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Post by Who Let Servo Drive on Jan 23, 2015 13:00:05 GMT -5
The Coleman Francis Cycle is an acquired taste. Perhaps it would help to appreciate these films if they are placed in historical context. The first and last of the cycle demonstrate an admirably frenzied anti-communism, something deeply ingrained in 50s and 60s America, but also -- very unusual for the time -- a guilty picture of America as the alternative to communism as well. These two films bookended a more inward-looking film, The Skydivers, which deals with more intrinsically American topics such as a preoccupation with cigarettes and coffee, small aircraft, and homicide.
No, come to think of it, historical context doesn't help here. The movies are terrible. Although they often do things that big budget movies have the nerve to do as well -- think Tor Johnson as a Soviet Bloc nuclear physicist is preposterous? Is 22-year-old Jessica Alba as a geneticist any less so?
Here's a bit of trivia. At the end of Beast, a wild jackrabbit comes over and sniffs Tor Johnson, presumably because that was a very odd smell indeed for the rabbit's habitat and so it wanted to investigate. That happened naturally as they were filming, it wasn't set up or part of the production. Rather than reshooting, they just used it, because it was such a strange occurrence, and because film isn't free you know. I've read serious critiques of the film remark that the rabbit represents the animals being harmed by nuclear testing, something actually mentioned in the narration, juxtaposed with a human harmed by the same testing. As if Coleman Francis set the whole thing up to make that point.
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Post by sol-survivor on Jan 26, 2015 11:59:39 GMT -5
To me the worst episodes are the ones that seem to be more of an ordeal every time I try to watch them. And there are those that leave no lasting memories even minutes after I finish. I know I'm in the minority on most of them, but I can't see the appeal of The Final Sacrifice, The Touch of Satan, The Incredible Melting Man, Agent for H.A.R.M, Riding With Death, The Biker Trilogy, and most of Season 10. The only Season 10 episodes I watch regularly are Soultaker, Girl in Gold Boots, Future War, and of course, Hamlet. I've said before that given the choice of watching Hamlet or The Final Sacrifice, Hamlet wins every time. I was unaware of how popular The Final Sacrifice is when it premiered because I wasn't online at the time. I was baffled when I finally found out how much people like it. When the DVD came out I sat down to watch it for only the second time, and knew it was a bad sign when I chuckled more at the DVD menu than at the episode. The rest of Season 10 I've either watched once or twice and didn't like them, or, in the case of Blood Waters of Dr. Z, I fell asleep about 15 minutes into it during the premier and never had the desire to go back to it. Even though I have the set it's on I have never watched that disc and it remains the only non-KTMA episode I haven't watched all the way through even once.
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Post by Who Let Servo Drive on Jan 29, 2015 14:27:42 GMT -5
I really feel the need to say "Red Zone Cuba". I fell asleep during this episode, the movie was just so boring. I'll definitely give it another look and re-evaluate at a time when I'm not feeling tired, but for now, I call it one of the most boring... As Mike might say (and IIRC did say about another Coleman Francis movie) "they forgot to have things happen in this movie."
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Post by said43 on Dec 7, 2017 2:18:47 GMT -5
Early season 1 is an obvious target, so I'll go with the slightly more ambitious target of Castle of Fu Manchu. I don't know if it's the awfulness of the film or the crew's reaction to it, but I have always found this one to be a chore to get through. I've heard some people argue that their reactions exaggerate the awfulness of the film, so maybe I'll watch it unriffed one of these days to decide for myself.
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Post by CrowTrobotfan92 on Dec 7, 2017 9:44:33 GMT -5
I watched Horrors of Spider Island recently and the riffing in that one dragged a bit.
The host segments do make up for it though.
Also, now that K02 leaked, I can easily say that one is now my least favorite KTMA episode. The first time I watched it, I almost fell asleep.
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Post by Prime Minister Jim J. Bullock on Dec 8, 2017 23:39:49 GMT -5
My Selections: Joel Era:
Hercules Against The Moon Men: The sandstorm scenes were just too hard for me to sit through and I found it the weakest of the Hercules films.
Earth versus The Spider: The worst of the Bert I. Gordon films, this movie, to me, just seemed to drag along and could never hold my interest.
Mike Era:
Angels Revenge:Rip-off of the already campy Charlie’s Angels, with embarrassing cameos by good character actors and the horrendous acting of the leading ladies this film is near the bottom of the Comedy Central era.
Squirm: The film just disgusted me from the get go and never got better. It is the only SciFi era episode that I simply cannot watch.
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Post by said43 on Dec 10, 2017 2:14:37 GMT -5
I don't know if it falls into the realm of too painful to watch, but I never cared for The Brute Man. I know that episode was short staffed in the writing department, and the film itself has an unfortunate history. I think my dislike of it stems from both factors. It's easily the episode I've seen the least from season 7 and among my least favorite Mike episodes.
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Post by panther3k on Dec 16, 2017 23:40:58 GMT -5
My pick is Stranded in Space. It's just so dull! I've tried to watch it a few times and I either fall asleep or stop it to go do something else. Hercules and the Moon Men is up there too; I don't remember anything about that movie but the sandstorm. Deep Hurting indeed!
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Post by said43 on Dec 17, 2017 20:10:44 GMT -5
My pick is Stranded in Space. It's just so dull! I've tried to watch it a few times and I either fall asleep or stop it to go do something else. Hercules and the Moon Men is up there too; I don't remember anything about that movie but the sandstorm. Deep Hurting indeed! Yeah, Stranded in Space is an episode that I have to be periodically reminded exists.
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Post by CrowTrobotfan92 on Dec 17, 2017 23:11:09 GMT -5
I haven't watched that one in a while, but it's decent. Definitely not talked about alot, for sure.
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Post by hike'em'up on Dec 28, 2017 18:48:19 GMT -5
Radar Secret Service, The Beast of Yucca Flats, The Indestructible Man, Monster A-Go-Go, Space Travelers... beyond saving.
Otherwise, gotta stick up for Stranded in Space: dull movie, sure - but for me the jokes are top notch and have it ranked 34th overall
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Post by leeharveyosmond on Dec 28, 2017 22:39:10 GMT -5
beast of yucca flats is incredible, it's astounding how much humor they can derive out of this thing. i can watch that over and over. i mean tor johnson alone is a delight, and mike and co. are like the icing. i love it.
quite frankly i don't care for many of the fan favorite episodes. i find them either boring or way too repetitive (and in the case of one in particular very annoying). i'm talking shows like cave dwellers, pod people, final sacrifice, stuff like that. i do NOT get them (and i am not kidding, i know there are people out there who think it's unfathomable that anybody could dislike those episodes). the absolute worst ones however have to be hercules against the moon men, the projected man and quest of the delta knights. those are all just dreadfully unfunny and tedious. moon men feels especially phoned in and pretty much represents every thing i don't like about mst3k.
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Post by CrowTrobotfan92 on Dec 29, 2017 15:32:38 GMT -5
Delta Knights tends to drag for me a bit as well. Though I love the "I'M COMING!!!!!!!" Jokes.
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Post by hike'em'up on Dec 31, 2017 11:56:31 GMT -5
beast of yucca flats is incredible, it's astounding how much humor they can derive out of this thing. i can watch that over and over. i mean tor johnson alone is a delight, and mike and co. are like the icing. i love it. quite frankly i don't care for many of the fan favorite episodes. i find them either boring or way too repetitive (and in the case of one in particular very annoying). i'm talking shows like cave dwellers, pod people, final sacrifice, stuff like that. i do NOT get them (and i am not kidding, i know there are people out there who think it's unfathomable that anybody could dislike those episodes). the absolute worst ones however have to be hercules against the moon men, the projected man and quest of the delta knights. those are all just dreadfully unfunny and tedious. moon men feels especially phoned in and pretty much represents every thing i don't like about mst3k. I guess Tor Johnson alone just doesn't do it for me. I've given 'Beast of Yucca Flats' more patience than any other ep on nothing more than reading of other fans' love of it but have never been rewarded. Its fame seems to come entirely from the fact that M&TBs manage some decent riffs despite the movie being so horribly dull throughout. While I enjoy both 'Cave Dwellers' and 'Pod People' well enough, I've never seen the light in 'Final Sacrifice' that makes it such a favorite. As far as 'Moon Men' is concerned, I think it is by far the worst of the Hercules eps.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on Dec 31, 2017 12:23:47 GMT -5
I haven't seen Yucca in a while, though I remember liking it. It's probably the funniest of the Coleman Francis trilogy in my book.
Final Sacrifice is one I get a lot of guff for, because I merely find it good but not great. I think it's funny, but there is so much wasted space in that episode where they simply just say "Rowsdower" over and over. I get it, it's a dumb name, but I don't need to hear it repeatedly.
Everyone here already knows how much I dislike Pod People, it used to be my least favorite episode, though I think I recently dethroned it in favor of Moon Zero Two. I can watch Pod People, but rewatching Zero Two for my review thread really hammered home that I can't stare at that episode without grinding my teeth. It's really the only episode that does that to me.
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