|
Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 22, 2006 13:57:11 GMT -5
In the spirit of "we've done this before", and with a lot of newer folks around, I think it's time to do this again.
What are your 5 favorite episodes? They might be obscure favorites, they might be well-regarded classics. But I imagine your choices will say a lot about you.
Some ground rules for this thread: 1) Provide an explanation for each. Why? Because LIST THREADS ARE BORING!
2) If you can't choose just 5, then flip a coin. But let's not turn this into a "there's too many, I can't pick" whine-fest. We all know there are more than 5 great eps. Why 5? Because 10 is too many and 3 is too few.
3) It's understood that all lists are subject to change at any time.
Let's try it, won't we?
|
|
|
Post by doctorz on Jun 22, 2006 14:25:25 GMT -5
1) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians - The first episode I ever saw and therefore, much like your first true love, never to be forgotten. 2) Jack Frost - Everything about it is funny. The host segments compliment the film and Mike as "Lord of the Dance" parodies perfectly those annoying Riverdance commercials that played endlessly at the time. One of my all time favorite host segments. The film is very watchable and fun and the riffing is top notch. 3) The Blood Waters of DoctorZ - I literally live only a few miles away from many of the locations where this putrid movie was made. It's like living on a movie set! Switzerland, Green Cove Springs, Marine Land, they are now magical places instead of bland, tacky North Florida wastelands. 4) The Day the Earth Froze - Great movie I'd enjoy all by itself. I loved the host segments on this one as well. The Bergman treatment of a shaggy dog joke is a unique classic. Lots of local Minnesota riffs. Makes me want to live in the far north! 5) The Magic Voyage of Sindbad - Another great movie that I can watch again and again. When I was a kid I remember the movie being reviewed in Forrest J Ackerman's "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine. I remember the picture of the Phoenix made me want to see this movie desperately and I never got to see it until MST3K did this episode.
|
|
|
Post by gallano on Jun 22, 2006 14:46:24 GMT -5
1. Mitchell - You always love your first 2. The CaveDwellers - 2nd ep. I ever saw, still makes me bust out with laughter. 3. The Final Sacrifice - I fell out of bad laughing @ the grizzled old prospecter jokes. 4. Space Mutiny - "Slab Bulkhead, Fridge Largemeat, Punt Speedchunk, Butch Deadlift, Bold Bigflank, Splint Chesthair, etc" 5. Pod People - "Trumpy, you can do stupid things!"
|
|
Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
|
Post by Torgo on Jun 22, 2006 15:01:20 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Gemini Man on Jun 22, 2006 15:10:24 GMT -5
1. Riding With Death - The 70's for some odd reason are very funny to me. And Buffalo Bill. What a goofball!
2. Space Mutiny - All the weightlifter jokes. Cheesy costumes. Sting, Santa & the Grandma-daughter.
3. Final Sacrifice - "zap Rowsdower"? wtf kind of name is that? The prospector of course. Troy & Zap together just made for some awesome riffing.
4. Danger!! Death Ray - Toy boats, toy subs, toy cars, toy helicopters, etc. "Don't go up there. You'll become a toy!"
5. Final Justice - JDB is such a great target for riffing.
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 22, 2006 15:28:15 GMT -5
I'm kinda burned out on the "classics" like Manos, Mitchell, Pod People, Final Sacrifice, Space Mutiny, et al. While I still love them, they've slipped down my list a bit.
1. Girls Town. I love the '50s teen genre, and this one has everything: Mamie, Mel Torme, Paul Anka singing "Ave Maria", Mamie, tremendous host segments, lots of beatnik slang, Mamie, a couple fistfights and catfights, Mamie, the Romulan chick, and of course, Mamie. Oh, and Elinor Donahue who-- if possible-- is even hotter than Mamie in this.
2. The Rebel Set. Gets better every time. A great heist/beatnik adventure flick, where the riffing gets better with each scene. My favorite invention exchange (Rothko paint-by-number kit), one of my all-time favorite host segs (what would you do in Chicago?), and Merritt Stone. Quite possibly the perfect Joel ep.
3. Girl in Lover's Lane. I consider 506-512 to be the best consecutive string of eps in the show's history, and GiLL is the best of that run. No matter how many times I watch it, it keeps getting better. Pervert Burger.
4. Night of the Blood Beast (turkey day). My favorite short (the riffs just keep coming). The TD host segments feature the whole cast, and Mike's drunken Jack Perkins is hilarious. And they never took it to Corman better than this.
5. Giant Gila Monster. My list needed a cheesy monster movie with esoteric riffing (a staple of Joel-era MST), and this is as good as any Godzilla or Gamera ep. Plus, anytime Joel riffed in the voice of the monster is pure gold to me. Additionally, it introduced the "sing whenever I sing" guy.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Walker on Jun 22, 2006 15:48:31 GMT -5
After the first two, coin flip it is! The Violent Years: Sentimental favorite as the first I ever taped - will always remain on top. Not a bad ep either! Devil Fish: It has its merits, but also sentimentality by being the last one I watched with my brother. The Rebel Set: Two words: Merritt Stone. Samptari beat me to it, but this one is quality. What with the beatniks, the heist, Merritt Stone ( ), the sing whenever I sing guy in a bad guy role... It Conquered the World: Peter Graves at his finest in MST, a pickle monster, how can you go wrong? The Sword and the Dragon: A fairly good movie in MST terms. Excellent riffing throughout to compensate for a few host segment that I find weak but that others like. Overall, a fun ride. Hehe, didn't see right away that sing whenever I sing guy was also mentioned by Samptari.
|
|
|
Post by vanhagar3000 on Jun 22, 2006 15:59:31 GMT -5
In the spirit of "we've done this before", and with a lot of newer folks around, I think it's time to do this again. What are your 5 favorite episodes? They might be obscure favorites, they might be well-regarded classics. But I imagine your choices will say a lot about you. Some ground rules for this thread: 1) Provide an explanation for each. Why? Because LIST THREADS ARE BORING! 2) If you can't choose just 5, then flip a coin. But let's not turn this into a "there's too many, I can't pick" whine-fest. We all know there are more than 5 great eps. Why 5? Because 10 is too many and 3 is too few. 3) It's understood that all lists are subject to change at any time. Let's try it, won't we? THANK YOU!This is fresh, but watch we'll still see a bunch of list of episodes with twenty episodes that they couldn't choose from. Mine? I know we're going to have a ton of Mikecentric lists, but my is admitaely Joelcentric. Not a knock against Mike, but the top one 1) 212- Godzilla vs. MegalonEverything hit here. It's the perfect movie for riffing. I've seen it unriffed and it still plays well as comedy. They took the ball and went with it. They accentuated how ridiculous this movie was. I would call the last theater segment (the tag-team match between Godzilla & Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon & Gigan) the greatest theater segment in MST3K. Nothing has ever been that solid. And unlike the sometimes dismal Mike era, they were able to construct very humorous host segments around the movie. Season two has always been exceptionally strong in the host segment department with constant apperances from Mike and usage of the Hexfeild viewscreen, numerous humorous songs, and well thought out host segments like the Quiz Bowl and in this case the Orville Popcorn skit. Rex Dart- Eskimo Spy though is my favorite just for the pure goofiness. Every host segment was hilarious (yes, every, even the one you don't like ). If MST3K were to ever be remade, this would be the episode you want to follow. Great movie choice. Funny riffs (though not varied as season three or four, still laugh quoitent always means more than quality when it comes to comedy). Terrific Host Segments. Not a flaw in this episode. 2) 512- MitchellAwesome episode in the theater. They never went too heavy on the fat jokes (pardon the pun), but always knew when to throw one in. The movie is typical bad movie forumla. Step 1- Rip off the idea of a successful movie, Step 2- Released Movie to Public. The host segments are a great story arc of getting Joel off the ship, and are all funny with some sly Kubrick references. Excellent movie. 3) 621- The Beast of Yucca FlatsTop Mike episode. The shorts are always perfect fodder. The men and robots as usual ridicule them to perfection. When I first watched this episode it was after (or before) I watched Monster a-Go Go. I didn't particularly like it. I though the movie was too boring. However, I watched it about a week ago, and I just sat back and watched. As I did, I realized how ridiculous this movie is. Not necessarily in the plot or dialouge like many other movies, but just the way it's made. The fact they had to dub everything, the only "star" was a ailing former wrestler, and well some ridiculous dialogue ("Flag on the Moon, How did it get there?") and plot points (so just leave your wife in the dessert while there is a gunman on the loose? You're the smart one). This movie is cheesy, but in a way different from say Godzilla vs. Megalon or Pod People. Not the most memorable host segments (the 11:30 skit isn't funny unless you know the backstory, and even then....). However that minor imperfections are just that- minor. So that's why it's part of the top three. 4) 303- Pod PeopleThis episode is funny. Not ha ha funny, well it was, and that's the thing. I guess it's always loving your first. While this wasn't my first it was my first EPISODE in years, and the first one I could understand (as I was small only watching on the old Comedy Channel, Comedy Television or Comedy Central). The first time I watched this, I laughed- LIKE I HAD NEVER LAUGHED BEFORE. Not even kidding the first time I saw Pod People may have been the best 90 minutes of my life. (let's skip the "you need to get laid" jokes, I already my twenty second of glory, I MEAN....) The movie is perfect fodder. That's because it's a mixture of two infamous film maker- Juan Piquer Simón, infamous schlock director who directed such classics as Supersonic Man (goofy Superman ripoff, needs MSTing), Pieces (typical gore movie), and others. The other film maker is Edward L. Montoro, infamous for ripping off recently made hits like Grizzly (Jaws), and here E.T. Pressure from Montoro made Simon changed things up, which made his typically bad movie, even worse. Lucky for us, instead of being an incomprehensible mess, so bad even riffing couldn't save it, Simon accidentally created a masterpiece. A perfect peg for MST3K. The host segments are all perfect. The "Trumpy, you can do magic things" is hilarious with only two lines of dialouge. However, the second time I saw this episode it wasn't that funny. I kept trying to watch it, which made it worse. I so desperately wanted to recapture the magic in the bottle of losing my MST3K virginity. I finally figured out I know the episode too well. Classic lines that I'd never heard before I could quote minutes before they even said it. This episode needs a break from me. I may wait a decade (not hyperbole) to watch this again. However, for the first time it hit me alone- it will always be in my top episodes, and ALWAYS be five stars. 5a) MST3K: The MovieDon't know if the movie counts. So I'm including both it and my episode choice for five. This was the first thing I watched when I rediscovered MST3K. When I first saw this- I LAUGHED LIKE I HAD NEVER LAUGHED BEFORE! I know I said that for Pod People, but this was a week before I watched Pod People (which is why I was so shocked Pod People could be even funnier). Anyway, this wa a pretty good starter for me. Holy Christ was this funny. This besides some season two episodes may have the best host segment lines in it. Trace getting the best of all of them. *As everyone is being sucked into the vacuum of space* Crow: Hey, Mike, you think you can toss me my calculations? *Paper blows in Crow's face* Crow: Thanks! Ah, here it is. "Breach Hull - All Die." Even had it underlined. I calcuated the odds of this succeeding versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid, and I went ahead anyway. But it suffers the same fate as Pod People right now for the same reasons. However it gets the same preferential treatment. 5b) 424- "Manos" The Hands of FateThe quintessential MST3K. While maybe you don't like it (I don't have it ranked number one and isn't even on my top five, just my top five REAL episodes). Hired is an excellent little short (better with Hired 1. I think Bride of the Monster may be under this episode speaking of which, but that's for when Atari starts a top ten episodes list. This just has some great riffing, the movie is so poorly made that no matter what other shortcomings, almost nothing can stop it from being a great episode. Good host segments all around. They really played up this being the "worse" being have Dr. F and Frank apologize.
|
|
|
Post by silvermorgan on Jun 22, 2006 17:19:59 GMT -5
Here's 5 (in no particular order) that always pop into my head when choosing favorites. My list changes often, though, depending on my mood.
1. Puma Man - My brother and I caught this when it aired and the infinite amount of giggling from the tv room was talked about for months by my parents. I still don't understand why they didn't spend more time on making Puma Man straighten his legs!
2. Horros of Spider Island - I remember seeing this when it aired, too. Ridiculous. Is there any other word for this movie? Also provoked my brother and I into serious giggle fits.
3. Deathstalker - I had a stomach ache after watching this episode. My husband and I watch this one often.
4. Double 007 - Great Joel episode. It also has one of my favorite host segments with Joel trapsing around dressed as the villan (I can't remember his name right now) makes me giggle every time.
5. Diabolik - I don't know why, but this film tickles my funny bone. It has fart riffs, Knight Rider riffs, and a silly hero. A recipe for giggles in my book.
|
|
|
Post by Goji on Jun 22, 2006 17:57:25 GMT -5
Hello, I'm new to the board. I figure this is a good way to introduce myself.
1. 701 Night of the Bloodbeast (either version)
This was the first episode I saw on television (I can't honestly remember which version but I suspect it was the non-Turkey Day one). I was 9 at the time. For starters, the movie is fun in its own way. I always watched cheesy 50s monster movies as a child, even before MST entered my life. The riffing is hilarious. The short even funnier since it's so ridiculous. Both versions of host segments are amusing. In the regular version I like Pearl and Dr. F facing off ("Nice shooting mother!") and Crow's fake pregnancy, and the Turkey Day version has the great Deep 13 segments with all the guests from previous experiments. Perhaps it's because I have a sentimental attachment to this episode, but this one holds up wonderfully to repeat viewings for me. I've even watched it two in a row, back to back, and found it just as funny the second time.
2. 816 Prince of Space
My other main childhood love was Japanese movies. Godzilla in particular (we'll get to that in a moment), but the superhero flicks always got me going too. And I LOVE Prince of Space. Everything about this movie is just perfect, in a twisted way. From the horribly inept villains, the inconsistent dubbing, the weak hero in a dreadful costume, the pathetic model work, everything comes together into a laughably absurd package. The riffing manages to make the comedy even tighter and more enjoyable. It's true Mike and the bots don't have to try too hard here, but their work definitely adds a wonderful new level of hilarity to an already funny film. The host segments are pretty entertaining, if not laugh out loud funny. The time-lag and Mike as a robot skits are the stand outs, and I enjoyed Krankor's cameo in the final segment.
3. 212 Godzilla vs. Megalon
Godzilla vs. Megalon is a very special movie for me. I first saw it, unMSTed, when I was two years old. My dad got it for me on VHS (a tape I still own and treasure) and it alone made me a Godzilla fan, a science fiction fan and a bad movie fan (which would ultimately translate into me liking MST). That said, it is a pretty horrible movie, and Joel and the bots rip it apart extremely well. The host segments are great too. Since I now speak fluent Japanese the song translation segment is even funnier for me, since I know what's really being said (and it is just as funny, in an unintentional way of course). "Rex Dart: Eskimo Spy" is so random I love it.
4. 904 Werewolf
My first SCIFI era episode, since my family moved to an area where we couldn't get cable for all of Season 8 and most of Season 9 (I saw Werewolf in a rerun while on vacation somewhere that did have cable). This modern movie proves that it's not just the "classics" that can be ripped apart by the MST gang. This is also another case where the movie itself is just as entertaining as the riffing. If I didn't know better I'd swear Yuri and the female lead were really playing their parts for laughs. This episode also has my all-time favorite host segment, the "Where oh Werewolf" song. My mother loves old 50s girl groups so I've heard them all so many times, and this parody really sounds authentic. The WereCrow bits are amusing too, if in a smile-inducing way only.
5. 424 "Manos" The Hands of Fate
The one and only. I admit that I find the film mildly entertaining just because it's an example of an instance where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. I think the riffing here is among the strongest of the Joel era (I normally prefer Mike's brand of humor), on both the feature and the short. The host segments are good too, I like Joel dressing up as The Master and Tom's reaction to it (especially since I sometimes pretend to be "evil" for laughs around my friends, and they tell me I can't pull it off either. Heh). The final segment with Mike as Torgo is just wonderful though. It was really cool seeing him reprise the role a few more times in later seasons, and I wish they had brought him back more often.
Runners up include: Space Mutiny, The Final Sacrifice, Time of the Apes and Pod People.
|
|
|
Post by mightyjack on Jun 22, 2006 19:37:42 GMT -5
1) Jack Frost When I saw this episode I fell madly in love... with MST3K - It's rare to find comedy this brilliant. It simply made my jaw drop with amazement. The joke about Peter denying everyone as the cocks all crow was a defining MST moment. I remember thinking, why doesn't everyone write comedy this clever? 2) Santa Claus Why #2 - Because it makes me wet my pants from laughter, beginning to end.
3) The Beast of Yucca Flats Ditto - Laugh so hard my sides hurt. I recently watched this with my brother and his family, along with Santa/Martians and Zilla/Sea Monster - hands down this is the one that filled the room with barrel laughs. After it was over, everyones faces were beaming from the amazing colossal good time they had. Undeniable classic comedy.
4) I Accuse My Parents Perfect dopey movie is perfectly riffed. There so much material here. Jimmy's lying, his essays and shoe sales and his drunken parents. There was no way the best brains could fail to make this work. They zero in on every idiosyncrasy with a finely honed wit unequaled by anything on TV.
5) Night of the Blood Beast Dumb blond jokes and "Steves" just make me giggle like a goon. Great fun, razor sharp riffing.
|
|
|
Post by OxfordProle on Jun 22, 2006 20:13:30 GMT -5
Always a great topic, and some great responses. I love hearing which episodes people loved the most and why. I'm also grateful for the "subject to change" caveat: a year ago, my all-time favorite episode was Mitchell, and while I still love it, it's been knocked out of my Top Five by some recent favorites, listed in no particular order:
1) The Magic Voyage of Sinbad: Simply the best of the wonderful Russo-Finnish imports, this is a fun, totally bizarre film that is self-sufficiently entertaining in its own right, and yet the guys went to town on the riffing anyway. It also has the Rat Pack Chess Set and Chinderwear, two of my all-time favorite Invention Exchanges.
2) Night of the Bloodbeast: One of many experiments that feature a totally manic, ridiculous short and a dull, plodding film - I gotta wonder who decided to pair these kinds of things together - for me, it's a genius move. Corman is always an easy target to attack and destroy, and I enjoy the fact that there are two great sets of host segments to choose from. I get such a kick out of Crow's "pregnancy, " and the Stuffing Vs. Potato Feature.
3) Gamera Vs. Guiron: I admit that I'm a relatively sheltered individual, but this has got to be the weirdest, goofiest, most incomprehensible film I've ever seen. And again, the boys just have at it. I enjoyed the Richard Burton references throughout, Gamera’s gymnastics routine, and this episode also includes my favorite character performance by Mike as Michael Feinstein.
4) The Legend of Boggy Creek II: "I'm planning an abduction!" In general, I prefer the ragged charm of some of the earlier seasons, but this Season Ten gem has some of the best riffs in the show's history, I think. The movie is one of the most perfect types for the show, featuring a hammy "dictator-for-life" director/writer/star, an awkward, skinny kid who can't seem to clothe himself, a couple of furry, well-meaning monsters, and Crenshaw, who defies categorization. Plus, Crow and Tom set fire to the bridge, always a feel-good moment, I think.
5) 12 To the Moon: The most underrated show in MST's history, I believe. Fantastic riffing and another great set of host segments: Mike and Bridget are just so darn cute together. This was also another dull, dark movie paired with a psychotic, somewhat frightening short, and I believe this episode featured the original big, chunky leader who really doesn't do much of anything, but gets all the credit anyway. "I'm gonna set this to Central Stud Time, 'cause I'm Sledge Rip Rock!" Plus, it was pretty clear that the whole movie had a budget of about $200, most of that going to buy that one pair of Doc Martens...on the Moon!
|
|
|
Post by soundandvision on Jun 22, 2006 20:24:08 GMT -5
2. The Rebel Set. Gets better every time. A great heist/beatnik adventure flick, where the riffing gets better with each scene. My favorite invention exchange (Rothko paint-by-number kit), one of my all-time favorite host segs (what would you do in Chicago?), and Merritt Stone. Quite possibly the perfect Joel ep. Master Ninja II - As the years have gone on I have consistantly come back to this episode more than any other. Because it feels comfortable with the set up, after MNI. Because I remember being 15 or 16, sitting in front of the TV at my mom's house late one night (midnight showing) and just ROFL with this episode. And now, the anticipatory laughter is what gets me. Riffs like: "Right on my head, that's it", "Uh, you wanna pop in a tape", et al. The Rebel Set - For all the reasons you stated above, Atari. And because it's the first full episode I remember sitting through (Christmas '92?...) Favorite riff at the moment: "It's John Candy!...Hey that was John Candy!" Mitchell - Just have fond memories of that whole era, the Prodigy groups and people starting bulletin board messages flaming back and forth about Joel/Mike. Mainly because it's such a top notch episode, every joke is spot on. Favorite riffs at the moment: "(Honk, honk) Go about your business"..etc. "Uh, your sleeping with him at 3"... "Miller/Mitchell". Teen-Age Strangler - (See: Mitchell) Also, because I seem to remember this lapse of time after Mitchell aired when I some misgivings about the show. I continued recording the episodes every week and watching them. But, not really feeling a connection to the show. Then, at some point that winter this episode was rerun the first time and I remember laughing myself silly. This episode, the second time around, endeared me to Mike, finally. Favorite riffs: "Incredible sexless girl-man tells all in crime jag", "This looks like Operation Rescue" and "Wait, how did he get on that side!" Lost Continent - The guy from the Danny Thomas show, Hugh Beaumont, Caesar Romero...what's not to love? I seem to remember watching my tape of this often, back in the day. Favorite riffs: "Hey it's Dino, what a ding-a-ling", "Ah Jerry were ya messin' with this?" and "('I've seen tracks like those') Larry Mondello".
|
|
|
Post by soundandvision on Jun 22, 2006 20:27:07 GMT -5
I consider 506-512 to be the best consecutive string of eps in the show's history I completely agree with this.
|
|
|
Post by laughinghobgoblin on Jun 22, 2006 20:29:50 GMT -5
1. Final Justice-Great combination of funny riffs and funny skits. The most consistently funny episode. 2. Space Mutiny-Great comedy synergy between the riffs and the movie. Only the weak skits prevent it from being #1. 3. Hobgoblins- Horrid movie with some really funny riffs. 4. Squirm-My first episode, and also very funny. 5. Merlin's Shop Of Mystical Wonders-"Tonight on Old Lady Gets Killed."
|
|