The Amazing Colossal Episode Guide

[emperordorkin]

We've all read and devoured its contents many times, but what's your true opinion of the ACEG?

The Brains' hilarious droll humor is timeless, and they analyze and dissect films (and everything else about life) better than any egghead in a suit and tie.

Two big nitpicks, though: They give a very vague history of the KTMA years and the formation of the show in general.

What bugs me even more is that, while it seems to be an effort by the whole bunch, only Kevin, Paul, Mary Jo, and Mike write the majority of it. Trace contributes way too little and Joel, of all people, contributes nothing at all!!

Perhaps in the year 2027, we'll finally see an updated version...

[Mr. Atari]

We may never get to see the updated version, but I love that they kept up the episode capsules on the sci-fi website.

I suppose if you want the pages for seasons 8-10, you'd better get them quick. I doubt they'll stay on the sci-fi site after the show is off the air.

My biggest nitpick with the ACEG is that it seemed like Mary Jo wasn't interested in writing episode summaries or giving her feedback. Her entries seemed paltry compared to the others.

[mightyjack]

I love the ACEG, but if I had a complaint it's that they horse around too much (how many goofy introductions do we need?) and there are a LOT of mistakes.

I'm a big fan of the original "Outer Limits" series and the official companion by Schow and Frentzen was brilliant. Over stuffed with inside info, interviews, reflections on each show, triva as well as synopsis for every story (as well as as summaries for episodes that were never filmed!) I's the prime example of how a companion or compendium "should" be done.

I wish the ACEG had a guiding force like that behind it. Someone who would investigate, interview - take the best brains work - then act as the glue and put together an extensive and exhaustive episode guide.

KTMA deserved a closer look, Joel definately needed to be involved. Josh should have been brought in for his observations.

I think the ACEG is a great book, but I want MORE, MORE, MORE!

[Afgncaap5]

The way I see it, the Amazing Collosall Episode Guide has, in its own way, still continued. I mean, as has already been pointed out, the Brains did continue the ACEG-style episode summaries on the Sci-Fi Channel's website.

And, when some money was found to pay them, they wrote the ACEG-style summaries for season seven, courtesy of www.mst3kinfo.com and I, for one, was thrilled.

Now then....what we *need* to do is have another fundraiser so that we can pay them to write the KTMA episode guide. Sure they don't like to admit to their charming beginnings, but hey....these are *entertainers*! The rule for entertainers is *take the work that comes*! Bwa-HaHaHa!

[Torgo]

I never got the ACEG. Those asses at my Barnes & Noble don't carry it. I'm still looking.

I've read 7-10 on the net though.

[Afgncaap5]

Those are pretty much the same, yes....but you've missed Trace's "Monster!" articles and "TV's Frank's picks" comments!

[Mr. Atari]

Are you kidding? I thought she had some of the funniest entries!

I didn't mean they weren't funny. I just meant that her reflections were often a mere 2 sentences. I found her to be a woman of too few words on occasion.

[Afgncaap5]

Wasn't she the one who just wrote the entire paragraph of the word "Cabbot" for one movie's description before Mike Nelson swooped in and wrote something else?

I remember something like that in the book, but can't recall the who's and why's, and the book is packed away so I can't check.

[mightyjack]

Uhg, yeah she did the dumb Cabot thing. That's what I mean, it's a waste of space when you could tell us something interesting and spew forth funny anecdotes.

More fun info, less chapstick!

That's a twist on a KTMA skit, btw

[Unsavory]

I thought the book was pretty good. I would have been content with Mike writing the whole thing, honestly. His writing style is easily the most entertaining. The TV's Frank's picks were very good as well.

I was disappointed by Joel not showing up at all. I would have accepted even two sentences. If he'd simply said, "I miss the show. I had a lot of fun," I would have been put at ease. Something about his absence made it seem like he totally wanted to be disconnected from the show, as if terms weren't good. Just my imagination I'm sure, but the thought still lingers there.

I thought Mary Jo and Kevin were both interesting reads, but I was not so impressed with Paul. His takes were certainly not terrible, but they were always weird, and even uncomfortable. I also disagreed with almost everything he said about favorite riffs, movies, etc.

Trace just left me confused and dumbfounded. I'm actually glad he contributed so little. The monster sections were gimmicky and generally unfunny.

Sorry for sounding so harsh on that last bit....

[Afgncaap5]

On the one hand, Paul knows how to keep a running joke going. Like the way that he kept mentioning that he'd goen to some country or other (Afghanistan? Israel? Can't recall).

[Mr. Atari]

It was Turkey, I believe.
Was it in connection with Fu-Manchu?

[Afgncaap5]

It was like three or four times over the course of the book, with huge gaps between them. Like there was an early one where he mentions it and mentions that he'd probably mention it again, before mentioning it three paragraphs later.

Then he mentions it again in another season, closer to the middle of the book.

And then when you're pretty much at the end it comes up again.

I think.

[Mr. Atari]

I got mine on amazon about 3 months ago. The binding is falling apart already. Lousy, cheap book glue. I guess that's what happens when you open a book a few hundred times a day.

[Afgncaap5]

Look, as the back of the book says you are supposed to buy several copies of the book just so that you can have back-ups for when that happens.