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Weekend Discussion Thread: Some Season 12 Movie Titles Leaked?MSTie Twitter was on fire today with info from this web site.
If it’s true–and I hasten to note that this is not an official announcement–here are five of the six titles that will be on season 12: 1201: MAC AND ME Also notable: The name of the series is called “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet. Hmmm… What do you think? 153 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: Some Season 12 Movie Titles Leaked?”Commenting at Satellite News
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Two perfect examples, though, of why I don’t go anywhere without imdb.
First, “Mac and Me.” imdb has a priddy cool bit of trivia about WHERE the McDonald’s sequences were shot. Stuff you couldn’t make up.
Second, “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t” took me FOUR tries to get through it. But the ending sent me to imdb, and, Mother of Pearl, what a back story on that thing. EVERYBODY in that trip to Bizarro World was a pro, and all I can figure was that Brazzi called in a bunch of old buddies and said, “Hey, I got an idea…” That one just screams for a DVD Extras disk.
BTW, last night we did Rifftrax’ “Hawk the Slayer,” and that one is in the same league as “TCTAW.” An ungodly amount of talent and color film, shamelessly wasted.
What I know about bad movies I know from MST3K and you guys, so for me it’s: If you guys say so, I’ll take your word(s) and watch the MSTied versions and see what happens. :) I’m really looking forward to the other Ator movie–“Cave Dwellers” is an all-time fave, and I agree w/ Paste Magazine that it was the first classic MST episode. Michael Kuzmanovski and Peterplumsdriverslicense touch upon something I brought up in my posts about Season 11: IMHO, the worst of those movies were FAR worse than almost everything done in Seasons 0-10. Color and more sophisticated technology add a veneer of competence that just makes the badness worse. And much more cynical, too. TCTAW and Starcrash rank as the single two worst films I’ve ever sat all the way through; without the pretty decent riffing, I wouldn’t have been able to. The Brain, which I saw at the live show in Portland last week, is right up there, as well.
Now that I call upon myself to think about it, no other American “E.T.” knockoffs are occurring to me, yet logic dictates that there must have been some. Oh well.
IMDB notes that Mac and Me was “Jennifer Aniston’s film debut.” Which is odd to me because, no kidding, I thought Leprechaun (1993) was Jennifer Aniston’s film debut. In hindsight, I realize that it’s only been called to attention to demonstrate how she, like many other famous actors and actresses, appeared in a slasher film early in her career. Every day, something new. :-)
So, if they riff Mac and Me, they HAVE to have a noticeable number of “Friends” riffs. Not “a lot,” whatever that means in context, but noticeable. ;-)
And, for the record, the morning after, Rachel told Monica she and Ross had “broke[n] up,” so yes, they were in fact indeed at least “on a break”…not least because that’s the very thing that she said Ross to only hours later. Yet somehow neither “you broke up with me” or “we were on a break” remained acceptable as an “excuse.” She defined the parameters of the situation and then ignored them herself.
Also, he was drunk, which IMHO should’ve at least been a factor for consideration. And exactly how many relationships would survive if they couldn’t recover from a single drunken indiscretion, anyway? AND let’s not forget that his ex-wife cheated on him for MONTHS yet he not only forgave her for that, he clearly had no problem letting her retain custody of their son, so from HIS perspective…
But I digress.
(Think of Touch’s posts, folks, the next time you say I “ramble incoherently for six paragraphs”…)
Not sure if it’s on the OOP Hen’s Tooth DVD, but didn’t it get a Ballyhoo (blaa-aaahh!) documentary?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IpBAJFZvNU
Every time the subject of Joel’s Phobia of Those New Kids With Their Streaming Binges comes up, it keeps bringing up silly stories of where Blu-ray was back in its first days of 2008, when studios literally didn’t know what it was for:
Studios were terrified of releasing non-widescreen 4:3 movies because “what would the audience make of those black bars?” (Also because there were more Plasma HDTV’s back then, so side burn-in could be a problem if you watched a 4:3 movie for two hours straight.) Apart from a few classics which had already been mastered for DVD, studios questioned the need to put vintage B&W movies on Blu at all (I mean, why would they watch HD if it wasn’t in COLOR?), and actually at one point said, “Maybe we should keep DVD as the official format for older movies and TV?” For years, no one dared release a classic animated movie on Blu, and only released crisp, sharp computer CGI, because “Why would anyone want to see all those paint strokes in HD?”, and when even Disney got into it, they had to push their 50’s widescreen movies to the front of the list, until they figured out that you could draw new side borders for the old films.
…That was ten years ago–TEN FREAKIN’ YEARS AGO, Joel–and, like parents with that second baby, the video industry has since learned to get over its nervous fears. Just how long were you selling those darn hot dogs, anyway?
…Well, I wouldn’t go THAT far. (Again, “TrollLand” and “Sinister Squad” say hi, if you dare yourself to look.)
But we had a pretty clear idea of what we thought Guillermo Del Toro’s movie was going to be from the pre-hype, and yeah, I’ll say it–
Bad CGI or not, Asylum’s version sure looks a lot closer to what we were imagining than the muddled shape-of-water mess Guillermo eventually delivered: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVpQmZmKNmo
The Gauntlet reminds me of a comment from one of the Brains about what it’s like watching bad movies over and over and over, week after week: punishing, painful, dangerous to your mental health. Maybe the newbies have now come to the same realization.
Somebody commented on the discussion thread to the second “Interview w/ Joel” that they’d love to see the New Brains do some shorts. I agree–the shorts have always been one of my favorite features on MST! Only, theaters stopped showing them before the feature long before the period in which the movies they’re using now were made, so it would feel rather anachronistic. But maybe they could do a whole ep with 4 or 5 shorts. (Did you whose post I just referenced make that same suggestion? I kind of remember that, but I’m too lazy to check . . . Anyway, if you did, I agree with you!)
I get why we’re not seeing b/w movies on The Return, but it would be nice to get more visual variety: all the movies they do have the same look to them. Seasons 1-10 were a lovely potpourri of cheeses with different colors and textures. (That image weird enough for ya, folks?) “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman” would be a great choice–lots of refs to Glen and perhaps some inspiration for Kinga as she pursues her evil designs!
Not sure what will be more mind numbing painful Atlantic Rim or The Day Time Ended. Well at least Time has stop motion by David Allen.
My husband and I are actually kinda psyched by these titles, and we love season 11. But he’s a Boomer and I’m Boomer/Gen X. What do we know.
While not an “E.T.” knockoff exactly, “Flight of the Navigator” (1986) is in the same vein. Despite an annoyingly voiced alien ship (Paul Reubens aka PeeWee Herman), it was a fairly decent movie. For some reason, in the late ’80s our preschooler was wild about this movie and would happily watch it over and over on videotape, but he mispronounced it “Flight of the Alligator.” For what that’s worth.
I’ve seen Quest for the Mighty Sword. Technically, it is a sequel since it’s supposed to be Ator’s son, also named Ator, played by Eric Allen Kramer (who played Thor in the second Incredible Hulk TV movie with Lou Ferrigno). Didn’t really matter; just a reason to do another of these things when your original actor decided he didn’t want to come back. Still kind of silly, and Kramer’s no O’Keefe, for whatever THAT’s worth…
The problem is, Aniston isn’t noticeable in the film. I’ve even read a theory she was cut from the film itself. I read an interview with her and the scene she described being in doesn’t sound like anything in the final cut. So it might be like riffing The Big Chill and focusing too much on Kevin Costner jokes.
Some Asylum films aren’t bad. You have the ones that try to be deliberately bad, like Sharknado. But many of their ripoffs are decent B movies. Their Battleship ripoff is better than the actual Battleship.
I’m also kinda fond of Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. While my favorite giant sea creature leaping out of the water to eat aircraft is still Moby Dick 2010, Mega Shark destroying the Golden Gate Bridge is pretty fun.
What I remember most about Ator watching it so many years ago was Ator having sexual feelings for his sister, only to be told he was adopted so they are not blood-related, which makes it okay to marry her, because it’s okay for you to have such feelings for the person you view as your familial relation, but you better damn well be married when you act upon them! Also, a giant spider puppet.
Turkey Day can’t get here fast enough!!
You know, spoiler alerts are a thing, Satellite News.
FFS…
Mr. Sack:
I hope I’m not breaching protocol here.
https://www.rifftrax.com/ator-the-fighting-eagle
Uh, doesn’t it? AFAIK it does in the real world, anyway. I’m fairly sure there have been cases of people who have been best friends since pre-school and grew up together like family ultimately getting married as adults. In fact, I think there’s a rom-com sub-genre about it.
Ron and Hermione were like brother-and-sister in the first three books and everything turned out just fine.
Key difference: best friends since childhood ain’t the same thing as “raised as brother and sister since birth”. Ator knew nothing except this woman he had known as long as he was able to perceive is his sister, and even then he was like “Man, I really, REALLY want to get with her…y’know what? Screw it, I’m gonna ask OUR FATHER for her hand in marriage, see what he thinks” and, luck of the spider-god being with Ator, not only was she not his biological sister, but her father, his foster father, the only father he ever knew and until that moment, thought was his biological father, said “you have my permission to marry her”. Ator doesn’t go “WHOA, whoa, hold on! Wait a minute, you just suddenly shook up my entire world! She’s not my blood relative…you’re NOT my father? Forget getting it on with the woman who I THOUGHT was my sister, I need to get to the bottom of this! I’m having a serious crisis of self! Also, you just gave me the green light to be with your daughter, who you raised beside me, and not once did you properly advise me of possible burgeoning feelings I might have? What is WRONG with you?!” I really hope this episode list is legit, at least THAT one, because I’m looking forward to the “ewww” reactions from Jonah & the Bots on THAT!
Ron and Hermione didn’t meet until they were 11. They weren’t RAISED as brother and sister. If they have any familial feelings for each other, which is arguable and subjective to each readers interpretation, it’s not the same as what Ator and Suya are supposed to have. Even in real world cases, that’s something for the individuals to have known each other for so long to work out for themselves whether they can continue like that, but I know of few, if ANY, cases of two people, raised together with all sense of blood relation, developing feelings beyond the familial for each other, and it being okay. Even between adoptive brother and sister, it’s still a bit “uh” inducing.
IIRC MST3K “ewww” reactions tend to consist of nothing but the word “ewww” which IMHO isn’t all that amusing. ;-)
I’m guessing there would be at least a few “Game of Thrones” riffs, though, although I’m not sure I’d recognize them as such.
Anyway, if I had a point, however vague, it was something to the effect of no one has any control over who they fall in love with. As I mentioned in an earlier thread, whoever wrote The Book of Love was one sick b_stard. I’m just sayin’.
Browsing the IMDB entry, I see that the Spider God Priest was played by the capital and largest city of Senegal. Quite a broad-minded choice on the director’s part to cast a…
Oh, wait, it’s an actor who CALLS himself “Dakar.”
Never Mind.
;-)
By the 24th century, the city of Dakar’s exports will include nanites (of “Hello, _____!” fame). Oh, it’s TRUE…
Well, in a certain context:
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Dakar
(no, I don’t remember EVERY location ever mentioned in a Star Trek episode, this was just one that I DID happen to remember, that’s all)
ADDENDUM:
I just don’t happen to have a visceral reaction to the idea of [consensual] incest. I know that I’m “supposed” to, but I don’t, and that’s all there is to it.
(Non-consensual incest is of course rape, which is something else entirely.)
Thoughts as a fan:
Really happy to see they’re finally doing Mac and Me. A real heavy hitter of a bad movie. I feel like Rifftrax does a bunch those (The Apple, Battlefield Earth, Samurai Cop, Super Mario Bros, Troll 2, etc. — those movies that get brought up when people talk about the worst movies they’ve ever seen) and they do them really well so I was surprised that for the last season they did so many movies from the 60s and so few from the 80s and later. Ator is a little bit of a disappointment, since Rifftrax already did it fairly recently. Would have rather seen something I haven’t seen riffed before. And it’s a bummer we’re only getting six episodes, but Mac and Me kind of makes up for it.
Why do I have a feeling that the McDonald’s scene from Mac and Me (the one scene people will want to see get the MST3K treatment) is going to fall victim to spillage?
Meanwhile, in terms of idea for another weekend discussion: With figures already available featuring Godzilla, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Metalunan Mutant, I wonder what other characters from MST3K would make for a good Funko Pop figure. Personally, I can so see a Torgo figure and a Pop Ride featuring Blast Hardcheese driving the Floor Waxer of the Future.
Sad but true. :( There are many reasons to riff Mac & Me, but take away the extended Ronald cameo (which was even promoted on the posters at the time), and its whole overpraised 80’s-Razzie mystique collapses. And takes a few good possible host segments with it.
No, I agreed S11 was “meh”, just not end-of-the-world garment-tearing “meh”, where I moan and cry “O tempora, o Millennia” for sympathy.
As in, “I’ll STILL take Jonah or Hampton doing one mediocre on-movie joke over Rifftrax embellishing the same off-topic gag three or four times in successive rapid self-kidding one-upmanship because they think it’s brilliant in their own sheltered little world.”
Elsewhere on the IMDB entry, it’s noted that Miles O’Keefe is better known for his role in “Tarzan the Ape Man” (1981). Well, maybe at one point, but now? I hardly think so. :-)
When the Brains riffed “Cave Dwellers,” did they mention Tarzan even once?
This is a big one, so I’m going a page at a time:
My guess on what The Gauntlet is: A marathon for Jonah and the Bots. Kinga’s latest ratings stunt is to have Jn&TBs watch a six movies in a row. This would tie in to the “binge-watching” gimmick. But as an audience, we can take or time. Or gorge. I’m probably gorging, very late on that Wednesday night. Between the new episodes, the classic Turkey Day marathon, and the return of Joe Bob Briggs Thanksgiving night, plenty of movie goodness on that special Thursday this year.
Sorry, but the announcement of a movie from the last five years being on Season 12 was made months ago. And I’m sure we’d all love to see some shorts. So here’s my wackadoodle fan theory: 1205 is an episode of just shorts, hence no title! I can dream…
The copyright on McClintock was renewed several years ago. It would be a fun choice, though. But probably about as likely as Charro! or Moment By Moment. More than any other factor, I suspect it’s just too expensive to get the rights.
I don’t think Season 11 of MST3K felt like Rifftrax at all. It doesn’t have the ball-busting snark of Rifftrax. It’s more of the Midwestern feel, but this time mixed with West Coast, which is the new thing. Remember, we started with water, now we have fire!
Anyway, what list would have gotten you excited? For me, the movie doesn’t really matter, it’s what they do with it. And we haven’t even seen these yet.
I was hoping for the Ferrigno Here as well. Maybe if we get a Season 13?
And you are absolutely right about The Asylum based skit in Avalanche. It was like a vow not to do movies like that. Granted, Atlantic Rim is more of a cheap rip-off than a mashed up monster name of a movie. And let’s never forget, Kinga is evil, so why wouldn’t she subject Jonah and the Bots to a movie like that? The goal is the take over the world with the worst movie ever, right? Or has that been abandoned in favor of blowing up the brand and selling it to Disney? Mad Scientists, this stuff gets confusing after a while!
Very valid points here. Another re-riff. Hmm. Could be good, could be about the same, we’ll see. Could be the last episode ever if we don’t see a Season 13. Might be a good capper, circling back to Ator. After all, MST3K had him first ;)
And we’ll have a widescreen version of it on MST3K. The Rifftrax version is full frame. Speaking of which, buy it now, because who knows, it may disappear the way Wizards of the Lost Kingdom did.
He won’t watch his own episodes? Well, we know he doesn’t watch Sci-Fi era episodes. But really, what kind of narcissist would sit around watching their own show? J. Elvis said he’s never seen an episode of the show past Season 1, just bits and pieces. He said something to the extent of “I did that show, why would I watch it back? I was there.”
Do you know the backstory of Conor Lastowka? Take a listen to this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDppcnqGcvo He’s like Kris Kristofferson is to Johnny Cash. Much like how Mike was hired to type, then everyone else discovered he was funny, too.
They’re the modern day version of a box of VHS tapes full of weird movies Frank had to plow through.
Huge slam on Adam Sandler out of nowhere! That’s like a Rifftrax joke ;) Sure, Sandler’s made some bad movies here and there, but that’s par for the course. His comedy albums have some great stuff on them, however!
Oh, internet. How much simpler you were before smart phones, back when you had to own a computer to get online. No one is ruining anything, it’s just a handful of crazies like us posting on fan forums. It’s for fun!
About as likely as Godzilla Vs The Sea Monster coming out on DVD. We can dream, though…
They can’t afford those movies.
If he gave it a different name, it wouldn’t be the same show. Anyway, I’m with you. The classic is the best. Once they got rid of Beeper, the show went downhill fast.
Since Atlantic Rim is not a parody, just a rip-off, it could work. And don’t worry, not shorter episodes (man, how these rumors get out of control so fast), just a shorter season. 6 episodes instead of 14 like last time. Not bad. The original Kickstarter goal was 3, and now we’ve got 20!
Mac and Me, while arguably being the most high profile movie to ever be featured on MST3K, definitely falls into the category of Pod People, as far as 80s ET rip-offs go. Bigfoot is obviously not an ET ripoff, but a case could be made to put Cry Wilderness in the same category, since it’s the whole kid-befriends-creature genre.
Why are you sad? MST3K is meant to bring joy. To me, every incarnation of MST3K is essentially the same. There’s really not that much difference. There’s always episodes that are better than others. But to completely dismiss an entire era of the show? What happened? How can we as fans help? What modern do you find funny?
It’s like a story my old Uncle Lou told me. A woman watched her husband drown in this here lake. And every day for the rest of her life, she sat here and stared at that lake. So what’s the moral of the story? They should’ve thrown her in the lake the same day her husband drowned? Well, I for one am not going to sit down and stare at that lake, sir.
Truth^. The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t is easily towards the very bottom of the 200+ episodes for me. If how I feel about that episode is how some people feel about the whole season, then I totally get it, and I’m sorry. That one was wretched. You could take over the world with that movie, it’s that bad. Neptune Men bad. Bad not as diabolically bad as Castle Of Fu Manchu, that one hypnotizes you into a mobius strip of pain and suffering. And I like it!
Page 2:
TCTAW I get, but Starcrash? lol have you seen Manos, Starfighters, Beast Of Yucca Flats, Red Zone Cuba, Invasion Of The Neptune Men or Castle of Fu Manchu, for examples? yes Starcrash is bad, but as far as the worst movies I’ve ever sat through, just off the top of my head I can think of a few more. Spielberg’s “Always” lmao
Or we go the Battlestar Galactica route, and not mention it at all.
Wait, is episode 1205 just a couple of episodes of “Friends”?
I think it has more to do with in 2018 no new tv shows are being produced in full frame. That being the case, the movies have to be widescreen. If the show continues to be picked up, some widescreen black and white movies should pop up.
Right? Well, back in the day, we knew titles ahead of time, so for me it’s no big deal. But I get ya…
We don’t know yet what’s getting cut, so no sadness yet!
Oh you, mean things like Big McLarge Huge, running jokes into the ground like that? And then they have the nerve to rag on Adam Sandler! lol I think that’s probably why the Sci-Fi era and a portion of Rifftrax (not so much the early and recent, but the middle era). They rag so much on people and places for the sake of a joke. Okay, fine. I can laugh as much as the next person. But what’s missing is and sense of self-depreciation. That’s very important in comedy. If you’re going to make fun of others, you must do so of yourself even more so. There’s the Canada song, so where’s the America song? Or is it Supercalifragilisticwacky?
Over 35 years ago, Miles was best known for Tarzan. But over time, it does seem like he’s most well known for playing Ator. I bet he never suspected that would happen!
Anyway, in conclusion, bring on Season 12! Everything leading up to us actually watching the episodes is pure speculation, we don’t know anything yet. We don’t even know if this episode list is real. But after seeing that shot of the bots in robot suits a little while back, it does make me think Atlantic Rim is real. Which means the others may be as well. The list for 11 was right, except it had the wrong Hercules movie listed. So this one probably is real, too.
One thing is for certain, then. Paul Rudd will be very happy on Thanksgiving.
The distinction being that when I ramble incoherently, I admit it. I don’t present myself as some font of wisdom or ultra-authority on humor or anything of that sort. And even when I “complain” about (for instance) how much more bitter the Brains got during the SF Channel years and how they continue to be so in Rifftrax, I’m almost always at least reasonably CIVIL about it. I try to avoid gratuitous insults, condescension, and virulence instead of embracing them.
And what does all that prove? Not much, if anything at all. I admit that, too.
Starcrash made me mean mad: the story was incoherent, the acting atrocious, and the special effects cheap and cheesy and not special at all–so far, standard MST fodder; but at the same time it was such an obvious, cynical Star Wars rip-off. Two bad things that go worse together! I get what you mean when you reference Coleman Francis’s oeuvre, Fu Manchu, etc.: it’s not that I’m saying they are cinema classics (Yucca, Fu and Neptune Men, in fact, round out my bottom 5; er, let’s add Carnival Magic and make it 6), but most of the movies you name were at least flailing at some kind of originality. Even Space Mutiny, even the Italian Bond rip-offs, have plots that, while lame, silly, whatever, were at least faintly their own.
Me? I actually love the Sci-Fi seasons–they contain several of my favorite episodes. I love the CC seasons, Seasons 2-4 1/2 as well as 4 1/2-7. And I really like the Netflix seasons, so far. I love MST3K is all. There are good episodes in every season, and mediocre episodes in every season. (Well, except for Season 1: I find that a slog, although if that’s what’s on I’ll watch because it is still MST.) I respect the fact that people’s tastes differ, and that they have reasons for their preferences. I just get really tired of the ad hominem attacks and the implication that those who disagree are somehow morally and intellectually inferior–and every freakin’ week, too. And, you know, one of the most depressing side effects of all this is that I bristle and find I want to defend Mike by thinking of all the things that Joel does that I don’t like. And that’s the last thing I want to do: I love Joel, he is the founder of the feast and his best is right up there with Mike and Jonah’s best; I just personally prefer Mike’s approach to comedy and (esp.) his relationship to the ‘bots. To each their own. If we can’t have civility while discussing a quirky, cult-favorite TV comedy, what hope is there for our beleaguered Republic?
I have seen doctoral dissertations that were shorter and had fewer references. Why don’t we get back to what Mr. B Natural said – “Fun, fun, FUN!!”.
I am genuinely thrilled at watching MST3K take on “Mac and Me” this Turkey Day. And I say that as both a reboot skeptic and as someone who is averse to the over-indulgences of Rifftrax. It could be a new kind of classic for the show. I try to be careful not to hold the new series to the standards of the old, because it’s anti-innovation to do so. That said… I’m not big on calling it season 11 or 12 either, as I truly think this is a new iteration of the series and not a continuation of the old one. But annnnyway.
I have a feeling that, despite the things I don’t like about the reboot (the Hollywoodness of it, too many people involved, Jonah being kind of mediocre when Joel could have picked an amazing FEMALE host, etc), they’re going to get better. I have no doubt that they’ve pared things down in the writers’ room and have spaced out the riffs. Hampton and Baron are really funny (although it’s absolute heresy that they don’t control the puppets) and their Netflix promos are gold. Plus, the Stranger Things riff showed a lot of improvement from when they were slogging through a lot of the average fare of s11.
So this slate of films, including “Mac and Me” (come on, MST3K riffing on Ronald McDonald, this is gonna be great) and the first “Ator” could be bad enough to bring out the best in them.
But is anyone getting some ominous chills from the six episode order? (never been a problem before….)
Thank God your name is touches no one
If it’s any consolation, I loathed “Starcrash” upon first viewing in Season 11. However, I watched it a second time and suddenly it was funny. I don’t know why — I wasn’t drinking or smoking anything at one viewing and not the other; the ridiculousness just clicked. But I admit I have no plans to give the horrendous Christmas episode the same consideration.
More than likely, since the show is a Union shoot now, a Puppeteer Guild probably demands it.
At first immediate glance, I thought you were talking about a doctoral dissertation on Mr. B Natural…
;-)
Despite careful consideration, I have no idea how I’m intended to interpret that remark.
Thus, the preceding sentence is all that I offer in direct reply to it, effectively dropping the subject. If other correspondents wish to elaborate further on the topic, well, that’s their deal, not mine.
(citing myself)
Hey, this one got seven likes. Cool. ;-)
Joel’s said so, frequently, in his live Q&A’s: “Imagine having a camera at work, and having to watch it when you go home”. But yes, he DOES watch the Sci-Fi shows–hosted by his pal who was so brilliant in the writers’ room!–since he doesn’t have any involvement with the episodes and can watch them clean. He claims to find Space Mutiny and Final Sacrifice hilarious (“I mean, the guy’s named Rowsdower, how is that NOT funny?”), unless he’s just kissing up to the vocal “majority” of fans he thinks is driving his new franchise.
Either way, squeaky wheels are getting cult-marketing grease.
And no, I don’t know Conor’s backstory. By a man’s works shall ye know him, so I know Conor as the goofy 80’s-shtick kid who thinks Dirty Dancing and Lost Boys are inherently hilarious to riff because his parents watched them, and couldn’t wait to riff Ready Player One because the Battletoads were rumored to be in it.
TCTAW was my most looked-forward-to title on the list, and if not for the Beast of Hollow Movie, the episode would be the black mark of the season. Wasn’t and Core, and the riffing fatigue that showed by the end of a fourteen-episode, um, gauntlet for the guys, is arguably the reason why we’re getting the short seasons this year. After an hour and a half of would-be fan-beloved-running-gag “I’m a widdle baby” (you know you want it baby!), even the most loyal MSTie was ready to STRANGLE them. And the Doug McMitchell jokes in Core didn’t improve our end-of-season mood any.
The Canada song isn’t making fun of Canada, it’s making fun of xenophobia.
Which Brain? There are a few…
https://www.imdb.com/find?q=The%20Brain&s=tt&exact=true&ref_=fn_al_tt_ex
off-topic (see, I at least warned you)
Which reminds me of another knockoff gap that I’ve noticed: Why weren’t there a flurry of films about heroines fighting monsters after the success of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (the tv series)? Pick a type of monster out of any of very many sources on the subject and add heroine, it ain’t rocket surgery.
That is true. But it seems like when Dave Chappelle was shooting his last season, he was doing a controversial sketch, and he said people were laughing for the wrong reasons. Most MSTies understand this type of humor, while others are more into punching down at things. Essentially bully humor. By not being self deprecating, some of the “fans” might not get the joke, and just think they are making fun of Canada, Malta, Italy or anywhere else that’s not America. An America song wouldn’t have hurt.
I’d be concerned that Eric is gonna go all M.D.C. on Joel for liking Mike episodes but I’m fairly confident he never leaves his house.
If Gypsy’s New Voice teaches us anything, it’s that there ARE no “amazing” female riffers. Even MJ showed promise in the Titanic shows, but…(sigh)…
As for E.T. knockoffs in the Pod People genre, there are a lot of folk still waiting for Jonah&tB to take on “Star Crystal”. Those who’ve watched it till the end will know why.
Yes, except the 4:3 MST3K: Classic episodes–including B&W ones like “Beginning of the End”–have already been airing on widescreen Netflix for several years now. And no reports of burn-in, HDTV sets exploding, Netflix besieged with angry complaints of “What happened to the rest of my screen?”, fans huddling in fetal positions in apartment corners, or mass-epilepsies like that Pokemon episode.
I think the fans can deal with it, J. We’re a hardy folk, think we’re strong enough to deal with any setback. Even that hair-tearing dilemma of “B-but…the HOST SEGMENTS would be widescreen color, and then the movie WOULDN’T be!”
(The only foreseeable problem would be whether there was a film source for the movie, which wasn’t a problem with the SD TV-station movies. SD video is hard to upgrade to HDTV on a Netflix budget, so they’re sticking to 80’s movies that still have a film or, in Asylum’s case, digital source.)
You took the words right out of my mouth. I love Mike’s humor and acting, and all these bitter complaints about the post-Joel era give me that same impulse to defend Mike. I like Joel but not everything he does, but I try to keep that to myself because I know no one wants to hear it.
And there’s that misogyny again.
Lawgiver
says:
October 18, 2018 at 10:14 am
The Original EricJ: If Gypsy’s New Voice teaches us anything, it’s that there ARE no “amazing” female riffers.Even MJ showed promise in the Titanic shows, but…(sigh)…
Lawgiver: And there’s that misogyny again.
I think Bridget does quite well, but she obviously enjoys life WAY too much for Eric to have any use for her. Much like CC-era Mike (in the theater) sounded way too chipper for Eric’s tastes. Apparently he for some reason just can’t stand happy people. He’s a charter member of the Life Hater’s Club: Joy: Who Needs It?. “Why do people even TRY living, anyway?!”
I think both Mary Jo and Bridget are amazing riffers. They consistently make me laugh. As does The Resident Troll, but probably not in the way he intends.
totally completely off the subject entirely
It occurred to me to wonder how many “original super-heroes” have appeared in host segments — Doughy Guy, Coatimundi Man, and Turkey-Volume-Guessing Man, to name a few — but I don’t think there are enough of them to carry an entire Weekend Discussion Thread, or I’d formally suggest that. However, if anyone wants to pick up the topic and run with it, well, here it is. If no one wants to do that, well, that doesn’t really change anything. ;-)
another round:
“It’s That Man Again!”
:-)
Ring any bells with anyone? Anyone?
I know you’re right: dubious episodes are inevitably much better the second time around after time has healed the deep hurting inflicted by the movie the first time. In the case of Starcrash, though, the scars have not fully healed yet. But we will see what we will see: I mean, I never, ever thought I could ever love the Starfighters ep as much as I do now after not watching it for many years, so anything’s possible.
For what it’s worth, I decided to round out my list of MST’s Worst Films I’ve Ever Sat All The Way Through to a complete bottom 10 (you’re welcome): Starcrash, TCTAW, Carnival Magic, Castle of Fu Manchu, Beast of Yucca Flats, Neptune Men, Starfighters, Monster a Go Go, Red Zone Cuba, Hobgoblins. No, not Manos, although that is somewhere in the next three. Now, a separate category for me would be Most Disgusting Films I Ever Sat All The Way Through–the “Gack, ugh, I get the shower first!” movies: Yucca, Redzone, Manos, Atomic Brain, Brain that Wouldn’t Die, Eegah, Spider Invasion (just rewatched last night: “And the movie ramps up the repulsion!”) What else to round out this list?
Totally off subject as well. I’d like to discuss the MST3K live show at some point, too. WDT?
Have we already done favorite soundtrack? Not song (“Yipe Stipes”, “Pig Licker”) or original song from a host segment, but a piece of background music/score that you actually enjoy? I think the John Barry score from Starcrash is pretty stirring. The movie does nothing to earn it. I might have just taken the only example, since I honestly can’t think of any others, but maybe there’s an Albert Glasser fan out there somewhere…
Well, the Brains made up their “original super-heroes”. Has there ever been a WDT where we do that? Based on characters from the show of course.