Why I'm saving 'Manos: The Hands of Fate'

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Why I'm saving 'Manos: The Hands of Fate'

Josef K. Sourdust: Jul 16, 2014; "To be quite frank, Platinum sucks at making games. Vanquish was terrible and Metal Gear Rising: Revengance was so boring it put me to sleep."

What regions are the BR Manos (and the projected Atomic Brain)? I see that Manos is listed as A/1 (USA) and therefore not European compatible. Is that correct?

# ? Jan 8, 2016 16:55

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 21:18

fishmech: Jul 16, 2006; by VideoGames; Salad Prong

Josef K. Sourdust posted:

What regions are the BR Manos (and the projected Atomic Brain)? I see that Manos is listed as A/1 (USA) and therefore not European compatible. Is that correct?

My Manos blu-ray I got off of Amazon US lists ABC for region, so that's all of 'em, and would work in Europe.

# ? Jan 8, 2016 17:57

Josef K. Sourdust: Jul 16, 2014; "To be quite frank, Platinum sucks at making games. Vanquish was terrible and Metal Gear Rising: Revengance was so boring it put me to sleep."

fishmech posted:

My Manos blu-ray I got off of Amazon US lists ABC for region, so that's all of 'em, and would work in Europe.

Thanks, Fishmech. Amazon lists it as A/1 but as you say, Synapse list it as region-free. So Amazon got it wrong.

# ? Jan 8, 2016 20:57

Dr.Caligari: May 5, 2005; "Here's a big, beautiful avatar for someone"

Just a heads up, the vinyl soundtrack is currently on sale

http://shiptoshore.storenvy.com/products/13817541-manos-the-hands-of-fate

# ? Jan 17, 2016 17:14

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Dr.Caligari posted:

Just a heads up, the vinyl soundtrack is currently on sale

http://shiptoshore.storenvy.com/products/13817541-manos-the-hands-of-fate

It's a lot more listenable than it has any right being.

# ? Jan 18, 2016 07:22

Suenteus Po: Sep 15, 2007; SOH-Dan

Ballz posted:

It's a lot more listenable than it has any right being.

Finally watched my copy over Christmas; my sister and I both agreed that the music is legitimately pretty good, and wondered how that happened.

# ? Jan 20, 2016 06:51

melvinthemopboy3: Sep 29, 2008

Suenteus Po posted:

Finally watched my copy over Christmas; my sister and I both agreed that the music is legitimately pretty good, and wondered how that happened.

Through working on it, I was able to talk with Nicki Mathis (vocalist behind "Forgetting You") and she had a great line about going to the premiere.

"When it was over, I tried to forget it. It wasn't hard."

# ? Jan 21, 2016 02:35

I AM GRANDO: Aug 20, 2006

melvinthemopboy3 posted:

Through working on it, I was able to talk with Nicki Mathis (vocalist behind "Forgetting You") and she had a great line about going to the premiere.

"When it was over, I tried to forget it. It wasn't hard."

She's great. Her singing is probably the only professional part of that movie.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 05:33

melvinthemopboy3: Sep 29, 2008

Jack Gladney posted:

She's great. Her singing is probably the only professional part of that movie.

She stills plays in and around New England as well. Last I heard, she was planning on integrating "Forgetting You" back into her setlist.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 07:12

Dr.Caligari: May 5, 2005; "Here's a big, beautiful avatar for someone"

I don't know what the hell is up with that LP cover though, the movie does not feature that house, a giant hand picking up that house or people falling from said house.

It doesn't look bad, just kind of a weird choice

# ? Jan 22, 2016 03:27

wyoming: Jun 7, 2010; Like a television
tuned to a dead channel.

Dr.Caligari posted:

I don't know what the hell is up with that LP cover though, the movie does not feature that house, a giant hand picking up that house or people falling from said house.

It doesn't look bad, just kind of a weird choice

Manos is rocking the house.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 03:50

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

It's inspired by 60s movie posters and looks awesome. You can still buy a screen print of it on Ben's fundraising store

# ? Jan 22, 2016 04:29

Dr.Caligari: May 5, 2005; "Here's a big, beautiful avatar for someone"

Oh, I didn't realize it was part of the fundraiser. That does make a cool poster

# ? Jan 22, 2016 23:58

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

New Atomic Brain video update.

What's cool is it looks like Ben will be able to include an alternate take with the original "Monstrosity" title sequence. In an earlier Kickstarter update, he said the only known Monstrosity print in existence was suffering from vinegar syndrome and that it was questionable if they'd be able to save the sequence.

Looks like they pulled it off.

# ? May 8, 2016 17:28

TheBigBudgetSequel: Nov 25, 2008; It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.

I don't know if Ben pops in here still, but who do I contact if I never received my backer copy of Manos? I tried to contact Ben about a change of address before the shipping began, but I guess it wasn't all that successful on my part.

# ? May 9, 2016 03:47

Come And See: Sep 15, 2008; We're all awash in a sea of blood, and the least we can do is wave to each other.

TheBigBudgetSequel posted:

I don't know if Ben pops in here still, but who do I contact if I never received my backer copy of Manos? I tried to contact Ben about a change of address before the shipping began, but I guess it wasn't all that successful on my part.

He's pretty quick at responding if you message him through Kickstarter.

# ? May 9, 2016 16:27

EL BROMANCE: Jun 10, 2006; COWABUNGA DUDES!
🥷🐢😬

I see my local indie (The Tropic, Key West) has a one off screening on Saturday morning of all times. Anything to do with Ben Solo's print, or just a random unconnected screening? I'm kind of tempted as I'm sure I've not even seen the MST3K version all the way through.

# ? Jun 10, 2016 03:27

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

melvinthemopboy3 posted:

She stills plays in and around New England as well. Last I heard, she was planning on integrating "Forgetting You" back into her setlist.

So Nicki Mathis has made new recordings of her "hit" songs from Manos:

- Magic Circle
- Forgetting You

And yes, they're going to be part of the Manos Returns sequel. I'm still not sure how I feel about that one.

# ? Sep 24, 2016 19:32

dentist toy box: Oct 9, 2012; There's a haint in the foothills of NC; the haint of the #3 chevy. The rich have formed a holy alliance to exorcise it but they'll never fucking catch him.

That's the first time I've understood the lyrics to magic circle.

# ? Sep 24, 2016 19:53

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

Didn't see the thread was still alive until just now.

Unfortunately I couldn't participate in the initial kickstarter funding at the time, but have since got it on bluray. Great job Ben Solo - if you're still reading the thread.

# ? Sep 26, 2016 00:00

Egbert Souse: Nov 6, 2008

Tom Neyman passed away last night.

# ? Nov 13, 2016 22:54

Artsygrrl: Apr 24, 2007; I'm just here.; Grimey Drawer

Nah, The Master merely ascended. Manos just finally got around to hooking him up.

(Darn it, 2016

)

# ? Nov 14, 2016 13:29

Come And See: Sep 15, 2008; We're all awash in a sea of blood, and the least we can do is wave to each other.

"[b posted:

Project Update #31: MANOS: The Restoration by Ben Solovey[/b]"]
Hi Everyone,

Today, we've gotten word of an unexpected turn of events that needs fixing. And, as the backers that made all of the hard work restoring Manos and keeping it accessible possible, it's important that you know about it too.

Jackey and I have drafted the following, which we'd like you to share with anyone that might be able to help. It's also up on Facebook for easier sharing on that platform.

More on this soon as we get to work...

Thank you,
Ben

Press Release

Manos: The Hands of Fate, a 1966 horror movie made by locals in El Paso, Texas, was called by Entertainment Weekly the �worst film ever made�. While that claim is debatable, there can be no doubt that this tale of a Texan family on a road trip running afoul of a polygamous death cult in the desert has provided a great deal of fertile ground for humor and creative inspiration ever since its release. Notorious but hard to find, Manos was finally popularized 27 years after its release by the cult TV show �Mystery Science Theater 3000�, cementing its special place in pop culture. It would, 50 years after its making, be voted the fan favorite MST3K episode of all time.

Manos has always been in the public domain due to Hal Warren, the film�s director, not having the film copyrighted, and the freedom of access allowed by the public domain finally enabled it to find an audience. However, Joe Warren, one of Hal�s children, is now seeking to trademark the phrase �Manos: The Hands of Fate�, 50 years after the fact, for his exclusive use in (and this is not exhaustive) both film and nonfiction books.

The successful registration of this trademark would threaten the numerous incarnations of Manos: The Hands of Fate, past and present- particularly the creative works that have come from the movie being in the public domain- with legal liability for trademark infringement. Not only will the release of the film itself in any form become vulnerable, but projects such as the independent sequel Manos Returns, the puppet adaptation Manos: The Hands of Felt, two coloring books, a video game, a memoir, Growing up With Manos The Hands Of Fate, two fiction books, multiple stage productions, and a number of creative fan projects, are now in danger.

Joe Warren has attempted, without success, to extract financial payment from numerous parties in the past incorrectly claiming �copyright infringement� on this public domain work. There is no reason to think that he will not continue the same activities if granted a trademark, however questionable it may be. We�ve seen Joe deploy these tactics against the numerous creative uses of the film since its release, and even against the restoration and preservation of the film itself.

This trademark was recently approved for publication. Due to Mr. Warren filing an Intent to Use 1(b) Trademark Application (in other words, he has not shown any use of the mark yet), the typical scrutiny given to a 1(a) Trademark Application (one that shows actual use of the mark in commerce) for a Title of a Single Work is not present. However, the window for an outside party to challenge the mark does not change, and there is no further opportunity for opposition from outside parties after this initial publication period.

An initial Letter of Protest will be filed shortly with the US Patent and Trademark Office- however, due to USPTO rules, it will be necessary to gain an extension to file the Notice of Opposition once the mark is published for opposition at the end of February. We hope the Letter of Protest will be enough to prevent registration, but there is no guarantee that will be granted and the scope of issues allowed to be addressed by the Letter of Protest are limited. Filing a Notice of Opposition is extremely costly. The total cost of Attorney Fees for the Notice of Opposition, the extension, and all filing fees is estimated to be around $7,000. Additional funds will further help us offset the costs involved.

Simply put, we have one brief chance to fix this problem, and we will need your support in this battle if we want to see it through. Jackey Neyman Jones (child star of the film and daughter of lead actor Tom Neyman) and Ben Solovey (producer of the Manos: The Hands of Fate restoration) have established a legal fund to cover the filing fees and attorney�s costs to protect the right to access for all. This case will be handled by Ian K. Friedman, Esq., an Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Attorney who has come to the defense of the film�s public domain status in the past.

If you have enjoyed any of the free and legal uses of �Manos: The Hands of Fate� over the years, we hope you�ll help us to protect past, present and future access to the film and title by contributing to it. A GoFundMe page is on the way, subject to their approval process, but we can also accept donations directly through PayPal: legal@manosinhd.com.

Please help spread the word and #KeepManosFree.

# ? Jan 26, 2017 23:45

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Well poo poo. Once the GoFundMe is up, we should pass it on to Joel and Rifftrax for signal boosting. I would think Shout and Synapse would be jumping on to help, too.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 00:23

Ben Solo: Oct 23, 2004; I take care of the place while the Master is away.

Ballz posted:

Well poo poo. Once the GoFundMe is up, we should pass it on to Joel and Rifftrax for signal boosting. I would think Shout and Synapse would be jumping on to help, too.

We're now live on GoFundMe.

Despite everything, during the fight over the Restoration we never had to resort to fundraising our legal fees. However, because it's years later, the deadline is too close, and some trademark examiner didn't use Google, here we are.

It was Joe Warren himself that originally tipped me off about the trademark submission- he forgot that we're still friends on Twitter. And Ian, being Ian, was already monitoring the situation by the time I talked to him about it. Since the application had very little chance of succeeding, discussing a hypothetical worst case scenario with a lawyer seemed more therapeutic than anything... but now I'm glad we did it.

Keep in mind this isn't only about enabling future access to the film itself, but any and all works derived from the original that make use of the title. Shout! Factory is probably too formidable for Joe to take on successfully, but judging from his past behavior it's the people that have made things on a low budget, from puppet shows to coloring books to independent sequels with the surviving cast, that he will target first. We're all putting our heads together, trading notes, and throwing in what money we can, because once our window to challenge the trademark closes, it'll become significantly more difficult and expensive to undo the damage.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 05:53

Glass Joe: Mar 9, 2007

Now the picture starts to become clear. Time to get the word out, again.

EDIT: Will you please keep us updated, Ben? Either here or through the KS updates?

Glass Joe fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Jan 27, 2017

# ? Jan 27, 2017 21:37

Ben Solo: Oct 23, 2004; I take care of the place while the Master is away.

Glass Joe posted:

EDIT: Will you please keep us updated, Ben? Either here or through the KS updates?

With pleasure.

Didn't take long for Satellite News to get on the case, and Jackey just got interviewed by Geeknation for a feature that'll appear in a few days. Word is they interviewed Joe Warren as well, so it should be about as good a compare and contrast as the Playboy Article.

AV Club has already jumped into action with a nicely hyperbolic article.

If you browse the comment section there you'll also get an interesting sample of what we've been dealing with for the past five years:

# ? Jan 28, 2017 02:54

HungryMedusa: Apr 28, 2003

I donated. Manos really does belong to all of us. Watching it as #1 on Turkey Day with my husband and daughter was a highlight of my Thanksgiving this year.

Joe is a sad individual and I hope at some point he can let this go. I would like to think his father would be validated by all of these fan projects instead of threatened by them. Joe should be proud that Manos became part of the zeitgeist instead of trying to figure out how many tens of dollars can be squeezed out of it.

# ? Jan 28, 2017 03:58

Ben Solo: Oct 23, 2004; I take care of the place while the Master is away.

Jackey has been very vocal about the need to keep this movie accessible, so naturally Joe Warren felt she deserved a lecture on Facebook.

This is why lawyers are preferable.

Even if you cannot personally donate, share the fundraiser around. Having more people's eyes on this nonsense has already made a big difference.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 11:21

Artsygrrl: Apr 24, 2007; I'm just here.; Grimey Drawer

Christ, what an rear end in a top hat.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 16:28

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Any update, Ben? I saw you were able to raise about half of what you had asked for on the GoFundMe. Hope that's enough to at least get the ball rolling...

As an aside I just got a "shipping soon" notification for The Atomic Brain restoration, so yay on that front, at least.

# ? Feb 25, 2017 19:21

HungryMedusa: Apr 28, 2003

Ballz posted:

Any update, Ben? I saw you were able to raise about half of what you had asked for on the GoFundMe. Hope that's enough to at least get the ball rolling...

As an aside I just got a "shipping soon" notification for The Atomic Brain restoration, so yay on that front, at least.

Ditto on both fronts. I hope the probably terrible sequel to Manos I also backed won't be in trouble with this either.

# ? Feb 26, 2017 04:33

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

The Atomic Brain re-release is about to ship following some delays. Dunno why, but I always had a bit of fondness for that movie.

Any update on the Manos legal troubles front, Ben?

# ? Jun 24, 2017 16:57

Mr.Radar: Nov 5, 2005; You guys aren't going to believe this, but that guy is our games teacher.

Got my Atomic Brain/Monstrosity Blu Ray and UHD copy today. It looks and sounds amazing (or at least as amazing as it ever will) and putting the film into its proper aspect ratio really enhances the atmosphere of the film. My only disappointment is that the UHD copy only has the film without any of the special features (including the commentary track) despite there being extra space on the USB drive it comes on.

Mr.Radar fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Aug 30, 2017

# ? Aug 30, 2017 00:42

Mister Mind: Mar 20, 2009; I'm not a real doctor,
But I am a real worm;
I am an actual worm

Uh...Manos at MOMA?

https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/3624

https://twitter.com/WillSloanEsq/status/919561514784305153

# ? Oct 15, 2017 16:40

Artsygrrl: Apr 24, 2007; I'm just here.; Grimey Drawer

Really hope that they pipe in the Torgo theme when you enter the museum.

# ? Oct 15, 2017 23:56

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

"I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Curator is away."

# ? Oct 16, 2017 21:41

Artsygrrl: Apr 24, 2007; I'm just here.; Grimey Drawer

Torgo always gets confused when the guide mentions paintings by Dutch masters.

# ? Oct 16, 2017 21:49

48 Hour Boner: May 26, 2005; I think something's wrong with this thing

Mister Mind posted:

Uh...Manos at MOMA?

https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/3624

https://twitter.com/WillSloanEsq/status/919561514784305153

I forgot, was any of Tom Neyman's artwork saved? If so that would be a fantastic addition.

# ? Oct 16, 2017 22:10

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 21:18

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

I think any surviving artwork from the movie is in the possession of Hal Warren�s son. So it might as well be lost forever.

# ? Oct 16, 2017 22:28

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Why I'm saving 'Manos: The Hands of Fate'

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