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Post by kmorgan on Oct 26, 2020 22:55:08 GMT -5
So, how did week 280 go?
First of all, I kind of messed up. I mentioned how I couldn't make the "Jack-O" showing, but I hear it turned out reasonably OK. I'm surprised they haven't scheduled a repeat showing, but I'll keep my eyes open. The error, though, is in relation to a charity, drive-in showing of "Gamera vs. Zigra". It was going to be hosted by Joel, and be held only about an hour away from me, in PA just off route 202. I was looking forward to it, but I thought it would be shown last Saturday night. Turns out it was shown last Friday night, so I missed it. I hear that turned out OK, too. Anyway...
The “Night of Shorts” with the Mads turned out very well. They were on a YouTube channel which worked OK, avoiding the technical problems RT has had with Scener. Trace was in Minnesota, while Frank was in NYC, but they were still able to play off of each other, except for a brief period when Trace lost audio. (There was a snowfall in his region, so that may have caused that.) The selection of shorts was good. In addition to two of them that I’d seen them riff on previously (“More Dates for Kay” and “Office Etiquette”), they had new ones on things like listening skills, making friends and Halloween safety. The friendship one featured a young Dick York in the cast (from the simultaneous chat, I’m pretty sure I was the first one to recognize him), which inspired a great riff from Frank (“Sorry, Dick Sargent will be here in a couple of minutes, so you’ll have to leave.”). All of the riffs were good, with Frank getting in several referencing the current political situation. (Hey, it’s Frank; I knew what to expect.) After the shorts, they had a Q&A featuring two guests: Jim Roche (executive producer) and Rich Koz (host) from “Svengoolie”. They had a very interesting talk, and they even used the question I submitted. (“Universal Horror or Hammer Horror”? They respected Hammer, but gave Universal the edge.) And, as a bonus, a download of the show was included in the admission cost, so I can add it to the rotation. I’m looking forward to next month’s show.
As for “Hangar 18”, I remember seeing commercials for this movie back when it was first released. It was from Sunn Classic Pictures, the makers of “documentaries” like “In Search of Noah’s Ark” and “The Lincoln Conspiracy”. This was clearly a fictional movie, but was billed as telling the “truth” about the U.S. Government conspiracy to hide a crashed U.F.O. The movie is generally OK, if overly familiar. It features the usual government skullduggery, the usual intrepid seekers of the truth, and it steals part of the alien plotline from either “2001” or “Quatermass and the Pit”. They do try to make it work, and it has a pretty solid cast, but it falls short. This was a pretty good KTMA episode. While the comments get a bit thin near the end, and I was surprised there weren’t any Kolchak references directed at Darren McGavin, the riffing was fairly good. The host segments were fine, largely centering on Crow, including the source of his name (sort of). Oddly, while the Mads were well-established by this point, they don’t appear in this episode. Actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing some future episode take another crack at this one.
Well, what I saw seemed OK, I thought. So, let's move on to week 281. This time, I'm going outside the rotation for both features. For the Outsiders, the selection is... "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (Live from SF Sketchfest)... - This is a live stream production led by Dana Gould, and featuring Jonah and Baron in the cast. It's on this Thursday, and maybe it'll be as funny as the original. ... and the Originals selection is... "Hodgson's Second Annual Puppet Camp". - Another live stream event, this time on Friday night. I'm putting this under "Originals" since it'll feature the live tour cast, and premiere two new shorts riffed on, in character, by Joel (as Joel), Bill (as Crow) and Josh/J. Elvis (as Servo). Sounds good!
Happy Halloween!
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Post by kmorgan on Oct 31, 2020 20:24:25 GMT -5
Well, let’s look at how week 281 went.
The SF Sketchfest production of “Plan 9” went pretty well. As has become routine over the last few months, the actors were all literally phoning in their lines via Zoom from their homes. It kind of lessened the impact, since they couldn’t really play off each other or the audience, but they did OK. For the most part, they followed the script of the original movie, with one or two additions. Those mainly came from narrator Laraine Newman, who set the visuals for each scene and pointed out a few things that didn’t really make sense (like the shower curtains in the plane cockpit). The cast included Jonah (using a great square-jawed, Chuck Heston-type voice for Jeff the pilot) and Baron (playing both pre-death Inspector Clay and Col. Edwards), along with RT alumni Paul F. Tompkins and Janet Varney, as well as a somewhat-restrained Bobcat Golthwait. The production was created by Dana Gould, who stepped in for Criswell for the production. As I said, the production went about as well as it could via Zoom. I enjoyed it a lot. So far as I know, it’s still available for viewing at the SF Sketchfest website, at least for now. I’m not sure if it’ll be available for later download. I hope it will.
As for Joel’s “Second Annual Puppet Camp”, that also turned out well. And it was also done via Zoom. (I’ll be very happy when people are able to stay in the same room without risking their lives again.) It was hosted by Emily & the ‘bots from the 2019/20 Live Tour, and they did OK. They introduced the guests and checked the tote board for the donation amount to the educational facility MIGIZI. (For the latter, I couldn’t help but do a drumroll and hum “What the World Needs Now”. And there were a couple of references to Jerry in his tux with the tie loosened.) The puppet guests included the Bear in the Big Blue House, Toiley T. Paper, and characters from the “Bird Call” podcast. (Not really a viewer of any of them, actually.) Human guests included Puddles the Clown, and puppeteer Wayne White, whom Joel interviews and obviously has great respect for. The big appearance, though, was by Jonah, Joel, Bill & J. Elvis. They had a good talk about working together again for the first time, and getting back into character. (By the way, I noticed that Jonah was in the same room that he broadcast from for “Plan 9” the previous night.) The feature attraction of the evening (and the reason this is filed under “Originals”) is the two new shorts riffed on, in character, by Joel (as Joel), Bill (as Crow) and J. Elvis (as Servo). (Okay, the actual silhouettes are done by stand-ins, but the voices are genuine.) The shorts were “Behind the Scenes at the Supermarket” (where a dad brings his son to his store, which isn’t as germ-free as we might want) and “A Busy Day at the County Fair” (another trip to the county fair, with a special emphasis on the tractor pull). The guys did a great job, and it was good to hear them back in their old roles. If you missed it, the show is archived on the MST3K YouTube channel, and on the official Facebook page.
That's two good experiences, brought to you by the miracle of modern telecommunications. So, let's move along to week 282. For the Outsiders, the selection is... "Exploring the Look of MST3K"... - This is a brief but interesting interview with D.P. Jeff Stonehouse. ... since this only lasts about ten minutes, I'm exercising my second feature option with... "CT: Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks"... - Gads, how the family name has fallen. ... and the Originals selection is... "San Francisco International" (Show 614). - Where's the TSA when you need it?
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Nov 10, 2020 11:51:38 GMT -5
And we're back, if a bit delayed by some personal matters. Here's a look back at week 282.
"Exploring the Look of MST3K" is a special feature on the "Project Moonbase" DVD. Jeff Stonehouse give a brief but interesting talk about his time with MST3K. He mentions being brought in by Jim, and some of his efforts to bring interesting ideas to the photography, without sacrificing the show's hometown feel. He also talks about having to treat the camera as a character on the show, and how he still gets positive feedback from his time there.
"Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks" is one really lousy movie. Low budget and lowbrow, it's pretty awful. From the breaks from the usual canon (Count Frankenstein?) to the muddled story (I'm not sure that any of the main characters are sympathetic), it's a slog. You also feel really sad for Michael Dunn. He was so good in "Ship of Fools" and as Loveless, and even in that lousy TOS episode "Plato's Stepchildren". Seeing him as a semi-villainous dwarf with a dubbed voice in a cheap horror movie is not good. CT was still doing in-studio DVDs at this point. The riffing is good, but I prefer the live shows where they could react to the audience.
As for "San Francisco International", it's OK as TV pilots go. I never saw the short-lived series that resulted, but maybe it's posted someplace. The multiple plots keep your interest, to an extent. The picture quality does make the place (and the era) look rather unattractive, though. I will say that the guys are right: Clu Gulagher's character is really cool. He's smart, cool in a crisis, knows his job, listens to both sides in a dispute, and is tough when he needs to be. And he's certainly not as annoying as Pernell Roberts' character. The riffing is great in this one, especially during the "Davey in the plane" sequence. That's one of the funniest stretches of jokes in the show's history, I'd say. However, I didn't like the frequent jokes directed at David Hartman's looks. That seems pretty low, I thought, and I still remember him from the early days of "Good Morning, America". The Urkel host segments went on a bit too long, as did the real-life Urkelmania, actually.
Things turned out OK this time. So, let's look at what's left of week 283. The Outsiders selection is... "RT: Attack of the Super Monsters"... - Haven't seen this one, but the title catches my interest. ... and the Originals selection is... "Hercules and the Captive Women" (Show 412). - This day is dedicated to my what?
Don't tough that dial...
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Post by kmorgan on Nov 16, 2020 18:43:04 GMT -5
Okay, let's look at week 283.
"Attack of the Super Monsters" is one odd "movie". I refer to it as a "movie" because, like "Mighty Jack" and the "Fugitive Alien" twofer, it's a bunch of stitched-together TV episodes. In this case, they're from the anime series "Dinosaur War Izenborg", which I'd never heard of. In any case, it seems that a super-intelligent dinosaur (played by a hand puppet) has set up a kingdom deep within the Earth. There, it controls other dinosaurs (sometimes stop-motion models, but usually hand-puppets and guys in kaiju suits) and forces them to attack the surface world (played by rather low-grade miniature sets and Matchbox cars). But the humans are protected by the good guys (all played by crudely-animated cartoons). Basically, this is one of the most inept-looking movies I've ever seen, which is saying a lot. It borrows heavily from "Thunderbirds" (and a couple of other Supermarionation shows), "Ultraman", "Battle of the Planets" and who knows what else. The episodes follow a strict pattern, the characterization is thin, and the actual characters can be pretty stupid. It's...not good. There is one thing to recommend it: the guys sound like they're having loads of fun riffing on this one. Several times, they just break out laughing at how just plain dumb it all looks.
As for "Hercules and the Captive Women", it's not the best Herc movie they've done. (They'd probably be the original Steve Reeves movie.) It's not the worst, either. (That'd be "The Loves of Hercules" from the revival.) Still, it's got problems. Herc seems to spend more time lounging around than actually doing superheroic stuff. There's not enough action, and the villainous plot is kind of vague at times. But, it's reasonably well-made, and it holds your interest. I think one problem is how it was cut down for the show. I might have a better opinion if I saw the original, uncut film. I'll let you know if I can track it down. The riffing is top-notch. The host segments are OK, including Crow's somewhat questionable Herc facts, the good-natured brawling (including the same look the Mads would use in the "Svengoolie Stomp" video), and the Herc non-action figure. And this is the episode where Gypsy makes her first official try and movie riffing. She's not too bad; she should've stuck it out.
Not to bad this time. Moving along to week 284. The Outsiders selection is..."CT: Rattlers"... - Watch out for...you know the rest. ... and the Originals selection is... "Swamp Diamonds" (Show 503). - Are they forever, too?
Keep those cards & letters coming in, folks...
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Post by kmorgan on Nov 17, 2020 19:01:15 GMT -5
Wait a minute...WAIT A MINUTE...WAIT A MINUTE!!!
Due to my scatterbrained nature, I forgot that this week we're going outside the rotation for the Outsiders. So, "Rattlers" will go back into the can, and we'll go with this week's attraction... "The Mads are Back: The Brain from Planet Arous". - Starring John (ugh!) Agar.
Please stand by...
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Post by kmorgan on Nov 23, 2020 20:47:35 GMT -5
Well, how did week 284 go?
The Mads' riffing of "Brain from Planet Arous" went very well. I was familiar with the movie since I reviewed it for the old Even Deeper Blurting board a while back. (I'll see if I can dig out the review.) It's a pretty bad movie where an evil, semi-disembodied brain takes over John Agar's body and uses him to try and take over the world and molest his finacee. Fortunately, a good guy semi-disembodied brain is around to...do darn little, actually. One good thing: the movie only runs about 70 minutes. The riffing was very good, as could be expected. They get a fair amount of mileage out of how invading aliens seem to always want to ravage our womenfolk. Frank threw in several politically-themed barbs (it's Frank; it's to be expected), as well a reference to all-but-forgotten 70's Western "Cade's County". And they also threw in a few MST references, like a shout out to Bill. One noteworthy thing: Trace said he turned off the heat in his office so it wouldn't make any distracting noises. So, since he's in MN, he was on-camera impressively bundled up. After the movie, there was a very interesting Q&A with guest Dana Gould. They covered a number of subjects, from Gould's brief involvement in MST's early days (Joel credits Gould with inventing the term "riffing") to good & bad depictions of writers' rooms in media. (Good: "The Simpsons". Bad: "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"). It was very enjoyable. Oh, and they announced their December movie: "Santa Claus" (retitled "Santa Claus vs. the Devil").
As for "Swamp Diamonds", the most memorable thing for me was the moody opening titles, which Joel rightly noted looked like J.J.'s paintings from "Good Times". Beyond that, this tale of escaped female cons (and one undercover cop) out to get their hidden loot didn't do much for me. Yes, it was interesting to see strong female characters (Roger Corman could be counted on for that), and the swampy surroundings were interesting. But, really, not even Beverly Garland was enough to make it good. And does anyone know why the future Mike Connors felt that "Touch" was a good stage name? On the other hand, the short "What to Do on a Date?" is one of the better ones. It's very early 50s, and that is a sure riff-inspiration. I'm not entirely sure what a "scavenger sale" is, though. The riffing was very good, especially during the short. The host segments, featuring Tom's less-than-successful date with Gypsy, were OK, though Tom's plight brought back a few painful memories for me. (Less said, the better.)
Well, those went well, I thought. Moving on to week 285. For the Outsiders, I'm going away from the rotation for..."RT Live: The Five Doctors"... - I'm celebrating the birthday of "Doctor Who" by watching the guys make fun of it. Go figure. ... and for the Originals I'm combining the week's choice with my usual Turkey Day selections. I usually limit myself to three episodes (I have to leave room for dinner, football and Charlie Brown), so I'm going with two random selections and two specific choices. The randoms are... "Colossus and the Headhunters" (Show 605)... - So, where's Forbin during this? ... and "Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders" (Show 1003)... - Is he still open during the lockdown? ... while the specific selections are... "Riding with Death" (Show 814)... - Turkey Volume Guessing Man returns! ... and "Undercooked & Overstuffed: Inside the Turkey Day Marathon". - Can't remember if Jack Perkins is interviewed here. And I'll try and catch as much of the official marathon as I can. I hope they archive the host segments.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Post by kmorgan on Nov 29, 2020 1:52:53 GMT -5
So, let's look back on week 285 and Turkey Day 2020.
"The Five Doctors" is almost one of the lost ones. RT did it live a while back, and I understand the BBC is still blocking release of even a "just the jokes" version of the riff. (I hear there's a lot of flack over TV licenses in the UK, so you'd figure they'd just grab whatever cash they could.) Fortunately, an enterprising fan put together an audio tape of the show and video from other sources and reconstructed it. It was posted on Facebook sometime ago, and I saved it right away. I don't know how long it'll stay there, so I thought I'd enjoy it while I could. I remember watching this episode when it was first shown on NJN in 1983 for the 20th anniversary. It was my first real experience with Doctors other than Tom Baker. (Up to then, I'd watch on WOR-TV, which ran Baker's stories from "Robot" to "The Invasion of Time" in a loop.) I thought it was OK at the time, but now I can recognize the flaws. Like it really being "The Four Doctors and Old Clips of Another One", for example. And, once again, the Fifth Doctor gets a bit pushed around. Still, it was good to see Bessie again, and there were some good bits here and there. At least it was better than "The Two Doctors" a couple of years later. The riffing on this was generally OK. A few of the actor-related jokes didn't really work (Nicholas Courtney deserved better), but there were some great jokes directed at the easily-killable Cybermen and Sarah Jane's tumble down the "cliff". The guys also did a good job on the British-made "Play Safe" short, after a couple of technical hitches were fixed. Interesting fact: one of the cartoon birds was voiced by Bernard Cribbins, about ten years after appearing in "Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.", and about twenty years before returning to the show to play Wilf.
As for the Turkey Day selections, they turned out OK. "Colossus and the Headhunters" suffers from a bland hero, but there are some good battle scenes. "Riding with Death" is an OK look back at the dimly-remembered "Gemini Man" series and late 70s network TV. And I'm still not sure who the intended audience for "Merlin's Shop" was supposed to be. But all had good riffing and each had some memorable host moments, like Nummy Muffin Coocool Butter, Mike's third planet-killing, and Crow vs. Servo in a review duel. "Undercooked & Overstuffed" is an extra on the "Jungle Goddess" disc. It only runs about ten minutes, but it was good. Joel, Trace & Frank had a few general Thanksgiving memories, and gave details on how the marathon started (basically, TFNWSRN liked them, at the time). It was pretty interesting. I also got to see some of the official 2020 marathon online. I saw the opening movie ("I Accuse My Parents") and the closing re-riff (with Emily & the 'bots) of the recently-premiered supermarket short. YouTube archived the whole thing, so I'll try and catch the rest when I can. Oh, and I risked a scolding from Gov. Murphy by having dinner with my family, watched some football, and saw the Charlie Brown and B.C. specials.
On the whole, I had a good Thanksgiving. I hope you did, too. So, we'll move on to week 286. For the Outsiders, I'm again departing from the rotation (I'll be doing that for the next few weeks) for... "RT: Turkey Shorts"... - Just look at this as holiday leftovers. ... while the Originals selection is... "Escape 2000" (Show 705). - Or, "The Toblerone Story".
Enjoy!
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 5, 2020 22:35:39 GMT -5
Okay, let's look back at week 286.
The "Turkey Shorts" are basically just three Turkey-themed shorts I had in my RT library and informally grouped together. They are "A Day of Thanksgiving" (a family goes over all the things they are thankful for in tough times), "One Turkey, Two Turkey" (a counting short with turkeys), and "Let's Talk Turkey" (tips on year-round recipes for turkey). All three are watchable enough to be enjoyed, so none of them is a slog. The first two are riffed on by Mike, Kevin & Bill and they do a good job. In the first one, they get a fair amount of mileage on the Cold War-era propaganda (darn those "political gangsters"!), while the second one is pretty much something you'd see on a early episode of "Sesame Street", though it's from a.c.i., so they really play up the absurdity. "Let's Talk Turkey" is my favorite one, though. Bridget & Mary Jo riff on it, and a clearly having a good time with this one, like trying to keep up with the lists of ingredients. All in all, I thought all three turned out well.
As for "Escape 2000", it's a tough movie to get into. Pretty much everyone is a violent sociopath, including the bomb-happy kid. One side is killing people to make room for improvements, the other side is killing to stay in a crime-ridden slum. Sure, Toblerone is a sort-of bright spot, but he's not the central character. And I understand the original, unedited version is even more downbeat. The riffing is OK, though. The host segments worked OK, too, with the S.O.L. on fire twice (and it won't be the last time), Crow's auction, and Paul as the unsettling TimmyBobbyRusty.
On balance, things worked OK. So, let's move to week 287. I'll be going outside the rotation during the Holiday season, so the Outsiders selection is..."RT Live: Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny"... - And thus begins the Holiday depression. ... while the Originals selection is... "Hellcats" (Show 209). - Ross Hagen and bikers, part II.
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 15, 2020 8:36:04 GMT -5
Well, let's take a quick break from Holiday/snowstorm prep and look back at week (not Route) 287.
The RT Live version of "Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny" is a very weird show. Oh, the guys aren't weird (not any more than usual), but the movies are. You've got the shorts, consisting of "Santa Claus' Story" (Christmas monkeys!), "Custard the Dragon" (kids in costumes!) and "Santa's Enchanted Village" (that kids repeatedly shouting "Wonderful!" was unsettling). As has been noted by others, I can't imagine that kids of any era were actually entertained by these. And as far as the main feature is concerned, that goes double. The low grade production values, the nonsensical story, the "Jack and the Beanstalk" cut-away, Santa's pants...ugh! Fortunately, my parents never subjected me to these. I was spoiled by the likes of Mr. Magoo, Charlie Brown, and Rankin-Bass during the Holidays. Fortunately, the riffing made this all somewhat tolerable.
As for "Hellcats", this is probably the best of the biker movies they did. The titular gang is shown as blitzed and misguided, rather than evil or deeply criminal. The "Courageous Cat" music was oddly comforting. Ross Hagen didn't do all that much that was actually heroic, but he didn't really hamper things, either. In general, it was OK, if low grade. The riffing was good, though, and the host segments/clip show worked pretty well. And this episode provided one of the funnier moments in the first "Poopie!" reel.
I'm going to say split decision on this one. So, let's quickly move on to week 288. For this week, it's outside the rotation for the Outsiders with... "The Mads are Back: Santa Claus vs. The Devil"... - Frank & Trace & the second three-peat in the MST alumni roster, and it's on-line TONIGHT. ... while for the Originals, the selection is... "Agent for h.a.r.m." (Show 815). - So, how do I keep the apple pie on the table, again?
Don't touch that dial...
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 19, 2020 23:54:39 GMT -5
Well, time to look back at week 288.
The Mads version of "Santa Claus" used a slightly shortened version of the MST3K print (no scene of Santa getting letters), though with Spanish opening credits. The movie remained as off-kilter as ever (Those lip-things! And the wind-up reindeer!), though it's still nice that Lupita has a sense of moral conviction missing from a great many people these days. The riffing was OK, in general, with the now-expected jabs at Trump, especially from Frank. Afterwards, there was a Q&A with Trace, Frank and guests J. Elvis and Andy Kindler. They had a good talk about comedy in general, as well as Christmas. And, best of all, no technical glitches! And I got the download for future viewing, too.
As for "Agent for h.a.r.m.", I still say it's the worst of the MSTed spy movies. The lack of budget, the lack of locations, the lack of characters, the lack of sense...shall I go on? I realize they seemed to be going for a more cynical take on the material (like Adam's apple pie-centered threat), but the result is that he and his organization just look inept. At least the doofuses in "Million Eyes of Su-Maru" actually won. The riffing was great, particularly the running gag of comparing this to a Bond movie, and the preppy voices for that one goon. The host segments were also good, as Mike goes on trial for planet destruction. Seems to me Bobo's pie-centered cross may very well be his finest hour on the show, tied with stomping the body-snatching pods. And Crow's much-bleeped deposition is one of the show's funniest moments.
Well, Christmas is days away. So, for week 289, I'll be going with Holiday-themed selections for both offerings. For the Outsiders, it's..."Have a Mary Jo Christmas and a Bridget New Year!"... - Beats having a kmorgan either one one those. ... and the Originals selection is... "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" (Show 321). - So, when does he conquer the Venusians?
Merry Christmas, folks!
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 26, 2020 22:39:11 GMT -5
Let's look at week 289, shall we?
The first Bridget & Mary Jo Christmas special is a really funny one. It only runs about 30 minutes, but there's some great stuff there. It opens with a super-condensed (about 10 minutes) Castle Films version of the Alastair Sim "Scrooge" movie (my absolute favorite version of Dickens' story). It closes with another Castle Films offering, the Nativity-based "The Little Lamb". And, in-between, there's a Ford Taurus commercial that gets a bog reaction from Mary Jo, and a special musical guest singing a song I am really unfamiliar with. Not only is the riffing really funny (like when they see the Ghost of Christmas Present and shout out, "Kevin!"), but we get the feeling that they're just two good friends having a great time together. A great touch was when they stop to talk about their favorite Christmas gifts. Very enjoyable.
As for "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians", yes, it's a bad movie, but it's a nice reminder of a more innocent time. And I am stunned that there are people in this world (like a couple of my colleagues at South Plainfield Library) who have never heard of this movie. What sort of deprived childhoods did they lead? (It gets worse; one of them had never heard of "The Avengers". I mean, the real Avengers, with Steed & Mrs. Peel.) Anyways... If I were pressed, I'd say this is my favorite of the three MST-related riffings of this movie. Yes, the CT and RT versions are good, but this one was first, and set the tone. The host segments are also great, including the Christmas essays, the Invention Exchange, and the now-classic "Let's Have a Patrick Swayze Christmas".
Well, we're nearly done with 2020. So, let's ring out the old with the choices for week 290. For the Outsiders, we're going outside the rotation for "The KTMA 23rd Annual Melon Drop Special Golden Jubilee (1988)"... - Co-hosted by, of course, Bob Bagadonuts. ... and for the originals, the the selection is... "The Violent Years" (Show 610). - So what?!
Happy New Year!
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 3, 2021 1:32:03 GMT -5
Well, let's celebrate the New Year by looking back at week 290.
My New Year's Eve selection, "The TV-23 23rd Annual New Year's Extravaganza Golden Jubilee" (to use the actual title), originally aired on New Year's Eve, 1988. It differs from the two previous ones in that it only ran abut an hour. Thus, with one exception, most of the slated acts do not appear. This is because this year's Melon Drop is threatened by an act of...Fruit Terrorism! I thought this was pretty funny. Kevin returns as co-host/crusading journalist Bob Bagadonuts, and we also briefly see producer/co-writer Jim among the reporters during a press conference. This was the first Melon Drop special made after MST3K started on the station, so we also get J. Elvis in two roles, as Czechoslorabian comic Smoid Vustaqui and a (supposed) expert on fruit terrorism, and Joel is listed as a co-writer. It ends up as a well-done spoof of both variety shows and crisis-inspired TV journalism. And, as it happens, this one aired just before the KTMA-era riffing on "Gamera vs. Zigra", which also has a New Year's Eve reference.
As for "The Violent Years", while Ed Wood didn't direct it (at least he's not credited), his script bears all the hallmarks of his work, with a bit of "Reefer Madness" thrown in. I remember first seeing clips of this movie used in the pre-MST "It Came from Hollywood", but our guys go to riff on the whole movie. As usual, the preaching against teen violence is undercut by the "kids" clearly in their late twenties, along with a lot of dumb adults. It's fun to watch, if you look at it in a campy viewpoint. The riffing is great in this, especially during the now-controversial scene in the park with the gang taking the guy away and...you know the rest. The host segments were also good, particularly the new character theme music and Tom's brief new head. (Is it wrong of me to find Tom's screams hilarious?) The Streisand bit later on has received a mixed reaction, but I thought it was so over the top that it was really funny.
Two good ones to close out 2020. Now, we start up 2021 with week 291. The Outsiders selection is... "CT Live: Rattlers"... - Why did it have to be snakes? ... and the Originals selection is... "Night of the Blood Beast" (Show 701). - This is the regular version, without the Turkey Day wraps. But it still has however many Steves there were before.
Stay tuned...
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 10, 2021 23:56:08 GMT -5
So, how did week 291 go?
"Rattlers" is one tough movie. I'm not a big fan of snakes in general, but these things are awful. They even kill little kids, for Pete's sake. Beyond that, the movie is still pretty lousy. The scientist "hero" and the supposedly-feminist sidekick go from antagonism to tepid romance even quicker than you might expect. She talks about how the scientist is attractively "crazy", but he really seems just bland to me. And then there's the spur-of-the-moment trip to "Vegas", and the expected "The End?" finish. It's not the worst movie I've ever seen, but it's not good. Fortunately, the Titans do a great job with the riffing, from J. Elvis' expected David Carradine joke to Joel's great line, "What doesn't happen in Vegas, stays in this movie."
As for the regular version of "Night of the Blood Beast", the movie is still a lesser one. The plot, from my viewing, owes a lot to the earlier and much better "Quatermass Xperiment", and would be done much better in "Alien". The presentation of semi-NASA as almost a mom & pop organization is good for several gags. And I suppose the ending was going for something sort of profound, but I'm not quite sure. By comparison, the short "Once Upon a Honeymoon" was at least fun, even if it took a while to figure out just what it's supposed to be pushing. And I still think the composer's wife is Nuveena's sister; they have the same attitude, in a way. The riffing was great. As for the host segments, it took a while before I could adjust to Dr. F getting browbeaten by Pearl. Oh, well.
That went generally OK. So, let's move on to week 292. For the Outsiders selection, I'm going outside of the rotation for... "The Mads are Back LIVE: A Night of Shorts 2"... - That's a live webcast this Tuesday, with special guest star Mary Jo! ... while the Originals selection is... "It Conquered the World" (Show 311). - Well, it tried, anyway.
Don't touch that dial...
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 19, 2021 0:48:12 GMT -5
Sorry, a little late with the look back at week 292.
"Night of Shorts 2" with the Mads turned out OK. Once again, it was via Zoom, with Frank from his place in NYC and Trace from his home in Minnesota (though at least he didn't get all bundled up this time). The assortment of shorts was pretty good, including three from Coronet. They were "Emotions of Everyday Living: First Lessons" (a deeply depressing film about a bullied kid who bullies others), an unnamed short on the dangers of blasting caps (and how girls becoming pilots is a dumb idea), "How to Keep a Job" (about a good worker and his evil twin...sort of), "Overcoming Fear" (particularly fear of swimming), "How to Get Cooperation" (involving A/V geeks), an unnamed short about facts vs. superstitions (and charts on chalkboards), and the Mads' riffing of "The Trouble with Women" (previously taken on by RT). In each case, the riffing worked fine with minimal technical troubles. Afterwards, there was a nice Q&A with the guys and Special Guest Star Mary Jo. The conversation ranged from Mary Jo's attempts at getting new projects off the ground (Frank had an idea as to why they weren't being picked up) to how they were dealing with the pandemic (like Frank and "Mannix") to whether any of them had seen any of the shorts in school before they'd later riff on them. (Your humble correspondent submitted that question.) All in all, another good show from the Mads.
As for "It Conquered the World", the movie itself is certainly cheesy. And the Venusian just isn't scary. However, the actors most definitely do not phone it in. They do a good job with their roles (especially Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef and Beverly Garland). And at times there is some really good dialogue. I guess you could say the movie is better than perhaps it was supposed to be, if you take my meaning. And the "Snow Thrills" short is good, though this is the only place I've ever heard it called "shee-ing". The riffing is great in this one. The host segments are OK, though I still don't get Crow's Alan Arkin fixation. (By the way, regarding the mention of "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash", I can understand why this movie is kind of obscure. When it was released in 1981, I remember it playing at a tri-plex near Somerville Circle. The other two movies there? "Superman II" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark". You do the math.) I did like everybody's fascination with Peter Graves' great closing speech.
Well, that went quite well, I thought. So, time to go on to week 293. The Outsiders selection is..."Talk Soup" (w/ guests Tom & Mike)... - Does a Nazi serve this up? ... and since this lasts less than 30 minutes, the second feature is... "ConventioCon II Highlights: Cast Q&A"... - Look in the audience for the guy in the slick PCTV jacket. ... and the Originals selection is... "Squirm" (Show 1012). - YUCK!
We now pause for station identification...
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 27, 2021 10:52:30 GMT -5
I'm very late, but I have an excuse.
I was all set to watch the "Talk Soup" episode, when my DVD copy locked up on me after about three minutes. I got to see Tom's initial walk-on, but that's about it. So, I dug out my DVD copy of the Con II Cast Q&A. I was able to see a little over 30 minutes, and that one locked up. To quote Charlie Brown, "AAAAAUUUUUUGH!!" Well, the player worked with other discs, near as I can tell. So, I took the DVDs to the library and used their disc cleaning/buffing gadget. I'm going to try again with another player and see if it'll work. Otherwise, I may have a problem, since these were fan-made recordings and difficult to replace, especially since Cheezy Flix no longer stocks MST-related merchandise. I'll let you know.
As for "Squirm", again, "YUCK!" As I've posted before, this is one of those movies I can't watch. So, for the most part, I listened to it. And I had a lot of questions. Were the main characters the only ones to notice the worms until the big attack sequence? Did Geri tell Mick anything about her hometown before he went there? Why would Mick leave Geri alone with Elam-esque Roger? And why am I asking such questions for a movie I couldn't even bear to see? On the other hand, I could watch "A Case of Spring Fever". It's generally OK, though I shudder to think about Coily's vengeful nature and nearly godlike powers. I did learn a fair amount about the essential nature of springs in our society. The riffing was good, especially for the short. The host segments were also good, though the Castle Forrester Fair made me feel down, since the Wayne County Fair was cancelled this past August. (Here's hoping for 2021, folks.) And for a Satellite News discussion, I once speculated that Mike did, indeed, do well marketing the fried worm snacks.
Well, problems with week 293. So, what to do about 294? I'm going to give last week's Outsiders another try, along with... "The Main Event: Crow vs. Crow"... - Actually Trace & Bill seem pretty agreeable. ... and the Originals selection is... "Mad Monster" (Show 103). - Is that mad crazy or mad angry?
Please stand by...
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