Battlestar Galactica: As some of the others mentined this was one of the early staples of my childhood. I actually like the new series quite a bit, though the Frak does get a bit tiring at times. The print was good, the story is still pretty good and the bit about Disco Vision just makes it that much better.
Sputnik Mania: I liked it but the digitial projection and related audio issues took quite a bit away from it. If we stay at the East, I think either the vidoe projection capabilites need improved or not shown. I was a big advocate of showing a documentary, I was disappointed in the presentation, though the content was interesting.
The Day the Earth Stood Still: As others have mentioned the print had some issues, but wan't too bad. The movie is still great. I lived in DC for 8 years and that does add something to the film for me. The Mall hasn't changed much since this was filmed. There are a few less trees and the ball fields are not so well defined, but most of DC still looks like it did in the movie. It is easy to pick out scenes shot on Q St. or Pennsylvania Ave.
Patricia Neal: Very good Q&A and a very sweet lady. I still think Ed Kemmer is my favorite of the sci fi guests. I almost felt a bit uncomfortable as she struggled with some answers but she was aware of the problems stemming from her stroke so it was not as uncomfortable as it might have been.
Journey to the Seventh Planet: I didn't think it was possible to have too many Uranus jokes. Shows what I know. I was left wondering if that was Earth Vs. the spider footage they reused or if that was new closeup footage of a spider.
Costume Contest: Best in a while. I keep thinking some year I am going to talk to Bruce about putting some money together for a cash prize to help motivate folks to compete. Mothra clearly won, but the vocal Ro-Man faction kept it interesting.
Given, the stage, the steps and the limited vision the two characters had, I was happy to see there were no falls. Seriously, nice job to both contestants.
The Andromeda Strain: Another beautiful print. It is very true to the book as I recall.
Big Man Japan: I wish it had been earlier, subtuitles that late are hard on the eyes. The pacing was slow at times, and I think if I had seen it earlier I might have enjoyed it more. I did like the background on the monsters and the down right silliness in some of them. I loved the ending. I think I may watch it again when I am not so tired and may find I enjoy it, as a whole, more.
Lady Terminator: I imagine if they did not get sued it was only because they had no money to make the effort worth it. While it was terrible, it was engaging in a strange sort of way and perked me right back up.
1984: Terrible time for it. But better than putting it as the closer. The print looked really good. I still prefer the book, but it is a solid film. I agree with the others about the razor comments.
Pitch Black: I actually really enjoyed this one and found it a nice pick me up after 1984. There actually was some thought put into the story, though my inner nitpicker had some issues with how much light would or would not keep the creatures at bay.
Stranger from Venus: I almost wish this had been before the Day the Earth Stood Still, just to more clearly do the compare and contrast. Or even better splice the two films togther and compare and contrast in real time.
A Clockwork Orange: A better film to end on than THX1138, but in some ways still kind of a downer to go out on, even if I was humming and signing Singing in the Rain out to the car and most of the way home. I do think the Gene Kelly clip should have been in front of the movie instead of in the opening trailers, but that is a minor difference of opinion. I have always avoided showing this movie to my wife because she really likes Singing in the Rain and I have to say once you see this, you can't watch Singing in the Rain without thinking of this film.
General comments: I've been spoiled by the Gateway and even the Grandview. My seat was very uncomfortable, my tailbone still hurts. No ones fault, just a comment. I have been scaling back on what I bring in over the years and I skipped the pillow this year. Big mistake.
It seemed the concession stand at the Drexel was not nearly as efficeint as the Grandview. The staff was very nice but just seemed slow or diorganized. The Cafe line also seemed slow, but given the nature of their food, that is understandable. I really enjoyed my burger. I've kind of given up on Pizza at marathons for digestive reason, but the pizza slices looked tempting.
The bathrooms were in good shape and there are more units than the Grandview which is a nice plus.
Kudos to Bruce on the trailers and shorts. As usual they were thoughtfully placed. It seemed like there were fewer than some years, but that could have been me.
The T- shirts were really nice, not sure why there were so many left this year. Kudos to Ms. Frank on her design. Last year I missed out on getting one because they went really fast. I do have to ask what an Extra Medium is. Is it just more medium than the other mediums?
Programs. Nice as always. Bruce, I know of at least one person who is both very familiar with page design and very familiar with your programs. If you truly want some help on things like that to make the burdne easier, she might be very willing to help. I know a bit about it as well, though I am not that artistic by nature.
The 10:30 entry. Was a couple minutes late, but was very smooth. Thanks to the volunteers. I like the early entry it helps us do a better job of getting out on time.
Bruce, if you need help please ask. I'm not sure who much we could do to take the load off, but if you can think of something folks could do to help, I bet some of us would be willing and maybe even able to do it. Even something as simple as picking up programs from Kinkos.
On that note, thanks to Bruce, Jeff, the projection folks and the staff for a very nice time. Hope to see you in the fall and again next spring. Also thanks to Bob, Frank, Aaron, John and the others at the front of the line for another charming morning of movie, TV and general scifi discussion and an entertaining game of Fluxx.