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Post by losingmydignity on Jun 22, 2006 20:48:29 GMT -5
Der Fuhrer broke the rules! Der Fuhrer broke the rules!
Okay, mine once again:
1. Manos One of the first eps I rented upon returning from a six year sojourn abroad during which I missed almost every ep made. I knew as soon as the credits started that this was a film I would have loved to watch even on its own. I had no idea it was a favorite, but just fell in love with it. I've only watched it a few times since to keep it fresh. Hired 2 is great too.
2. Mitchell
Another quintissential ep. Didn't know it was a fav when I rented it too. In fact, I was thinking I wouldn't like the ep at first, because I used to prefer older films being Msted to newer ones (I've since discarded the notion that the older the film the better for riffing).
3. Red Zone Cuba
Just one of the worst films ever made and the riffs are great. Coleman gives them so much to work with. The old man getting thrown in the well at the frog legs place is one of their funniest scenes ever.
4. Horror of Party Beach
This one has everything. Girls, monsters, dumb scientists, beach parties and great Sci Fi era riffing.
5. Brain That Wouldn't Die (I almost put Amazing Colossal Man here since I've viewed more recently and think that's just one of the greatest eps ever, but this one holds up just as well). I've watched this one many times. So sleazy and like the black humor. Perfect film for them done perfectly. No hesitation from Mike stepping in.
I know they're almost all Rhino's but I think they did make an attempt to put out the best eps in the beginning.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on Jun 23, 2006 0:42:47 GMT -5
5) 12 To the Moon: The most underrated show in MST's history, I believe. Damn straight.
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Post by MonsterX on Jun 23, 2006 0:57:29 GMT -5
Good topic. =)
In no particular order. .
1. Lost Continent. My first episode and still a goodie. I love the old monster movie episodes and this is a flick I remember liking as a kid. Probably the third best episode out of season 2. (The Godzilla flix holding the first and second spots.) Two words – rock climbing.
2. Gammera. I have always been a sucker for the giant rampaging monster stomping Japan genre. I also like how dark they get with the Kenny riffs. This episode has one of my all time favorite riffs; there is a scene where the camera zooms in on a newspaper and I think it is Tom who says, “Smash! Newspaper hits Japanese man in face!” And then it quickly cuts to a Japanese man pulling a news paper away from him face and Joel cry’s out, “Ouch, that stung!” You have to see it to really understand it, but just thinking about that scene never fails to make me laugh out loud. =)
3. Fugitive Alien 2. For quite a few years after a young teenage me made some really dumb life choices and I lived in several different places, one of the only things that always came with me was a copy of this episode that I had taped. I had a couple shorts and city limits on that one too I remember. I watched this damn episode over and over again and I have never gotten tired of it. Its just so goofy and incoherent, and I love the “Tried to kill me with a forklift” song, as well as all the rest of the music from this episode.
4. The Horror of Party Beach. I just got the un-mysted version of this but I haven’t gotten around to watching it just yet. I remember watching it as a kid and actually getting scared! (Give me a break, I was just a kid!) This movie is baffling to me because it’s trying to me a beach movie, musical, comedy and a horror flick all at the same time and it fails at every one of those. However, it fails beautifully and I think that it’s a perfect example of the right type of movie for the show. That opening dance scene with the skinny guys wiggling around is the stuff of nightmares and what was up with those monsters? Whose bright idea was it to stuff their mouths with hotdogs? Maybe the costume designer was a vegetarian.
5. Killer Shrews. I have some very loving memories of watching this as a kid on the local Chicago uhf station. (Channel 60 if I remember.) Am I the only one who thinks that the climax of this movie is actually good? Anyway, I think that the monsters are really cool and it’s a good solid episode.
6. Man, I could go on all day. Monster A Go-Go, Fire Maidens, Attack of the the Eye Creatures. . .
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Post by Melting Manos on Jun 23, 2006 15:27:13 GMT -5
1. The Incredible Melting Man - It's the perfect episode for me. It's a goofy 70's monster movie, which are my absolute favorite type of films for them to riff and they do a fantastic job. There really are no slow spots. I also LOVE the host segments which is pretty rare for me. Normally all I care about is what happens in the theater, but not with this one! The fact that they are clearly slamming the film industry and doing a hilarious job of it makes them a homerun. The best MST3K has to offer as far as I'm concerned. "I'm starting to get NOT STONED!" 2. Space Mutiny - The very best episdoe Rhino has released. Sure, the film was so unbelieveably idiotic that it really did do some of their job for them, but they riffed it extremely well. I could watch this one over and over again and never get tired of it. "She's presenting like a mandrill" ;D 3. Werewolf - I've read that Kevin Murphy called this a "gift from god" and he isn't kidding. Once again the movie is so dopey it kinda does their job for them, but they still did an excellent job riffing it. Another cheesy monster film, and like I said earlier, those are my favorite types of films that they did. "Apparently the cure for being a werewolf is Immodium AD." 4. Manos: The Hands Of Fate - This one has slipped down a couple notches in the rankings for me over the years, but that's just because of the fact that I've seen it so many times. I've given the episode a well deserved break though, and cannot deny just how great of a job they did with it. Especially considering the fact that as bad as this film was, they didn't have an abundance of things to work with and they still ended up making one of the finest episodes in the entire history of the show. My absolute favorite Joel era episode. As far as the "overrated" claims are concerned, I wasn't aware of its popularity when I first saw it, and I STILL ended up loving it. "It's like having Joe Cocker as your bellhop!" 5. Jack Frost - One of the most bizarre films they ever watched, and a knockout in the riff department. I could laugh at the movie unMST'd, but they definitely add tons of laughs with expert riffing. "I enjoy watching people's mental illness." I hadn't done a top five since the middle of last year, and I've noticed I've had a couple changes of opinion. I know one thing, when I do a new top 10 Horrors Of Spider Island will definitely be in there. That one didn't blow me away after the first viewing, but it just gets better and better to me the more times I see it. By the way, since Manos slipped down to #4, a "mutiny" had to take its place in my screen name.
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Post by KGB on Jun 23, 2006 17:29:33 GMT -5
1) Pod People -- It's been my favorite episode for 15 years now, and there's no need to find a new one. This one's got it all. It's a comfort episode, it has belly laughs, it has good running jokes, the movie is a train wreck that's still eminently watchable. I try not to watch this one too often, thus it's remained fresh.
2) Riding With Death -- Cheesy seventies movies are my favorite genre of MST episodes and this is the cream of the crop. There's such a delightful chemistry between Jim Stafford and Ben Murphy. Delightful in the sense that they both deserve to be made fun of. Robert Denby is the best villain in Mistie-dom.
3) Laserblast -- See above. I guess I'm in the minority on this one but I love the Hank Williams Jr. gag. In fact, the sherrif's deputies make this movie for me. "Hey, you know cursive!"
4) Attack of the the Eye Creatures -- This is a great, great episode that gets top 5 treatment solely on the strength of the "They just didn't care" sketch at the end of the movie. I happen to think that Susan is a real babe, too, which doesn't hurt, and I just love greasy drifters (in a platonic sense).
5) I Accuse My Parents -- Knockout episode, riffing wise. I don't think any other episode is as consistent as this one. And being such a big fan of shorts, I'd be remiss not to list an episode prefaced by one. The Truck Farmers isn't the best short ever, but like a good opening match on a wrestling card, it delivers the goods without upstaging the main event.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Jun 23, 2006 22:00:35 GMT -5
Favorite Episodes, in chronological order. Hard to decide, but I think this is currently the list:
301: Cave Dwellers I think this was the first *full* episode I saw, I rented it after I caught half of "Final Justice" on reruns. I just rewatched this one, and it still holds up very well. I think this is the beginning of the truly great episodes. Standouts to me are the hang glider, Ator's slow motion "NOOoo!", and one of my all-time favorite riffs, when the old inventor goes on and on about his device, how it could be good, or evil, or whatever. He turns to the camera and Crow goes, "What do you, the viewers at home, think?" in the most hilarious voice.
321: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians This one is not the absolute funniest, but it is a great episode with a weird movie, and a lot of standout riffs. As Santa's face is superimposed over stars at the end, Servo goes, "Santa Claus: killed in Vietnam". Also, Crow's "Smoking is good for you!" one is in my top couple riffs ever.
512: Mitchell I thought this one was merely adequate the first time I saw it. However, it holds up extremely well for me, and it's migrated to perhaps my favorite Joel episode. Of course, it's pretty much a cliche to say it now, but the extreme character-based riffing they did on Joe Don is some of the best stuff they ever did. I just love all the comments they make in the Joe Don/Fat Elvis/etc. voice. It just seems like pretty much every one they did was perfectly aimed.
903: Puma Man This one would be great for the movie alone - in terms of pure ridiculousness, I'm pretty sure this would be my favorite episode. Mike and the bots only add to the fun, though. While it may lose a little steam later on, this has some of my favorite riffing as well. One of the things that really sold it to me was the completely classic hometown commercial jingles sung to the Puma Man theme. And, of course, 'he flies like a moron!'
1007: Track of the Moon Beast This, I always list as my completely unexpected favorite. The movie's cheesy, and has a great hero in Johnny Longbow (or Longbone). Practically everything the guys say in this one hits the mark, and Bill Corbett gets in so many of the greatest lines, perfectly mocking Longbow's voice. Something about the smug self-assurance in his voice just kills me. Of course, the running gag about soup ingredients is classic, as is Crow doing the voice of God during some lightning strikes ("Fornicators!"). One of my favorites is when Longbow exclaims, "Paul is not PAUL anymore" and Crow shouts, "He's SUPERPAUL!". That one is so awesome.
Honorable Mention: 810: Giant Spider Invasion The only reason this isn't in the top five is that I've seen it so many times. It just has so many great riffs.
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Post by hypochrismutreefuzz on Jun 24, 2006 3:29:59 GMT -5
Ring of Terror: this one has the single greatest invention exchange, with the life-sized "Operation" game and Joel's "Pin Bolus" flouroscope. I really like how he just reaches back and retrieves the "pin bolus". The film is dark, muddy, dismal, and ... weird. Thats the word for it ...
Wild Rebels: lots of stuff. We find out about Gypsy; intellectual bikers; the finest station wagon on the market used in a bank robbery; Citrusville. And so much more.
Time of the Apes: Why Johnny Doesnt Care.
Warrior of the Lost World: its amazing how topical this one has become recently.
Swamp Diamonds: the short, What to Do On a Date, is one of the greatest. Only Mr B Natural is better. I love the riffing in the prison break scene. The way the girl "drowns" in a swimming pool while stock footage of alligators menace her.
Well that's 5.
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Post by mightyjack on Jun 24, 2006 4:35:38 GMT -5
I imagine your choices will say a lot about you. So what have you learned about us so far? lol
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Post by Skiptastic on Jun 24, 2006 11:44:29 GMT -5
The first episode I ever say, Cave Dwellers, is not on my list. Would it be close? Sure, but I've learned of too many other great ones to put it there.
So here goes:
Mighty Jack - This is one that is hard to explain. When I first downloaded Mighty Jack from the DAP and watched it, I promptly fell asleep to it. The plot was so freaking convoluted, and it was late at night. So I tried to watch it again the next night, and fell asleep again. So I told myself that I would use this episode to fall asleep, and it worked for months. Then one day, I told myself, you are going to watch this one all the way through, and when I did, it was a revelation. Why I love this episode is that they get on these little runs of doing similar themed jokes (the old druggie guy tokin' up; Atari wanting toast and then they keep talking about toast; the whole "French" thing) and they all hit for me. But what makes it even better is after they make those, they go back to them here and there to add to that humor (the old guy and his "rolling papers"; after talking to "William Faulkner", ten minutes later it's "you, slant left, you, go deep, you, write Sound and the Fury!") I honestly think that they really tied a lot of that movie together in a perfect way. Plus, all the political jokes (JFK, Orrin Hatch, Rush Limbaugh, "Mayor" Jesse the Body Vogel). So what went from being a movie I couldn't watch is now a movie that is probably my favorite.
Pod People - I rented this from my library when I moved to Indiana. My old library didn't have MST3K on tape and so when I saw they had it, I snatched this one up. At my library, you can rent movies for two weeks. I watched this movie once, if not twice, every single day of those two weeks. That was what solidified my love of MST3K. I had seen Cave Dwellers at a friend's house before and thought it was great, but had no cable to watch the show, so when this movie entered my life, it was over. Pod People is just a great episode, bar none. The host segments are still funny, I still love the Huzzah! and Chief! MCCLOUD! Plus, Clowns in the Sky. Nuff said.
Godzilla vs. Megalon - Perfect theater riffs ("Geniuses", motorcycle riders, the fight commentary), nearly perfect host segments (Yeah, I said it Van Hagar, the "monster drawings" segment is not really funny) and a movie that is goofy, stupid, but interesting and really a perfect movie to riff.
Gamera vs. Guiron - If you're starting to notice a Season 3/Joel/Japanese episode bias, you'd be right! I've watched Prince of Space a few times now, and I really like a lot of the stuff they do in that one (Neptune Men bores me silly so I avoid it) with their "WE LIKE IT VERY MUCH" and "That Wally's got some stones to mess with me!", but some of the "squid eyes", "violent porn comics" and "subway fondlers club" references show they were less interested in the movie and more interested in mocking Japan. (What can I say? I have a fondness for Japan, so I'm protective.) I find Gamera vs. Guiron to be a perfect antithesis to these. There's lots of little things that I can tell were poorly translated Japanese quirks, but they make fun of the movie, not the culture. This goes for the other Season 3 Japanese titles.
Werewolf - Speaking of movies that focus on mocking the movie, Werewolf is perfect, essentially because it's freaking impossible to make fun of a culture due to the movie being in America, starring almost NO Americans to speak of. This movie was perfect and was a big reason for my growing appreciation for the Sci Fi era. I mean, I have all of the Sci Fi eps, but I used to avoid watching those episodes until this movie and Space Mutiny. Werewolf is a funny movie to watch, along the lines of Pod People and Godzilla vs. Megalon, and they take care of it in due course.
So there, learn something about me.
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Post by evildeadcrow on Jun 24, 2006 19:07:50 GMT -5
1. Mitchell (my my my my Mitchell, the first I saw, still the best)
2. Pod People (Pod People got no reason to live... every line in this one is classic)
3. Cave Dwellers (Ator is my sweet friend... the hang-glider riffing alone makes it a masterpiece)
4. Hobgoblins (best of the Mike era)
5. Manos (again)
Honorable mentions: Santa Claus vs the Martians, Giant Spider Invasion, Horror of Party Beach, Daddy-O, EEGAH!, Killer Shrews, Incredibly Strange Creatures, Devil Fish, Puma Man, Boogy Creek II, all the Herucles ones, the Day the Earth Froze
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Post by laughinghobgoblin on Jun 24, 2006 20:17:10 GMT -5
It seems every MSTie is very lucky, since their first episode is always a well-known one.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 24, 2006 20:33:19 GMT -5
It seems every MSTie is very lucky, since their first episode is always a well-known one. Not always. I seem to be the only one who likes my first episode. This thread has turned out great. Keep 'em coming! So far I've learned that some people like monster movies, other people like '50s teen stuff, some people like the Sci-Fi era, and other people like what Rhino gives 'em. I'm enjoying the obscure picks the most.
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Post by Truck Farmer on Jun 24, 2006 23:08:09 GMT -5
Picking my top 5 was fairly easy, since my top 4 are pretty much set in stone for me, but the fifth one I really struggled with. So here goes nothing.
5. Fire Maidens of Outer Space I had several episodes to choose from here, but I went with Fire Maidens primarily because of Timmy. The host segments with Timmy were laugh out loud fests. And what a God-awful cheesey film. But J&TB's make the most of it with some great riffing. My fave would have to be when the secretary comes all the way down to take a letter, and as soon as she finally gets there Joel goes "Thank you, that is all" or something close. Absolutely floored me with that one.
4. Santa Claus This one is non-stopped laughter for me from beginning to end. What a weird twisted movie this one is and M&TB's are up to the task. Favorite riff here is at the end when little Lupita gets her doll and she can barely pick it up because it is so big, and Crow "That's not a doll, that's a sister".
3. Space Mutiny If it were only based on the movie segments and nothing else, this would defintely be #1. This movie has MST3K written all over it. There are too many riffs to mention here, but I particularly loved it when the dead girl miraclously comes back to life.
2. I Accuse My Parents My very favorite Joel episode. I just love the old b/w films that try to be so serious and are so dated and cheesy. A good short to whet your appetite for a truly classic episode. Great host segments, especially the night club scene with Gypsy. This is one of those episodes that I could watch all the time.
And my #1 All Time Favorite Episode (drum roll please)
THE VIOLENT YEARS I think this should be subtitled "The Touch of Ed Wood". I absolutely LOVE this episode. It has it all, A Young Man's Fancy short, if not one of my favorite shorts, then defintely top 5, one of my all time favorite host segments, Turn your Crank to Frank, and possibly one of the most memorable scenes in MST3K history. It is so unrealistic, except maybe in the mind of Ed Wood, and cheesy, and soooooo funny. I could never get enough of this one.
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astaroth
Tibby
Beware......The........Dwarf...
Posts: 55
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Post by astaroth on Jun 25, 2006 4:48:31 GMT -5
1) #820 Space Mutiny
Just a Joy To Watch . The Enforcer Chase, The Grandma Daughter,The DeadGirl Coming Back to Life,Sapaceships With Brick Walls, Kalgon, I could go on and on. Just thinking about it makes me smile
2) #512 Mitchell
Joel Leaves With A Real Classic. Wonderful And Consistent riffs which never fail to make me laugh.
3) #904 Werewolf (warwulf?)
Worth watching just for the scene of the werewolf driving the car "A Gift From God" sums it up perfectly
4) #209 The Hellcats
My first episode of MST3k, So i'm rather fond of it. A fun episode that i can watch over and over again.
5) #515 Wild Wild World Of Batwoman
This Episode just make me laugh from beginning to end. The Chinese seance is one of the funniest things i've ever seen
Bubbling Under:
#903 Puma Man, #303 Pod People, #310 Fugitive Alien, #318 Fugitive Alien 2, #424 Manos, #508 Operation Double 007, #622 Angels Revenge,#514 Teenage Strangler & #301 Cave Dwellers
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Post by JoshWay on Jun 25, 2006 8:35:40 GMT -5
1. Cave Dwellers The first episode I ever saw (on its original air date, no less), and still my favorite. I think this episode is a great way to introduce someone to MST3K, as long as they can handle a movie this bad. I think Ator the Fighting Eagle has all the best qualities of an MST movie: anacronisms, foul acting, non-existent continuity, and big dumb puppets.
2. The Day The Earth Froze My favorite of the Russo-Finish epics (with Jack Frost close behind). This is an awesome Joel episode and the movie is strangely entertaining.
3. The Giant Gila Monster I think this is the best superimposed monster movie episode of MST.
4. Teenagers From Outerspace This movie is a prime specimen of z-grade 50's science fiction: the ray gun that turns people into plastic skeletons, the thirty-year-old teenagers, the flying saucers, the giant lobster silhouettes, etc. Great riffs too.
5. Time Chasers My favorite Sci Fi episode. I love how brutal they got in the later years, and how frustrated they got with this movie in particular.
Honorable mentions: Deathstalker, Starfighters, Santa Claus, Manos, Laserblast.
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