Jett & I are happy to announce that once again to be in each other’s presence, this time for the Escapism Film Fest in The Film Talk’s second headquarters of the Triangle area in North Carolina.
If you’re a regular listener you’ll know that my love of cinema was catalysed at the impressionable age of 4, when my dad took my brother and I to see the darkest film ever released by Disney, ‘The Black Hole’. I was utterly captivated by the scope of the images – the spaceship might just be the biggest spaceship in the movies; for some reason the old character actors already seemed familiar, even though it was the first time I ever saw them; and I knew there was something dramatic going on, even if I couldn’t quite understand the metaphysical proposals that result in [SPOILER AHOY] the mad evil scientist played by Maximillian Schell becoming possessed by the spirit (and the body) of his hench-robot, the imaginatively named ‘Maximillian’. The script’s not up to much, but the whole thing looks magnificent; thirty years after I first saw ‘The Black Hole’, it has an irreplaceably special place in my heart, along with the adventures of Marty McFly, Clark Kent, the pirate-treasure seekers of Astoria, Oregon, and the other cinematic fantasy figures whom I connected with first by seeing them on screen, and spent much of the years 1983-1989 trying to recapture by listening to the soundtrack albums.
So thank God that the Carolina Theatre in Durham is screening these and other pictures of memory next weekend, in its glorious old and cavernous in all the best ways large screen, along with so many of the films that shaped me as a child that I can assume the programmers at the theatre were reading my diary. Jett and I will be covering the Escapism Film Festival in person – and if you’re anywhere nearby, please join us for the opportunity to see Superman, Back to the Future, Dr Strangelove, The Goonies, Return to Oz, and the camp classic with Topol’s second greatest screen performance ‘Flash Gordon’. We’d love to see you – there are sure to be some surprises, which may even include Jett enjoying some of the films.
Oh boy guys, how I'd love to be there with you. Many of the films on your list are childhood favourites of mine too. You'll have to let us know which ones have stood the test of time.
I have been known to use the film club that I run for my pupils as an excuse to delve into my cinematic past (which is not to say that the kids don't have fun too!) This week we watched Superman 2. It was the first time I must have seen it in 20 years. Whilst the effects didn't hold up well, the performances did. Reeve was so good, especially as Clark and Terrance Stamp hams it up beautifully. Happy memories.
My girlfriend and I have decided (rather abruptly) to drive down this Saturday and catch a few films at the Festival.
We are particularly interested in seeing 'The Black Hole'. The Professor is not the only person with childhood nostalgia for that film. As luck would have it, my girlfriend and I both saw the film in its first run as children, and neither of us have seen the film since then, in any format. Revisiting the film now, 30 years later, should be an interesting experience.
We also hope that Messrs. Loe and Higgins will be covering the event during Saturday. We would sincerely appreciate an opportunity to shake hands and say “hello.” Considering the uncertain future of the show, I fear this may be our last opportunity to meet you guys in person.
We'll be there Saturday :) Gareth and I should be there for The Black Hole, (a film that looks great…the script, alas, is another matter ;)
My girlfriend and I have decided (rather abruptly) to drive down this Saturday and catch a few films at the Festival.
We are particularly interested in seeing 'The Black Hole'. The Professor is not the only person with childhood nostalgia for that film. As luck would have it, my girlfriend and I both saw the film in its first run as children, and neither of us have seen the film since then, in any format. Revisiting the film now, 30 years later, should be an interesting experience.
We also hope that Messrs. Loe and Higgins will be covering the event during Saturday. We would sincerely appreciate an opportunity to shake hands and say “hello.” Considering the uncertain future of the show, I fear this may be our last opportunity to meet you guys in person.
We'll be there Saturday :) Gareth and I should be there for The Black Hole, (a film that looks great…the script, alas, is another matter ;)
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