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Post by kmorgan on Nov 2, 2022 17:46:50 GMT -5
Well, after a bit of a delay, let's look back at week 385...
MJ's Halloween special worked out OK. She & Chris read some real-life ghost stories sent in by fans, and they had a reel of Halloween-themed commercials. It was low-key and pretty enjoyable.
As for "Dracula Has Risen in the Polls", it's a "Podcast 90" production written & directed by Frank (who's also briefly heard doing a sponsor tag). It's mainly about the escalating podcast war when Dracula decides to improve his media image and a Van Helsing descendant objects. In addition to jokes that might be lost on those not from the NY/NJ/CT tri-state, there are digs at the media, law enforcement, psychiatry, leprechauns, and zombies. The cast featured Trace (doing his great Bela Lugosi voice), J/J.E., Dana Gould and Laraine Newman. I thought it turned out pretty well.
And as for "The Mask", this was a weird movie. It seems there's this ancient, jeweled, skull-like mask that drives people crazy if they wear it. (Or is it the mask that does it?) It drives a scientist to murder and suicide, then goes to work on the guy's psychiatrist. There's also a very faithful fiancee, a rather smarmy cop, a landlady obsessed with "doo-dads", and a receptionist who is remarkably oblivious to danger. And then it sort of ends. It wasn't awful, but it was seriously off-kilter, especially during the hallucinatory mask-wearing sequences, filmed (and, depending on your feed, presented) in 3-D. The first official Halloween episode from the show turned out fine. The riffing was great, and the host segments were good (including a new song about monsters not showing up for the party). I chose the 3-D feed, and my show-supplied glasses worked OK. The post-show was also good, with cast members in costume.
So, what's on tap for week 386. It's all on-rotation this time. The first Outsider selection is... "Night of the Living Dead" (Mike-only version)... - The impact is a bit lost in early November, actually. ... while the second Outsider is... "The Mary Jo Pehl Show (Episode 4): 'Mary Jo Cooks a Mystery Recipe'"... - Does Betty Crocker know about this? ... while the Originals selection is... "Red Zone Cuba (Show 619)". - I'm NOT Cherokee Jack.
Please stand by...
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Post by kmorgan on Nov 8, 2022 10:50:31 GMT -5
So, week 386, folks...
"Night of the Living Dead" is, of course, a legendary movie. A seminal film in the horror genre. But it's not one of my favorites, really. I'm not a big fan of the flesh-eating ghoul/zombie thing. Plus, it's a very downbeat movie, with protagonists that are too dim or too angry or both. Oh, well. This particular presentation was in the period between The Film Crew and Rifftrax, I believe. Mike isn't really giving a true riffing commentary, though he does throw in a lot of jokes. He actually gives a fair amount of info on the movie, and on the cast credits (which aren't all that extensive). It's OK, though I prefer the full RT version.
The episode of MJ's show, from just about a year ago, was good. MJ basically cooked a recipe Chris found on-line from a bunch of "upsetting" dishes from the 50s. This one turned out to be Cheesy Hot Dog Soup. MJ said it turned out better than she expected, but I thought it still looked unappetizing. It all brought back memories of my Mom watching The Galloping Gourmet. In addition, the episode showed some then-new merchandise from the show, the candidates for the upcoming "Movie Jo Night" ("Invisible Invaders" won), a nice unboxing video and selecting the next episode's subject. It was low-key and very funny.
As for "Red Zone Cuba", some viewers have noted that "Manos", bad as it is, at least has a recognizable plotline and seems to be telling a story. "Red Zone Cuba"...doesn't. It's dark, depressing, confusing, incoherent, disjointed, and not historically accurate. Yes, John Carradine does a good job with "Night Train to Munda Fine", but that's about it. Well, at least the "Platform Posture & Appearance" short was informative, and introduced us to the Knee Test. Mike & the 'bots do a good job with the riffing, even though they freely admit the movie nearly broke them. The host segments, with Dr. F getting pummeled, turned out OK, too.
I'm gonna say this week balanced out to average. So, onward to week 387. The Outsider selections are both off the rotation. The first selection is... "The Mads are Back LIVE: 'The Devil Bat'"... - That's live on-line tonight, featuring Bela's best Poverty Row movie. ... while the second selection is... "RT: Election Day Shorts"... - It's four shorts on voting that I'll watch after my own trip to the polls. ... and this week's Original is the new episode... "The Bubble" (Show 1312). - Haven't seen this movie before. Is SpongeBob involved?
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Nov 15, 2022 12:54:42 GMT -5
So, let’s look at week 387, shall we?
The Mads’ riffing of “The Devil Bat” was an interesting experience. As far as the movie is concerned, it’s usually regarded as Bela’s best film from his Poverty Row period. He plays a garden variety mad scientist out for revenge against those who he feels cheated him, using giant, mutated bats as his murder weapon of choice. We’ve seen it before, but Lugosi makes it really watchable. He’s clearly trying to give a good performance, and he does. Say what you will about his movies, but he never phoned it in. Trace & Frank’s riffing on this was very good, when we got to it. You see, around fifteen minutes into the movie, the playback crashed. It was apparently a problem with one of the YouTube servers (or something) that got overloaded with everyone looking for live coverage of the mid-term elections. In any case, it took more than an hour for Chris & (I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember his name) to get it straightened out, at which point they picked up where they left off. But, we in the audience were OK. We just patiently waited, filling the chat with words of encouragement, lots of jokes, and at least two attempts at sing-alongs. After the movie, there was another interesting Q&A, this time with actor/writer Joe Keyes, who both Trace & Frank knew from the pre-MST Minneapolis comedy community Oh, and one more thing: MST3K has the White Dot. The Mads now have the White Swirl (representing the endless refreshing the system gave us during the outage). What will RT offer for themselves?
As for RT, I watched four shorts on voting: “Tuesday in November” (a basic instruction on how to vote, while FDR beat Dewey in the background), “Victory Squad” (an instructional short for California Republicans on how to get out the vote circa 196*, featuring John Wayne reading off cue cards and Ronald Reagan sounding more convincing), “Voting at 18” (a circa 1970 look at voting now that those pesky teenagers can do it), and “U.S. Elections: How We Vote” (another basic look at voting, this one from 1965 and including the revelation that you can set up a polling place in your own home). The riffing by the guys on all of these was great, and it was nice to have a look from when elections were a bit less cynical, on both sides.
As for “The Bubble”, this one was odd. A young couple (with the wife in actual labor) & their pilot land in an airfield near a small town. We, the audience, immediately notice that the people are acting robotic and oblivious to the world, while the protagonist take forever to realize it. It’s then revealed that the whole place is encased in an unbreakable bubble, installed by who-knows-who, and they’re all trapped. In between brief attempts to escape by the couple & their newborn, there’s a lot of meandering, and pretentious dialogue on existence and whatever. (Think “Haunts of the Very Rich”, but less creepy.) It was written & directed by Arch Oboler, who did great scripts for OTR, especially for “Lights Out”. But those were limited by 30-minute time slots, less commercials, so he had to show some restraint. Here he’s allowed to go all out, to an extent. (Reportedly, the movie was seriously cut down after a bad reaction to the original release version.) It gets annoying after a while, especially the gratuitous 3-D shots (MST showed it in 2-D) and the non-ending. The riffing was good, though, with Joel & Emily’s ‘bots in the theater. The host segments were good, including a vignette with M. Waverly & Growler, and the set-up for the Holiday episode/season finale, coming next month. Afterwards, during the Q&A (featuring Joel & MJ), it was noted how much the cast & crew disliked “The Bubble”, even saying it was worse than “Manos”, in its way. I’m not sure about that, but they may have a point.
So, what have we got for week 388? Starting with the off-rotation Outsider, the selection is…”Movie Jo Night: ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’”… - That’s live tonight via the new Clubhouse, and it’s a pretty creepy movie. … while the on-rotation Outsider is… “RT: RT Shorts, Vol. 2 (2nd Half)”… - And what will I be learning about this time? … and the Originals selection is… “The Day Time Ended” (Show 1204). - Time ended? So, I guess I’m not late with this post, right? Don’t touch that dial…
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Post by kmorgan on Nov 22, 2022 13:28:20 GMT -5
Sorry, I'm a bit pressed for time so my look back at week 388 will have to wait. But I can pass along the selections for week 389 right now. It's all off-rotation this time. The first Outsiders selection is... "The Mary Jo Pehl Show (Season 2, Episode 3): Game Show Night III: Password"... - That's live on-line tonight. Aristophenes! ... and the second Outsiders feature is... "RT: Turkey Shorts"... - Do turkeys wear boxers or briefs? ... and for the Originals, I'm going with... "The MST3K 2022 Turkey Day Marathon". - Yes, I'll let the Gizmoplex do the heavy lifting this year.
The exciting conclusion, in just a moment...
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 1, 2022 22:55:34 GMT -5
Oh, boy, am I behind schedule! Hope you’re not too disappointed with me. Anyway, let’s go back a bit to week 388…
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” was, I thought, a fairly creepy movie. A young couple (played by Kim Darby & Jim Hutton) inherit an old house and the missus unfortunately decides to open up a heavily locked & bricked-up chimney in a locked-up room. This releases some small but vicious goblin-like things that, for some reason, go after her. I thought the dark atmosphere and tension worked OK. MJ & Chris, however, didn’t think too much of the movie, focusing on sometimes funny design of the creatures, the lack of lighting, and the way the husband was immediately dismissive of the wife’s fears. (I can understand that last one.) Still, the showing worked well, and the on-screen & chat comments were very funny.
Turning to “Rifftrax Shorts, Vol. 2”, it featured “Safety: Harm Begins at Home” (I learned why Safety Woman won’t be getting her own big-budget movie anytime soon), “Coffee House Rendezvous” (I learned what was probably going on in the Pine Room at my church while I was in New Fellowship Hall with Boy’s Brigade), “Are You Popular” (I learned that, even decades before I was born, popularity was largely image-based), and “Good Health Practices” (I learned that some people obsess over bathroom habits far too much). Great riffing, though I found out that they only used a portion of “Coffee House Rendezvous”. The full short is over on YouTube, I believe.
As for “The Day Time Ended”, the movie is not really bad. It features some fine stop-motion animation and is pretty imaginative. However, I’m still not sure just what the heck was going on. Things happened, reality was altered, but nobody really figured out just who or what was doing it. I recently got a copy of the original unriffed movie in the hope that it’ll provide some more information. I’ll see if it helps. The riffing was good, though. They were still working on getting the pacing of the jokes right, but they were on-point most of the time. And the host segments were good, especially the “Concepts” song.
As for week 389…
The latest episode of MJ’s show was very good. With Chris as moderator, MJ and three guests (Jackey Neyman Jones and two gentlemen I’m not familiar with) played “Password” and did pretty well. The only word none of them were able to guess was, “president”. (In the chat, I came up with a clue some other posters thought would’ve worked: “impeach”.) Along with that, we saw more unboxing videos, and selected the subjects of the next two shows. There was also discussion about what game show they could do next. (How about “Truth or Consequences”?)
Turning to the “Turkey Shorts”, there were three of them, two from the guys and one from Bridget & MJ. “One Turkey, Two Turkey”, from ACI, is basically a kids’ educational short on counting, with turkeys wandering around. The song was catchy, though. “A Day of Thanksgiving” was about how the kids in a 1930s or 40s family (it’s a bit vague) learn about being thankful for what they have during a difficult Thanksgiving. And “Let’s Talk Turkey”, the one from Bridget & MJ, opines on how turkey is now no longer just a Thanksgiving food, and gives supposedly delicious tips on year-round turkey-based treats. In all three, the riffing was very good, though the ACI short seemed to be pushing the guys into insanity.
I wasn’t able to see all of the Turkey Day Marathon, but I saw bits & pieces of it. I caught parts of “The Starfighters”, “Catalina Caper”, “City Limits”. “Parts: The Clonus Horror” and “Mitchell”. The intros with Kinga & Synthia worked well, and I liked the jazzy music played during where the commercial breaks would go. (Oh, and while I did get to dinner with the family and watched football and Charlie Brown, I wasn’t able to get to WKRP, Bob Newhart, and B.C. this year. Oh, well…)
OK, I guess I'm caught up now, but there's not much of week 390 left. Anyway, our two Outsider selections are off-rotation again. The first selection is... "RT: Dr. Who and the Daleks"... - Belated Happy Birthday, Doctor. ... and the second one is... "RT: Christmas Shorts Extravaganza"... - Originally shown live, and featuring one of the longest audience laughs in RT's history. ... and the Originals selection is... "The Time Travelers" (Show 1103). - Let's see how that works without a TARDIS.
We now pause for station identification...
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 6, 2022 17:47:27 GMT -5
Oh, for Pete's sake. I've got to get my act together. Maybe it's the Holiday season (no, Ken, you're just lazy), but I'm not ready to review the week 390 selections yet. But I can pass along the week 391 selections, though. We're off-rotation again for the Outsiders. The first selection is... "'The Mary Jo Pehl Show' Presents 'An Evening of Comedians Reading From Their Books (and then Talking About Those Books)'"... - That's Live in Brooklyn tonight, and I'll be watching via the Clubhouse (if it works). ... while the second Outsider is... "CT: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians"... - A present from their in-studio period. ... and the Originals selection is... "I Accuse My Parents" (Show 507). - Will PERRY MASON be defending the parents?
Please stand by...
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 13, 2022 9:27:38 GMT -5
Time to get caught up again, folks. So, let's start with week 390...
"Dr. Who and the Daleks" is a source of much contention among Whovians, what with a bumbling Ian, a human Doctor (or is he? He's been known to fudge the truth...), a pre-teen Susan, and all the rest. But I like the movie. It does a good job boiling down an overlong serial into feature length, the VFX are a lot better, and Peter Cushing is, of course, great. Yes, it's juvenile, but, once upon a time, so was the show. And the guys do a hilarious job with the riffing.
"Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza" was one of the earlier live shows they did, but they were progressing to the current form, lowering the number of guests and extra stuff. This is one of the funnier ones, with a great selection of material. "Three Magic Words" (with guest Weird Al helping riff an infomercial for pork) and "Parade of Aquatic Champions" (well, a sort-of parade of sort-of champions) don't really fit in, but they were funny enough. The main attractions: "Christmas Toyshop" (what does a spider have to do with Christmas?), "A Visit to Santa" (I wonder where this cheap-looking short was filmed), "Christmas Rhapsody" (a short of no account), "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" (I've seen it done better), "A Christmas Dream" (creepy, but with good stop-motion work), and the "Rudolph" cartoon (contrary to Rankin-Bass, but provides the biggest laugh of the night). The riffing on these went very well, and I liked the vintage commercials they included.
"The Time Travelers" was a bit odd. Was I supposed to favor the selfish human survivors or the hostile mutants? The sci-fi technobabble was a bit of a puzzle. And why does every sci-fi movie of that period have to include an ever-girl crazy non-scientist? Still, the on-set illusion effects worked well. I understand there was a bit more to the ending, but I haven't seen the unriffed, uncut movie, yet. The riffing was OK, though they were still having some pacing problems at this juncture. The host segments were good, though. We do need to think up a better acronym for time portal situations, at some point.
Moving to week 391...
The live on-location edition of MJ's show went very well. She read a passage from her book Dumb, Dumb, Dumb about her Mom, which was rather sentimental. Frank read a couple of bits of his book on MST episodes, specifically the entries on "Manos" and "Eye Creatures". And Dave Hill read part of an upcoming book on his days in school going to hockey practice. It was all funny and interesting. There were a few technical hitches, but they were minor. And they even used one of my questions in the Q&A.
The CT version of SCCTM (I'm a lazy typist) was OK, with some great riffs from the Titans. This was from the early in-studio era, and the host segments worked OK (including Trace doing a runner and a surprise cameo for Whovians). I would've liked to see a live version of it with them, though.
And "I Accuse My Parents" is one of the best shows of the original run. Great combination of short, movie and host segs. That's about it. (What, did you think I'd write an essay or something?)
OK, now we're all on the same page. Let's move to week 392. All off-rotation this week. Our first Outsider selection is... "The Mads are Back LIVE: 'Teenagers from Outer Space'"... - The TORCHA begins live on-line tonight. ... and the second Outsider is... "RT: He Sees You When You're Sleeping"... - I haven't seen this one yet. Bridget & MJ are riffing, it's Christmas-themed, and it's based on a Mary Higgins Clark book I've probably shelved at some point. ... and the Originals selection is the new episode..."The Christmas Dragon" (Show 1313). - It's this season's finale show & Christmas show, and it's on this Friday.
Hope you're ahead of schedule on cards & shopping...
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 19, 2022 23:27:02 GMT -5
Hey, I'm actually a bit early this time. So, let's look at week 392...
The re-riff of "Teenagers from Outer Space" went well. They appeared to have restored some scenes that got cut out when the movie was MSTed. And Trace & Frank did their usual excellent job with the jokes. The post-show Q&A went great, too, with guests Andy Kindler and Josh/J. Elvis. At times, it was funnier than the movie riffing. We also learned a surprising fact: Chris did not know who Morey Amsterdam was. I hope he has since done some research.
As for "He Sees You When You're Sleeping", I found this movie to be worse than "Teenagers from Outer Space". It's about a self-centered businessman who dies in a ridiculous way and gets the chance to get into Heaven if he helps a troubled mother & daughter reconnect. Sounds simple, right? Nope, folks. The theology involved is confusing, like when he can be corporeal or what his absentee angelic mentor can or can't do. They throw in a suspense sub-plot involving the mob and witness protection. There's a plot twist involving the daughter nobody will be surprised about. And we get to hear a soft jazz version of "Silent Night". I haven't read the original book, but it can't be as stupid as this movie. At least the riffing from Bridget & Mary Jo is very funny, with a special guest for the closing credits.
Turning to "The Christmas Dragon", my personal title for this movie is "The 'Quest of the Delta Knights' Christmas Special". It has the same sort of vibe to it. But there's no David Warner (or his equivalent) to bring class to the proceedings. Instead we have plucky orphans with eyeliner & hair gel, a spunky young heroine with hidden abilities & great faith (cue to YouTube whining about "wokeness"), a rather inept & dishonest would-be hero, low production values, and yet another interpretation of Santa Claus and Christmas. It's not horrible, but it ain't good. The riffing was top notch. We got three hosts and two 'bot teams delivering the jokes and it worked great. The host segments were also good, as they built up to the culmination of the escape plan. We also got Patton in a double role, a nice bit from Growler & Waverly, a nod to Mike, and some unexpected help at the finish. I'm just trying to figure out how they'll get things back in line for Season 14. This presentation was taped during a live showing for fans at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA (home of BlobFest!). After the episode, they had a live Q&A with the cast members that was a lot of fun. All in all, it was a great finish to a great season.
Well, then, let's see what's set for week 393. For last few days before Christmas, the Outsiders are both off-rotation again. The first selection is... "Movie Jo Night: 'Home for the Holidays'"... - It's a 1972 made-for-TV suspense movie, and I think Sally Field is in it. Haven't seen it before. ... and the second selection is... "RT: Christmas Circus with Wizzo the Clown"... - Haven't seen this one, either. It's supposed to be... not good. ... while the Originals selection is... "The Brain that Wouldn't Die" (Show 513). - A disembodied head for Christmas? Just what I always wanted!
Happy Holidays!
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Post by kmorgan on Dec 27, 2022 19:04:15 GMT -5
Sorry, folks. I was making rather merry over the weekend, so I'm a bit behind schedule. ("Oh, really? Well, that's never happened before!") Anyway, I'll get to reviewing week 393 ASAP. I can, though, bring up the selections for week 394. Both Outsiders choices are outside the rotation. The first one is... "The Mary Jo Pehl Show: The Mary Jo Pehl Show Holiday Special"... - That's live tonight, with MJ & Chris watching Holiday-themed commercials. This should be good. ... and the second choice is... "The 23rd Annual New Year's Eve Melon Drop Extravaganza Golden Jubilee (2015)... - Including a taped appearance by Bob ("Gee, he looks familiar") Bagadonuts. ... and the Originals selection is... "Kitten with a Whip" (Show 615). - Ring out the old with a mental Ann-Margrock!
Happy New Year!
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 6, 2023 8:21:15 GMT -5
I really need to get my act together, don't I? Well, I hope this hasn't been a problem. Anyway, let's get caught up, starting with week 393...
“Home for the Holidays” is yet another “ABC Movie of the Week”. Shown in 1972, basically, an ill old father summons his four daughters back to the family home for Christmas. Why? Because he’s convinced his wife, their stepmother, is going to kill him and he wants them to kill her first. Then, the storm outside gets heavier, the phones go out, and the expected murders commence. But who’s the killer? I admit this one fooled me. I had several suspicions regarding who the real culprit was, but I was wrong. The movie does a good job presenting the red herrings, and has a proto-slasher feel with the killer, at times, hidden by a yellow raincoat and lugging a pitchfork, initially. It has a good cast, including Sally Field, Walter Brennan, Jessica Walter, and Julie Harris. Unfortunately, even with a 75-minute running time, it feels rather padded at times. I thought it was OK, and MJ & Chris had a good time commenting on it, even while noting the flaws. And they never did figure out what happened to the turkey.
As for “Christmas Circus”, I’d heard for a while how this one was so bad as to reach almost “Manos” levels. Oddly, I didn’t have that reaction. Yeah, it’s cheap-looking and the humor from Whizzo isn’t all that funny. But I could put it in perspective. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from a local TV kiddie host in 1966, and I’m sure the kids of the period liked it OK. At best, it was not without a certain charm, I guess. Or, you could just look at it as a live-action version of Bob Newhart’s “Uncle Freddie Show” routine (one of my favorites, by the way). And I did like the footage of vintage toys used to pad out the show. The riffing from the guys worked OK, though I did not have as low an opinion of it as they had. On the other hand, the short they opened the show with, “The Christmas Tree”, was deeply disturbing. Christmas trees with live human faces, folks. Who is responsible for such a creepy thing as this? What were they dosed up on when they devised it? Well?!
As for “Brain that Wouldn’t Die”, Mike’s baptism-of-fire as host was with one deeply bad movie. Sleazy and misogynist, it features a mad scientist who turns out to be kids of evil, actually. And does anyone doubt he’d have beheaded his fiancée himself to prove his theories if the car crash hadn’t taken care of it for him? And his frequently slips into another, blank dimension don’t help. Well, at least Jan gets her revenge in the end, the intended victim is rescued (though must be even more traumatized than before), and maybe even the monster is allowed to escape. I prefer to think that’s how it all turned out. The riffing was great, and the host segments were good, with Mike presenting a good contrast from Joel.
Moving to week 394…
MJ’s Christmas show worked very well, as she & Chris watched a reel of Holiday-themed commercials. I have to wonder just why Madison Ave. thought that kids would find some of the toys appealing, though. Like the homeless little girl doll with the black, shark-like eyes (shudder), or that revolting-looking dessert from Kraft, or the coffee commercial which seemed to have *ahem* unfortunate implications. Still, the ad-libbed comments were good. They also featured a couple of unboxing videos, a ticket giveaway for an upcoming MJ live appearance (once people figured out the contest rules), and we voted for the next “Movie Jo Night” feature. And both this one and “Home for the Holidays” opened with a pre-show featuring more great ads & segments (like the rapping Gumby, which must have an interesting backstory).
As for the 2015 edition of the “23rd Annual Melon Drop Extravaganza” (I think I got that title right), it was pretty much OK. It features the then-personnel of CW 23 (the then-incarnation of KTMA) basically do a 30-minute special reviving the gag from back in the day. Part of the “plot” involves an update to the 1989 semi-clip show they did (made after Jim & Kevin had moved on to doing MST full-time), and Kevin is seen in footage from previous shows as Bob Bagadonuts, Sr. & Jr. It maybe wasn’t as funny as the original ones, but they gave it a good try. I’ll have check to see if they continued doing it in later years.
As for “Kitten with a Whip”, I have a problem with this one. From what I’ve read, this episode is very much a fan favorite, both for the movie and the riffing. Well, I think the riffing was great, yes. But the movie really bothered me. In a way, it’s like I hostage drama, and I’ve mentioned how I’m not real fond of those (except for the original “Taking of Pelham One Two Three”, “The Inside Man”, and maybe a couple of others). And Ann-Margret’s character is just too much of a dangerously unstable loon, while John Forsythe’s character is one of the most stupid and easily-dominated characters I’ve ever seen. (Really, would you want that guy as a U.S. Senator?) Well, at least the riffing and host segments were good.
Okay, I think that brings us up to date. So, what do we have for what little remains of week 395? Well, the first Outsider selection is... "RT: The Wonderful World of Tupperware"... - So, were Bridget & MJ sealed for freshness during the recording session? ... while the second Outsider is... "RT: Voodoo Man"... - No, it's not a lost part of the MCU or DCEU. ... and the off-rotation Originals selection is... "Festival of Shorts". - That's live on the Gizmoplex tonight, it includes a couple of new ones, and Crow is hosting, I understand.
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 10, 2023 15:07:37 GMT -5
Slight bit of difficulty here. I’ve had a couple of computer issues at home. So, I’m posting this from my computer at work. (Don’t worry; I’m on a break.) So, as you’ll see, I can do a sort-of incomplete post right now. Anyway, here’s a look back at week 395...
“The Wonderful World of Tupperware” starts out as a pretty much straight review of how the containers were created, from dying dinosaurs to petroleum to burpable lids. It then moves into a look at the people who work there, making me think Tupperware was, in the early 60s, either a really fun bunch to be employed by or a deeply insidious cult aimed at middle-aged, middle-class women. Either way, it was pretty interesting, and I liked the brief commercials for Tupperware parties inserted into the film. And, as always, Bridge & MJ did a great job riffing.
As for “Voodoo Man”, it’s basically a better-looking remake of “The Corpse Vanishes”, with a mysterious doctor/scientist seeking to revive his dead/dying wife. Just substitute “voodoo ritual” for “glandular injections”. In this one, though, the wife isn’t a selfish, bratty harpy, thank heavens. Bela is great, as always, though George Zucco would make a better impression without the face paint & headdress. And John Carradine is embarrassing as a proto-Torgo; he usually played his characters with some dignity. Add in the standard neutral women and a duller-than-usual male lead and you’ve got a slightly better movie, though still not really good. The riffing from the guys is OK.
And the “MST3K Winter Festival of Shorts” turned out good, I thought. They had a nice selection of classics, including “A Case of Spring Fever” (All hail Coily!), “Circus on Ice”, “Snow Thrills”, and “The Selling Wizard”. They also had two new ones: “Keeping Foods Fresh” with Emily & the Simulator ‘bots (Great riffing, but did the movie really have to show the rotting food?) and Kinga & Max doing a new riff on “Mr. B Natural”. (Great work in what I believe is the only four-peat in MST/Alumni Project history.) And I liked the new intro segments from Jonah & the Satellite ‘bots.
Good ones all around last week, I’d say. So, onwards to week 396. The first Outsider selection is the off-rotation… “The Mads are Back LIVE: Night of Shorts X”… - That’s live on-line tonight, with a new re-riff of “Why Study Industrial Arts?” … while the on-rotation second Outsider selection and the Original selection are… TO BE ANNOUNCED. - I’m at work and don’t have my little title cards to go through. I’ll have them later on.
We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by…
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 10, 2023 22:14:13 GMT -5
Okay, I'm home, the computer is running, and I've got my cards. So, the second Outsider selection is... "RT: The Amazing Dr. X"... - Is he related to Dr. J or Mr. T? ... and the Originals selection is... "The Leech Woman" (Show 802). - JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 17, 2023 0:38:47 GMT -5
Hello again. How's about we look back at week 396...
"Night of Shorts X" went very well, though I was late tuning in due to a meeting running long at work. I missed the pre-show, but caught the actual show. In addition to the re-riff of "Why Study Industrial Arts", they also did "Bookkeeping & You" (when you needed to know math), "Special Days in February" (no mention of Capone), "Hoppy the Bunny" (we were all scared it'd turn into "Watership Down"), "Joan Avoids a Cold" (struck a chord these days), and, to my surprise, "Life in a Medieval Town", which RT riffed during their last live show. (Admittedly, the poster gave away this was coming, but I didn't notice). While there was one brief technical glitch during the February short, it was easily fixed. The Q&A was with author Paul Myers, whom I'm not familiar with. He wrote a book on the Kids in the Hall, so there were a few questions on that subject. All in all, this was a good one.
As for "The Amazing Mr. X" (yeah, I messed up on the title before), it's a 40s movie where a rich widow ends up under the influence of a the "psychic" of the title. He's a con artist, and when the widow's younger sister tries to investigate, she ends up charmed by him, too. It looks like X is going to take them for a bundle when there's a big plot twist about 45 minutes in that changes the focus a lot. It's actually not a bad movie. It has some good Pacific shore location work, good use of shadowy atmosphere, and good acting from Turhan Bey as the title character. But it's still kind of cheesy, and the sisters are too gullible to be believed. Still, it does feature HOLLYWOOD STAR RICHARD CARLSON! And need I say that the riffing from Bridget & MJ was great? (Well, it is.)
As for "Leech Woman", it's a tough movie to watch. It seems like everybody is dishonest, corrupt, homicidal, or all three. The racism in the Hollywood Africa sequences don't help, and neither does the misogyny. And they missed a big opportunity by not arranging for booze-related product placement. Still, the riffing was very good. This was only the second show they did for TSNWSRN, so Bobo is still somewhat intelligent and Crow still kind-of amnesiac. But the host segments were OK, though they kind of messed up in their choice of Stinger. They should've gone with the "dreams of blood" line.
Well, that went pretty well, I thought. So, let's move on to week 397. The first, off-rotation Outsider selection is... "Movie Jo Night: 'Moon of the Wolf'"... - It's a werewolf TV-movie with David Janssen, and it's live on-line tomorrow night. ... while the second, on-rotation Outsider is... "TCM Podcast: Joel Hodgson"... - I haven't heard this one in a while. I even forgot it was on my list. ... and the Originals selection is another off-rotation selection... "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" (Show 822). - They're doing a special salute to this episode via the Gizmoplex on Friday night. B.Y.O.Reconst.
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 24, 2023 14:18:34 GMT -5
Ah, there you are. Let's take a moment and look book at week 397... “Moon of the Wolf” could probably be best-described as “What if Tennessee Williams wrote a Universal Horror movie?” Set in a Louisiana bayou town, a girl’s body is found after she’s been killed by…something. Open-shirted local sheriff David Janssen investigates and, a couple of corpses later, determines that a werewolf is responsible. But that’s not all. It seems the girl was pregnant, but who’s the father? And Janssen once had a crush on the sister of the local rich white guy, but will he pursue this attraction? And what about the angry mob that forms outside? This set-up could work, except that it’s too slow, too padded, with the prime suspect too obvious, and it all ends with a less-than-exciting climax. Kolchak did a far better werewolf story a couple of years later. MJ & Chris did a good job commenting on this “ABC Movie of the Week”, and the rest of the show worked out well, too. As for the TCM podcast with Joel, it’s from 2013, when CT was finishing up and Joel was touring with his one-man slide show “Riffing Myself”. (I saw that show in, I believe, Philadelphia, and I really enjoyed it.) The interview only lasted about 20 minutes, but it was good. Joel talked about the movies he saw as a kid that inspired him (like big Hollywood musicals and Ray Harryhausen fantasy stories), and some words on how MST was developed. (I’d forgotten that Trace came up with the idea for the S.O.L. to be bone-shaped.) Another interesting talk, I thought. As for “Overdrawn”, my opinion hasn’t changed. It’s an interesting idea, but the production just doesn’t hold up. The budget-mandated videotape, plus the Colin Baker-era video graphics, just can’t support the story. Plus, the script is kind of confusing over just what the heck Fingal is doing. Still, Raul Julia did a good job with what he had, may he rest in peace. This was a riff-along presentation on the Gizmoplex, with Matt hosting and real-time commentary from Jonah, Baron, Hampton and Rebecca. I thought their contributions were good, though their volume could’ve been lowered a bit. They also threw in a new short with Emily & the Simulator ‘bots. It was about having a good breakfast, it was from the 50s, the print quality was really bad, and it seemed cereal-centered. One wonders if Kellogg’s financed it. Well, two out of three ain’t bad, I guess. So, on to week 398. The first Outsider selection is off-rotation, and it’s… “The Mary Jo Pehl Show: Mary Jo & Chris Read Viewer Mail”… - That’s live on-line tonight, and I though she was playing “D&D” on this episode.… while the on-rotation Outsider is… “RT: Missile to the Moon”… - It’s the three-riffer version of the semi-remake of “Catwomen of the Moon”.… and the Originals selection is… “A Touch of Satan” (Show 908). - So, which sort of fish live there?
Enjoy!
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Post by kmorgan on Jan 31, 2023 14:17:30 GMT -5
So, let's look back at week 398, OK?
MJ’s show was a last-minute change of plan. Chris explained that there were a few logistical problems, so the D&D session was postponed. Instead, MJ & Chris looked at some new viewer mail, and brought back a couple of people who’d written in last time to get an update. It was actually very interesting, though the first guest had a few communication problems, resulting in a quick reboot of the system. (Thankfully, no white swirl this time.) In addition, we picked next month’s movie and show topic, respectively. MJ also gave people the opportunity to get tickets to an upcoming live appearance PROVIDED THEY LIVED IN THE MINNEAPOLIS AREA! (If you’re a regular viewer, you’ll understand why.)
As for “Missile to the Moon”, it’s indeed a remake of “Catwomen of the Moon”, but with a slightly higher budget. (As in, they could shoot on location.) They also changed the focus slightly, like with the studly male lead getting mesmerized rather than the female lead. Otherwise, it’s basically the same plotline, even down to the same big spider from “Gilligan’s Island”. There’s also the same sort of misogyny, the same scientific mistakes (those don’t bother me too much, actually), the same plot developments (how come the Apollo ships didn’t run into meteor showers, like all the other moon ships did?), resulting in the same lousy movie. The guys did a fine job with the riffing, with a few jokes carried over from the earlier two-man version with Mike & Fred Willard.
And, turning to “The Touch of Satan”, I have to give the filmmakers credit for at least trying to set up an uneasy atmosphere in the story. It doesn’t quite work, but they resist the urge to go full out on the scares for the most part, and they do leave us with a few unanswered questions (like just who are Mr. & Mrs. Strickland, anyway?). And I have to say that Emby Mellay was very attractive. Problem is the movie didn’t work very well. Jody is just too dim, especially at the end, which still confuses me. (Is it really that easy to sell your soul, even if you’re stupid?) Not awful, but a misfire. The riffing is very good, though. And I thought the host segments worked OK, too. And Beez was great as Steffi; I can understand why viewers were hoping she’d return. (Well, maybe in Season 14.)
Not too bad, I'd say. So, what's on tap for week 399? We've got another off-rotation Outsiders selection... "The Mary Jo Pehl Show: ?"... - It's a special clubhouse-only program live on-line tonight, and the content is a surprise. ... and the on-rotation Outsider is... "RT: Gammera the Invincible"... - It's the Americanized version, and they spelled his name wrong! ... while the Originals selection is... "Attack of the the Eye Creatures" (Show 418). - They Just Didn't Care.
Don't touch that dial...
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