I know that I've been notoriously lax with updating the website (uploading the pictures and such, scanning in the ticket and program, etc), but I thought I'd at least pop on here and give you all my own thoughts on the Marathon ... a quick note, if nothing else.
First off, I'm glad to hear that people enjoyed the lineup. I honestly think it was one of the best lineups in Marathon history. A little something for everyone, some spectacular gems, and some beautiful 35mm prints. Plus a great over-arching theme connecting a lot of the films. Everything I love to see in a Marathon.
A few details ...
Frankenstein - Beautiful print, and the Edison print with the trailer-fragmentation-soundtrack was most amusing. It had been a LONG time since I'd sat down and watched the classic, and I think it did a marvelous job of setting the tone for the event. Massive bummer about the cut "God" line, but still a perfect choice for the opener.
13 Ghosts - Again, a long overdue film from Marathons past, it's a fun gimmick and a worthy bit of kitsch. And who can help being creeped out by Maggie Hamilton.
Psycho - Masterpiece, brilliant, never turned down a chance to see it in 35mm with an audience and a beautiful print. Every time I think I might be tired of seeing this film, I watch it again and prove myself wrong.
Dressed to Kill - Never been a big fan. De Palma has MUCH better work out there, and although there are points in this film that are worth noting, I'm not sure they're worth sitting through a very long plot rip of Hitchcock. However, it does have a lot of gratuitous nudity, and I'm willing to forgive a great deal for that.
Bread - Glad to see that people enjoyed the reunion, and really surprised by how many people came up to get their DVDs signed. Brought a tear to my eye, it really did. Hopefully everyone realized that those shiny round things in their bag actually WERE DVDs of all the movies, The Empire went to great expense to provide them to you.
Oh, and hopefully people got a kick out of the short montage (and for that matter the old Marathon footage.) Joe and I were particularly happy to be able to start bringing more of that up on screen.
Island of Lost Souls - Admittedly, Laughton is completely over the top and Bela is somewhat wasted, but I still love this gem of a movie (and the print was of OUTSTANDING quality.) For me, the performances work perfectly as the counter between headstrong hero and mad genius. Fit in perfectly with the theme of science run amok. Plus it's something of a rarity to get to see in the theater at all these days, so I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity.
Martyrs - Didn't hate it, but really didn't like it. Fully support the Marathon showing it, since I really do think the Marathon should show at least one, maybe two titles every year that are "pushing the envelope." It does have a point, and that point fits perfectly with the theme of the Marathon ("Knowing that which Man was not meant to know.") But in the end, it devolves into gratuitous brutality for so long and in such depth that eventually I think people kinda get numb to the point. I applaud the effort, but I don't think the execution was worthwhile. Too much Torture Porn for too little payoff.
House (Hausu) - Again, I'll diverge from Joe and several other friends a bit here - this one wasn't one of my favorites, though I suspect I might have enjoyed it more if it had been earlier in the evening. I love Japanese "WTF Movies" (BIG fan of "Gozu") but somewhere around the third iteration of the piano gonzo I realized this film just wasn't going to keep me awake. I'd seen the film's cards, I didn't think the film was going to surprise me, there were still a LOT of kids left to slaughter, and I really didn't think it was going to hold my attention. True to form, I woke up to see Banana Man in the car and that was it. Good movie, but really needed to show sooner, I think. Did prove my theory that Japan has ALWAYS been bizarro-gonzo-freakshow, though, dating back at least to the 70's. That's something.
They Came From Within - Pepped back up for this one a bit, because gonzo Cronenberg usually cheers me up. That man has ISSUES. "Within" is another sleeper choice that you just don't see played a lot, and to see it in 35mm is a rare treat. Plus, after House, I think we all needed a good dose of psycho-sexual freakyness.
Robogeisha - Not generally at the top of my list, but over-the-top stuff like this and "Tokyo Gore Police" usually make me smile. Just too tired by this point, though, and I basically just let it nod off. I think the trailer was enough for me, and I'd seen that weeks earlier.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 - Honestly, I get next to nothing out of this film. It takes the first film, cranks it through ridiculous hyperbole and a fun-house mirror and then makes it insanely long. The entire last hour just drones on and on and on and on and sadly, having slept through much of "Robogeisha" I ended up watching it yet again (believe it or not, for the third time ... in 35mm.) Honestly, I had no use for this film when it first opened, I have no more use for it now. Its chuckle-worthy moments are few and far-between and there's a LOT to slog through to get to any semblance of a plot. Plus, losing the thin sense of realism the framework of the first film provided was a mistake ... it turns it into a very boring fairy tale.
Prince of Darkness - Very glad to see this up on the big screen. I pretty much consider this to be Carpenter's last "Very Good" film (and yes, that includes "They Live" which I generally consider to be Carpenter's last "Watchable" film.) There's more going on here than meets the eye, and the chemistry of the principle (and supporting) players really works, even with a potentially heavy and confusing dialog and plot. It's not one of his Masterpieces, but it is well worth seeing, and much more fun on the big screen with an audience. Excellent print, too, and again not one you get to see very often. Big thumbs up for getting this one.
Again, overall I was very pleased with the event. I have to say, there were some projection issues I think could have been better handled, and it's something that I hope we can work on improving next year ... but there generally wasn't anything catastrophic, and that's good. A bit more pre-work, some cross-checking, a better-defined system in the booth and some tightening on the schedule and I think it can be tip-top.
But I'm happy with what we got, and extremely happy we were able to get Kevin up to join us. It was an enormously nostalgic Marathon in a lot of ways, and I'm already looking forward to next year.
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