruce have thought about this. Anyone's thoughts?


I can't speak for other parents, but I made sure I was comfortable with going "all in" with my boys on the journey that is the marathon, and sometimes that journey goes to uncomfortable places. I don't expect the curators to program based on anything being completely "family friendly," though I am sure that is always a factor. I think having four features really stand out as overly graphic in content was pretty excessive, but I was also aware of that going in. The only oddity this year was the positioning of The Man Who Fell to Earth at the dinner hour, which I sort of understand the reasoning for, but is probably not something I would have done. Showcasing something like Fantastic Voyage or Destroy All Monsters earlier in the lineup probably would have given the lineup a different feel and made all the subsequent graphic sexuality and brutality a little less noticeable.
Like I said before, this is as naked a lineup as I can remember. I'm joking when I sarcastically said "Thanks, Joe" in my earlier post. If I wasn't comfortable with my boys seeing that content, regardless of their positioning, I would not ah e taken them.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 8:24 pm 
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Re: appropriateness of the marathon for your kids

It depends on the kid. I took my oldest when she was 16 but decided on a meal break during Tokyo Gore Police. My second oldest is 16 now and would have attended this year if his schedule would have allowed. I've taken him to The Night Before and The Hateful Eight. He would have been fine. My 12 year old asked if she could attend this year and I told her no. She's actually ahead of the other two in being able to handle adult themes -- she saw AI when she was eight and we had a great conversation about it, and she is a huge Doctor Who fan -- but she's still not ready to deal with the graphic nature of this year's marathon.


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 11:17 am 
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Location: Chicago
This was my first Columbus marathon since 2012 and it was a blast! Definitely worth the drive from Chicago and turning down some freelance work to be there. Though I probably could have stayed until the end, I decided to leave at the 20 hour mark so I would be able to spend a little more time awake while in town visiting my mother. Thanks to Bruce and Joe and the Drexel staff for putting these marathons together twice a year.

A couple things before I get to the movies. Even though we have two 24 hour horror marathons and a 14 hour sci-fi marathon in Chicago to go to every year now, there's not the sense of community that the Columbus ones have. Though the theaters are bigger and they sell more tickets, they don't foster the sense of community that the Columbus marathons do. Also they almost never play any trailers and whatever shorts they play tend to be locally made gimmick films that are made by the organizer's friends (typically played in a block together). The intermissions are sometimes as short as 2 minutes with no trailers-not even time enough to get to the bathroom line. As for the people worrying about programming for the children: leave Joe and Bruce out of your parenting decisions! All the movies advertised had their MPAA ratings readily available for you do some research beforehand. This is not the first marathon to play R rated films early in the lineup (see http://www.vitruvianzeke.com/Marathonia/Marathonia.html) but it is the first marathon I remember people complaining about it. Is that because the R rated material is boobies and not decapitations? When I worked at a movie theater in college, it never failed anytime a parent asked why a movie was rated R, it was fine for little Timmy to see if it was violence but not sex. A nation founded by Puritans.... Bottom line, you as parents know your kids and what they can and can't handle seeing and you can easily research the movies yourself beforehand-don't ruin it for everyone else. I thought the programming and schedule this year was perfect!

MAD MAX
I love this movie. Sure Road Warrior and Fury Road are the best in the series, but I love this one just the same and it's only in comparison to those films that we'd call it deliberately paced. And I love that with this one, we're witnessing the slow decent into anarchy. Sets up the rest of the franchise perfectly.

STARMAN
It had been ages since I've seen this one and I really enjoyed it. I forgot how much I'd forgotten: like the entire beginning of the film. Besides being a charming love story, it's a great meditation on loss and acceptance.

ARROWHEAD
Not a fan of this one. Thought it bit off way more than it could chew. The story was overly complex and I just couldn't connect with the characters. Though it was a very good looking film.

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
Though it's clearly not a film for everyone, this was one of the highlights for me. A gorgeous film that leaves the viewer with more questions than answers. I think to properly experience this film, the viewer needs to stop looking for a traditional 3 act plot structure and just give themselves over to the experience. I love the time shifts and the ambiguous story. The themes of the outsider (alien) being corrupted by the society (could he have returned home in time to save his family if he had not become addicted to TV, sex and booze?) really work for me. It is an exhausting film to watch, as much because of the themes it addresses as its pace.

HIGH-RISE
I fall in between VitruvianZeke and SRCPutt on this one. I thought it needed more character development and a stronger buildup to insanity. It just seemed like it went straight from decadence to violence arbitrarily. But at the same time I thought it was thoroughly entertaining and a visual feast. I definitely need to see it again to truly wrap my head around it.

ZARDOZ
This film had a special place in my memory bank. The only time I'd seen it before was the last 35mm screening at the Portage Theater in Chicago in 2013 before they closed and it was the same night, my wife and I picked up our wedding license (go figure). Definitely an insane gonzo freakshow of a movie. I'm guess they offered Connery his choice of any and all the actresses, and I never would've guessed he was an acid freak-but I can't think of another way this movie got made. Even though I enjoy the shear nutso aspect of it, the movie really started to drag towards the end.

TURKISH STAR WARS
Would've been better as a 20 minute film. Good nap time.

JASON X
A fun pre-dawn slasher film that I think the audience enjoyed despite all the complaints and hand-wringing before the marathon. I was fading in and out during the middle but I've seen it a few times. I'm glad I was awake for the face smash and the virtual Camp Crystal Lake scenes. Joe and Bruce should definitely consider playing some of the earlier films at the horror marathons. They do have a huge fanbase regardless of one's personal opinions.

FANTASTIC VOYAGE
I cut out about 45 minutes into this. Gorgeous 4K presentation and I wish I could of stayed longer. But I didn't want to see my mom again before Monday's drive back to Chicago.

Overall a great marathon! I'm glad to see attendance was up but so was the temperature in the theater. Definiteley missed Spaceboy (did it not play or did I just miss it?) and thought it would've been perfect before/after ZARDOZ. I was disappointed there weren't more 35mm trailers before every movie but I appreciate what played. I'm sure it's difficult switching between the formats but that's really my only suggestion. Hope to see everyone again next year!

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 11:30 am 
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MEATFETISH wrote:
As for the people worrying about programming for the children: leave Joe and Bruce out of your parenting decisions! All the movies advertised had their MPAA ratings readily available for you do some research beforehand. This is not the first marathon to play R rated films early in the lineup (see http://www.vitruvianzeke.com/Marathonia/Marathonia.html) but it is the first marathon I remember people complaining about it. Is that because the R rated material is boobies and not decapitations? When I worked at a movie theater in college, it never failed anytime a parent asked why a movie was rated R, it was fine for little Timmy to see if it was violence but not sex. A nation founded by Puritans.... Bottom line, you as parents know your kids and what they can and can't handle seeing and you can easily research the movies yourself beforehand-don't ruin it for everyone else. I thought the programming and schedule this year was perfect!


Agreed. I've been wanting to take Mira to the marathons when she was a little older - and I plan to do so soon. But I also plan to look at the line-up and decide when to bring her (and when to take her back home).

Would I prefer for more PG-13 rated fare at the beginning of the line-up to make it easier to bring her? Sure. But that's a preference, not a demand. I'll decide as a parent when it's ok for her to be there and when it isn't. That's on me, not on Bruce and Joe.

(And we're getting into KABOOM! territory, so I'll end it at that.)


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 5:19 pm 
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I'll get back to my positive comments later. For now I'll just comment on the adult fare for kiddos issue since I brought it up.
My kids are grown. In spite of heavy lobbying did not allow them to attend Cleveland until they were 14. My problem was not sex, although of course there was some, it was the violence.
Anyone who thinks that they are keeping kids in a pristine bubble away from evil influences is either stupid or Amish. I actually prefer to know that kids are watching stuff that might shock them as it lets them experience & think about stuff before they have to deal with content in real life.
Which is different from an inundation.

I particularly liked meatfish's comment. For me it wasn't boobs. Or butts. Or even sex per se. It was decapitations. And that the sex as presented was almost all impersonal or sadistic.
It's not up to Bruce et al to present kid fare. Boston actually has had the option of a side theater with a movie option to a particularly grisly feature. Not an option here.
I basically agree with the tenor of all of the previous comments. But I am not above judging others. And I think some parents should not have had 8-10 year olds at some movies.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 7:22 pm 
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If I may ask, how many kids were actually in attendence this year?

In Boston, the organizers tried for a few years to expand the number of children going by adding 'kiddie matinee' type movies to the line-up, trying to keep R-Rated stuff to the later hours of the schedule, and even selling family pack discounted tickets. It didn't really work, and it even alienated some fans who did want the running order of the line-up dictated by a couple dozen underaged attendees vs. the wants of 400 to 500 adults. This year, we rolled the dice a bit and had EX MACHINA and FELL TO EARTH right in the primetime evening hours with their full on frontal nudity. Didn't hear a peep about it.

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