dave@cylixd.UUCP (Dave Kirby) (09/25/85)
In article <5346@mit-eddie.UUCP> barmar@mit-eddie.UUCP (Barry Margolin) writes: >"Plan 9 from Outer Space" will be shown next Friday, Sept 27, at 2am EDT >A camp classic, arguably the worst movie ever made, famous for its inane >dialogue, specious [sic] effects and Bela Lugosi's disappearance in >mid-story (he died during filming). Lyle Talbot. Sounds like a definite candidate for the "totally bad movie" list. Is there anything good to be said about this film? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dave Kirby ( ...!ihnp4!akgub!cylixd!dave) (The views expressed herein are the exclusive property of Dave Kirby. Anyone sharing these views will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law.)
bl@hplabsb.UUCP (09/27/85)
> Sounds like a definite candidate for the "totally bad movie" list. > Is there anything good to be said about this film? Yes, it has an ending :-) I saw this movie a couple of years ago on the Friday late late night Creature Feature. Before starting the movie, the host was most apologetic about its quality. He was right! It was the only television show I can remember watching where one tolorated watching the show just to enjoy the commercials.
karn@petrus.UUCP (Phil R. Karn) (09/29/85)
> >"Plan 9 from Outer Space" will be shown next Friday, Sept 27, at 2am EDT > Sounds like a definite candidate for the "totally bad movie" list. > Is there anything good to be said about this film? Having recently been "initiated" into the Plan Nine camp due to the aforementioned showing, I've concluded that there definitely needs to be a special "it's-so-bad-it's-good" category in the film ratings. The dialogue delivery (especially that of the narrator and of the incredibly pompous alien commander) is so hilariously campy and inept that it's hard to believe it wasn't done intentionally. This movie does to science fiction what "Springtime For Hitler" (from the movie "The Producers") did for Broadway musicals. A must-have in any Sci-Fi buff's tape library, since as Leonard Maltin says: "So mesmerizingly awful it actually improves (so to speak) with each viewing. And remember: it's all based on sworn testimony!" I've suggested to Lauren Weinstein that he sponsor an "Eddie Wood Film Festival" at the next USENIX meeting. "You are all so...STUPID!!" Phil
lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) (09/29/85)
Actually, I've already shown "Plan 9" at one of my local L.A. film festivals, and also at a party following a Usenix some years ago. Most of Eddie Wood's other works can't really compare, though I haven't yet gotten around to seeing all of "Glen or Glenda?" (where Ed himself plays a transvestite) so I can't be totally sure "Plan 9" is the, uh, "best." You pick up lots of nice details from these films when you show them in 16mm. For example, I first noticed the blinking highway warning light on the desk of the alien commander during one of my 16mm screenings. The "narrator" of "Plan 9" (and some of Ed's other works) was of course the infamous "Criswell" -- a "futurist" who wrote lots of books with 99.99% WRONG predictions. I've seen some of them, they are incredibly amusing. But note that both Criswell and Ed were SERIOUS about these films. Ed was a flying saucer buff, and thought that "Plan 9" was making a serious anti-war statement. Several of the (still living, of course) "Plan 9" stars have appeared locally at "Plan 9" screenings and have strongly stated that they did NOT think it was a spoof when they did it! I tried to get Criswell to come out to one of my film fests (I always try to get one or two guest stars--sometime I'll tell you about the time Rocky the Flying Squirrel was leaving messages on my answering machine regarding my "Jay Ward" film fest). Unfortunately, Criswell had already died. I also wanted Hans Conried for my "Dr. T" film fest, but he also is no longer with the living. Unless I start resorting to resurrecting the dead (and interesting project) I'm going to have to try get to some of these people faster or I'm going to run out of guests. Wait until you see what I have planned for my "Outer Limits" film fest here in L.A.! I found some live ones for this one... --Lauren-- [Exercise for readers: Why is "Plan 9" like Usenet?]
terryl@tekcrl.UUCP () (10/02/85)
> Actually, I've already shown "Plan 9" at one of my local L.A. film > festivals, and also at a party following a Usenix some years ago. > Most of Eddie Wood's other works can't really compare, though I haven't > yet gotten around to seeing all of "Glen or Glenda?" (where Ed himself > plays a transvestite) so I can't be totally sure "Plan 9" is the, > uh, "best." Gee, it's really hard to pick, but I'd have to say "Plan 9" was a little "better" than "Glen or Glenda", even if it(Plan 9) was meant as a serious film!!!! The best part of "Glen or Glenda" was Bela Lugosi's(sp?) narration of the film, along with a couple of scenes of Bela trying to look ferocious, like in his "Dracula" films!!!
daveb@rtech.UUCP (Dave Brower) (10/02/85)
> [Exercise for readers: Why is "Plan 9" like Usenet?]
Because they were both put together out of loose odds and ends by
people who didn't have anything better to do, and came out about
as you'd expect under the circumstances :-)
--
{amdahl|dual|sun|zehntel}\ |"If his brains ran down, how could
{ucbvax|decvax}!mtxinu---->!rtech!daveb |he talk?"
ihnp4!{phoenix|amdahl}___/ |"Happens to people all the time...."kaufman@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (10/03/85)
> Gee, it's really hard to pick, but I'd have to say "Plan 9" was > a little "better" than "Glen or Glenda", even if it(Plan 9) was meant > as a serious film!!!! The best part of "Glen or Glenda" was Bela Lugosi's(sp?) > narration of the film, along with a couple of scenes of Bela trying to > look ferocious, like in his "Dracula" films!!! I had the good (?) fortune to see "Glen or Glenda" and "Plan 9" back to back, and the question of which was worse is still very tough. The highlight of "Glen or Glenda" was not the subject matter or the way it was treated, but rather what appeared inbetween. Footage of stampeding buffalo, rush-hour traffic, and lightning and thunder, the latter stolen from hundreds of B horror films. Meanwhile, the audience would be treated to Ed Wood's tag-team narrator concept, featuring Bela Lugosi's redundant incoherencies. I don't suppose we could lure Kelvin out of retirement to do justice to these films, could we? Ken Kaufman (uiucdcs!kaufman) "Pull the string! Pull the string! Life has begun. A story must be told."