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Post by kmorgan on Jan 29, 2016 23:30:43 GMT -5
Well, I hope all of you who got hit by the blizzard are doing OK. We ended up with about two feet of snow, but managed to dig ourselves out without much trouble. So, how did week 39 go? I got the footage of the Costume Ball from Cheepnis, if I remember correctly. While it has many of the usual problems with fan-made tapes (poor sound and juddery images), this one turned out fine. I was actually at this event, so it brought back a few nice memories. The costumes were very well-made, from both the usual examples (I lost track of the number of Torgos and Mr. B Naturals) to the unusual (the “leg up” guys). I particularly remember the big reaction to two particular participants: one very perky man dressed as Mr. B (and Mike responds, “Have you no sense of decency?”) and a group of the Master’s brides who launched into a quick wrestling match. Unfortunately, the tape ran out before the big winner was revealed: MR. B TORGO! (just ponder that one.) And the noteworthy event? I wasn’t just there; I participated. If you have this tape, go to about 23:30 in and you’ll see the lovely and talented Bridget introduce a rather nondescript, bearded guy dressed as a Teenager from Outer Space. And you’ll hear Kevin compliment me on my good use of reflective tape. I'll see if I can scrounge up a photo.
As for “Incredibly Strange…”, the movie is just too weird for me. The spliced in musical numbers, the nightmare sequence, the ticket monkey, the feelthy peegs. It’s just too off-kilter for my tastes. The riffing was good, though; it had to be. The host segments were OK, with a good finish to the Space Children plotline and, thankfully, no images of Bobo’s behavior.
Things turned out OK this time. So, week 40. First, I didn’t go see the rerun of “RT Live: The Room”; the movie doesn’t look like my cup of arsenic. So, instead, the Outsiders selection is…”Road House” (w/ Mike commentary)… - And it’s not even Christmas! …and the Originals selection is…”Skydivers” (Show 609). - Geronimo!
Stay tuned…
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Post by kmorgan on Feb 6, 2016 0:27:00 GMT -5
And, let's look at week 40, shall we?
"Road House" is course, the quintessential 80's action flick. Yes, it's clichéd and over the top, and there are a lot of loose ends in the plot (the biggest being, "Where the heck were the cops?"). But, there's a lot of action, Patrick Swayze was great as Dalton, and Sam Elliot is good in anything. As for Mike's commentary in what, I believe, was the first Rifftrax offering, it was great. There are several running gags that work well, like jokes about the…perceived subtext regarding certain characters reactions to Dalton. (Was that diplomatic enough?) And it’s clear that, as much as Mike riffs away, he clearly has a certain liking for this movie. (Well, that and the fact he’s actually said so.) As for “Skydivers”, I’ve heard it called the best of the three movies Coleman Francis directed, and that may be right. Sure, it’s drab and depressing, and there are bits at the party on the runway that are nearly surreal. Still, the skydiving footage is actually fairly well-done, and the music from the combo is good. Plus, the short, “Why Study Industrial Arts”, is one of the best ones, and it makes some sense, as it happens. The riffing is great, and given the mood of the feature, it has to be. The host segments were OK, especially the opening bit regarding “swing choir”. A while back, through the Satellite News episode guide comments, I learned that swing choir is pretty much another name for glee club. Back in my youth at good ol’ New Market Elementary, I was in glee club for a time, and I learned that I have little talent for making music and that my destiny in entertainment lay in areas away from live, on-stage performance.
Well, those went well. Let’s move on to week 41. The Outsiders selection is…”Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo”… - DANCE!!! …and the Originals selection is…”It Conquered the World” (Show 311). - He learned too late that…you know the rest.
We now pause for station identification. And let me know if you’re actually reading these posts.
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Post by zurk on Feb 6, 2016 8:44:41 GMT -5
I'm reading them. Keep it going, these are good reads.
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Post by kmorgan on Feb 6, 2016 19:43:14 GMT -5
I'm reading them. Keep it going, these are good reads.
Thanks very much; I really appreciate the support.
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Post by kmorgan on Feb 12, 2016 21:34:28 GMT -5
So, how did week 41 go?
"Wild Women of Wongo" is just plain bad. Bad script, lousy acting, poor print quality, bad pacing, that annoying parrot...the list goes on. About the only thing that's debatable is whether it can be considered misogynist. I don't think so, so the women in the movie (particularly the Wongoites) are shown to have some intelligence and even courage, while the men are a bunch of dopes. Like I said, just plain bad. The Film Crew do what they can, and the riffing is good. But the movie is just too much. The host segments were OK, particularly Kevin's rather unusual map to Wongo. I liked the Film Crew set-up, and I was sorry to see it go, even though it did open the way for Rifftrax.
On the other hand, "It Conquered the World" is pretty good. It still shows the frequent Corman low-budget roots, but the script has some intelligence and there are some effective moments. The acting is good, particularly by Peter Graves and Beverly Garland. Sure, the monster looks silly, but you can't have everything. And the short, "Snow Thrills", is certainly not a piece of skit, either. The riffing from Joel & the 'bots is good, and the host segments were Ok, I guess. I'm not sure what set off Crow's Alan Arkin obsession, though. (I've never seen "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash", but I remember it played at Somerville Circle, briefly. The other movies at the time were "Raiders" and "Superman II", so it didn't stand a chance.) I particularly liked the ending segment, with Peter's great closing speech and the very nice letters.
Well, split decision, I'd say. And, on to week 42. This frigid weekend, the Outsiders selection is..."Between the Riffs"... - Behind-the-scenes with CT! ...and the Originals section is..."Wild Rebels" (Show 207). - I'll watch it for the kicks.
We'll be right back.
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Post by kmorgan on Feb 20, 2016 0:41:38 GMT -5
And, let's look at week 42.
"Between the Riffs" only lasts about 18 minutes, but it's a nice documentary segment on the "Tiki Island" DVD. The Titans talk about what makes a movie a good choice for them, their fellow Titans, and the fans. Throughout, there's a clear sense of fun and satisfaction with their work. And there are some comments from the fans, who also really enjoy the shows. It's bits like this that make me glad I caught a few of the live performances, and hope that, during some break in the revival, that Joel will get the band back together for an encore. One thing, though: please record it for those of us who might not be able to get there.
As for "Wild Rebels", it's the middle ground in MST3K's biker trilogy. It's not as awful and downbeat as "Sidehackers", but it lacks the strong central character and relatively better moral standpoint of "Hellcats". (Oh, gads, did I really write that?) Rod, our "hero", does little that truly heroic, the crooks are caricatured and have no real redeeming features, and the cops are just plain inept. Not a happy experience, though it does sort of hold your interest. The riffing, though, is good enough to take the edge off. The host segments are also good, featuring an early chance to see Gypsy start to develop as a character, some more artwork, and Wild Rebels cereal. The inventions were good; I'll have to see if one of the local places would give the tri-dimensional pizza a whirl.
All in all, things turned out OK this time. And let's move on to week 43. The Outsiders selection is..."American Scary"... - It's a documentary about horror movie hosts, featuring comments from Joel. ...and the Originals selection is..."Slime People" (Show 108). - Should I get a pet goat for this one?
Don't touch that dial...
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Post by kmorgan on Feb 27, 2016 0:57:04 GMT -5
Sorry I'm a bit late folks. Aaaaaaaaand, let's look at week 43.
"American Scary" is a really fun documentary. It looks at the whole "horror host" phenomenon (doo-doo-de-doo-doo), from its beginnings in early TV to the present day. There are a lot of interviews with the hosts, as they talk about their individual approaches and their love of the job, as well as comments from fans like actress Patricia Tallman, historian Forrest J. Ackerman and author Neil Gaiman. In addition, there's also an interesting look of the sadly-gone days of true local TV (killed off by corporate ownership, infomercials and cookie cutter sensibilities), as well as the recent resurgence, thanks to local access cable and the 'net. There are also some great classics clips from hosts like Zacherley and Vampira, arguably the two best-known of the classic hosts. I did have a couple of problems, though. First, while Joel is interviewed and offers some interesting comments, no clips or stills from MST3K are featured, though favorable comments about the show are offered by guests. (Reportedly, there were communications problems between the filmmakers and BBI.) The other problem is that I wish it featured even more clips from the hosts, including a few that didn't get mentioned. As I wrote in my Amazon.com review, I hope the filmmakers will revisit this story and do a special, 2-disc edition with more classic content. In any case, I really enjoyed this one. And I'm very glad my cable company recently picked up MeTV, so I can watch Svengoolie on Saturday nights.
"Slime People", though, is a different story. It's low budget is a problem, since we only hear about momentous events after the fact. There's also the obligatory kidnapping of a female lead, the lasting romances that bloom about ten minutes after the characters meet, and the standard scientific doubletalk. I am a bit surprised, though I really shouldn't be, that the show didn't mention this movie years later, when the creatures in "Horror of Party Beach" are, like the Slime People, wiped out by SODIUM! Oh, and while Tolliver was annoying, they could've made some effort to help him. Regarding yet another chapter of "Radar Men from the Moon", it at least holds your interest and moves at a good pace. The riffing was OK, as they are clearly more used to working with scripts, with the occasional ad-lib. The host segments were good, including the 'bots familiar idea for a TV show. As it happens, I recently watched a clip of Joel's early stand-up which included both of the Invention Exchange items.
Split decision, I'd say. And on to week 44. The Outsiders selection is..."CT: East Meets Watts"... - Hey, you got your martial arts movie in my blaxsploitation movie! ...and since Sunday is Oscar Night (when the stars salute themselves!), I'm going outside the rotation for..."The MST3K Little Gold Statue Preview Special". - Not featuring Mike as Ed Asner. Now, since the special lasts less than 30 minutes, I'm exercising my option and adding a second feature. But, since I want to save the other MST3K Oscar show for next year, I'm going way off the reservation and selecting..."SCTV: The People's Global Golden Choice Awards". - The suspiciously-opened envelope, please.
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 5, 2016 1:07:58 GMT -5
So, week 44, anyone?
"East Meets Watts" is a perfect choice for riffing. The production is inept, but there's action to hold your interest. Unfortunately, it's gratuitously violent, with a couple of killings approaching "Girl in Lover's Lane" level. On the other hand, one all-but-certain romance is just plain tossed overboard, right quick. The riffing from CT is perfect, and the team can even make blown jokes funny. And, since this is one of the live productions, the group plays to the audience very well. Fine work.
As for Oscar night, the "Little Gold Statue" special was fine. While the lack of riffing on the provided clips is noticeable, the jokes from Tom & Crow are great. Gypsy's cameo was good, as was bewildered Mike as not-Ed Asner. We'll just have to hope they revive this idea for the new series. My second feature from "SCTV" was also a good one, featuring some great jokes at the expense of awards shows of that era, with the highlight being Dave Thomas' great work as Bob Hope. The episode also featured the group Third World (whom I'm not familiar with) on "The Fishin' Musician", and another great bit, "The Merv Griffin Show: Special Edition".
Good stuff this week. So, on to week 45. The Outsiders selection is..."ConventioCon II Highlights: Celebrity Panel:... - Featuring Rex Reason, Russell Johnson and KIM CATRALL! ...and the Original selection is..."Hellcats" (Show 209). - Ah, the carefree days before helmet laws.
Oh, and if any of you at home are using these choices, or making your own, feel free to pass it along.
Stay tuned...
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 12, 2016 0:27:11 GMT -5
So, let's look at week 45, shall we?
The Celebrity Panel was a fun event. The guests had a good sense of humor about the situation, and told some interesting stories about how they started in movies and some of their other work. In Kim's case, she also talked about how she first found out about MST3K and Crow's obsession with her. I'd say probably the biggest laugh was...well, I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it. Let's just say watch Russell Johnson during the question about the tubes. This was another ConventioCon II event I attended, and I had a good time. I stuck around for the autograph session afterwards, but Kim had to leave early so she didn't sign my program. Oh, well, the guys did, so that's something. Ah, good times...
As for "Hellcats", I'd say its the best of the MSTed biker movies, though "best" is a relative term. It's still gratuitously violent and unpleasant, like the others. But Ross Hagen takes some positive action, once in a while. And while the bikers are portrayed as drunk, stoned and heavily anti-social, they at least have a few standards, and help take down the really bad guys at the end. The riffing is fine, of course, with a few "Sidehackers" callbacks. The host segs are set up as a clip show featuring gags from previous shows; it's OK, I suppose. The Mads side of the Invention Exchange (which they don't participate in) is the source of one of Frank's funnier outtakes; you know the one I mean.
Not bad this time. So, let's move on to week 46. The Outsiders selection is..."CT: War of the Insects"... - Will Ken Burns do a documentary on this? ...and the Originals selection is..."Village of the Giants" (Show 523). - That's good for my brother Bruce, but my brother Bri would prefer "Village of the Jets".
We now pause for station identification...
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 19, 2016 0:44:26 GMT -5
So, how did week 46 go?
"War of the Insects" is one massively off-putting movie. It's combines Cold War tensions, vengeful insects, mad science, sexual harassment, lousy dubbing, and general hopelessness. Plus, I'm not a big fan of bugs anyway (though fireflies are really snazzy), which lessens the appeal. There is a lack of sympathetic characters, and a heavily downbeat ending. It's certainly not a feel-good movie. Fortunately, the riffing by the Titans is great. The DVD is from a live performance (though not the one I actually attended), so there's the extra kick of how they play off the audience, plus the Carsonian (that's an actual word, right?) quality of making even blown jokes funny. It really helps a lot.
As for "Village of the Giants", it's a worse movie, in my view. Sure, the music is cool in a mid-Sixties way, and there are a couple of good VFX sequences. But the characters are all either dreadfully stupid or dreadfully jerky (except maybe Ron Howard's character). The anti-Establishment, anti-adult themes shoehorned in make the tone even worse, and the movie's ending kind of ticked me off. While the movie isn't as inept as, say, "Monster a Go-Go" or as distasteful as, say, "Sidehackers", I just found that it really got on my bad side. It might be the whole "taking the town hostage" thing; I really dislike those movies (except the original "Taking of Pelham One Two Three"). The riffing is very good, though. And the host segments, featuring Frank's firing and Torgo's brief employment, were very funny. I particularly liked the Paul Williams touches in the "Let Me Frank About Frank" song.
Tough one, folks. Let's see how we can do with week 47. The Outsiders selection is..."ConventioCon II Highlights: Keynote"... - And I was there, too! ...and the Originals selection is..."Rocketship X-M" (Show 201). - Nice to meet you, Frank! Like the new voice, Tom!
Stay tuned...
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Post by kmorgan on Mar 25, 2016 23:12:52 GMT -5
So, let's look at week 47.
The Keynote was as much fun as I remember it. From Jim's opening remarks (including a well-deserved jab at Doug Herzog) to the big intro for well-appreciated Barry Schulman of Sci-Fi (before it devolved into TSNWSRN) to the fine video tribute (scored with Sinatra's "My Way") for departing Trace, it was a great start-up for the con. However, while I did remember the chant of "Four more years!" for Trace, I'd forgotten that this included the first showing of "Assignment Venezuela", also well-received. (I'm still waiting for the Mylar short, though.) The fan recording wasn't perfect in terms of picture and sound, but I really didn't mind. You need multiple cameras and a full crew to do an event like this justice. Oh, and I didn't see myself in the audience. While I'm somewhat nondescript, my snazzy PCTC jacket was a real eyecatcher. Maybe somebody else got me in shot.
As for "Rocketship X-M", I know it was a quickie production meant to cash in on the upcoming (and superior) "Destination Moon". I know the science in the movie is deficient, the semi-profound monologues went too long, and the meteor shower is clichéd. Still, it's not too bad. They tried for some intelligence in the script, and the acting is fairly good. As for the ep, both Kevin and Frank got off to a good start, though both would further develop their characters. The riffing was fine, and I liked most of the host segments. I had a problem with the one with Mike as Valeria. The proto-Hexfield needed work, and I remember that it took me years (until I saw "Robot Holocaust" at ConventioCon I) before I realized what the heck Mike was doing. Oh, well.
Anyway, on to week 48. The Outsiders selection is..."Poopie Parade of Values"... - Operators are standing by! ...and the Originals selection is..."First Spaceship on Venus" (Show 211). - Which letter T-shirt should I wear for this?
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 2, 2016 11:31:56 GMT -5
Aaaaand, we're back. Sorry I'm late this week. I was at the drive-in and got home later than I expected. (For the record, it was a double feature of "Zootopia" and "Star Wars: TFA" at Becky's Drive-In in Walnutport, PA. Good stuff!) Anyway, let's look at week 48...
"Poopie Parade of Values" was originally run during TFNWSRN's "MST Anthology" Turkey Day Marathon, the one where Penn Jillette infamously referred to Josh as a "Fake Frank" in a promo. The segment is basically Mike, Kevin & Trace shilling for the BBI-produced "MST Scrapbook" and "Poopie" VHS tapes. But it's really funny. They completely nailed the informercial feel, with the stilted line delivery and forced humor. I also liked the matching sweaters, and Trace re-using the Austalian accent he used for Crow during the "Phantom Creeps" infomercial. I really enjoyed this one. Question: does that toll-free number still work? I may just check on that.
"First Spaceship on Venus" is actually a pretty good movie. They obviously spent a fair amount of cash on it, and the production design is inventive in a good way. Sure, there are parts of the plot that make little sense, but give them credit for having the guts to kill off characters in a non-heroic, more tragic way. However, the slime sequence just looks revolting; must've been awful filming it. And the pan-and-scan they used for the show was annoying; I'll have to find a good, uncut, letterbox version of this one somewhere. The riffing was great, and the host segments were fine, with two great moments (Tom's "Oh, Sweet Mother of Mine" and the demented Klack Foods commercial). One question: um...chin rascal? I hadn't heard that one before MST. Please explain.
This one turned out well. So, week 49? The Outsiders selection is..."Rifftrax Shorts, Vol. 1 (2nd half)"... - I'll be shaking hands with DANGER this week. ...and the Originals selection is..."The Atomic Brain" (Show 518). - Atomic brain? Do you have to wear a lead-lined hat?
Don't touch that dial...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 8, 2016 21:53:59 GMT -5
Well, how did week 49 go?
The shorts were good, with some fine riffing. We had "Drugs are Like That", "The Trouble with Women", "It Must Be the Neighbors" and "Shake Hands with Danger". And we learned that drugs are like a lot of different things (only bad), misogyny is bad (I think, the movie isn't really clear), clean and safe yards are everyone's business (when they're not blaming each other) and it's easy to get killed on a construction site. A couple of things: first, on "Drugs are Like That", the guys are really flustered over the roundabout, disjointed way the kids talk. Things is, if I remember correctly, kids actually do talk that way. Second, I checked on YouTube, and it looks like they only riffed on part of "Shake Hands with Danger". I wonder why they didn't do the whole thing; maybe they could re-riff it sometime. Oh, and I'm glad they quickly dropped the experimental animated riffers; it was unnecessary.
As for "Atomic Brain", that's one dark movie. It's creepy and smarmy in a bad way, and all of the characters are either villainous, stupid or unfortunate mutants. It plods along, and not even the cat (the real cat, I mean) can save it, in my view. The short, "What About Juvenile Delinquency?", was good, from back in the day when teen gangs looked neat and clean when they pummeled you, and a town council meeting could solve any problem. The host segments were OK, with a rare, latter day role for Magic Voice, and the Crow & Tom as Forrester & Frank bits standing out. The riffing is fine, and, in the case of the movie, it needs to be.
I guess it averages out this week. So, moving on to week 50. The Outsiders selection is..."Encore 'Film Crew' Intros"... - That's what it is; intros for Encore from the Film Crew. ...and the Originals selection is..."12 to the Moon" (Show 524). - Huh, in real life we could only send three.
We'll be right back...
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 15, 2016 22:01:23 GMT -5
Let's look back at week 50, shall we?
I had an unexpected result regarding "Encore 'Film Crew' Intros". A while back, with a lot of patience, I recorded a bunch of movie intros Mike, Kevin & Bill did for Encore, pre-Rifftrax. I was going to watch them, when I found on YouTube all those intros, plus a bunch they did for Starz on Demand that I was unaware of. Learn something new every day. Anyway, the intros for Encore were, at various times, for sci-fi movies (like the remakes of "The Blob" and "The Thing"), cult movies (like future RT target "Night of the Living Dead") and 80s movies (like "First Blood" and "9 to 5"). The ones for Starz were for a bunch of low-grade flicks that, for the most part, I'd never heard of (like "I Accidentally Domed Your Son"). And for a few of the Starz intros, Mike is teamed with Chase Masterson, rather than Kevin & Bill. On the whole, they intros are pretty funny, though they usually only run about a minute or two. Not exactly Alistair Cooke, but they work.
As for "12 to the Moon", it's got all the usual elements for such movies (meteor storm, BIG control levers, handsome studly captain, philosophizing). It also has the usual scientific errors that Neil DeGrasse Tyson complains about, plus a couple of monkeys, two cats, a dog and some really cheap, cost-cutting effects. Like others, I found it similar to, and inferior to, the previously-seen "First Spaceship on Venus". The movie is generally OK, and the riffing is great. Actually, though, the real attraction is the short, "Design for Dreaming". The short is good on its own, with classic cars and an absolutely trippy atmosphere. And, of course, it inspires the ep's great host segments, with the lovely & talented Bridget as Nuveena.
Things worked out OK, this week. And on we go to week 51. The Outsiders selection is..."RT: Casino Royale"... - The name's Trax, Riff Trax. ...and the Originals selection is..."Castle of Fu Manchu" (Show 323). - Well...um...uh...Christopher Lee.
Keep those cards & letters coming in, folks.
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 22, 2016 23:25:52 GMT -5
So, let's review week 51.
"Casino Royale" is, of course, one of the best Bond movies. It's an effective reboot of the franchise, features some great action sequences, is reasonably close to the original book, and had Daniel Craig making a fine impression as Bond. That doesn't mean it can't be riffed on, though. Mike & Kevin do a good job on this one. The jokes are funny, and they criticize some of the movie's slower sections, as well as the length of time it gets to the casino. Still, they're clearly enjoying the movie, so they don't go overboard. Well done, though I'm wondering why they haven't gotten around to "Die Another Day", one of the lesser Bond movies.
As for "Castle of Fu Manchu", the movie is just awful. Slow and confusing, it comes close to disproving the adage that no movie with Christopher Lee is worthless. Admittedly, the print they used for the ep was in terrible shape, but that doesn't fully absolve the movie. It didn't tick me off (like "Village of the Giants" did), but it's an utter slog, to be blunt. Joel & the 'boys try to riff away, and the riffs are funny. But what really makes the ep watchable is the way the guys are steadily almost-crushed, with the Mads gleefully congratulating themselves. It did like the S.O.L. crew's last-minute victory.
I'm going to say split decision this time. So, on to week 52. The Outsiders selection is..."No Dialogue Necessary: The Making of an 'Off-Camera Masterpiece'"... - It's a doc on "Beast of Yucca Flats", featuring Frank. ...and the Originals selection is..."Squirm" (Show 1012). - Oh, yuck!!
Stay tuned...
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