OK, everybody ... here's a spot to give your thoughts about the Marathon and lineup. I'll be filling in my own commentary here eventually, but feel free to dive in and let us know what you think.
I had an absolutely fantastic time, myself, and I encourage you all to give us your opinions on the event. You must share with us. The spice must FLOW.
Alright, my take on this year's Marathon ...
GENERAL MUSINGSLet me just say out of the gate that I knew going in that there wasn't a single film in this lineup that I wasn't going to enjoy. Most of them have been favorites of mine for years now. Bruce and Joe picked an absolutely stellar lineup (perhaps encouraged by my own humble whisperings) and it made all the difference.
There was only one film where I drifted off, and then I think it was only for about 45 minutes or an hour.
The projection and film quality were absolutely spot-on this year. I was even pleasantly impressed with the quality on the two BluRay titles (
DELICATESSEN and
AKIRA.) The BluRay transfers are spotless and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to purchase the films. They translated extremely well to the big screen.
The DCP titles were also incredibly good high resolution transfers, and even my usual complaints about black levels and color wash never really came to mind. The film titles, of course, were exactly what I'd expected, good to excellent with all the warmth and character that I've come to miss in the digital age.
Somehow, I managed to pull the trifecta this year, attending the CWRU, Boston and (obviously) Columbus marathons, and through a confluence of the heavens all three turned out to be spectacular examples of what you can do with this sort of event. That being said, boy howdy am I tired.
FILMSEARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956)Excellent choice for a pre-60's black and white classic. Plus it's a great tribute to Ray Harryhausen. The DCP was certainly top notch, taken from an impressive archival copy of the film.
THE QUIET EARTH (1985)I've loved this movie since I first saw it on release in the theater. This was a formative film in my love of science fiction, and it always felt somewhat overlooked by critics. This was one of the many high points of the Marathon for me.
METROPOLIS (1927)You can never go wrong with this film. I'd seen this version of the film back when Kino was sending it around to theaters a while back, and the DCP is even better than the BluRay release I saw at the Grandview. As a fan of every version of the film I've seen, from the SF06 showing with live music to the Moroder release (whose merits I will still staunchly defend), it never fails to please.
DELICATESSEN (1991)We've seen the trailer a gazillion times and I was blissfully happy to see it finally make the lineup. This has been one of my favorite Jeunet (and Caro) films for as long as I can remember, and I love it even more than
THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (which would be great to see return to a lineup in the near future.) Definitely my favorite experience of the event. The audience really seemed to get into the film, and for those who enjoyed it (and Jeunet's other films like
AMELIE) I strongly recommend you dig up
MICMACS. You won't be disappointed.
INFRA-MAN (1975)One of my earliest memories of Science Fiction is seeing this film at "Boy Scout Appreciation Day" at the Kon-Tiki theater in Dayton, OH. This film almost gives gonzo Hong Kong Kung-Fu Action Adventure a new definition. It seems like I've been hoping to see this play for longer than I can remember. Once again, it did not disappoint.
THE HORROR SHOW TRAILERSI hope everyone is really looking forward to this years' Horror Marathon, because the titles announced already are ones I'm very excited about. I do want to apologize to everyone involved, and reiterate that the incorrect
NOSFERATU trailer was
ENTIRELY MY FAULT. Somewhere along the lines I completely misinterpreted which one we were showing. It should indeed have been Herzog's 1976 version of the film. My screw-up, don't hold it against Bruce or Joe. "Face it, Flounder, you f*%#ed up! You trusted us!"
AKIRA (1988)There are a handful of anime films from before 1990 that can legitimately be said to have revolutionized the genre and this film is without question one of them. The film was groundbreaking in protraying anime as a serious medium for adults with gritty, brutal sensibilities and an enlightened, intelligent story. The visuals hold up today as well as they did in 1988 and the style is impeccable.
THE HIDDEN (1987)I've always thought this film was another underrated gem and as a springboard for both Kyle MacLachlan and Claudia Christian's careers I think it's just tremendous amounts of fun. I mean hey, who wouldn't appreciate being a body-hopping hedonistic alien in Southern California?
REPO MAN (1984)In the sense of full disclosure, I have to say that this film qualifies as one of my favorite films ever. The punk aesthetic, surreal overtones, raucus and snappy dialog, and balls-out audacity are a near perfect mix. I think I have this film almost memorized.
THE RUNNING MAN (1987)So, perhaps it was being steeped in the 80's for one film too many. Maybe a week of exhaustion and 25 hours of consciousness just caught up with me. Or maybe it's just the fact that this film never resonated with me as much as with other people. This was my Waterloo. I know I slept through the opening 30 minutes, maybe an hour. The remainder is an enjoyable kitsch, a biting commentary on the shallowness of the modern media culture. Even so, my fading attention span didn't really allow me to judge this as well as I should.
DREDD (2012)This film really impressed me when I first saw it. Structurally it shares a lot with
THE RAID: REDEMPTION, but at the same time it manages to completely capture the characters and setting of the universe of Judge Dredd. It got largely overlooked due to a mediocre marketing campaign and poor timing at the box office. It's a perfect Marathon movie, though, and an extremely good choice for a recent title.
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)Ah, John Carpenter's classic dystopian commentary on freedom in society. Back in the days when you actually had to be an expert to shoot 35mm at night, Dean Cundey shot much of this in the burned out burroughs of St. Louis and demonstrated his mastery of celluloid and night shooting. Certainly one of a long series of successful collaborations between Carpenter and Kurt Russell, it's as watchable, exciting, and enjoyable now as it was the day it was released.
INTERMISSION VIDEOSApologies to all if the Intermission video didn't seem very well planned. Thanks to some last-minute DCP work, a crash course in new video editing software, and a trip the weekend before the Marathon, I found myself overly pressed for time and unable to really work out the kinks. Plus, this year was somewhat experimental, my first time working with audio and video both, so please consider the breaktime entertainment to be very much a work in progress. Much of the next year will be spent improving the offering.
THANKSI'm still too tired to properly do everyone justice who needs thanking for the Marathon. All the obvious players, Bruce, Joe, Jen Chapman, Kevin Rouch, Kevin Carr, Anna, Epic Loot Games (Scott and his crew), all the Drexel staff, Tim and his crew, and all the table volunteers and support staff whose names never did imprint on my few remaining brain cells. I'm missing quite a few people I'm sure, but the brain is still too foggy.
Seriously, this was absolutely one of my favorite Marathons ever and I can't thank everyone enough for it.
THIS SPACE FOR RENTWatch for me to set up the Archives at
http://www.scifimarathon.com in the next few days with pictures that I (and Joe) took during the event, scans of the program and other materials, and of course keep an eye out for an update to the Hall of Marathonia as well.
Know, Marathoids that Bruce and Joe are already at work on this year's Horror and next year's Sci-Fi ... so there's plenty more to look forward to in the coming months. Stay tuned here for further developments. I see plans within plans; I see two great houses feuding ... House Atreides, House Harkonnen ... I see YOU behind it.