Post by oldmanmerton on Jul 20, 2012 20:12:14 GMT -5
So one of my more ambitious projects I'm working on for my journal aside from the regular review entries is a MSTed Movie 6 Degrees of Separation sorta web/cloud thing.
Although it's not something that interests me as much as some of the other fans out there, as someone who was a film critic for about 8 years and practically drowning in movies and film study, all the weird little connections you might find between movies and the people that make them is something I'm no stranger to.
In my individual episode reviews I always mention connections I personally find interesting, but they're usually the more obvious ones. And some review guides like Sampo's have gone into even greater detail than I have.
But I decided, it might be fun to make a flash based INTERACTIVE sort of word-web/cloud thing for the site showing these many connections (boy, if someone else has already done this, please let me know so I don't keep killin' myself!). But if I was going to do it, I was going to go hard or go home.
So I've been EXHAUSTIVELY reviewing casts and crews and each individual's body of work to come up with every little connection, no matter how absurd. And exhausting is really the right word. The research itself is about as far down the fun spectrum as you can get.
But some of the nuggets I've pulled out are really a treat, particularly when we move beyond the scope of MST movies.
I hope some folks like the final product when it's actually complete (my research is only up to the end of Season 3 so far and then there's all the actual compiling everything into an interactive web-toy), but here's a few things I've really enjoyed learning thus far.
-I never realized because time wasn't kind to the actor in question and I found the character so revolting, but Captain Joe of Fugitive Alien is Jo Shishido, the leading man in so many fun and cool yakuza films by Seijun Suzuki like Youth of the Beast, Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill (though I admit Branded to Kill was a bit too weird even for me).
-Charles Crichton, director of Space:1999 and Cosmic Princess didn't do a whole hell of a lot in his years directing of note. But he DID write and direct A Fish Called Wanda alongside John Cleese. Strong work my friend.
-It's hard not to think of MST3k when one sees the Clint Eastwood classic Play Misty for Me. But it has more connections to the show than its title. Donna Mills appeared in Superdome, Jack Kosslyn (who plays a cabbie in the film) appears in The Magic Sword, Earth vs. Spider, Amazing Colossal Man AND War of the Colossal Beast. Might be more links, but that's it up to Season 3.
-A lot of fun Star Trek connections. Jane Wyatt of Superdome was the first to portray Spock's mom both in show and film. Whit Bissell of Lost continent not only had notable smaller roles in Soylent Green, Birdman of Alcatraz, and The Time Machine...but he was in the BELOVED Star Trek episode "The Trouble With Tribbles". Glen Corbett from Stranded in Space played the original Zephrame Cochrane (creator of the first Warp drive!). And Michael Forest of Viking Women, along with a ton of interesting voice credits, played Apollo in the classic "Who Mourns for Adonais?" Episode. Lastly (so far), Superdome features John De Lancie (Q from Next Generation) and Brock Peters (beloved of course in To Kill a Mockingbird, but nerds like me also know him as Admiral Cartwright and later Joseph Sisko in original Star Trek and Deep Space 9 respectively)
-Here's a fun one. Harvey Atkin and Walker Boone both appeared in The Last Chase. They would later be the voices of King Koopa and Mario in the various Super Mario Bros. Animated shows!
-Carol Cleveland has a bit part in Moon Zero Two, but most know her as one of the few reoccurring female stars in all Monty Python productions.
-Speaking of Moon Zero Two... I'm sure dozens of people played Storm Troopers in the original Star Wars, but I found it amusing that both Tim Condren (the Yellow Killer) and Bill Weston (the green killer) went on to wear the famous white armor and have really terrible aim.
-Another interesting Star Wars connection: George E. Mather, the lead in Ring of Terror has very few credits to his name, but when one is production supervisor to miniature and optical effects in Star Wars and another is production supervisor to Big Trouble in Little China, you're okay in my book.
-Hank Mann played Barney in Daddy-O, but his real mark in history? Not only was he one of the original Keystone Kops, but he is credited with coming up with the concept for them. Awesome!
-Dick Miller appears in It Conquered the World, but growing up I knew him as Mr. Futterman in Gremlins and Gremlins 2. Even funnier though, he's the Pawn Shop Owner in Terminator.
-Roy Seawright did some outstanding dinosaur special effects in 1940 in One Million B.C. The effects were considered so great, that they were stolen repeatedly and recycled in films for years to come, including Teenage Cave Man and Robot Monster.
This is only scratching the SURFACE of what I've got so far. Some of the more obscure bits. It's fun, even if the process in attaining it all is torture.
On to season 4!
--shoots self--
Although it's not something that interests me as much as some of the other fans out there, as someone who was a film critic for about 8 years and practically drowning in movies and film study, all the weird little connections you might find between movies and the people that make them is something I'm no stranger to.
In my individual episode reviews I always mention connections I personally find interesting, but they're usually the more obvious ones. And some review guides like Sampo's have gone into even greater detail than I have.
But I decided, it might be fun to make a flash based INTERACTIVE sort of word-web/cloud thing for the site showing these many connections (boy, if someone else has already done this, please let me know so I don't keep killin' myself!). But if I was going to do it, I was going to go hard or go home.
So I've been EXHAUSTIVELY reviewing casts and crews and each individual's body of work to come up with every little connection, no matter how absurd. And exhausting is really the right word. The research itself is about as far down the fun spectrum as you can get.
But some of the nuggets I've pulled out are really a treat, particularly when we move beyond the scope of MST movies.
I hope some folks like the final product when it's actually complete (my research is only up to the end of Season 3 so far and then there's all the actual compiling everything into an interactive web-toy), but here's a few things I've really enjoyed learning thus far.
-I never realized because time wasn't kind to the actor in question and I found the character so revolting, but Captain Joe of Fugitive Alien is Jo Shishido, the leading man in so many fun and cool yakuza films by Seijun Suzuki like Youth of the Beast, Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill (though I admit Branded to Kill was a bit too weird even for me).
-Charles Crichton, director of Space:1999 and Cosmic Princess didn't do a whole hell of a lot in his years directing of note. But he DID write and direct A Fish Called Wanda alongside John Cleese. Strong work my friend.
-It's hard not to think of MST3k when one sees the Clint Eastwood classic Play Misty for Me. But it has more connections to the show than its title. Donna Mills appeared in Superdome, Jack Kosslyn (who plays a cabbie in the film) appears in The Magic Sword, Earth vs. Spider, Amazing Colossal Man AND War of the Colossal Beast. Might be more links, but that's it up to Season 3.
-A lot of fun Star Trek connections. Jane Wyatt of Superdome was the first to portray Spock's mom both in show and film. Whit Bissell of Lost continent not only had notable smaller roles in Soylent Green, Birdman of Alcatraz, and The Time Machine...but he was in the BELOVED Star Trek episode "The Trouble With Tribbles". Glen Corbett from Stranded in Space played the original Zephrame Cochrane (creator of the first Warp drive!). And Michael Forest of Viking Women, along with a ton of interesting voice credits, played Apollo in the classic "Who Mourns for Adonais?" Episode. Lastly (so far), Superdome features John De Lancie (Q from Next Generation) and Brock Peters (beloved of course in To Kill a Mockingbird, but nerds like me also know him as Admiral Cartwright and later Joseph Sisko in original Star Trek and Deep Space 9 respectively)
-Here's a fun one. Harvey Atkin and Walker Boone both appeared in The Last Chase. They would later be the voices of King Koopa and Mario in the various Super Mario Bros. Animated shows!
-Carol Cleveland has a bit part in Moon Zero Two, but most know her as one of the few reoccurring female stars in all Monty Python productions.
-Speaking of Moon Zero Two... I'm sure dozens of people played Storm Troopers in the original Star Wars, but I found it amusing that both Tim Condren (the Yellow Killer) and Bill Weston (the green killer) went on to wear the famous white armor and have really terrible aim.
-Another interesting Star Wars connection: George E. Mather, the lead in Ring of Terror has very few credits to his name, but when one is production supervisor to miniature and optical effects in Star Wars and another is production supervisor to Big Trouble in Little China, you're okay in my book.
-Hank Mann played Barney in Daddy-O, but his real mark in history? Not only was he one of the original Keystone Kops, but he is credited with coming up with the concept for them. Awesome!
-Dick Miller appears in It Conquered the World, but growing up I knew him as Mr. Futterman in Gremlins and Gremlins 2. Even funnier though, he's the Pawn Shop Owner in Terminator.
-Roy Seawright did some outstanding dinosaur special effects in 1940 in One Million B.C. The effects were considered so great, that they were stolen repeatedly and recycled in films for years to come, including Teenage Cave Man and Robot Monster.
This is only scratching the SURFACE of what I've got so far. Some of the more obscure bits. It's fun, even if the process in attaining it all is torture.
On to season 4!
--shoots self--
