Mystery Science Theater 3000: C/D, S/D.

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It's about time, too.

― Michael Daddino, Saturday, 12 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Oh *please*, you ask this of me? What episodes *don't* I have on tape?

So gloriously fucking classic it hurts, period, etc. To explain why -- I always loved really bad movies, they're great. Seeing bad movies trashed by people who obviously had brains but weren't afraid of cheap shots either seemed like perfection, and the fact that the perpetrators were seemingly calm Minnesotans who had a clear and total loathing for bullshit of all sorts -- societal, cultural, political, philosophical - - made it all the more fun. Still my favorite ever TV show.

Search -- um, everything. Some episodes you don't need to see as many times, though, and sometimes ones that weren't as great initially become great with time. My Top Ten List At Present:

Manos, The Hands of Fate -- "Honey, I'm scared." "Of WHAT?"

The Starfighters -- "Bob Dornan, wild at heart."

Mitchell -- "She was going to smell like beer sooner or later."

Teenage Strangler -- "I didn't steal no bike neither!"

Overdrawn at the Memory Bank -- "My nuts?"

Red Zone Cuba -- "You and your swank restaurant and your chichi frog's legs!"

Agent From H.A.R.M. -- "There's the windup...and there's the smarm!"

Werewolf -- "C'mon, dead people know what's going to happen next!"

The Starfighters -- "I like coffee."

Pod People -- "Trumpy! You can do MAGIC things!"

Subject to change, but that's a good starter pack right there, along with Eegah!, Jack Frost, Parts: The Clonus Horror, Monster a Go-Go, The Girl in Gold Boots...

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Oh yeah, and Deathstalker, naturally.

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I absolutely adore this show, though I've only been able to see Sci- Fi episodes and only a handful of them at that due to infernal copyright issues (any channel wishing to broadcast it needs rights to both the episode and the film, thus only about 18 eps have been shown in the UK). So my knowledge of MST3K is very limited, but I'll add my vote to Overdrawn At The Memory Bank and Agent From H.A.R.M. - as for episodes to destroy, I haven't seen any eps that are bad but apparently the KTMA ones weren't that good, so destroy them.

― Chris Lyons, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

First, the lowdown. Classic? Oh my, yes.

Search

Favorite Episode Available on Rihno: I Accuse My Parents or Catalina Caper. Favorite Episode Overall: Alien From L.A.. Favorite Short: The Days of Our Years. Favorite Riff Sequences: The Beau Brummels at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Village of the Giants and Fat Linda Rondstadt in The Incredible Melting Man. Favorite Riff: The Albert Goldman/Greil Marcus ref in The Pod People and the "...Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Amityville, Copaigue, Lindenhurst and Babylon. Change at Jamaica for..." line in The Beatniks.

Destroy

The fifteen-minute promo they did for Nintendo; the "sandwich" sketch at the end of The Undead; the long string of lesbian jokes in Racket Girls; and, ultimately, the movie, which while v. good, probably should never have been made; and finally, the various asinine copyright issues that pretty much will ensure its limited availability in non-bootleg form to future generations.

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

The fifteen-minute promo they did for Nintendo

Herein a mystery -- what is this? Given that they're such gaming addicts I'm not surprised they did it...

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I made a boo-boo. It was actually for Playstation Magazine. Riffing was good, as you can imagine, but it was genuinely painful to watch them hawk stuff. Kinda odd that I can't find more info about it.

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Any film with Joe Don Baker or John Phillip Law is an absolute classic.

But if I'm being honest, I love nearly every one. The only one I think I would destroy is Hamlet, because the adaptation was so static and dull it was hard to make jokes from.

― Nicole, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Oh, and Ned should definitely make me some tapes. The ones on sci-fi I see all the time, but I miss the old episodes.

― Nicole, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Arrangements can be made. I need to get a second VCR for dubbing purposes first, though...

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

And yes, I did forget Space Mutiny, didn't I? "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Additional Commentary

I brought the subject up because I think it's high time we discussed it at length. A lot of Americans on ILx are pretty vocal about their MST3K-love, but for obvious reasons, much of the UK posse have never even seen the show. Those who have only know the Sci-Fi era shows (and can't get Rhino tapes, either), so they're only getting part of the fun.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Comedy-Central purist at all. The primary reason I got slowly peeved at the AOL NY MST3K contingent was because they were by and large vehemently Anti-Mike, going on and on about how the show was a bunch of boring crap now and how cute and sexy Joel was. I just couldn't see it. Admittedly, though, by the time MST3K left CC, the show's early, woozy charm had long faded away -- but it was replaced by something else that, while slick, was still awfully entertaining. (Charm isn't everything.) At the other end of the history spectrum, the KTMAs aren't bad at all, but all woozy charm and few laffs. Still, that won't matter if you're already a fan.

The worst movie they ever did was, easily, Monster A Go-Go. Scroungily overamped "What'd I Say"-rip at the beginning, but looooong stretches of black & white nothingness punctuated by perhaps the most infuriating cinematic anticlimax ever. Next in line is Manos: The Hands of Fate. It's my impression that MST3K almost single-handedly velcroed this flick onto the Canon of Bad Movies, and that's a good thing, because it's a startling artifact with a great story behind it.

Favorite Sci-Fi-era Episode: Jack Frost. Indeed, every episode involving a children's movie is sterling.

Best Acting in a MST3K Episode: Beverly Garland reads the riot act to The Celery From Outer Space in It Conquered The World. Bela Lugosi tells a fellow scientist off in Bride of the Monster.

Crow vs. Crow: Trace-Crow is more neurotic, Bill-Crow is more snide, yet once Bill got in the groove, I seriously think they were in equal in goodness.

Joel vs. Mike:

Extraneous thought: if in some alternative universe Catalina Caper was a good, no, GREAT movie, the Avalanches' album would be its soundtrack. Perhaps we could kindly suggest to Tim Burton a remake...

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

it's a startling artifact with a great story behind it.

I was going to throw in a link to the article with all the info, but dammit, it's expired! Your vision of a new Catalina Caper thrills and disturbs my soul.

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Although I should at least throw in a link to the more or less official fan site, the Satellite News.

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

The Manos article is here.

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

That's one of the reasons I could never get into any of the MST3K fan discussions/forums online, they all seem to suffer from this irrational hatred of Mike. It's so silly and pedantic. What's so wrong with liking Joel and Mike?

― Nicole, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Why do you say the movie should not have been made, Mike?

― Josh, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

For one, the movie didn't make any money, partly because Gramercy concentrated its promotional efforts on the Pamela Anderson vehicle Barb-Wire, which ended up belly-flopping anyway. Plus, I got this impression from some recent interview with a member of Best Brains (can't remember where I saw this) that they all ended up regretting ever making the thing in the first place. The whole process was too arduous and distracting and they had to deal with all the asshole suits who prided themselves on having a certain level of hepness, yet told BB to take out a joke about Bootsy Collins because they didn't know who was.

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

The other weird indulgence of the AOL MSTies was the tongue-lashing Sampo, a.k.a. Chris Cornell (the mst3kinfo.com guy, not the Soundgarden guy), recieved on a regular basis. People seemed real irritated at the fact that he assumed the role of King of All MSTies rather quickly, and I attribute that to minor professional jealousy and peevishness over his pro-Mike stance, all caught in a spiral of ever-amplifying regicidal loathing that you often see online. (Sampo's sometime pomposity didn't help either.) Pettiness a go-go.

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

dude, fuck all that. after joel left the show totally went to shit. joel really wanted to create a feeling with story /characters and consistancy. mike was just a hired writer. i think i read someone saying in another thread "after a while if felt like the ones running the show just didnt get 'it' "

― chaki, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

As so many of us are such pynchon junkies, here's a great mst3k & pynchon link.

i is brit and loving the mst3k. it can grate if you're not in the right mood, but fuck that for a game of toy soldiers. I also liked the film (riffing on This Island Earth -- fave bit is when the alien is explaining about the fate of his planet "a-huh, yeah, yup... got ya... a-huh"

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

In point of fact, Mike wasn't merely a "hired writer": as early as the second season, he was the Head Writer. Since MST3K was always a group effort, I think it's difficult to pinpoint one person who was responsible for any particular characteristic of the show. (Two obvious exceptions, of course, are the whole Gizmonics Institute business and the idea for the Invention Exchange.) So he may share some responsibility with Joel H. for creating the rather paternal relationship between Joel R. & the 'bots -- a relationship which, for obvious reasons, would be altered once Mike replaced Joel R. the SOL.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

The funniest episode of MST3K I've ever seen is a Gammora movie that we watched on KTMA backstage during a high school show choir competition. I can't remember the name of the movie, but the bad monster was a giant gumball machine and the episode contained one of my favorite riffs ever (7-YEAR-OLD GIRL: I love you, Gamora! CROW: Keep your shirt on, honey.). Most of the others I've seen have come from the Sci-Fi years, but "Manos" is definitely classic. I will also put in a vote for "Overdrawn At The Memory Bank" if only because it's fun to watch Raul Julia in something embarrassing, plus "Squirm" and "The Final Sacrifice".

― Dan Perry, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I loved Overdrawn At The Memory Bank as a child. I believe I still have a video on it somewhere doubling up with Max Headroom.

― Pete, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Ah, the AOL MSTie days. Got my first stalker out of that bunch.

Anyway, I adored the show. Was a staunch Mike defender in the Mike v. Joel days, now I'm not so sure. Favorite bit (of all time): "Are You Happy In Your Work?"

― Colin Meeder, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

What the fuck are you doing here, Colin? :)

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Dan -- you saw a KTMA on the air? I envy and worship you, my liege.

Colin -- yeah, I remember you were torgotback@aol.com, but the stalking? No, not that.

The boards also attracted a number of true mental cases, most unforgettably KeijiKJ. He was similar to Gondola Blob in that he indulged in casebook net.kook behavior: delusions of professionalism, snottily dismissive of any random thing, threw around the word "clique" a lot. I've even heard stories that he scared the bejesus out of BB members during the first con. I personally had a thoroughly pointless argument with him about the population of the cities in California.

Concerning Mike, I'll say this: there are quite a few times during the Sci-Fi-era when he seemed to be sending out his performance via Fed Ex. Sad, because it was clear after CC he was capable of much better. But you know, a lot of the Sci-Fi-era episodes that initially seemed kinda minor and kinda eh to me now strike me as being thoroughly solid.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

That was my first exposure to MST3K. I had no idea that it was going to become so huge; I only thought that snarky Minnesotans would find it funny!

― Dan Perry, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Well, you're lucky and we hate you. There. ;-)

I'm waiting on Mike's next collection of essays and novel myself. The Megacheese collection was a scream.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Michael: With you and Dave R. here, it was simply a matter of time.

Stalking resulted from an unfortunate IRL encounter with a nice enough person. I thought it was a lovely afternoon, she thought it was TRUE LOVE FOREVER. Eek. The story resolved harmlessly enough -- she found TRUE LOVE FOREVER again with another MSTie, and this time it was returned.

― Colin Meeder, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

What the hell do I have to do with anything, Mr. Meeder? I've never seen you before in my life! (Weren't you supposed to get me a job?)

MST3K was never that big a part of my life - I watched it sporadically, and I always seemed to be in the wrong state of mind to truly enjoy it. I'll side with the Joel phreex, though, just because bald is sexy. (I'm getting sexier by the minute.)

― David Raposa, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

DR: I'll side with the Joel phreex, though, just because bald is sexy. (I'm getting sexier by the minute.)

But wasn't Mike balder than Joel? I'm confused. No matter. I'm balder than both, and I agree with David.

― Brian MacDonald, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I'm watching Rocketship X-M right now and it looks as if Joel is balder than Mike. I agree wholeheartedly that BALD(ING) = SEXXXY (my real and imaginary boyfriends are testament to this) but Joel really isn't bald enough to be sexy-bald.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

grr, watch it daddino.

― ethan, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Le huh?

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Let me second Ned's Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese rec. Even if you don't like or are not familiar with MST3K it is an extrodinarily funny take on a lot of overblown movies of the 80s and 90s.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Had you gotten that job I mentioned, David, you'd have been laid off about five months ago. So I did you a favor by being a hopeless slacker.

I think that my slight preference for Joel has something to do with a sense that the guy's a bit . . . off, where Mike is merely charming and funny.

― Colin Meeder, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Merely? I wouldn't go that far, though he certainly projects more immediate affability. But every so often he comes out with something or takes on a role that makes you a bit nervous. Thus, when he wigged out about his old temp job in one episode, and in Time Chasers where he played his drunk angry brother or cousin, I forget which. Sure, it's a role, but he inhabited them rather well. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Sampo once remarked that in interview, one can sense that there's something very dark and private about Mike just percolating below the surface, and that's colored my impression of him ever since. One thing to remember: "I suffer from excruciating headaches that dozens of neurologists have tried unsuccessfully to treat. I think I might be possessed."

― Michael Daddino, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I appreciate the fact that both Mike and Bridget are very private about their home life, but from the sound of it from some of Bridget's comments it's a very happy family, lots of singing and nuttiness and fun with their kids. A good reminder that the show was, after all, just a performance.

But yes, Mike has the angst in there somewhere. He just tempers it very beautifully -- thus his legendary turn as Morrissey.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Fair enough -- Mike probably *is* a churning cauldren of angst. But I think he (and his rage) are probrably more based in reality, where Joel strikes me as more otherworldly. Which I prefer (slightly, only ever so slightly) in humor.

― Colin Meeder, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Oh, about time for a revival (thanks in part to a recent link from Mike D.). Actually, there were a number of episodes I didn't have, mostly from the sixth season, but my Seattle trip has given me the chance to dub a lot of those from Brian's collection, yay me. Plus I finally have Daddy-O and Fugitive Alien, that took long enough!

To add to the book recommendations -- Mike N.'s general essay book Mind Over Matters is another fine read (the TV essay alone is some kinda genius, the mock 19th century novel even more so), while I very much liked Kevin Murphy's A Year at the Movies. Chris Piuma mentioned he felt it was fairly Joe Queenan-like and therefore not as distinct as it could be, but I think it was handled very well and worked as both microstudy of the moviegoing experience and general reflection. Certainly any of the ILF/film-going hounds on this board should consider reading/borrowing a copy, at least. Then there's Mike's new novel Death Rat, which I really need to order next month...

And praise to all the other castmembers doing things and the continual rolling out of more DVDs, though apparently Rhino says they've exhausted what they have the rights to right now and are looking into securing more, hopefully...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:08 (9 years ago) Permalink

...although a quick check of the SatNews link sez there's some sort of further DVD thing coming out later this year, hm! Good thing to know. Also, anyone in Minneapolis can go to a writing workshop taught by Mary Jo Pehl next month, which I think would be great (I'm an unabashed fan of hers but she seems to really grate for a lot of MSTies...).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:11 (9 years ago) Permalink

is this ever shown in the UK?

― mark s (mark s), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:12 (9 years ago) Permalink

It may still be on the Sci-Fi Channel UK, but your best bet is to go on S0ulS33k and download entire episodes (which are about 700MB a pop, FWIW).

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:16 (9 years ago) Permalink

I've never come across it here, Mark - but I have never had the Sci-Fi Channel.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:21 (9 years ago) Permalink

It was certainly on (late night) on the Sci-Fi channel a couple of years ago.

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

Michael, I kiss you! I had no idea there were mst3k episodes on soulseek.

― Nicole (Nicole), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:34 (9 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, that sounds great, rah Mike! Nicole, I might be able to help with dubbing too though I still need a second VCR, but also please drop me a line about another possible source...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:52 (9 years ago) Permalink

FYI, Best Brains Inc. has its own little shop with some non-Rhino treasures. I highly recommend "Mr. B's Lost Shorts" which has the hands-down best short, "Mr. B Natural" - you know, the one with the ridiculously perky, questionably-gendered Neverland shill for Conn brass instruments.

"Bad touch."
"Does this mean I like guys now?"
"I feel ill."
"Spanking time!"

http://www.mst3kinfo.com/satnews/catalog/Basement.htm

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Sunday, 25 May 2003 15:58 (9 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 1084 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

http://www.mst3kjournal.com/k07.html

ZOMG FOUND IT

― keeping things contextual (DJP), Saturday, 4 August 2012 14:37 (9 months ago) Permalink

MANOS

http://boingboing.net/2012/08/13/michael-j-nelson-interview.html

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:41 (9 months ago) Permalink

One of the most mindblowing things I encountered in years was that so many KTMA eps are just on youtube. I just remember being on rec.arts.tv.mst3k like 18 years ago during freshman year and trading tapes, and how these were the ultimate prize.

Now you just pull anything up and there ya go.

Come to think of it, I knew the guys who swiped the Forrester stand-up photo-model from the first MSTie Con. I met them when I tried to write for the campus humor mag the next year.

― Fiendish Doctor Wu (kingfish), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:54 (9 months ago) Permalink

irl LOLz during "Catalina Caper"

"Turn on, tune in, throw up!"

"I think they sent the wrong people to 'Nam."

the song where they make the band harmonize "We can't siiiiiiiiiing"

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 28 August 2012 06:01 (8 months ago) Permalink

Weird fact -- that song the band are singing then is a Ray Davies number!

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 28 August 2012 13:50 (8 months ago) Permalink

Tom Servo goes a little overboard in that segment.

― Eric H., Tuesday, 28 August 2012 18:16 (8 months ago) Permalink

CREEPY GIRL <3

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 August 2012 18:30 (8 months ago) Permalink

Joel was on the nerdist podcast last week

― Listen to this, dad (President Keyes), Tuesday, 28 August 2012 19:03 (8 months ago) Permalink

he was great!

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 August 2012 19:21 (8 months ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

I was really gobsmacked by the realization that they were making an episode every week!

And that they did it 9/5, no overtime.

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 00:09 (8 months ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

They said the trick was to schedule week or two week long breaks every so often, to give themselves a bit of a life!

Meantime, the woman who played Debbie in Manos is starting a blog about the experience. Obviously a must-read already!

http://debbiesmanos.blogspot.com/

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 9 October 2012 22:00 (7 months ago) Permalink

Cool! We just watched the documentary on the MST3K disk that implied no one but the "make out guy" was still alive and willing to talk about the movie.

― Jaq, Tuesday, 9 October 2012 22:22 (7 months ago) Permalink

Ha, weird implication -- both her AND her dad, AKA Manos himself, are alive and well. Hell, he's appearing in the sequel.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 9 October 2012 22:24 (7 months ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

TWENTY YEARS OLD TODAY, people

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 31 January 2013 01:13 (3 months ago) Permalink

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR TORVALD
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 31 January 2013 02:01 (3 months ago) Permalink

let's all stuff our pants with newspaper in their honor

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 31 January 2013 02:02 (3 months ago) Permalink

det doot doot do det det doot

― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 31 January 2013 12:46 (3 months ago) Permalink

That's my lunch break taken care of!

― Neil S, Thursday, 31 January 2013 12:54 (3 months ago) Permalink

"Good salesman!"
"Bad salesman!"
"Inka Dinka Doo!"
"Now if you want to see your daughter again, you'll do..."
"Now let us pray. Lord..."
"Huh?"
"You could hurt me?"

― Zero Dark 33⅓: The Final Insult (Eric H.), Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:10 (3 months ago) Permalink

INVISIBLE ELVES!!!

also...

"That's just one guy... its just one guy doing all those lines!"

― Frobisher the (Viceroy), Thursday, 31 January 2013 23:31 (3 months ago) Permalink

I love Joel's tone through all that 'one guy' bit. He sounds so disappointed.

Complete stylistic antithesis: Servo's vacationing housewife monologue near the end.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 1 February 2013 00:27 (3 months ago) Permalink

"I'm inTENSly stupid!"

― Zero Dark 33⅓: The Final Insult (Eric H.), Friday, 1 February 2013 01:33 (3 months ago) Permalink

The lady acquaintance and I have been digging through the classics, watching miscellaneous Joel eps. She had never seen Mitchell, we just watched that the other day and boy, does it still hold up, totally worthy of its classic status. Really don't know if I could even make a top ten riffs from it, just so consistently good.

Put 'em on your feet! Give your dogs a treat! What a comfortable shoe...

― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 9 February 2013 07:00 (3 months ago) Permalink

"Great big buttery moon up there...sidewalk looks like ice cream if you squint right..."

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 9 February 2013 07:06 (3 months ago) Permalink

lool i love mitchell

the scenes with the hooker-girlfriend are my favorite

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 9 February 2013 07:14 (3 months ago) Permalink

i can't remember any lines but if you say them i will lol @ them

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 9 February 2013 07:15 (3 months ago) Permalink

"3M ... innovation ... research ..."

― Zero Dark 33⅓: The Final Insult (Eric H.), Saturday, 9 February 2013 07:23 (3 months ago) Permalink

"This is a police investigation!"
"Oh, really, I thought it was just some slob wandering around my house."

― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 9 February 2013 07:41 (3 months ago) Permalink

"Mah, mah, mah, mah 'partment."

― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 9 February 2013 07:41 (3 months ago) Permalink

http://www.siff.net/cinema/detail.aspx?FID=261&id=46043

Debating over the VIP package

― Jaq, Saturday, 9 February 2013 17:56 (3 months ago) Permalink

oh who am i kidding, hell yes it's worth it

― Jaq, Saturday, 9 February 2013 17:57 (3 months ago) Permalink

Yeah, gotta do it. I love the fact he's just keeping on his own wonderfully bemusing path.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 9 February 2013 18:00 (3 months ago) Permalink

Agreed. Joel being, well, Joel.

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 9 February 2013 18:09 (3 months ago) Permalink

"Mobsters laughing, really smiling, a man selling heroin!"

― Pheeel, Sunday, 10 February 2013 17:18 (3 months ago) Permalink

hahaha i was just thinking of that part when i woke up today

― Doctor Casino, Sunday, 10 February 2013 18:24 (3 months ago) Permalink

it's a cold day for pontooning.

― a basset hound (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 10 February 2013 23:26 (3 months ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

I got "favorited" by Bill Corbett on Twitter yesterday and it was the happiest day of my life. True story.

― ARE YOU HIRING A NANNY OR A SHAMAN (Phil D.), Tuesday, 5 March 2013 13:21 (2 months ago) Permalink

I bow down to u

That's awesome

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 5 March 2013 15:55 (2 months ago) Permalink

Nicely done!

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 5 March 2013 15:59 (2 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 10 April 2013 20:11 (1 month ago) Permalink

hahaha

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 10 April 2013 20:14 (1 month ago) Permalink

yesss

― Doctor Casino, Wednesday, 10 April 2013 20:28 (1 month ago) Permalink

okay lol @ this

http://www.google.com/trends/explore?hl=en-US#q=He+tried+to+kill+me+with+a+forklift

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 10 April 2013 20:29 (1 month ago) Permalink

Been watching more and more episodes and I'm becoming convinced - and forgive me if I've already said this in one way or another - but there's a real difference between basically two kinds of episodes...ones where the movies is kind of crappy and lame and goofy and dated, which they make fun of, and movies that were really made with total contempt for their audience, which they hate. Thinking here of Catalina Caper's jokes that are funny to no one, plot that's involving to no one, rock and roll that doesn't rock, etc. Or how the bots clearly loathe Monster-A-Go-Go more than Manos, though the latter is certainly bleaker and more unsettling (though maybe just as empty in terms of nothing happening).

Like, a b-movie or a shoddy dub like Gamera can be good camp material, but you really get the sense of glee when they get to serve justice to a movie that was made specifically and solely so that something could be on-screen at a drive-in and what difference does it make if it's done well. And The Giant Gila Monster's greatest sin is just how lazy and shitty the "giant"-ness is: there's not one damn shot that gets the gila monster in the same frame as the cast, and so as bad as Earth Versus The Spider may be, there's at least some measure of effort there that lets Joel and the bots get into the spirit of things and focus mainly on the absurd Fifties behavior and decision-making of the cast, not to mention that one old guy ("Who ARE you?").

Dunno if this really holds up or if it's just in my head, but it's been bouncing around in my head.

― Doctor Casino, Wednesday, 10 April 2013 20:33 (1 month ago) Permalink

dune reference is a bonus

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 10 April 2013 20:44 (1 month ago) Permalink

Manos: The Yarn of Fate

― tokyo rosemary, Thursday, 18 April 2013 19:57 (1 month ago) Permalink

Been watching more and more episodes and I'm becoming convinced - and forgive me if I've already said this in one way or another - but there's a real difference between basically two kinds of episodes...ones where the movies is kind of crappy and lame and goofy and dated, which they make fun of, and movies that were really made with total contempt for their audience, which they hate. Thinking here of Catalina Caper's jokes that are funny to no one, plot that's involving to no one, rock and roll that doesn't rock, etc. Or how the bots clearly loathe Monster-A-Go-Go more than Manos, though the latter is certainly bleaker and more unsettling (though maybe just as empty in terms of nothing happening).
Like, a b-movie or a shoddy dub like Gamera can be good camp material, but you really get the sense of glee when they get to serve justice to a movie that was made specifically and solely so that something could be on-screen at a drive-in and what difference does it make if it's done well. And The Giant Gila Monster's greatest sin is just how lazy and shitty the "giant"-ness is: there's not one damn shot that gets the gila monster in the same frame as the cast, and so as bad as Earth Versus The Spider may be, there's at least some measure of effort there that lets Joel and the bots get into the spirit of things and focus mainly on the absurd Fifties behavior and decision-making of the cast, not to mention that one old guy ("Who ARE you?").
Dunno if this really holds up or if it's just in my head, but it's been bouncing around in my head.

I think that is pretty solid. This may be my own hazy thinking, but I feel as though the Mike and the 'bots were 'meaner' as the show entered the Sci-Fi years; more vicious toward the film and those involved, like the attacks on the director in Hobgoblins, or lines like 'Sure I'm an unappealing actor in a bad movie! Sure!' in Time Chasers. I had no problem with it, but I know a pal of mine disliked it because she felt, even when Joel disliked a film, there was amiable-ness/gentleness in his mockery rather than outright 'ugh, this sucks'.

― blatherskite, Friday, 19 April 2013 21:18 (1 month ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

Hulu has 25 of these now, fwiw:

http://www.hulu.com/mystery-science-theater-3000

― Not Simone Choule (Eric H.), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 01:11 (1 week ago) Permalink

Hulu also has a bunch of Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax

― mimicking regular benevloent (sic) users' names (President Keyes), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 01:13 (1 week ago) Permalink

Amazon Prime has a ton of them too

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 03:49 (1 week ago) Permalink

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