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That moment when you realize ...

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
I'm sure that everyone here has had a similar experience: you're having a conversation with someone who purports to be a real coaster enthusiast, but at some point in the conversation it becomes evident that this person hasn't seen the 1977 film _Rollercoaster_ and the façade comes crashing down.

This raises an interesting philosophical question: Could there be some point at which a person rides enough coasters (assumedly, it would have to be in the thousands) so as to eventually *compensate* for this egregious deficit and become an honorary 'enthusiast' in some sense, or is this sort of lacuna simply an unbridgeable chasm?
 

nadroJ

CF Legend
I've never seen it and honestly hadn't heard of it until this post. And I have a Film Degree.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

davidm

Strata Poster
It's available on Netflix
US Netflix maybe, not in the UK tho' :(

Anyway, always a good excuse to post a picture of my living room wall :)
34057606322_ebe7832e33_c.jpg
 

Sandman

Giga Poster
I think to have watched the film Rollercoaster as a rite of passage into coaster enthusiasm is a bit of an outsider stereotype. It's something my mum would have expected me to have seen because I happen to enjoy riding rollercoasters, but the narrative of the film has little to no relevance in that, so it doesn't interest me (I've coincidentally seen the film). I'd happily watch coaster documentaries though, but I draw the line at Coaster Wars. That is one hell of a naff show.
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
I've never seen it and honestly hadn't heard of it until this post. And I have a Film Degree.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Aw. I can appreciate what a difficult day this must be for you -- when your erstwhile expertise in two areas is suddenly exposed as a charade. Stay strong.





;)
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
I think to have watched the film Rollercoaster as a rite of passage into coaster enthusiasm is a bit of an outsider stereotype. It's something my mum would have expected me to have seen because I happen to enjoy riding rollercoasters, but the narrative of the film has little to no relevance in that, so it doesn't interest me (I've coincidentally seen the film). I'd happily watch coaster documentaries though, but I draw the line at Coaster Wars. That is one hell of a naff show.
Outsider stereotype of coaster fans? Hardly, given that it's a mediocre film completely lost to history now, EXCEPT for those with a taste for B-movie disaster/psycho-killer films or for coaster fans who are nostalgic for the old coasters and parks featured.
 

davidm

Strata Poster
Yeah its not a great movie by any stretch - feeding on the 1970s disaster-movie genre (random disaster(s) occur, few Hollywood A-list names tangentially involved (Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda in this case, just paying the bill$) - but for a coaster geek there some great scenes in the parks. Everyone remembers the climax at Magic Mountain, but theres more of Kings Dominion in it I think.
Recall watching it late night on ITV as a kid a few times, perhaps it even contributed to my goon-ness?
My DVD copy is a bit crap though as its mono only (film was actually made in some special sound system so is a bit annoying that this didn't make its way onto the DVD :( )
</goon>
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
Yeah its not a great movie by any stretch - feeding on the 1970s disaster-movie genre (random disaster(s) occur, few Hollywood A-list names tangentially involved (Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda in this case, just paying the bill$) - but for a coaster geek there some great scenes in the parks. Everyone remembers the climax at Magic Mountain, but theres more of Kings Dominion in it I think.
Recall watching it late night on ITV as a kid a few times, perhaps it even contributed to my goon-ness?
My DVD copy is a bit crap though as its mono only (film was actually made in some special sound system so is a bit annoying that this didn't make its way onto the DVD :( )
</goon>
Yes, King's Dominion has an extended sequence (complete with the original singing mushrooms, a Rebel Yell ride, and much more). Magic Mountain is the culmination. And the first park featured is Ocean View, in Norfolk, Virginia, a park that closed very soon after, so the movie is one of the only ways to see its much-loved wooden coaster The Rocket.
 

Thekingin64

Strata Poster
Never seen the film (or even heard of it till now) but have read the first chapter of this book:


Book's blurb said:
What happens to amusement park rides once they are put into storage or destroyed? They are magically transported to a place known as Amusement Park Between, a park that coexists within any other and is only accessible by those who are of its blood. There are no limits and no humans. The only residents are the rides. However, they are much different from our kind. Amusement Park Between's rides are alive, having both the characteristics of man and beast. Amusement Park Between was once merry and joyous, but for the past several years, it has spiraled into turmoil. An evil tyrant known as Ironwheel has taken control, casting a dark shadow over Amusement Park Between, his evil intentions endangering both their world and our own. The rides' only hope is the key to their prophecy: the red will defeat the black. That particular key is the only ride that was created differently: Railrunner, the red roller coaster. This is his story.

Probably the worst book I've ever read though...
 

Sandman

Giga Poster
Outsider stereotype of coaster fans? Hardly, given that it's a mediocre film completely lost to history now, EXCEPT for those with a taste for B-movie disaster/psycho-killer films or for coaster fans who are nostalgic for the old coasters and parks featured.

B-movie is a fairly popular cult genre nowadays. I'm not saying it is literally a stereotype, but it seems like one (to assume enthusiasts have watched a movie purely because of it's setting). That said, I do think WestWorld is one of those films that appeals to me both narratively and as an enthusiast. Still need to check out the TV series, though.
 

nadroJ

CF Legend
Aw. I can appreciate what a difficult day this must be for you -- when your erstwhile expertise in two areas is suddenly exposed as a charade. Stay strong.





;)
You're very wordy aren't you ;D

And I'll have to watch, actually sounds right up my street!

*Hmm, scratch that. It's rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. That'll explain why I haven't seen it, I don't usually watch crap!
 

Will

Strata Poster
I remember watching this years ago at my Grandma's house.
It's not exactly a classic and the comparison with Hitchcock on the DVD cover is frankly offensive, but it DOES have Sparks in, which rather makes up for it.
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
You're very wordy aren't you ;D

And I'll have to watch, actually sounds right up my street!

*Hmm, scratch that. It's rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. That'll explain why I haven't seen it, I don't usually watch crap!
The verbosity was just part of the pseudo-serious, hyperbolic schtick I was doing (yeah, sometimes I just amuse myself).

As for the movie being rotten, if I tried to speak objectively, I'd say it's not a bad film. It's amusing in its self-importance at times, so that's as close as it gets to campy, but it's not a bad movie. I think it's a mediocre film.

Speaking subjectively, though, I love this movie, mostly because it's drenched in nostalgia for me, but I also think it could be fun for a first-time viewer just because it's a time capsule of 70s coaster culture, with great shots of Kings Dominion and Magic Mountain. Also, a young Timothy Bottoms looks remarkably like George W. Bush at times, which adds another fun element to his terrorist designs.
 

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
As an ACE member, this movie is kind of the reason the coaster community is even around today so it certainly had some impact on enthusiasm as a hobby. I've seen the end of it and thought it was cheesy (though seeing SFMM and Revolution before all the trees grew in was kind of freaky in a cool way) but every coaster enthusiast ever, to some extent, owes something to that movie. ACE is kind of the thing that started coaster enthusiasm in general, and that film was responsible for its creation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Coaster_Enthusiasts
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
As an ACE member, this movie is kind of the reason the coaster community is even around today so it certainly had some impact on enthusiasm as a hobby. I've seen the end of it and thought it was cheesy (though seeing SFMM and Revolution before all the trees grew in was kind of freaky in a cool way) but every coaster enthusiast ever, to some extent, owes something to that movie. ACE is kind of the thing that started coaster enthusiasm in general, and that film was responsible for its creation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Coaster_Enthusiasts
I didn't know this movie played a role in the founding of ACE. This information makes me very happy.
 
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