Post by Alleged on Feb 19, 2004 17:25:02 GMT -5
Below is a link to an article about the MST3K symposium in San Francisco, CA last month. It was written by a teenage guest columnist in the Contra Costa Times, a newspaper in the East San Francisco Bay Area.
It does a heart glad to see young MSTies so interested in the show (administrators of this board are in this category, too!)
A little after-the-fact, but still an interesting read.
www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/7988572.htm
'MST3K' guys dish on turkeys
'DEAR BEN AFFLECK," read the affable Kevin Murphy, standing in the colorful onstage lighting of Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco. "I hope this letter finds you well and that you have managed to escape the flu ..."
Murphy was directing his letter to Ben in an attempt to "put a face on the state of bad movies" today. Yet the blandly handsome star of such recent turkeys as "Gigli" and "Daredevil" was not the only subject of Murphy's scathing and hilarious ridicule: He also took shots at Keanu Reeves for "The Matrix Revolutions," and Harrison Ford for "Hollywood Homicide."
Kevin Murphy was on stage with fellow "Mystery Science Theater 3000" alumni Mike Nelson and Bill Corbett in a January "Symposium" meant to dissect the current Hollywood scene. However, given the nature of their cult-hit television show, the extremely talented trio spent a lot of time digging a little deeper into the past, knocking around old junk-flick favorites such as "Mitchell" and "Space Mutiny."
Granted, there hasn't been a new episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" since 1999, but the show -- which revolved around a mad scientist who blasts an innocent employee into space and forces him to watch really bad movies with only some very funny robots as company -- maintains a devoted following, hence the symposium.
For the many of you who might not be familiar with the show, it mostly involves two robots and their creator sitting in silhouette in front of an expansive movie screen. Each episode, they mock (with biting wit) a particularly bad movie while it plays.
Sure, "MST3K" was basically a framework to allow the writers/cast members to make fun of fabulously horrible filmmaking, but sitting in that little comedy club with the other fans was downright heart warming.
As I watched the three men make fun of the "normally unimpeachable quality" of Hollywood, it was clear that these guys love movies, good and bad. Collectively, they also have a frightening knowledge of popular culture, which allows for some gloriously esoteric references.
Yet the basis of the show, and of the symposium, was always just a love of film; an honest and pure drive to watch movies. And I believe it is the show's wonderful sincerity and utter lack of pretension that brought the fans to North Beach on that lovely Sunday afternoon.
At a time when movie critics have become increasingly unimpressed as a whole, finding a little pleasure in the sewage flow coming from Hollywood doesn't seem like such a bad idea.
So, as we wade through the muck of the Oscar season, through Civil War dramas and quiet art-house films, I feel inspired by the guys from "MST3K" to remind everyone that there's more to being a supreme movie geek than subtitles and "respectable" directors.
What follows is a list of a few of my all-time favorite bad movies. Consider this a love letter to those folks from "Mystery Science Theater 3000," for helping to make movie watching a lot more fun and a little less serious.
• "Glen or Glenda" (1953), directed by Ed Wood Jr. Everyone seems to know the big kahuna of bad movies, "Plan 9 From Outer Space." But how about giving Ed Wood's directorial debut a try? This atrocious treat deals with Wood's own experience as a transvestite. It isn't even fair to call Wood "inept" (as just about every critic does), because there's something about his incompetence that is, well, indefinable. I mean, when he splices shots of buffalo running with Bela Lugosi crying out "Pull the strings! Pull the strings!" we know it doesn't get much better (or worse) than this.
• "Eegah" (1962), directed by Ray Dennis Steckler. This trashy massive-caveman-transported-to-modern-times flick was the basis for my favorite episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000." Not only is it widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, but, for an added bonus, check out Richard Kiel (Jaws from the James Bond series) as the '72 prehistoric giant.
• "Manos: Hands of Fate" (1966), directed by Hal P. Warren. Another great episode of "MST3K" gave this piece of junk exactly what it deserved: a positively sidesplitting commentary. To explain the plot would be useless, partly because I'm still not so sure of it myself. Suffice it to say there's a villain named Torgo who suffers from enormous kneecaps. Because of his mutation, he can't walk too fast, so the director actually thought it would be a good idea to give the creep his own theme music! If that doesn't win you over, I don't know what will!
• "I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958), directed by Gene Fowler Jr. Just so your head doesn't explode, I thought I'd throw in one that's pretty good. I'm not kidding. Gene Fowler's masterpiece is sort of a neat twist on "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and it deals with relationship-related anxiety, particularly surrounding the idea of marriage. So why is it on the list? Even though it's cool and a little creepy, it still has all the lovable qualities we need in a cheesy sci-fi thriller without making you feel like you actually need a shower afterwards. Plus, at the end, people turn into oatmeal. Good stuff.
It does a heart glad to see young MSTies so interested in the show (administrators of this board are in this category, too!)
A little after-the-fact, but still an interesting read.
www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/7988572.htm
'MST3K' guys dish on turkeys
'DEAR BEN AFFLECK," read the affable Kevin Murphy, standing in the colorful onstage lighting of Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco. "I hope this letter finds you well and that you have managed to escape the flu ..."
Murphy was directing his letter to Ben in an attempt to "put a face on the state of bad movies" today. Yet the blandly handsome star of such recent turkeys as "Gigli" and "Daredevil" was not the only subject of Murphy's scathing and hilarious ridicule: He also took shots at Keanu Reeves for "The Matrix Revolutions," and Harrison Ford for "Hollywood Homicide."
Kevin Murphy was on stage with fellow "Mystery Science Theater 3000" alumni Mike Nelson and Bill Corbett in a January "Symposium" meant to dissect the current Hollywood scene. However, given the nature of their cult-hit television show, the extremely talented trio spent a lot of time digging a little deeper into the past, knocking around old junk-flick favorites such as "Mitchell" and "Space Mutiny."
Granted, there hasn't been a new episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" since 1999, but the show -- which revolved around a mad scientist who blasts an innocent employee into space and forces him to watch really bad movies with only some very funny robots as company -- maintains a devoted following, hence the symposium.
For the many of you who might not be familiar with the show, it mostly involves two robots and their creator sitting in silhouette in front of an expansive movie screen. Each episode, they mock (with biting wit) a particularly bad movie while it plays.
Sure, "MST3K" was basically a framework to allow the writers/cast members to make fun of fabulously horrible filmmaking, but sitting in that little comedy club with the other fans was downright heart warming.
As I watched the three men make fun of the "normally unimpeachable quality" of Hollywood, it was clear that these guys love movies, good and bad. Collectively, they also have a frightening knowledge of popular culture, which allows for some gloriously esoteric references.
Yet the basis of the show, and of the symposium, was always just a love of film; an honest and pure drive to watch movies. And I believe it is the show's wonderful sincerity and utter lack of pretension that brought the fans to North Beach on that lovely Sunday afternoon.
At a time when movie critics have become increasingly unimpressed as a whole, finding a little pleasure in the sewage flow coming from Hollywood doesn't seem like such a bad idea.
So, as we wade through the muck of the Oscar season, through Civil War dramas and quiet art-house films, I feel inspired by the guys from "MST3K" to remind everyone that there's more to being a supreme movie geek than subtitles and "respectable" directors.
What follows is a list of a few of my all-time favorite bad movies. Consider this a love letter to those folks from "Mystery Science Theater 3000," for helping to make movie watching a lot more fun and a little less serious.
• "Glen or Glenda" (1953), directed by Ed Wood Jr. Everyone seems to know the big kahuna of bad movies, "Plan 9 From Outer Space." But how about giving Ed Wood's directorial debut a try? This atrocious treat deals with Wood's own experience as a transvestite. It isn't even fair to call Wood "inept" (as just about every critic does), because there's something about his incompetence that is, well, indefinable. I mean, when he splices shots of buffalo running with Bela Lugosi crying out "Pull the strings! Pull the strings!" we know it doesn't get much better (or worse) than this.
• "Eegah" (1962), directed by Ray Dennis Steckler. This trashy massive-caveman-transported-to-modern-times flick was the basis for my favorite episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000." Not only is it widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, but, for an added bonus, check out Richard Kiel (Jaws from the James Bond series) as the '72 prehistoric giant.
• "Manos: Hands of Fate" (1966), directed by Hal P. Warren. Another great episode of "MST3K" gave this piece of junk exactly what it deserved: a positively sidesplitting commentary. To explain the plot would be useless, partly because I'm still not so sure of it myself. Suffice it to say there's a villain named Torgo who suffers from enormous kneecaps. Because of his mutation, he can't walk too fast, so the director actually thought it would be a good idea to give the creep his own theme music! If that doesn't win you over, I don't know what will!
• "I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958), directed by Gene Fowler Jr. Just so your head doesn't explode, I thought I'd throw in one that's pretty good. I'm not kidding. Gene Fowler's masterpiece is sort of a neat twist on "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and it deals with relationship-related anxiety, particularly surrounding the idea of marriage. So why is it on the list? Even though it's cool and a little creepy, it still has all the lovable qualities we need in a cheesy sci-fi thriller without making you feel like you actually need a shower afterwards. Plus, at the end, people turn into oatmeal. Good stuff.
