What are you into THESE days?

[Ijon the Asano]

So, once upon a time (barring new discovers like Triple) we were all into Mystery Science Theatre 3000. But as it's been gone a long time now we've probably all seen the other side of numerous pop culture hills since.

So, what are we all into these days?


I would say the thing I'm most "into" currently is RedLetterMedia. They're a Wisconsin-based video production outfit that first went viral with a 70-minute deconstruction of The Phantom Menace narrated by 106-year-old film scholar/psychopath Harry S. Plinkett. It mixes some really cogent observations with weird and often dark humor. There are now reviews up for everything from Star Trek to Avatar to Baby's Day Out, and they're highly addictive.

Other features include "Half in the Bag," a sort of trailer trash version of Siskel & Ebert that spices the reviews with sketch comedy bookends and "Best of the Worst," wherein three or so bad movies on a given topic are viewed and discussed, with the group's pick for worst film destroyed in some appropriate way at the end.

It is similar to MST in being about movies, comedic and coming from the Midwest but it's definitely raunchier. One friend I turned on to it was saying, "You know, there's nothing funny about kidnapped hookers in the basement or cooking your cat, but I'm still laughing; does that make me a hypocrite?" Personally, I feel it's just a matter of this outfit having a touch for material that would come of tasteless in other hands and making it work, sort of the way Monty Python could make material that should have been silly to the point of stupidity come alive.

The Plinkett reviews are the centerpiece, but if you don't have the time for feature length the other items are only a half-hour or so. There are even condensed versions of "Half in the Bag," but I've never checked those out and don't know how good a starting point they'd make.

If nothing else, everyone should hear cast member Rich Evans' laugh at least once in their life.

[TheNewMads]

I dig RLM, I think I actually learned about it here, and yes, the Plinkett reviews are hilarious. Some people might find the dead hooker jokes a bit much, there's a version on YouTube with the mass-murder stuff cut out.

And I'm always alarmed at how many "Best of the Worst" movies I've seen and/or heard o.

[TheNewMads]

Anyway, my big thing lately is Joe Rogan. It's an online talk show, I guess modeled after Art Bell or Alex Jones, only without all the screaming and rage and the conspiracy theory stuff, though still there, is a bit reeled in. They talk more about ancient civilizations than about, say, controlled demolition of the twin towers. They're pretty vulgar and fun (his co-host, Duncan Trussell, has his own podcast that's interesting too), although logical positivists and militant atheists (and probably doctrinaire feminists) would all be driven a bit insane by it.

Here's a little tidbit. A lot of fans like to do video re-edits...



Check it out today and get a 10 percent discount on your next fleshlight.

[Crowfan]

Really into Squidbillies and Robot Chicken.

[Triple_sSs]

Hey, I might be new, but can't I still share some other things I'm into???

Anyway, there is a website I like going to sometimes called Everything Is Terrible!.
It's the vlog for a "found footage collective" that searches high and low for weird, obscure VHS tapes from the late 20th century. The tapes they find can be pretty amazing, though they can also be rather bizarre and disturbing (even NSFW once in a while), and sometimes they even edit or remix their material to make it even more bizarre. So tread carefully if you're not too familiar with their work, though I think a good place to start is their "3-minute movies".

One my favorite videos from them would have to be Colby, the Christian robot!


And this is their most popular video, "So Your Cat Wants A Massage?"

[Mod City]

Jun 25, 2013 20:41:30 GMT -5 Triple_sSs said:

Hey, I might be new, but can't I still share some other things I'm into???

Anyway, there is a website I like going to sometimes called Everything Is Terrible!.
It's the vlog for a "found footage collective" that searches high and low for weird, obscure VHS tapes from the late 20th century. The tapes they find can be pretty amazing, though they can also be rather bizarre and disturbing (even NSFW once in a while), and sometimes they even edit or remix their material to make it even more bizarre. So tread carefully if you're not too familiar with their work, though I think a good place to start is their "3-minute movies".

I got a kick out of those, sSs, but I found myself having the same issue that some of my non-MST3K fans felt about the show when I tried to get them into it. In their case, they felt the riffing was unnecessary because the movies themselves were bad enough to be entertaining without it. I didn't agree with them on their take with MST3K, but in this case, I think I'd rather sit and watch the unedited video more than some kind of edit or remix. Just my two cents.

Anyway, most of what I'm into other than MST these days that I can think of off hand can be found elsewhere on the board. Community on NBC and old arcade games. Not as hip as what the kids go out and find these days, but it suits me pretty well.

[Triple_sSs]

Jun 26, 2013 11:40:03 GMT -5 Mod City said:

I got a kick out of those, sSs, but I found myself having the same issue that some of my non-MST3K fans felt about the show when I tried to get them into it. In their case, they felt the riffing was unnecessary because the movies themselves were bad enough to be entertaining without it. I didn't agree with them on their take with MST3K, but in this case, I think I'd rather sit and watch the unedited video more than some kind of edit or remix. Just my two cents.

Not too surprised here. I'll admit they're somewhat of an acquired taste, though I've made some of my own crazy remixes in the past so I guess I'm kind of used to it. Maybe it's a younger generation thing or something.

Here's another one from EIT I just remembered:

Did I just see the aliens from Laserblast there for a second???

[Torgo]

I'm just kind of into the same things I've always been into. Monster movies, superheroes, the Simpsons, the Three Stooges, ect. I've been trying to revisit old Disney movies lately though. Finished an Abbott and Costello set. Found the Twilight Zone on Amazon Prime, so I said HELL YES and am heading that direction next.

My tastes haven't changed a whole lot. I'm stubborn.

[Ijon the Asano]

Jun 28, 2013 1:36:51 GMT -5 Torgo said:

I've been trying to revisit old Disney movies lately though. 

Which ones? I've sort of made Sunday a semi-official Disney night lately, either catching a movie or some old "Wonderful World of Disney" eps, of which quite a few are up on YouTube.

I was actually quite disappointed with Pinocchio recently, but maybe because I'd heard it called their best animation ever and expected too much. I quite enjoyed Peter Pan, though, not least for Hans Conreid's voice work.

Hmmm . . . maybe it's about time to watch The Twonky again.

[nondescript spice]

harold lloyd. can't get enough of him. ^that's some of his best moments - for me, especially at 1:21, 2:08 and 2:22.

we think we're so advanced now, but it blows my mind every time i see something in lloyd or chaplin's silent comedy from nearly 100 years ago that can still make me laugh out loud.

[Torgo]

Jun 28, 2013 9:04:04 GMT -5 Ijon the Asano said:

Jun 28, 2013 1:36:51 GMT -5 Torgo said:

I've been trying to revisit old Disney movies lately though. 

Which ones? I've sort of made Sunday a semi-official Disney night lately, either catching a movie or some old "Wonderful World of Disney" eps, of which quite a few are up on YouTube.

I was actually quite disappointed with Pinocchio recently, but maybe because I'd heard it called their best animation ever and expected too much. I quite enjoyed Peter Pan, though, not least for Hans Conreid's voice work.

Hmmm . . . maybe it's about time to watch The Twonky again.

Just whichever are coming out on blu-ray, especially the Diamond Editions. Last batch I watched were Cinderella, Peter Pan, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, and Brother Bear. Just about a week ago they released Atlantis, Emperor's New Groove, and Lilo & Stitch. They're not high on my to see list (didn't care for L&S when it came out, and never watched the other two) but I'll give them a chance when I have the opportunity. This fall has a more interesting batch with Little Mermaid, the original Winnie the Pooh, the Sword in the Stone, Oliver and Company, and Robin Hood. Disney's stuff is expensive, though, so I probably will be picking them up one at a time.

It's fun though. I forgot how great Bambi was, and rediscovering Lady and the Tramp was a treat. There are a few clunkers (Pocahontas was a huge sigh) and there are a couple I know to be clunkers (don't have a desire to revisit Chicken Little or Meet the Robinsons) and a few I have a gut feeling to be clunkers (I'm putting off watching Home on the Range as long as possible), but overall it's been a solid experience.

I might have to look those Wonderful World episodes up. I haven't seen those in, like, two decades.

[Satchmo]

I've been really into SciFi horror movies lately, specifically the ones that take place in deep space. I'm not sure why, though; the only truly great entry I've seen thus far was Alien, and everything seems to be a retread of either that movie or Event Horizon. But the genre has so much potential to be groundbreaking and original that I keep searching for another good one.

[Skyroniter]

Podcasts... all these technological advances and I'm listening to audio.

My favorite is the Davey Mac Sports Show. They talk and sing about everything under the sun, with just a smidgen of sports talk tossed in. NSFW but hilarious imho. I listen to Opie and Anthony's little one hour weekly cast and The Walking Dead Cast "in season." I also do Konnan's MLW and Stone Cold Steve Austin's. Plus a handful of others if the guests interest me.

[afriendlychicken]

Well, recently I've been on a childhood memories kick by watching the complete series of my favorite Tokusatsu children's programming, mostly Henshin Heroes. I finished Kamen Rider V3 & Kikaida and just finished Kikaida 01 tonight. I only have 2 episodes more of Inazuman and I just started my run through Ultraman. My thoughts of them at my age? Kamen Rider V3 still works amazingly well and was dark and quite suspenseful. Kikaida was half cringe worthy goofiness and half heart felt sweetness while Kikaida 01 was uneven but kind of fun. I have to share the moon fight episode if I can find it online. Inazuman was very good and interestingly odd, half artsy and surreal.

I'll probably start a run through of Star Trek now to go with my Ultraman.

[Mighty Jack]

Everything new sucks. There's been nothing to replace MST3K - I looked, tried some of the recommended stuff out there but nothing clicks (and most current comedy is not for me. It's too dark, too mean spirited. too low brow).

The only thing new is old. I go on retro kicks. Old movies, music or TV -- but as far as that special current 'thing' that I have to watch/listen too on a weekly basis... there really hasn't been much, and nothing that sparked that level of obsession. That pretty well ended with MST3K.