#SF48 Post Mortem

    And the last post of this years Thon, SF48, starts with a picture of Garen and team doing the wrap up prior to our last film, with thank yous to the many folks who make the Thon possible, and with a call for volunteers, as they will start planning in the next few weeks for next year’s marathon. The gang this year included a new neighbor and his friend, and a regularly attending neighbor and his first time attending friend. Word has it that all newbies enjoyed themselves, and at least one will be back and plans to bring more friends.

    I kept my exercise tracking streak, including getting enough activity to donate free meals via the Vizer app, and my over a year streak in Run Across America. How, you say, if I am sitting in a theater for 24 hours? By parking at the Alewife T station, and walking the two kilometers to Davis Square. I got there about half an hour later than I had planned, due to having to do my food shopping on the way in, and I still got to the line in about the same place I usually end up in. I didn’t have to stand there long before it started moving, which seemed early based on an 11am opening. I was reminded of one of the benefits of arriving early, besides having a better chance to get good seats, which is getting a goodie packet. Oh yeah, here’s a pic of what I got.

    Let’s talk food for a bit. I had noticed earlier in the week a hankering for some baby shrimp at the marathon, and had considered getting take out from an all you can eat buffet. I generally just stick with my usuals, as noted in previous posts, and haven’t really thought about anything else, though I have looked fondly back to the first couple times I went with my brother-in-law, and we got hamentashen. Since I had planned to take my aunt out to an all you can eat buffet on Saturday, it seemed it would be easy to grab some shrimp while there. I also thought about whether packing them in and eating them at room temp might be less enjoyable than my stomach was thinkinbg, and I had plenty at the buffet, so I dropped that idea. Also, Friday night my wife made me seafood stew, which had plenty of leftovers, so I ended up finding an old soup thermos, and packing some of the seafood stew for the Thon. And yes, by the time I got to it, it was room temp, though still yummy, and with shrimp. As I planned out my usual array of sandwiches and snacks, I got worried that I had too much bread and bagels to eat before they got moldy, and that making my own bread as I always do might not make sense. I checked with my daughter to see if she would have some of my bread, and as she said yes, I went ahead and made it. I only made two sandwiches instead of my usual three, brought a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, and a plain sesame bagel. Naturally I also brought plain and sour cream and onion Pringles, Sun Chips, a couple apples, a couple plums, a couple nectarines, two flavors of Naked juice, Cashew sweet and salty bars, and grapes, all regulars of my Thon menu. Oh yeah, and I have made it a habit of buying the leftover pizza at my local roller skating rink when I skate there, and since I did that on Saturday, I had pizza on hand, and brought some to the Thon. As always, I had more food than I needed, and I figure that is better than being hungry. I ended up eating the pizza, half of each sandwich, most of the Pringles, three sweet and salty bars, a plum, a nectarine, water, both Naked juices, and grapes. I was disappointed that I had forgotten to pack the Pureo giant vegan oreo like cookie, as I really had a desire for just that kind of sweet thing during the Thon, and the sweet and salty bars were just not filling that gap.

    While I like live blogging the Thon, have done it for many years now, and feel like it helps me keep awake and engaged more than I might otherwise be, I think for next year I need to at least do some of the prep I have considered in the past, like starting drafts for each movie and event before hand. This was really driven home as a result of something that happened a few days after the Thon. The first movie of the Thon was Stargate, and my daughter, my wife, and I had watched the first 7 seasons of the TV series, though my wife had never seen the movie, so I suggested she should. And the three of us did, even though I had just seen it. As the opening credits start, my daughter says she thinks it starts with Ra’s ship, and I am convinced it doesn’t, as I just saw it. She is right of course, and a couple other short scenes and items seem new to me. This is when I realize that my live blogging does mean that I may miss things in movies, as I try to catch up, and sometimes struggle with the less than ideal input mechanisms I use. So next year, I need to prep my blogs before hand, and consider other ways to make it smoother, so I avoid blogging during the films.

    The renovations to the Somerville Theater are very nice, and being able to see films, many in 35mm, on a big screen, makes this more fun and meaningful than sitting at home watching on our big flat panel TV. As is always the case, there were people with sleeping bags out on the hall floor snoozing away in the wee hours, and plenty of audience engagement, including making chicken noises throughout the Thon, after the scene in Stargate where Daniel emphasizes that the lizard like animal tasks like chicken by clucking. Rice Chex / Wheat Chex vocal competitions abound, and this year ‘door / thank you’ were also favorites. As noted previously, I have my ticket for next year, and hopefully by then I will have built a whole blue ray gun from the partially functional ones I have. See you then. ^_^

#SF48 Total Recall

    This pic from the last film of the 48th annual Boston Science Fiction Marathon is Doug Quaid before he has much of any recall, much less total. This is an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, which means it has a basic plot, lots of action, corny one liners, and a happy ending. Not the greatest film to end a Thon on, and not the worst. For more films, you’ll have to wait until next year. ^_^

#SF48 Alien

    Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gal. Space Balls reference for Mel Brooks fans. Yes, this the first of the Alien movies, and for first time viewers the most suspenseful. This is another sci fi classic, with at least one scene well known by the general public. More recent films in the franchise have not lived up to this film. And our last film of sf48 is Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger. ^_^

#SF48 Beyond the Time Barrier

    Well, despite this 50s black and white film moving slowly through a plot of deceptions, I managed to stay awake. Who knew cosmic radiation, due to the dust in the upper atmosphere from all the nuclear bomb tests, could cause a plague. At least some folks were able to escape to colonies on Venus and Mars. Those left behind ended uo sterile, amongst other things. The Doctor Who madlibs was hard to make out, so maybe having it earlier would be better. Scary stuff, enough to scare Adam and Jeff home, coming up with Alien. ^_^

#SF48 Uforia

    Fred Ward is picking up few things, and will shortly meet Cindy. This is a film that took a number of years to get released, and has limited availability. It is a fun look at relationships, money making schemes, and belief. Up next, a 50s film, Beyond the Time Barrier. ^_^

#SF48 Paper Airplane Contest

    This is a classic event that took a break for a few years, and came back a couple years back. Our three participants showed off style a distance, with the fellow in the middle gettting the most applause for his long throw. ^_^

#SF48 Le Jetee

    Another ‘great’ choice for a film to keep you awake, not. It is certainly unique, being in French with English subtitles, and being a series of black and white stills stepped through while a narrator tells the story. It seemed like an interesting film, though not at this time of night. Moving on to Fred Ward and Cindy Williams in Uforia. ^_^

#SF48 Atomic Fireball Challenge

    Time for another audience participation activity, this time for those with a high tolerance for mouth pain. From my experience, the Atomic Fireball Challenge is a recent addition to the Thon. Of this large selection of challengers, one dropped out, and the rest were awarded az winners. Congrats all. ^_^

#SF48 Future Kill

    Ooops, I forgot to take a picture of this odd film about frat boys making a poor choice to go to a section of town with people protesting nuclear research by painting themselves like mutants, oh and the violent psycho who is pisssd at being damaged in a nuclear accident, or something like that. You didn’t miss much. It is sleepy time of the day, and they aren’t helping with their choice of films. La Jetee is next. ^_^

#SF48 Tim Foil Hat contest

    Lest you think I missed the Tin Foil Hat contest, fear not. Chatting, blogging, and buying tickets have only delayed my post. As you can see, there were only three contestants, and the applause-o-meter indicated an audience preference for the right most contestant. There is a paper airplane contest planned for later. Our next movie? Future Kill, which may be hard to stay awake for. Zzzzzz ^_^

#SF48 Godzilla

    Man, black and white underwater scenes can really be hard to stay awake during, particularly with no subtitles. Nevertheless this is a classic sci fi movie, and will surely be back at a future Thon. Ken and I had some challenges using Venmo to buy tickets for next year, though I succeeded for both of us. Speaking of Ken, he and Phil hit the road at the start of Godzilla, and Adam was asking about where to nap, so they will be here for a while longer. ^_^

#SF48 Bill & Ted Face the Music

    Bill and Ted in the future. If you aren’t faniliar with the Bill and Ted movies, I wouldn’t be surprised, as they are not high art, or even good movies. Rather on the silly side, and don’t even think about following the time travel. Still no word on what might fill the sliding gap in the schedule due to a bad disk. The next movie in our schedule is Godzilla, the original in Japanese. I may need caffeine before it is over. ^_^

#SF48 Back to the Future 2

    Marty McFly tries to raise Doc Brown on his walkie talkie, as the cliff hanger ending to this sequel leaves us waiting for the third and final film in this series. I enjoy the Back to the Future movies, and having not seen the second and third movies in a while, I should plan to see the third now.

    We have been told that the disk for “Happy Accident” is bad, so next up will be Bill & Ted Face the Music. ^_^

#SF48 After Yang

    This is a recent film, in a possible future, and a family’s relationship with their robot, seen in the picture above. I don’t want to spoil anything, and I found it quite enjoyable, so check it out when you get a chance. Getting back to one of this year’s themes, Back to the Future 2 is up next. ^_^

#SF48 Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines

    If you are looking for non-stop destruction action, then like the other Terminator movies, you get it with this one as well. A female next gen robot comes back in time to take out future John Connor’s team, since they lost track of him. And Arnold comes back to protect John Connor and his future wife. Much like the Fast and Furious franchise, trying to out do the mayhem and destruction in subsequent movies gets harder each time. As we continue our science fiction journey, we get to see a new film, After Yang. ^_^

#SF48 Escape from the Planet of the Apes

    One in a series of sequels to the original Planet of the Apes, with some chimpanzees returning to the late 70s, somehow traveling back through time in one of the original human space ships. They remain silent for fear of what may happen to them if their knowledge of the future becomes known, which turns out to be right on target. There is an opening for a sequel obviously. Roddy McDowell and Kim Hunter as the proud parents, and a “bad guy” science advisor, it is clearly reflective of when it was made. Next up, Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines, with Arnold. ^_^

#SF48 Stargate

    My family and I have watched and enjoyed the Stargate TV series, though my wife has yet to see the movie, and it has been a while since I have seen it. I was curious to see any differences, and I did see a few. The characters were pretty close, and the series followed the movie well. Traveling across galaxies through a worm hole with affects like a Doctor Who opening scene makes visiting other planets easy, though it is a bit sus science wise. ^_^

#SF48 But first

    You can’t start a Boston Science Fiction Marathon without Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century, which many folks know word for word. Adam and his friend Jeff, are newbies, and are learning some of the rituals as we go along. I introduced them to Rice Chex / Wheat Chex, which they quickly joined. Now it’s time for Stargate. Been a while, though I have watched the series not too long ago. ^_^

#SF48 We Are Off

Ken & Phil

    The films are off to a late start, as there have been several additional items, including an extended memorial for Doug Trumbal, as well as an interesting short from earlier in the festival, Esosphere, and a thank you from the producer of the short. We had a karaoke of the Flash movie theme and during intros, Garen noted there is a documentary being done on the Thon, so we should share our stories. And we have Stargate kicking us off. ^_^

#SF48 Arrival … At the line

The line at the Thon

    As you can see, I have arrived at the line for the Thon, about 30 minutes later than I had planned, and yet it is shorter than pre-pandemic lines. After the line started moving and I entered, I found plenty of seating, particularly in the balcony where I usually sit. I blocked out as best I could seating for the three other folks I am expecting, Ken, Adam, and Phil, then headed back down stairs to see if I could get a new ray gun. I have several partially working blue ray guns from previous years, and I seem to have lost my one working one. They did not have the blue ones this year, and sadly the ones they do have are much quieter, and disappointing. I decided not to try and hit the local CVS to get Nantucket Nectars, as I am unsure when folks will arrive, and I’m unsure if they have them, as Market Basket did not. ^_^

#SF48 El Line-up

    Pardon the poor play on language in the title, as I am in Barcelona, Spain writing this post, and thought I would mix thngs up. I wasn’t planning to blog from Spain, though now that I think about it, I probably should have considered it. All that said, it is time for the point of this post, which is that the line up for the 48th Boston Science Fiction Marathon has been announced on social media, and though the details of what goes when are still to be determined, there is a lot to look forward to here.

In Memoriam, directed by Dan LeBlanc

On celluloid
Stargate – (35mm)
Escape from Planet of the Apes – (35mm)
Terminator 3 – (35mm)
Uforia – (35mm)
Future Kill – (35mm)
Alien (35mm)
Back to The Future 2 (70mm)

The Sing-a-Along With Perry Persoff
The Tin Foil Hat Contest
The Atomic Fireball Challenge
The Paper Airplane Chase

Happy Accidents
Total Recall
La Jetee
Bill & Ted Face the Music
After Yang
Godzilla (original Japanese version).
Bevond the Time Barrier and some surprises.

    As usual, there are classics, 50s, sequels, and several in 35mm. And the traditional events regulars and newbies alike look forward to, such as the Tin Foil Hat contest, Atomic Fireball Challenge (ouch), singing, and kicking things off, In Memoriam to recognize all those we lost since the last Thon. While I am not in a rush to leave my vacation in Barcelona, I am looking forward to the Thon in a week. ^_^