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Post by kmorgan on May 2, 2024 13:09:14 GMT -5
Oh, dear. I got home from a meeting late last night, so I couldn't do the next recap. And I was rushing today, so I'm not ready with the selections for week 464, either. Usual thing, actually. Anyway, here's what we have for week 464. The off-rotation Outsider is... "Movie Jo Night: 'The Devil's Daughter'"... - That's live on-line tonight. Another "innocent young woman blunders into secret nefarious cult" movie, it seems.... while our on-rotation Outsider and our Originals selections are... TBA. - What, me disorganized?Please stand by... Okay, I'm slowly getting my act together. The on-rotation Outsider for the week is... "RT: Catwomen of the Moon"... - Sadly, Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt and Lee Meriweather aren't in this one. ... and the Originals selection is... "Gamera vs. Zigra" (Show K-07). - Maybe it was less lousy on KTMA (but I doubt it).
We now return to your regularly scheduled program...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 30, 2024 16:19:00 GMT -5
Oh, dear. I got home from a meeting late last night, so I couldn't do the next recap. And I was rushing today, so I'm not ready with the selections for week 464, either. Usual thing, actually. Anyway, here's what we have for week 464. The off-rotation Outsider is... "Movie Jo Night: 'The Devil's Daughter'"... - That's live on-line tonight. Another "innocent young woman blunders into secret nefarious cult" movie, it seems. ... while our on-rotation Outsider and our Originals selections are... TBA. - What, me disorganized?
Please stand by...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 30, 2024 16:09:35 GMT -5
How much were the rooms at the Hampton? I made reservations for three nights. The first two were around $150, with the third closer to $200. All told, less taxes, it's around $500, but I signed up with Hilton Honors, so there's a bit of a discount. I took extra time so I could go to the Mall of America, and make a pilgrimage to the original KTMA location, and the former BBI site in Eden Prairie.
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 29, 2024 13:48:20 GMT -5
Well, it took a couple of days, and I had to go to great lengths to convince the Ticketmaster website that I was a human being and not a bot, but I got my ticket to the Minneapolis show. It's on the floor level, off to one side, but I don't mind. I also got my hotel reservation for a Hampton Inn only about a block away from the theater. I'll wait a bit before getting my plane tickets.
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 29, 2024 13:44:31 GMT -5
Okay, I was going to do recaps last week, as I posted. But I had a few access difficulties. So, let's try it now, starting with week 460: The first half of shorts on the "Shorts-a-Poppin'" DVD were, once again, good viewing. Not only did they provide an interesting look at the respective eras they were made in, but they made you, in some cases, wonder what the heck the filmmakers were thinking. They covered subjects like road safety ("The Case of Tommy Tucker", about how the whole world revolves around one future autocrat), personal shyness ("Shy Guy", and it's amazing they only made one joke about lead actor Dick York's most famous role), juvenile delinquency ("What About Juvenile Delinquency?" and how it's OK until your family is targeted), family communication ("You and Your Family", where family members talk to each other "Rashomon"-style, sort of), and racing ("Cork: Crashes and Curiosities", about auto racing, auto crashing, and IRISH SWEEP!!). As usual, the riffing was great. "Bride of the Gorilla" is set up to be about a man undergoing a bit of shapeshifting, primate style. But, actually, it's more of a psychological suspense thriller. The overseer of a jungle plantation lets his boss die so he can take his wife. It seems like a perfect crime, until the guy starts believing he's turning into a killer gorilla. Is he, or isn't he? There's some good, humid atmosphere in this one, and Raymond Burr delivers a good performance of mounting tension. Familiar faces Tom Conway and Paul Kavanaugh show up, and Lon Chaney plays an unconvincing cop/former jungle resident. It's a reasonably good, if off-kilter, movie from Kurt "Donovan's Brain" Siodmak. Once again, Bridget & MJ do a great job of riffing in their friendly, relaxed way. As for "Phase IV", this is just plain odd. Ants, apparently affected by a solar storm, gain intelligence start going after humans in the desert southwest. They're opposed by an obsessed scientist, an easygoing scientist, and a young survivor who's basically the Load. The ants totally confound the humans, and it ends with...I'm not sure. Yes, the photography is good, and director Saul Bass throws in a lot of neat visual touches. On the other hand, the humans were too stupid, and I'm not a big fan of ants, anyway. As for the episode, the riffing could get sparse at times, but that's to be expected for a KTMA show. The host segments were good, with the pre-Deep 13 Mads worried about their boss ("Old Leadbottom"? They worked for Binghamton?), and some well-deserved jokes aimed at Isaac Asimov. (Three Laws, my eye.) Not one of my favorite KTMAs, but OK.
I'll get to week 461 later...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 23, 2024 14:27:37 GMT -5
My apologies, folks. I've had a major allergy flareup, and that has thoroughly discombobulated me in terms of getting things done. Well, I'll do the outstanding recaps tonight. As for selections, I'll have to combine Weeks 462 and 463, and hope I'm not seriously messing up whomever is following this. In any case, for the delayed week 462, the first on-rotation Outsider is... "ConventioCon II Hightlights: BBI Tour"... - I wonder if there's a historical marker on the former BBI site. ... and the second on-rotation Outsider is... "CT: The Astral Factor"... - Not to be confused with "The Alien Factor". Or "The Alternative Factor". Or "The Neptune Factor". ... while the Originals selection is... "Manos, the Hands of Fate" (Show 424) - Oh, dear.
And, moving to week 463, the off-rotation Outsider is... "The Mary Jo Pehl Show: The Dating Game"... - That's live on-line tonight, and I'm NOT one of the Eligible Bachelors (for which we are all thankful). ... while the on-rotation Outsider is... "RT: Charlie Chan: Dark Alibi"... - Does it count as "yellowface" if the movie is in black & white? ... and the Originals selection is... "The Projected Man" (Show 901). - Let's hope Lembach stays this time.
Please stand by...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 9, 2024 7:27:36 GMT -5
Good morning! I've got to get ready for work, so I'll do the recap of week 460 later. But I do have time to post the selections for week 461. This week, we have two off-rotation Outsiders. The first one is... "The Mads are Back LIVE: Night of Shorts 15"... - That's live on-line tonight. Did anyone actually see these shorts in school? ... while the second one is... "Chit-Chat and Tid-Bits"... - Another Clubhouse Exclusive from MJ's show live on-line this Friday. By then, I'll need relaxing conversation. ... while the Originals selection is... "The Amazing Colossal Man" (Show 309). - Did Susan Hart OK this?
We now pause for station identification...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 8, 2024 14:35:10 GMT -5
Do any of your categories include other riffers? Have you ever tried ICWXP or QuipTrax? Both are worthwhile riff products. No, not at this time. I have heard good things about other riffing groups, but I haven't had the time to check them out. At present, the Originals means anything from MST where they are in-character (episodes, shorts, live shows). Outsiders means anything from the alumni projects (Film Crew, CT, RT, Mads, MJ's shows) or live cast appearances. Some of them are a bit tough to categorize, like the "Poopie!" tapes.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give the other groups a look.
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 4, 2024 23:39:30 GMT -5
OK, I'm back with the promised recap of week 459. (Yes, on occasion, I fulfill my promises.) Anyway...
Re: the latest "Mary Jo Pehl Show", she & Chris did, indeed, watch some weird music videos. They looked to be primarily from the 80s & 90s. I don't think I'm familiar with any of the artists, and Heaven only knows where they dug this stuff up. When the most conventional-looking video features a man who looks like a rabbi singing in German with some Smurf puppets, you know things are off-kilter. I'm not saying they were awful, but some were too out there for me. But they all showed a fair amount of creativity.
As for the NPR segments with Paul & MJ, with one exception they ran about four minutes and were pretty amusing commentaries. Paul talked about how stupid company names resulted in stupid ballpark names, and MJ had three segments on, respectively, living with her parents in Minnesota, moving to NYC, and her apartment nearly getting robbed. There was also an extended segment where MJ and three other people I didn't recognize talked about the memories that were recalled by the smell of cigarette smoke. I got these from Cheepnis a while back; I wonder if there are any more with them around.
And re: "Poopie 2", it's not as funny as the original collection of bloopers (I don't know why they included the bit with Trace and the trombone), but it's OK. On reflection, I'm wondering if I should move this to the Outsider list, since the cast aren't really in character. What do you think, people at home?
So, let's move on to what little remains of week 460. The first on-rotation Outsider is... "RT: Shorts-a-Poppin'" (1st half)... - Are there talls-a-poppin', too? ... and the second on-rotation Outsider is... "RT: Bride of the Gorilla"... - Would this count as an interracial marriage? ... and the Originals selection is... "Phase IV" (Show K-09). - When do I start screaming, "THEM!!"?
Don't touch that dial...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 4, 2024 14:59:50 GMT -5
Well, I've got a few minutes, so how's about I do a recap for week 458?
"Satan's School for Girls" (now that's a grabber of a title) is one of the better "ABC Movie of the Week" productions. A young woman (Pamela Franklin) looks into her sister's "suicide" by going undercover and investigating the exclusive girls' school she had attended. And, as per the title, there are some devil-cult goings-on. The script and performances were OK, but the 75 min. running time limited the amount of story & character development they could use. The familiar cast-members included Roy Thinnes, Lloyd Bochner, and future angels Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd. Sure, some of the plot twists are easy to predict, but the final twist was still pretty good. Chris & MJ thought this movie was pretty good. I was a bit surprised at how they and the people in the chat didn't seem to know about "Legend of Hell House" or "The Invaders", given the presence of Pamela Franklin and Roy Thinnes. Still, it turned out OK.
As for "Gravity", it's actually a well-made, well-acted movie with some great VFX. I understand there is some artistic license in the science department, and I don't really buy George Clooney's fate (hey, if Matt Damon can figure out how to fly in space without a jet pack, why can't Clooney?), and a good portion of Sandra Bulloch's dialogue seemed to consist of "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!", but those are minor quibbles. Bridget & MJ's riffing was great. Once again, they're more like two friends watching the movie with us, rather than sounding scripted. And they actually seemed to like the movie, which doesn't make the jokes any less funny. And the riff at the 42 min. mark (you'll know it when you hear it) was a nice touch.
And, re: "Laserblast", not-so-great movie, but a good choice for riffing. I will say the stop-motion used for the alien turtles was well-done, and Roddy McDowell does what he can with his very brief role. But, if it weren't for the laser-blasting, you have to figure the lives of those "teenagers" must be horrendously depressing. The riffing was great, though. And the host segments were fine, especially Mike as Janeway. I'm glad this didn't turn out to be the actual series finale, but it would've worked OK, if it had. I do have one question: did they auction of the giant VHS tape, and, if so, does the winner still have it? It must be one heck of a conversation piece.
I'm due back at work in a moment. I'll recap week 459 later.
Please stand by...
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 26, 2024 16:26:51 GMT -5
OK, I'm at work again, and I'm pressed for time again. I'll do the recap of week 458 ASAP (no, really I will!), but I can put up the selections for week 459 right now. So, the off-rotation Outsider for the week is... "The Mary Jo Pehl Show: 'Mary Jo & Chris Watch Weird Vintage Music Videos'"... - That's live on-line tonight, and it seems pretty self-explanatory. ... while the on-rotation Outsider is... "Paul & Mary Jo on NPR"... - This is a bunch of audio segments they did for, I believe, "All Things Considered". Haven't heard this in a while. ... while the Originals selection is... "Poopie II". - Cut! Can we try that again?
Stay tuned...
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 19, 2024 10:24:34 GMT -5
I tried to post this yesterday, but I had a few computer glitches. Hope you don’t mind. Anyway, let’s look back at week 457, shall we. I haven’t done a recap in a while; I hope I haven’t lost the knack.
“The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues” is one of the most boring & pointless movies I’ve seen. Three people are found dead & washed up on the beach, and it turns out it’s connected to nefarious experiments, a man-made sea monster, radiation, and I’m not sure what. The movie doesn’t make that clear. There are a lot of static scenes of people talking, illegal use of spear guns, enemy agents, and some underwater scenes that slow things down even more. And this is after about 20 minutes of the movie was cut for the show. Trace & Frank did OK with the riffing. Fortunately, the movie gave them a lot to work from, like one character working under the cover name of “Ted Baxter” and another being called “Mr. Grant”. (No, really, that’s in the movie.) Afterwards, the Q&A with Mike, Kevin & Bill was great. Everyone had a good time talking about things ranging from misleading trailers to ukuleles to the dangers of rubber band balls. This made up for the lousy movie.
As for “No Dialogue Required”, it featured Frank, film historian Bob Burns, filmmaker Larry Blamire, and Lee Strosnider, who was one of the editors & cameramen for “Beast of Yucca Flats”. It was actually a pretty informative documentary. While they readily note that the movie is awful, they take note of how Coleman Francis at least tried to be prepared yet flexible in his filmmaking choices. It’s also noted that Francis was a fairly nice guy, and that Tor Johnson was certainly not as monosyllabic and mindless in real life as on the screen. I particularly liked how the segment’s narration followed the movie’s pseudo-philosophical style, and they showed a film noir-ish publicity photo of Francis that actually looked pretty cool.
And re: the “Little Gold Statue” special, it’s still a real hoot. I can appreciate the small touches, like how they change the food on the table for each segment, and Crow needing a napkin at times. Sure, they didn’t riff on the film clips, but you can’t have everything. I really miss MST doing Oscar previews. I wish the new crew or RT or the Mads had done one this year. I mean, Godzilla was nominated! As noted, I also watched “The People’s Global Golden Choice Awards Special” from SCTV. More funny stuff, though it helps if you’re familiar with the show biz climate of that period.
Well, let’s move on to week 458. The off-rotation Outsider this week is… “Movie Jo Night: ‘Satan’s School for Girls’”… - That’s live on-line tonight. Haven’t seen the movie yet, but the title is great. … while the on-rotation Outsider is… “RT: Gravity” (w/ Bridget & Mary Jo)… - From back when NASA was still in the people-launching business. … and the Originals selection this week is… “Laserblast” (Show 706). - MST’s first series finale that didn’t take.
We now pause for station identification…
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 10, 2024 18:32:21 GMT -5
Well, week 456 went pretty quick, didn't it? Well, I'm going to jump right in with the selections for week 457 right away. Why? Because this is Oscar Night, the Night the Stars Salute Themselves! I'll get to that part in a moment. First, the off-rotation Outsider for the week is... "The Mads are Back LIVE: 'The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues'"... - That's live on-line Tuesday night, followed by a post-show Q&A with Mike, Kevin & Bill. ... while the on-rotation Outsider is... "No Dialogue Necessary: Making an Off-Camera Masterpiece" (w/ Frank) - It's about the making of "Beast of Yucca Flats", which I saw a few weeks ago. Maybe it'll explain the flag on the moon. ... and the Originals selection for Oscar Night this year is... "The MST3K Little Gold Statue Preview Special". - With Crow, Servo, Gypsy and "Ed Asner". And, this year, I'm throwing in the SCTV "People's Global Golden Choice Awards Special".
The envelope, please...
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 8, 2024 16:02:23 GMT -5
Anyone else catch "Killer Bees"? I was surprised by the ending on that one. Yes, it was the 70s and it seemed like every horror/sci-fi movie ended on a downbeat note, but I wouldn't have thought a TV movie would've gone that route.
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 8, 2024 15:58:23 GMT -5
wow, fun. maybe the mads will be in it this year. Probably another group Rifftrax as one of the big rewards: Dune is long enough to accommodate a multi-riff effort, for starters. I once figured that CT and RT could riff on "Gone With the Wind", with them each doing half of the movie, and flipping a coin over who gets to do "I'll never be hungry again!" and who gets "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." RT & the Mads could try it now.
Or, how about this: if CBS/Paramount allows it, a TOS double-feature: "Spock's Brain" and "The Way to Eden". Even the most hardcore Trekkers wouldn't object to that.
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