Post by Diet Kolos on Aug 5, 2009 13:49:10 GMT -5
As we all know, the "show" is not for everyone. But generally, those that it isn't for, just ignore it.
However, I always find it amusing when some poor clod who took one too many film classes gets a hold of the show (or simply hears of its premise) and thinks its the anti-christ bastard of movie mocking.
A good example is the Mike and Mary j o interview on SF-Vortex wherein the host Eric Wallace just could not get it through his head that these were really, really bad movies and that it was a sacrilege to riff on them. And he can't understand why they use old movies.
Watch it here.
I particularly enjoy the uninformed film nerds at IMDB that go off on the show for using specific movies they consider "good" (Phase IV seems to pop up alot) without ever having seen the show or have a brief knowledge of it.
Let's look at some of these gems, won't us?
Read through them, tell me what you think and then I'll put up more.
______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
______________________________
So, what are your thoughts?
However, I always find it amusing when some poor clod who took one too many film classes gets a hold of the show (or simply hears of its premise) and thinks its the anti-christ bastard of movie mocking.
A good example is the Mike and Mary j o interview on SF-Vortex wherein the host Eric Wallace just could not get it through his head that these were really, really bad movies and that it was a sacrilege to riff on them. And he can't understand why they use old movies.
Watch it here.
I particularly enjoy the uninformed film nerds at IMDB that go off on the show for using specific movies they consider "good" (Phase IV seems to pop up alot) without ever having seen the show or have a brief knowledge of it.
Let's look at some of these gems, won't us?
Read through them, tell me what you think and then I'll put up more.
______________________________________________
Title: I Felt My Brain Shrivel As I Watched This
To most of us, its a television show. But to a fanatical minority its a religious artifact, and one hesitates to criticise it for fear of being accused of blasphemy. But, as I.M.D.B. is all about freedom of speech, I feel that I must have my say on the subject. If you are a die-hard 'Mystie', look away now please as I am going to give your beloved show a well-deserved trashing.
'M.S.T.3.K.' was launched in 1988, the creation of its original star Joel Hodgson. It is set aboard the Satellite of Love, where Pearl ( Mary Jo Pehl ) forces Mike Nelson each week to sit through 'bad' movies. Nelson has robots - Tom Servo, Gypsy, and Crow - for company. They make sarcastic comments during the film, and this is where the 'comedy' comes from. Because the films come from the '50's, 60's and '70's, these tend to refer mainly to outdated fashions, special effects, weak scripts, or one star's perceived similarity to another. Tiresome and unfunny. The rest of the show featured inane sketches, indifferently performed.
I am interested in how the films came to be made and marketed, and about the people who made them. Contrary to what this show would have you believe, they were not idiots but poor souls struggling to produce entertainment on minuscule budgets. In some cases their work proved more enjoyable than many big budgeted productions. But 'M.S.T.3.K.' is not remotely interested in the films themselves, except as objects of ridicule. Its secret agenda is to promote Nelson, Pehl, Mallon et al as great comedians. In that it fails dismally. They come across as complete bores.
The comment 'this film should have been on M.S.T.3.K.' appears with increasing monotony on I.M.D.B. message boards, usually posted by people lacking in the wit to say anything original. Another is 'thanks to Mike and the bots for making this terrible film enjoyable'. Well, they certainly did not make enjoyable the films I saw, the exact opposite in fact. During the 'Agent For H.A.R.M.' edition, for instance, the regulars could not find anything amusing to say about it, so one resorted to yelling the middle-eight bars of Monty Norman's 'James Bond' theme at every opportunity. Funny no, irritating yes.
Some reviewers have based their strong opinions on the 'M.S.T.3.K.' versions, rather than the originals. Its rather like someone who had never seen a John Hurt movie looking at a photo of him made up as 'The Elephant Man' and trying to guess what he looks like in real life!
The choice of films to be 'riffed' is also suspect; which numb-skull selected 'Squirm', 'Phase 4', and 'Danger Diabolik'? Those are very good films! 'Cosmic Princess' and 'Riding With Death' were not films at all, but compilations of television series ( 'Space:1999' and 'The Gemini Man' respectively ). This fact went unmentioned by the cast. Where the hell was 'Plan Nine From Outer Space'?
The show has a loyal fan base and like all loyal fan bases, tends to be mindless. One user I was unlucky enough to encounter compared it to the Mona Lisa and The Bible! I hurt my sides laughing when I read that. Probably the first laugh I have got out of this shabby show.
Thankfully, it is no longer with us. I hope we never see a revival of 'M.S.T.3.K.' except as an example to future generations how not to make comedy programmes. There is something hypocritical about a bunch of talentless people relentlessly sneering at the work of others.
_______________________________________________
Title: These bozos made fun of PHASE IV
I can't believe anyone could make fun at PHASE IV, one of the best science fiction movies ever made. The DVD for PHASE IV is coming out in June and I can't wait to see this brilliant flick again. Directed by Saul Bass, this seldom seen and under-appreciated sci-fi mini epic is a thinking person's sci-fi, not the bubble gum variety which is mostly what we see today and for it to be included in the same category of films such as SPACE MUTINY or MANOS THE HANDS OF FATE is truly mind boggling.
PHASE IV is already difficult to come by and one of the few times people could actually see it was when these idiots trashed it. Shame on them in making fun of it. But then they wouldn't be able to see a great film if it hit them on the head with a 2x4, looking at the lame comedy, cheap sets and awful intro song that make up this lame excuse of a TV show.
_________________________________________________
Title: Prefer to see the real movies, without the talking.
Mystery Science Theatre 3000 sounded funny on paper, but in practice it was annoying cause unless you have actually seen those movies it was like having some idiots sit behind you and talk during the whole movie. If those people really had talent they would make their own movie or TV show, not rip-off others work and make useless comments about it. I suspect those who enjoyed this are part of the short attention span generation that has no depth of thought of their own, and need someone to constantly babble at them while a movie is playing leading them around as to what to pay attention to. If a movie is grade-B or campy, fine, I can figure that out and enjoy it myself for what it is. I don't need some lame people talking through it. What a dumbing down of art, just like rap "artists" who can't write their own music so they steal others and talk over it. These people talked over the work of others too. They do this because they don't have any original ideas of their own. Why was this show on for so many years, because it was cheap to produce.
_____________________________________________
Title: Really Pretentious Puppet Show Three Thousaaaand! (Twang) Editor's Note: I must admit, I do like the addition of the 'twang" there.
It was easy to see why this stupid show got canceled. It deserved it! If you don't remember this thing it was the show where a woman trying way too hard to act like Roseanne forced a human mannequin named Mike Nelson and his little puppet friends to watch movies. If you ever wondered why she was making them watch movies it just proves you put more thought into this show than the people behind it ever did.
This was easily the most pretentious puppet show in television history. A better title for it would have been Puppets And Poseurs. You may think I'm joking but some people try to act like this show was deep and intellectual. Let's see...puppets...a guy in an ape suit...songs so stupid that even Barney the purple dinosaur would consider it beneath his dignity to sing them. Yep. Sounds deep and intellectual to me!
To be fair the pompous airs surrounding this program came from the way Mike and the puppets would make self-consciously "intellectual" remarks that Nelson's more insecure fans like to pretend only they understand. Mike himself was much too stiff and awkward to carry a show. His performance was so bland and lifeless that it made you appreciate how energetic and upbeat the zombies in a George Romero movie are by comparison.
You'd think a guy who sits around with puppets and sings incredibly stupid songs would realize he's in no position to make fun of anyone else on the entire planet. That's because you'd be unfamiliar with the Mike Nelson philosophy which seemed to be that if you make a pretentious Shakespeare reference during a bad movie it somehow makes up for how stupid your own show is. I remember Nelson joking about Jim Carrey being lame. I hate to break it to puppet boy but not enough the worst moments of Jim Carrey's admittedly stupid early films were as bad as those brain-dead skits he and his little puppet friends would frolic through.
Mary Jo Pehl as the redneck woman was absolutely pitiful. She needs to issue an abject apology for ever pretending she had a shred of talent. Even the way they slanted all the sketches entirely in her character's favor couldn't sponge away the flop sweat she always had on her face. I was about to say the guy in the Grim Reaper outfit seemed to have wandered in from the wrong show but if you consider the fact that he wasn't the least bit funny I guess he was on the right show after all!
The funniest thing about this show was how snobbish the people on this show tried to act toward the movies even though their own sorry show sucked even worse than half the films being shown. And just when you thought the show couldn't possibly get any worse they'd start singing!
I actually knew someone who liked this show but he was one of those people who don't seem to be into this show for the show's actual content as much as they're into it for the sake of their own feverish Rupert Pupkin fantasies about being writers or performers for this show every time they watch a bad movie on their own. All they talk about is what they think their favorite puppet would have to say about whatever they're watching. With research there is hope for a cure. Whenever I would "riff" on how badly this show sucked he'd freak out but I'd remind him it was just a show and he should really just relax.
People were laughing at bad movies long before this Sci Fi Channel turkey came along and they'll be laughing at them long after this thing is forgotten. It's not the great innovation that Mike Nelson's fans seem to think it is. Movie host shows are a very old concept.
Sometimes this program showed movies like Prince Of Space or Horror Of Party Beach which are so bad they would make you laugh even without some talentless hacks sitting there desperately trying to sound funny. Other times they would show films that are only bad in spots but Mike would strain to act like they were bad enough to deserve constant ridicule. If you want to see something that really is bad enough to deserve constant ridicule check out the dumb skits and even dumber songs on this incredibly overrated puppet show.
______________________________
So, what are your thoughts?