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CT Review

Nice review of the latest CT effort at PopMatters.

26 Replies to “CT Review”

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  1. Cubby says:

    Hodgson is rather quite this time around,

    I’ve always found him “rather quite” myself.

    (Maybe it’s just my brain in the morning, but I had to read that sentence several times to figure out that was just a misspelling. I thought a word had been lost and tried figuring out what the author meant.)

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  2. Ryan S. says:

    A much better review to work with:

    DVD Talk Review.

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  3. Doctorb says:

    Nice reviews.

    Of course, I would have more to contribute to the discussion if my copy of the damn DVD would arrive already…:mad:

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  4. Bob says:

    My copy of the new CT DVD, Doomsday Machine arrived earlier this week and I watched it immediately. It’s terrific! More polish on the production than the first CT episode and Oozing Skull was great. High joke density and plenty of good ones with great delivery from the entire cast. There are also some direct references to MST3K right from the start and within the show.

    Doomsday Machine is one of the oddest, cheapest SF movies I’ve seen and I’ve made it a mission since I was a kid to watch just about any old SF movie possible no matter how cheap or badly made.

    I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to watch Doomsday Machine yet, so I’ll avoid specifics of the film or the jokes here for now. Let me just say that Joel and friends have really found an odd stinker and one of the worst movies they’ve ever done in Doomsday Machine. It has some of the worst qualities of Manos (continuity and pacing), Rocketship X-M (for the padded, talky pre-launch set-up), Sidehackers (for the despicable, disgusting nature of one of the characters), Robot Monster (for SFX) and Monster A-Go Go (wait till you get to the last 10 minutes of this one!) combined into one film. It’s yet another show that will be funnier on the repeat viewings than the first viewing because the first time you watch it, when you’re also trying to follow the movie, the movie itself kills some of the fun it’s such a dud in spots.

    It’s interesting to note that the film has a few recognizable names in it, Casey Kasem, Mike Farrell, Ruta Lee and Bobby Van, yet the quality of the whole thing is hilariously abysmal. Well, it’s not like Bobby Van or Casey Kasem are best known for being actors and Doomsday Machine just barely manages to be a movie in spots.

    Great going Cinematic Titanic both for the choice of film and what you did with it, I can’t wait to see more episodes and the live show. MST3K lives!

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  5. Bill says:

    You know what I’ve discovered, after Oozing and Doomsday, is that I really like having Frank there. We had him for all those host segments, so we’re already familiar with his voice and his delivery, but it’s new to my brain to hear him riff on bad movies.

    I think the whole Rifftrax/CT split is working out really well. I can’t quite picture Frank riffing on a blockbuster with Rifftrax, and I can’t quite picture Mike standing around on the CT set.

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  6. Bill says:

    P.S.

    Yeah, I know, Frank riffed on Last of the Wild Horses.

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  7. Joey Stink Eye Smiles says:

    Any movie that has spaceships with 20 foot high ceilings and plenty of La-Z-Boy recliners is okay with me.

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  8. Tim says:

    Frank has damn good timing…and some of the funniest lines. I wonder if they divide them up or each use their own.

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  9. BSBrian says:

    Just got the first chance to see my copy of DM, and it was great! Like Bob, I think it will continue to entertain down the road with repeat veiwings, just like most of MST! Not sure who writes each riff, but Mary Jo has had some of the best for me! Now, which was worse, DM’s lazy boys or the lawn chairs from 12 to the Moon??

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  10. Matty-O says:

    Though I need to see it again (and again) to take it all in, I was more than happy with Doomsday Machine. The CT crew hit the mark dead on, though I agree with the reviews that it did kind of drop off in the end, but not so much that it kills the experience. Can’t wait till the next CT release. :smile:

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  11. Bob says:

    I also noticed like BSBrian above that Mary Jo had some of the best jokes in this episode. She had me laughing out loud several times.

    One of my favorite riffs (stop reading now if it will spoil the show for you) and one of the most memorable, however, I believe was delivered by Joel:
    “They’re in space yet I can hear them scream just fine.”

    That review at PopMatters was terrific and highly informative. It explained a lot about why the movie has a no-ending ending with different actors, effects shots, etc. It was much appreciated and answered a lot of questions.

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  12. I’m not a medium, I’m a petite says says:

    oh I’m gonna regret this….

    I’m sorry to say that I’m not loving CT ( at least so far ). The work is just not that good. It doesn’t have the exuberant energy of MST3K or the Film Crew ( I don’t do Rifftrax ). Neither CT film is as good as any MST3K, Doomsday Machine may be about as good as the weakest of the Film Crews.

    1. There are too many people riffing. Not enough room for each riffer. Also difficult to form a cohesive riff complex with so many voices.

    2a. They are not ‘in character’. It’s just them, and as them, they are not as much fun.

    2b. We do not ‘see’ the riffers. An important aspect of Host segments ( even the horrid ones in Film Crew ) were for us to see the riffers outside the theater, to develop some kind of baseline relationship with them.

    3. They are too self-conscious and take themselves too seriously. Almost artsy. Hey isn’t it cool that we are a bunch of middle aged people making fun of movies. They are not really that into it, are they ?

    4. The shadowrama set up is just dreadful.

    Movie selection is fine. Doomsday Machine is an amazingly horrible film. Oozing Skull was less so, but not a bad choice.

    Anyway, I’m reasonable hardcore Misty. I started watching on real time at the end of season 1 beginning of season 2. I own all the DVDs, and I continue to ‘circulate’ the ‘tapes’. I’m a true believer, I love both Joel and Mike, but CT is just not doing it for me.

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  13. crowschmo says:

    Some mixed reviews from everyone, so I hope I enjoy it when I get it. Still waiting for my copy (and my autographed cast photo).

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  14. Doctorb says:

    Rudeness retracted; it arrived this morning. Also, nobody told me that there would be a signed photo of Trace included! :grin:

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  15. Gary Bowden says:

    :roll: Just got my copy of Doomsday Machine a few days ago and I must admit,it did kind of drag towards the end,but still enjoy it a whole lot! Listen,I don’t care if we can’t see the performers faces and that there are no host segments because that’s already been done with MST3K.So,why repeat yourself,right?? Let’s enjoy CT for what it is and be grateful that the gang is back,doing what they do best! We’ll never get MST3K back,so this is the next best thing,so let’s quit being picky,ok?? More bad movies to be riffed on by the best writers/performers from one of the best shows ever on tv!!

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  16. As a MST3K fanatic (and a strong supporter of the Film Crew — but not Rifftrax due to choice of films) I didn’t think this episode was nearly as well done as the first (Oozing Skull).

    Indeed, the only thing which saved the whole thing for me was the last fifteen minutes of the movie — no spoilers but let’s just say it was even weirder than Manos and the crew handled it very well.

    I’m not sure if there are too many of them, or if the writing isn’t as sharp (lest us not forget that Mike was a huge factor in the writing even during nearly all of the Joel seasons) but I don’t think CT is nearly as good as any of The Film Crew offerings. It’s too bad that it look as if we won’t see any more TFC, because I really thought that was the closest thing we’ll ever get to MST3K 2.0.

    But I’ll continue to buy CT’s stuff to support them — there’s certainly enough humor and joy in what they do to make it worthwhile, even if it doesn’t approach the greatness that was MST3K (and, as I said, I do think The Film Crew’s stuff at least equaled that).

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  17. Bobo (has a red butt) says:

    Well, after only 3 viewings, I can say I am satisfied with the effort. Mind you, not DANGER! Death Ray, but I am happy to own it.

    But…CT does not have that free form feeling as Film Crew and MST3K. I know both FC & MST3K are fully(?) scripted, but CT seems a tad stiff in the delivery.

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  18. crowschmo says:

    Finally got my Doomsday Machine DVD. Watched it, it wasn’t overly hilarious, they’ll probably get better as time goes by. Still, cute, funny, glad I got it. Best line – when Our Heroes are looking at said Doomsday Machine (with a domed top)–

    Josh: “A gumball machine head on a robot? I’m sorry, that’s LAME.”

    And who was that MSTerious stand-in (with the Big Head)who took over for Josh for half a minute? HMMMMM….

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  19. crowschmo says:

    P.S. — This movie? DEFENITELY worse than Manos.

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  20. crowschmo says:

    DEFINITELY – whoopsie.

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  21. crowschmo says:

    Never submit before you spellcheck.

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