Arisia is one of the last places you can view real reel-to-real (35 mm)  films. Come enjoy an experience that is vanishing into the mists of time, listen to the sprockets click and the canisters bang as we enlarge the Film room into Harborside Ballroom 3 for Arisia 2013. A guide of what we're showing will be available come December. Want to work with these magnificent old magic boxes and learn how film was shown before digital was invented? Contact us at multimedia@arisia.org for more information.

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Schedule

 

There may be some small changes to the schedule.

 

Friday Afternoon

Fantastic Planet - 4:00pm

This is the classic French animation that takes place in a distant world where Ter, a human slave, escapes from his alien masters with a learning machine, which he begins to use. Is it a metaphor for class struggles, for the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia? Is it just a story that teaches us that knowledge is power? Watch the movie and find out; even if you never decide what it means the magnificent hand-drawn animation is worth the price of admission. Note: this is not the film with the Interociter, you missed that one two years ago.

In 16mm, 1 hr 12 min

Baiknour - 6:00pm Alexander Asochkov plays the part of a space-obsessed young man in a Kazakh nomad tribe. His family roams the desert, scavenging debris left from space launches at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and he aids them by tracking them as they fall on his radio. The law says that ``anything that drops from the sky we can keep'' but when a beautiful French astronaut falls to earth in a space capsule there is a question. In the end, all of his greatest dreams come true, but not the way he expected. Variety calls it a ``Cross-cultural fairy tale'' and it is just that, a science fiction story happening today. Beautifully photographed and magnificently acted, this film hasn't got US distribution so this is the only place you will ever see it.

In 35mm, 1 hr 35 min. Russian with English subtitles

Preceded by Down On the Ground. Mike Stolz grew up during Space Age, living in Florida and watching the world changing around him. This short semi-abstract film shows his impressions of growing up in that place and time.

In 16mm, 1 min.

Man in the White Suit - 8:00pm

Alec Guinness as an eccentric English chemist manages to invent an indestructible fabric but soon discovers both industry and labour are against his innovation for economic reasons. This film is a beautiful little study on social change brought about by technological advancement. Does it hold up after half a century? It does and it doesn't, because society and technology are different. What will they be like in another half-century? This film provides a good jumping-off point for that discussion.

In 16mm, 1 hr 25 min.

The Lost World - 10:00pm

This silent classic is adapted from the Arthur Conan Doyle story in which 19th century adventurers visit a land where prehistoric creatures still roam. The story still holds up today especially in the steampunk world, and you can see constant references to this film in so many later works. The live organ accompaniment from Jeff Rapsis makes it an even better story. This may be the only chance in your life to see this film the way it was originally intended to be shown.

In 16mm, runs 46 min. at 24 fps B&W

Preceded by Films From Worldcon. Do you think you can see all of Chicon 7 in seven minutes? You can't. You can hardly see more than Larry setting up, Marcie tearing down, and a quick glimpse at the Hugos. But you know what? Even a tiny bit of Worldcon is a wonderful thing.

In 16mm B&W, 7 min.

Saturday Morning

Digby: Biggest Dog In the World - 9:00am

A friendly sheepdog accidentally swallows a growth-boosting chemical which a laboratory worker takes from the defense lab where he works in an attempt to grow larger tomatoes. Soon he becomes the size of a battleship, but is stolen by criminals who sell him to a circus. This British production is intended for kids but adults will find it worth watching as well, if only for Spike Milligan's role as the lab manager.

In 16mm, 1 hr. 28 min. Captioned for the hearing-impaired.

Jetsons: Good Little Scout - 10:30am

Scoutmaster George Jetson takes a troop of boy scouts to the moon and gets lost. Hilarity ensues.

In 16mm, 22 minutes without commercials

Panel: Movie Year in Review - 11:00am

Our annual look back at the year in SF, horror, and fantasy film. Our panel of experts will cover every theatrical release of 2012. Find out which ones are worth catching up with. Note: time for audience participation is reserved for the end of our panel's high speed review.

1 hr. 15 min.

Baiknour - 12:30pm

Alexander Asochkov plays the part of a space-obsessed young man in a Kazakh nomad tribe. His family roams the desert, scavenging debris left from space launches at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and he aids them by tracking them as they fall on his radio. The law says that ``anything that drops from the sky we can keep'' but when a beautiful French astronaut falls to earth in a space capsule there is a question. In the end, all of his greatest dreams come true, but not the way he expected. Variety calls it a ``Cross-cultural fairy tale'' and it is just that, a science fiction story happening today. Beautifully photographed and magnificently acted, this film hasn't got US distribution so this is the only place you will ever see it.

In 35mm, 1 hr 35 min. Russian with English subtitles

Preceded by Down On the Ground. Mike Stolz grew up during Space Age, living in Florida and watching the world changing around him. This short semi-abstract film shows his impressions of growing up in that place and time.

In 16mm, 1 min.

John Carter - 2:15pm

Adapted from Burroughs' classic Princess of Mars, this is the gallant tale of a Virginian transplanted to Mars who comes to the aid of a beautiful princess of that lush and boutiful planet. This film did poorly at the box office because nobody knew what it was. Fans know, though, and if you liked the book, you will be pleased with the adaptation. If you didn't read the book, see the film to understand how much it has influenced so much modern SF. ``It's a great film but Disney doesn't know how to sell it,'' says Daniel Kimmel. ``I am not like other men,'' says John Carter. This movie isn't like other summer movies either.

In 35mm Cinemascope. 2 hr 12 min.

Preceded by Mars Briefing. This fan-produced short tells the story of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds from a very different perspective. In Martian with English subtitles.

In 16mm, 6 min. Color by Cinelab.

Crack In the World - 4:45pm

This SF classic involves two scientists fighting over the safety of a geothermal energy project as well as the woman they both love. Dana Andrews and Janette Scott race against time to battle a crack in the earth's crust as it threatens to split the world apart. The special effects were unparalleled for their time and still hold up today, and we have a beautiful Technicolor print.

In 16mm, 1 hr 36 min. Color by Technicolor

Preceded by Bozo and the Space Pirates. Bozo the Clown and his young friend wander into a spaceship, mistaking it for a diner. They are taken to another planet where Bozo explains that he does not "dig that space talk." Do they escape from the grips of spacemen with zap rays? Do they ever get a chocolate malted? Watch this animated short and find out.

In 16mm, B&W, 10 min

The Big Bounce - 6:45pm

This AT&T produced documentary from 1960 details the first manmade communications satellite, Echo. It's got some footage of some details that get neglected today, and some discussion of the future of communications.

In 35mm with amazing Technicolor, 15 min.

NASA Vortex Research - 7:00pm

Aircraft leave a wake behind them just like boats do. Although you can't see the wake, it can cause havoc with other aircraft in the vicinity especially during take-off and landing. NASA has long been doing research into how to reduce wakes and prevent these problems. Film provided by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

In 16mm, 15 min

Closed - 7:15pm-9:00pm

First Spaceship on Venus - 9:00pm

This 1960 East German-Polish co-production is based on a Stanislaw Lem story, and holds up surprisingly well. After alien magnetic media are found in debris left from the Tunguska Meteor, the experimental Kosmostrator spaceship is sent to Venus to investigate the source. With a crew as international as the Enterprise and experts from Japan, America, China, and Africa on board, they find what seems to be an invasion plan. Surprisingly this film is free of heavy-handed propaganda and has effects, sets, and plot that were quite advanced.

In 35mm Anamorphoskop, 1 hr. 33 min

ST:TOS: Space Seed - 10:45pm

Captain Kirk, in an attempt to find someone who can overact even worse than he does, revives Khan Singh, a refugee from the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s who is played by the staggeringly arch Ricardo Montalban. If you have seen Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, you need to watch this to understand all the backstory.

In 16mm, 50 min.

Starship Eros - midnight

In this 1979 classic, aliens from Planet Eros come to earth to experiment sexually on earth people. Soon they learn all kinds of things about Earth, most of which we cannot describe in this program. It is cut from the same cloth as our fine film Star Babe from last year, and is totally inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. People over that age will find it both hilarious and explicit and will remember it for years. Bring an ID because we will be checking them at the door.

In 35mm, 1 hr 20 min.

Sunday Morning

X-15 - 9:00am

This 1961 film shows a look at men going into space almost before there was a space program. The X-15 rocket plane reached an altitude of 67 miles and this somewhat fictionalized film depicts the stories of the pilots and the women who loved them. Charles Bronson, Jimmy Stewart, and Mary Tyler Moore all show up, and the technical accuracy is pretty good thanks to assistance from the Air Force and NASA.

In 16mm, 1 hr. 47 min. Color by Technicolor

Panel: TV Year in Review - 11:00am

A look back at SF, horror and fantasy in 2012 on TV. What were the memorable shows? What are the new ones to watch? Vampires, time travel, super heroes-- what's hot and what's not?

1 hr. 15 min.

The UFO Experience - 12:30pm

A satirical look at the UFO craze of the 1970s, this fan-created film has been in production for twenty years and each year we say we will have the world premiere at Arisia. Well, this year it's finished and the world premiere is here at Arisia. Starring a cast of thousands, many of them well-known fans.

In 16mm, 1 hr. Color by Cinelab

Golgo 13 - 1:30pm

Irresistable to women, unavoidable by his contractees, the mercenary assassin Golgo 13 is one of Osamu Dezaki's anime masterpieces. But can he survive the Snake and the combined forces of the western world when they are out to attack him?

In 35mm, 1 hr. 31 min. Dubbed.

Preceded by Make Me Psychic. In this surrealistic cartoon by Sally Cruikshank, Anita the Duck purchases a Mesmerama machine to develop her psychic powers. Great power doesn't always come with great wisdom and Anita's use of her newfound power as a party trick leads to total disaster. This short subject is worth it just to watch automobiles with tongues.

In 16mm, 15 min

The Electric Grandmother - 4:00pm

In this adaptation of Ray Bradbury's I Sing the Body Electric, a robotic grandmother comes to live with a family to help them over the death of their mother. If only we could have a robot editor to help us over the death of a great writer.

In 16mm, 1 hr.

Classic Trailer Park - 6:00pm

Everybody's favorite event! Ninety minutes of trailers for movies you love, movies you hate, and movies you've never heard of! Once again we reach into the dumpsters behind the movie theatre for the finest trailers possible, old and new.

1 hr. 30 min., In damn near every format made

Looper - 7:30pm

What if there were time machines, and what if the mafia used them to rub out people they wanted to get rid of, in the past? And what if a killer was sent to kill himself? This is one of the finest time travel films to come out in years. Was it this film that recently encouraged the Chinese government to make time travel illegal?

In 35mm Cinemascope, 1 hr 59 min.

John Carter - 9:00pm

Adapted from Burroughs' classic Princess of Mars, this is the gallant tale of a Virginian transplanted to Mars who comes to the aid of a beautiful princess of that lush and boutiful planet. This film did poorly at the box office because nobody knew what it was. Fans know, though, and if you liked the book, you will be pleased with the adaptation. If you didn't read the book, see the film to understand how much it has influenced so much modern SF. ``It's a great film but Disney doesn't know how to sell it,'' says Daniel Kimmel. ``I am not like other men,'' says John Carter. This movie isn't like other summer movies either. Second Showing.

In 35mm Cinemascope. 2 hr 12 min.

Preceded by Mars Briefing. This fan-produced short tells the story of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds from a very different perspective. In Martian with English subtitles.

In 16mm, 6 min. Color by Cinelab.

Fire Monster vs. Son of Hercules - midnight

What's worse than a Japanese monster movie? An Italian one! A tribe of early men, moving south to escape the Ice Age, settle in a valley where they are attacked by cave dwellers who steal all their women (who are all beautiful and have permanent waves). The son of Hercules comes out of nowhere, rescues them, but is held captive until a volcano releases him. He is beautiful and has a permanent wave. He falls in love and helps the valley dwellers in their fight against the cavemen. The eponymous fire monster appears only briefly (in the form of paper mache and rubber puppets) with no connection to the plot. "This is the most sexist movie I have ever seen," says Kathleen Hallahan. This extra-bad movie is sponsored in conjunction with the Institute For Very Bad Cinema. MST3K commentary encouraged.

In 16mm B&W, 1:30 min

Monday Morning

Audience Choice - 9:00am

We will run any of the films listed for this weekend. You must arrive at 9 AM in order to cast your vote. Film will begin promptly at 9:15 after setup and preparation.