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Post by Melting Man on Feb 8, 2009 17:03:06 GMT -5
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Post by Weirdo Writer on Feb 8, 2009 19:18:46 GMT -5
Cool!
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Post by Creepy Girl on Feb 9, 2009 20:20:05 GMT -5
Very interesting, thanks for pointing this out.
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Post by Melting Man on Feb 20, 2009 15:12:18 GMT -5
I finally got a chance to see this film, and I have to say that it's excellent. Those expecting a hard hitting exploration of the history of horror hosts may be disappointed (as the filmmakers say in the commentary, they didn't set out to do "Horror Host Confidential"). This is, as the DVD box states, a "tribute". All of the interview subjects, from the hosts to celebrities (like Neil Gaiman, Tim Conway, and Tom Savini), have such an absolute love of the subject and an endless supply of stories (according to the commentary, the original cut of the film ran 4 hours long!). Surprisingly, there is no narration. The entire film is told through interviews and, you know what, it all flows together very well. On the downside, there are so many hosts that more than a few are glossed over or omitted completely. While featured in interviews, a segment dedicated to Commander USA was cut for time. And budget limitations prevented the filmmakers from flying out to get interviews with Son of Svengoolie (who still appears in a few clips), Sammy Terry, and Dr. Morgus (who are both ignored because none of the interview subjects had anything to say about them). Elvira is the focus of a segment but, sadly, not interviewed (it seems she had no interest). For MST3K fans, there are about 4 or 5 minutes dedicated to the show. As I said before, this documentary is a tribute, not a history lesson, so don't look for anything indepth (mostly interviews with people talking about how much they love the series and how it relates to horror hosted shows in general). Joel's interview is peppered throughout the film. It's just the basics, but it's nice. And, on a side note, the filmmakers explain why Joel's interview takes place in a parking lot. Originally, they were to interview him in his office. When they couldn't, they moved down to the lobby. Unfortunately, there were too many people walking around, so they had to head out to the parking lot. So, why couldn't they film in his office? Apparently, he was working on a big "top secret" project he didn't want filmed. That's right, it was the early stages of Cinematic Titanic (although no one making the movie was aware of it).  So, is the film worth getting? If you are going into it just for Joel and MST3K, you will probably be disappointed. But, if you are a horror host fan, it's a must see. |
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Post by Jack Burton on Mar 8, 2009 18:34:21 GMT -5
I saw it last night and have to say I was disappointed at the lack of a strong narrative (it was almost as if they forgot about the host's CGI tombstone introductions halfway through), only a minute spent on MST and NO time spent on Commander USA! It was still a blast seeing the Commander now though. (That guy needs his own documentary!)
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Post by Melting Man on Mar 9, 2009 19:54:10 GMT -5
I saw it last night and have to say I was disappointed at the lack of a strong narrative (it was almost as if they forgot about the host's CGI tombstone introductions halfway through), only a minute spent on MST and NO time spent on Commander USA! It was still a blast seeing the Commander now though. (That guy needs his own documentary!) I LOVE Commander USA and was disappointed that there wasn't more with him, however, I can't blame it totally on the people who made this documentary. I've since heard that they couldn't get the rights to use some clips. So, no Commander USA, no Monstervision, and no MST3K. And the only Elvira footage they could get came directly from Joe Bob Briggs.  Someone who worked on this film (I can't remember the name) said on a message board that he'd like to put out some 1 hour specials in the future. I'm not sure if that was a realistic plan or just wishful thinking, but we can hope. |
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Post by Weirdo Writer on Aug 3, 2010 23:02:19 GMT -5
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Post by riffphan on Jan 2, 2011 23:19:16 GMT -5
This is a great little documentary about horror hosts. Definitely worth watching. MST3K gets talked about near the end.
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Post by GenericJohnny on Jan 23, 2011 12:27:46 GMT -5
I just watched this last night. I definitely recommend for anyone interested in old horror show hosts. It has little appeal otherwise, but man that was a fun (and still somewhat informative) little documentary. I'm glad I finally saw it, I remember hearing about this years ago, right around the time MST went off the air in rerun on SciFi.
Joel really should have been the nucleus of a new generation and brand of horror hosts. But now there are so few. From the documentary most are on premium stations, online, cable access, plus the few survivors on local television in the big media markets. It's a real shame, as the idea of movie presenter will probably go out when new media takes over.
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