Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
|
Post by Torgo on Apr 9, 2017 16:01:40 GMT -5
For the record, I do not recommend doing the chat room viewing of the episode. The episode just started and the bloody chat is insane.
|
|
Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
|
Post by Torgo on Apr 9, 2017 16:21:55 GMT -5
According to Joel, Gypsy is in the theater because she's dropping off "the payload." I've been waiting for him to embellish but so far we got nothing. But then again the chat is moving so fast it would be easy to miss something. Maybe this will come up in the Q&A.
Also must say I'm enjoying the episode just as much the second time. The riffs on the female leads are hysterical. "I'm squishy!"
|
|
|
Post by said43 on Apr 9, 2017 16:50:38 GMT -5
For the record, I do not recommend doing the chat room viewing of the episode. The episode just started and the bloody chat is insane. It's the same problem I have with Twitch.
|
|
Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
|
Post by Torgo on Apr 9, 2017 17:34:52 GMT -5
I really gotta say, even though I have nitpick and reservations, as I watch this episode end a second time, it just gave me the right feeling. I didn't expect to feel the same way I did back in 1997 when I first watched the show, but here it is. My heart has the fuzzies.
And I have 13 more episodes of reacquaitance ahead of me. I love everything Joel, Mike, and the others have done for the fans while the show was off the air, from books to minor revival projects, Rifftrax to Cinematic Titanic, but now I have my beloved show back. And life is good.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Walker on Apr 9, 2017 18:36:51 GMT -5
For those with quibbles, can't we just relax and enjoy the fact that the show has returned? There were some rough spots in the premier, but big deal. I found no really rough spots but more needing to adjust to a new reality.
I'm quite happy with the early returns. They threw in a few call backs which was a nice touch. We'll see where it goes from here but it's a fine start in my opinion.
|
|
Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
|
Post by Torgo on Apr 9, 2017 18:53:35 GMT -5
The Q&A just finished. Jonah, Baron, and Hampton killed it with their charisma, however a lot of questions were waved off as being "It's the first episode, just wait."
My primary concern about riffing speed was addressed but waved off. I'm not entirely sure the reasons it was an issue were well stated however. It sounds like this is the new norm, so better get used to it. I just hope they don't riff ahead of themselves too often this season.
They also addressed Gypsy and "the payload." Basically they don't know what it is and it's pretty much an excuse to get Gypsy in the theater. They think it'll be fleshed out if they're lucky enough to get another season. Can't say I agree with this creative choice, where they introduce something random and don't explain what it is.
Speaking of unexplained, they also were asked about how Crow and Servo wound up back on the SOL. They waved that one off to, claiming "a lot of time has passed."
The big bombshell: they're preparing another convention and live show! Also Joel says that Cinematic Titanic box sets are in the works, though he says Rhino is doing them. I think he name dropped the wrong company though.
|
|
|
Post by Shark on Apr 9, 2017 19:49:18 GMT -5
It sounds like this is the new norm, so better get used to it. I agree. Lest we forget, they cranked these episodes out fast. The leisurely pace of the '90s is gone. I think we're more likely to see maturation by season rather than episode to episode.
|
|
|
Post by kidflash on Apr 9, 2017 20:37:26 GMT -5
Yeah, with the fact that everyone involved with this itineration has their own careers, I'd expect that rushed production schedule to be the new normal.
Really hope Joel wasn't BSing about the live show and convention (that would make sense, with the 30th anniversary next year and all).
|
|
|
Post by citizensmurf on Apr 9, 2017 21:05:16 GMT -5
Watched this just before the live Q&A with my daughter who was very excited. I loved it. Everything about it made the wait worthwhile. I'll have to watch it again as I was fumbling around with trying to get the sound to work to my tv, and missed some of the bits during the intro.
As far as the movie and the riffing, yes it was a bit fast paced, but I think with repeated viewings, you'll hear some stuff you maybe missed the first time and it will feel more fleshed out. I know some of the early shows had many many moments when a good riff was obvious, and yet they said nothing. This time, they probably felt like "Hey, we are a show who makes fun of bad movies, why let up? Let's go full on."
They voices will take a bit to get used to, but that is to be expected. Most of the time, when we laugh, it's because of who is making the joke, not necessarily the joke itself. After we've had time to watch a full season of the new cast, we will be accustomed to their flavour, and laugh like we did with the old crew. At least I will.
My favourite riff? Near the end, we hear and see a black ambulance and say "that's the most depressing ice cream truck I've ever seen".
I can't wait for the rest, very excited about this season.
|
|
|
Post by Mod City on Apr 9, 2017 21:05:26 GMT -5
Watched it tonight, and it was great! A lot of my thoughts have been covered in the previous posts here, but overall I really enjoyed it. Since it's Sunday night, I'll keep early thoughts as brief as possible. * The intro was fun, curious to see how/if the start of the show changes after this episode. I didn't recognize Erin Gray or Wil Wheaton, but it was cool to see Gizmonic Institute again. * The whole cast was fun to watch. We didn't get nearly enough of Felicia and Patton, but we have more episodes to flesh them out more. They clearly have the right spirit for a Mad. * Jonah and the SOL crew were also great. I'm with the faction that is still having trouble telling Hampton and Baron apart, especially in the theater, but I'll get used to it. Jonah has a nice, every-man feel that fits well with the characters Joel and Mike developed. * The riffing was really, really good, but like others have said, they tried to do too much in a few places. There was a lot of great stuff to work with in the movie, though, so that may have something to do with it. * First moment that really made me laugh hard was a riff in one of the very first scenes. Someone reads a stiff line, and one of our riffers belts out something like: "Cut! Come on, Ralph!" There were some great references all around. They all nailed that scene with the temperature reading and the door. Looking forward to watching this again with some of my in-real-life MST3K friends. * The hosts segments were pretty good, but they kicked it off with the best one with the monster rap. Jonah's bit about the bird that also turns into a fish felt very Joel in many ways. * "Push the button, Max." Weird, but wonderful, to hear. Thought it was all good - some of it great - and it will be cool to see how they settle into this new incarnation. Awesome work to the new cast and crew, and of course to Joel for being our point man in bringing it all back! I'm down for the new season. Bring it
|
|
|
Post by Justin T on Apr 9, 2017 21:15:11 GMT -5
I had the pleasure of watching the first episode today with my best friend. My feeling is that MST3K is back and its off to a really good start! The riffing was great, good host segments and the new cast did a great job. Special props to Hampton Yount as the new voice of Crow, he nailed the voice and personality right off the bat. Can't wait to binge some episodes on Good Friday with him when the season drops on Netflix!
|
|
|
Post by jasoncinema on Apr 9, 2017 21:55:51 GMT -5
It’s terrific! It retains the same flavor of the classic episodes with slightly different clothes. And um...I think I had something in my eye during the theme song...it's nothing, alright? I just got dust in there, I think... The riffs are lightning fast and I mean FAST. I attribute that to their tight production schedule; I presume they find their pacing as the season progresses. And Jonah Ray is a worthy successor to Joel and Mike. It took me a little bit to warm to the theater segment but about twenty minutes in a killer riff gave me a good out loud laugh. Felicia Day is terrific; Patton Oswalt it goes without saying is awesome as always. It does a great job of setting up the premise while simultaneously getting right to the meat and potatoes of what the show is, and it walks the line between the hot glued, hand-crafted style of the classic series while marrying that with updated production values. I can’t wait to see the rest of the season!
|
|
|
Post by Troy's Dad on Apr 9, 2017 21:58:47 GMT -5
I enjoyed it! Despite an all new cast, they did a good job diving into the first episode. I agree with others that we didn't see much of the Mads and I wish we had some more back and forth conversations between them and Jonah. For an introductory episode it felt very light in terms of character interaction. In fact, the host segments in general felt very brief. Maybe a reaction to audience's having shorter attention spans, or an attempt to make up for the time spent in the extended intro?
The riffing was good, I did feel it was a bit faster than I'm used to but the increased speed didn't bother me. I did have trouble telling their voices apart at times.
I think my biggest gripes are:
• The SoL bridge set. For all the effort put into other areas of the show visually (like the intricate door sequence, the ship designs, the Gizmonic Institute exterior shot), the bridge was very boring to me. It was lit nice, but given the bump to HD I felt it was a mistake to go very simple with the design. Kit bashing would have been perfect in this setting!
• Lack of explanation as to how Crow and Tom got back into space. From what I heard from the Q&A, this might not get addressed, which is a shame. I know the whole "just a show, just relax" mantra, but past episodes have put effort into explaining how characters got to where they are. It almost felt like since Joel was not involved in the later episodes that he didn't care to or see the need to put the effort into explaining how the bots got back on the ship. Though he did bring back Pearl, and speaking of Pearl...
• I hope a future episode explains Pearl's presence. I found it odd that the big return episode featured one returning cast member in character, and they relegated her to the background. I figure the way they filmed Mary Jo's scenes, they did the intro and all the outros and then spent time on a few episodes where she features, so I'm probably complaining about nothing. But until we see that episode where she features, it did seem really odd to have her not mentioned or speaking.
Aside from those gripes, which are really minor and will likely be addressed later or I'll get used to them, like the bridge set which is mainly an aesthetic thing, I liked it!
I have to say, I really really love the moon setting and the whole dark side of the moon thing. It's such a cool place to have the new season take place, and the Boneheads are an interesting bunch. I know MST3K doesn't spend a lot of time explaining lore, but I want to know more about these guys. I also liked the commercial breaks.
|
|
|
Post by gerswin on Apr 9, 2017 22:03:23 GMT -5
I hope a future episode explains Pearl's presence. I found it odd that the big return episode featured one returning cast member in character, and they relegated her to the background. I figure the way they filmed Mary Jo's scenes, they did the intro and all the outros and then spent time on a few episodes where she features, so I'm probably complaining about nothing. But until we see that episode where she features, it did seem really odd to have her not mentioned or speaking. That wasn't Pearl.
|
|
|
Post by Troy's Dad on Apr 9, 2017 22:04:42 GMT -5
I hope a future episode explains Pearl's presence. I found it odd that the big return episode featured one returning cast member in character, and they relegated her to the background. I figure the way they filmed Mary Jo's scenes, they did the intro and all the outros and then spent time on a few episodes where she features, so I'm probably complaining about nothing. But until we see that episode where she features, it did seem really odd to have her not mentioned or speaking. That wasn't Pearl. Wait, what!? Who was it? It looked just like her... from the tiny window on my computer screen.
|
|