The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 8:38 am 
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Wow, kind of surprised that this hasn't been done but here goes...

As always, this was a great time and event. It’s always nice to see familiar faces and Joe and Bruce, again, put on a tremendous event. This probably was the most efficient and smooth ‘Thon I can remember since I started attending in 2004. The lineup was great, sans one flick, and the schedule worked really well. The only down side was that the group I was with, unfortunately, sat across the aisle from the loud cruncher. In order, this individual ate a large popcorn, a bag of chips, a bag of Doritos and then doubled down on another large popcorn. At first, we were annoyed but then we sort started to applaud the eating feat…Anyway, on to the movies.

Silence of the Lambs – Can’t say what’s already been about this movie. It was great to finally see it on the big screen and of course it did not disappoint. For all the accolades Foster and Hopkins get (which is very much deserved), Ted Levine’s portrayal of Buffalo Bill, steals the show with a much underrated performance.

The Cat People – Admittedly, I fell asleep during the first half but sort of wish I would’ve slept through the entirety of the flick. I’m a big fan of the older, monster flicks but this played out like day time television to me.

Replace – I liked this but didn’t love it. I really like the metaphorical undertone of our continued search for the fountain of youth and the risk to give up your entire past to seek a new future. Did anyone catch the subtle jab at the elderly and technology, with Kira being this young, attractive millennial using a flip phone? I couldn’t help but chuckle because, my dad is 72, and used a flip phone up until his 70th birthday.

Martin – “NOSFERATU”…I told a friend that, sometimes Romero’s films play out like a morbid after school special and Martin was no different. From the music to pacing, I was waiting for someone to tell me that “drugs are bad, mmmkay.” I really liked this and I’m glad I got to experience with the ‘Thon crowd.

Creepshow – A total classic. Funny, scary, absurd…basically a perfect anthology flick. I saw this on HBO back in the mid 80’s and from the dad getting his cake, to the roaches billowing out E.G. Marshall’s mouth, Creepshow still holds its own.

Eraserhead – Watched the first half, then fell asleep…prior to falling asleep, I was saying WTF and as I woke up, my friends were still saying, WTF.

Sequence Break – Definitely a tip of the cap to Cronenberg but it failed miserably in its delivery. I had very little interest in the story and had no connection to any character.
Phenomena – Unfortunately, I slept through this but heard a lot of screaming, that eventually woke me up to a chimpanzee slashing a woman’s face.

The Funhouse – a.k.a. Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the Carnival. I don’t know why I like this movie because it’s really not all that great. Maybe I just have an affinity for creepy carny folk.

The Gate – “you got demons.” I think I’ve watched this movie about a thousand times. This was always on HBO and I never missed it but looking back, wow what a weird flick. Very cartoonish with odd dialogue. Seriously though, how can you not know you’re dancing with a dead dog?

Society – Sooooooo much squishing, why did Yuzna bet all his chips on the squishing?!?! This was enjoyable and the rich literally feeding off the lower class was nice touch, I just hope all future shunting parties play out like it did in Society.

Near Dark – this was my moment to get home and catch up on some projects and sleep. I left after about 20 minutes. For some reason or another, I’m just not a fan of Near Dark.

There you have it, WF’s short recap. On a related note, Joe I have 1.5 year old who, when the time comes, and at the right age, she’ll be attending the ‘Thon with me. Granted that won’t be for some time but rest assured, she’s be groomed to be a future ‘Thonner.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 12:29 pm 
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I'll agree that this event was indeed extremely smooth and efficient. I can think of no major issues, and I'd say Joe and Bruce and Co did a great job overall. (Actually I just thought of one thing to complain about, but I'll start a separate thread for that. Not a major issue or anything, just a minor thing that might be worth it's own thread.)

I think I'll try ranking the movies this time in order of my favorites.

Near Dark - What can I say, I love this movie. A great ending to a great event. The whole style, the whole middle America after dark vibe, the incredible cast, this is honestly one of my favorite movies of all time, and I say that as someone (like many here) who has seen a lot of movies.

Silence of the Lambs - It had been so long since I'd seen this. (Last century.) What a great way to start the marathon with a massively high quality flick. I wouldn't exactly say I forgot how good it was, but I'll say that I'm glad I was reminded of just what made it so good. Strong characters with such a good story.

Martin - Okay, I was completely new to this movie, and it blew me away. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting this. Such quirky characters, Martin was amazing. A reluctant delinquent? I loved meeting all the various housewives (even the one old lady who scolded Martin for being lazy). Great setting. Very real.

Replace - Definitely my favorite of the two premieres. Very well filmed and very enjoyable to look at. Pretty effective body horror too, as I heard numerous gasps coming from the audience at some of the peeling scenes. Even if the story itself was fairly easy to guess after 5 minutes, I quite enjoyed the trip all the way through to the end. Big thumbs up!

Phenomena - Oh boy, was I glad we saw this one, because I loved it. In fact maybe I should even rank this higher. I've always been fond of Jennifer Connelly, and this movie did not disappoint. And the filming locations were simply gorgeous. Holy crap, the Alps! And that ending, wow, that's not something that you see in every movie. Thanks for showing this, as I don't think I had ever heard of this one before. (Or at least if I did I assumed it was nothing worthy and forgot about it 5 seconds later.)

Creepshow - Great movie, and if it had been new to me, I might have ranked it a bit higher. Still very rewatchable, with some very memorable stories. Suffice it to say, it was raining cockroaches where I was. I don't know how many folks were on the receiving end of those, it may have just been around my section. When I caught the little movement flying down against the backdrop of the bright movie screen, I immediately knew they were fake roaches, and that secure knowledge was the only thing that kept me from running from my seat screaming. I HATE roaches! (Most creepy crawly things actually.) I was a little concerned about that announced "event" that was scheduled for the Drexel 2 hours after we left. I hope those fake roaches didn't pop up and cause too much trouble for the other patrons.

Society - I had never seen this one before, so I'm glad it was brought back. Isn't it great how something made for the sensibilities of the time still seems to fit perfectly today? Fun movie that I really enjoyed.

The Gate - Nice little simple movie. It has it's charms, the best being the cast full of non-adults. Certainly a rarity among horror movies. (And nothing at all like Something Wicked This Way Comes.)

The Funhouse - I had low hopes for this one, and that may have helped me enjoy it more because I really didn't think it was all that bad. I simple little fun slasher. Nothing brilliant, but more than watchable. Oh yeah, and now that I typed that word, I just remembered that one crazy lady who warned folks in the bathroom. Simple little characters like that can add so much to a movie, can't they?

The Cat People - Well this one wasn't exactly genius level, but it had a few nice elements. Fun to see the 1950's expectations of married life as portrayed on the big screen. Very G-rated. The Cat lady did a pretty good job of acting like someone fighting against a monster inside of her while growing ever more wary of her husband's faithfulness. As you'd expect, the random meow's from the audience were among the highlights of the movie.

Sequence Break - This one just didn't quite work, did it? Oh well, I'll always vote in favor of trying new premieres anyway, you can't spot the winners if you don't even look. I actually liked the actors and characters and even the romance, but the story as a whole just didn't engage.

Eraserhead - Okay, I'll admit that I have tried to watch this movie in the past, and I have never made it more than halfway through. I've just never been in the right mood or something. I don't know why. If this was being shown first, I may have attempted it, but as it was, this was a perfect time for a nap and I knew it. So I slept through 80-90% of it. One of these years, I'll actually watch it though. I'll probably even like it.


Note: the above may not be a strict ranking, but in general, I'd at least say it's relatively close to how I feel about each of the movies. As always, just about every film was a winner.

Oh yeah, and how in the world does a hot chick in a bikini not win the costume contest? That shocked me. The only thing I can think of is that some folks were actually listening to Joe's little Weinstein talk before the event kicked off. It's funny. After hearing that and being very aware of it, I was spotting all sorts of possibly offensive or exploitative scenes in movie after movie.

Of all the movies this year, the two I'd most want to watch again with some of my other horror buddies would be Martin and Phenomena. It's always fun to discover something at a marathon and then share it with other folks, and I'd love to see those again.

Overall a great lineup. Very impressive following up from the 5-film winner you guys served up back in August. The lines didn't seem that bad, at least when I was standing in them.

I think you guys are actually good at this.

See you guys in a few months for sci-fi!


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 11:05 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:14 pm
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I hope these two posts aren't indicitive of the reception CAT PEOPLE got. One of the cornerstones of the entire horror genre. :cry:

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Long Live the Orson Welles Cinemas


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 5:40 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:16 am
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Location: Toledo
L.A. Connection wrote:
I hope these two posts aren't indicitive of the reception CAT PEOPLE got. One of the cornerstones of the entire horror genre. :cry:

Looking back at it after extra reflection, I can see a lot of class and suspense. Some of the stalking scenes were great.

But having never seen it before, it may not have been flattering to watch it immediately after Silence of the Lambs.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 7:13 am 
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Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:29 am
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cleazer wrote:
L.A. Connection wrote:
But having never seen it before, it may not have been flattering to watch it immediately after Silence of the Lambs.


Exactly this...for what I did see (which was probably the last half) there were great moments of suspense. Didn't say I didn't like it, it just felt like an episode of Days of Our Lives


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