Mystery Science Theater 3000 2015 kickstarter

[Solo4114]

That's high praise, Solo. Never saw that one, I'll have to check it out.

There are plenty of other terrific ones, but I think that episode is the zenith of MST3K, certainly during the Comedy Central era. The film itself is also bad in a particularly entertaining way (whereas other films are bad in kind of a boring or "too easy" way).

 

[The Wook]

There are plenty of other terrific ones, but I think that episode is the zenith of MST3K, certainly during the Comedy Central era. The film itself is also bad in a particularly entertaining way (whereas other films are bad in kind of a boring or "too easy" way).

Gotcha, it's on my list. But it's got a very high bar to pass, in order to be the MST3K GOAT. That very high bar having been set by Manos: The Hands of Fate. Even the title is absurd! Translated, it means, "Hands: The Hands of Fate". Lmfao!!

The Wook

 

[jcoffman99]

I am Torgo!!

 

[The Wook]

I am Torgo!!

I look after the place while the Master's away.

 

[Jeyl]

Man, what a dilemma. Torgo... My wife....

 

[The Wook]

Servo as Torgo: "tHEre'S sOMe PoOdLe mEAT in tHe FReeZer."

Joel: "Every frame of this movie looks like someone's last known photo."

 

[The Wook]

LMFAO! Send this to your unemployed friends!

 

[jcoffman99]

I miss the old Torgo screen saver. He protects your screen while you are away.

http://planettom.home.mindspring.com/test/torgo.html

 

[Solo4114]

See, I find Manos...difficult to get through.

I tend to think that there are two general types of bad movies on MST3K:

1. The movies that are just awful, with no redeeming qualities except Joel/Mike & the bots. These movies are, at best, kinda dull but mildly entertaining (and ripe for riffing), and at worst, are a long, boring slog where the only way you get through it is with riffing. Like, they're unpleasant to watch, and only the riffing makes them palatable. If you tried to watch them on their own, you'd just turn them off because they flat-out suck.

2. The movies that are "so bad they're good," which are typically cheesy, over-the-top, and absurd, but fun. You wouldn't call them good movies, but you could watch them on your own -- without the riffing -- and still have fun laughing at them.

For me, Manos falls in to category #1. Other examples include Mixed Up Zombies, probably 75% of Season 1. The Outlaw falls into category #2. Other examples include Space Mutiny, most of the Gamera and Godzilla films, the Burt I. Gordon films, Pumaman, and a lot of the "Teens in crime!" films.

I can watch and still enjoy most of Category #1, but I usually prefer to watch Category #2 films. And I try to only show Category #2 films to casual fans of the show.

 

[The Wook]

See, I find Manos...difficult to get through.

I tend to think that there are two general types of bad movies on MST3K:

1. The movies that are just awful, with no redeeming qualities except Joel/Mike & the bots. These movies are, at best, kinda dull but mildly entertaining (and ripe for riffing), and at worst, are a long, boring slog where the only way you get through it is with riffing. Like, they're unpleasant to watch, and only the riffing makes them palatable. If you tried to watch them on their own, you'd just turn them off because they flat-out suck.

2. The movies that are "so bad they're good," which are typically cheesy, over-the-top, and absurd, but fun. You wouldn't call them good movies, but you could watch them on your own -- without the riffing -- and still have fun laughing at them.

For me, Manos falls in to category #1. Other examples include Mixed Up Zombies, probably 75% of Season 1. The Outlaw falls into category #2. Other examples include Space Mutiny, most of the Gamera and Godzilla films, the Burt I. Gordon films, Pumaman, and a lot of the "Teens in crime!" films.

I can watch and still enjoy most of Category #1, but I usually prefer to watch Category #2 films. And I try to only show Category #2 films to casual fans of the show.

I can see that distinction, Solo. But for me, no matter the film, it's the riffing I'm there for. I'm not watching any of these movies without Joel/Mike & the Bots.

In which category would you put:

1) EEGAH
2) Future War
3) The Screaming Skull

The Wook

 

[Solo4114]

Not sure, actually. Eegah I only saw once and haven't seen it in years. Screaming Skull I don't really remember, except for Mickey's crunchy pants. Future War is...pretty awful, but the fact that it's newer and sci-fi makes it slightly more palatable for me, bad though it is.

I'll say that I do think there's sort of a middle-ground between the two poles where a lot of the movies fall. So, would I watch Future War on its own? Yeah, maybe with the intention of riffing it with some friends, but I'm not sure I'd watch it on my own just to laugh at it. It's bad enough that I question whether it can be redeemed.

 

[The Wook]

Not sure, actually. Eegah I only saw once and haven't seen it in years. Screaming Skull I don't really remember, except for Mickey's crunchy pants. Future War is...pretty awful, but the fact that it's newer and sci-fi makes it slightly more palatable for me, bad though it is.

I'll say that I do think there's sort of a middle-ground between the two poles where a lot of the movies fall. So, would I watch Future War on its own? Yeah, maybe with the intention of riffing it with some friends, but I'm not sure I'd watch it on my own just to laugh at it. It's bad enough that I question whether it can be redeemed.

Okay, so put aside the watch-ability of the films on their own for a moment. What are your 5 favorite films to watch with Joel/Mike & The Bots riffing them? I haven't seen them all, and I'm looking for suggestions.

The Wook

 

[Solo4114]

Okay, so put aside the watch-ability of the films on their own for a moment. What are your 5 favorite films to watch with Joel/Mike & The Bots riffing them? I haven't seen them all, and I'm looking for suggestions.

The Wook

Huh...tough call. There's a lot of good ones. How about this. I'll break it down by era.

Joel Era:

The Joel era is characterized by Joel's more paternal relationship with the bots (as their creator). Early on in the run, Crow also has a "baby" voice (he sounds younger and less snappy in his riffs). The riffing tends to be a little slower paced, often less topical than the Mike era. There are a lot of riffs that reference aspects of pop culture (especially TV) from the mid 60s to early 70s. Many of the films of this era also tend to fall into long-running patterns (e.g., you'll get a run of Hercules movies, a run of imported-from-Japan films, a run of Burt I. Gordon films).

- Warrior of the Lost World
- Mitchell
- Master Ninja (either one works, but I say watch 'em both)
- Fugitive Alien (see above -- watch 'em both)
- Pod People

Honorable mentions: Godzilla vs. Megalon (not commercially available, sadly), Cave Dwellers, and Gamera vs. Guiron.

Mike Era -- Comedy Central years:

Mike's run on the show is very different from Joel's. The bots are more his compatriots than his kids. The riffing gets a LOT faster. It tends to be a bit more topical (for the time).

- Outlaw
- The Sword and the Dragon
- Santa Claus
- Escape 2000
- Zombie Nightmare

Honorable Mentions: Most Coleman Francis films (they're painful to watch, but excellently riffed, especially The Skydivers, in my opinion), Alien from L.A., Deathstalker & the Warriors from Hell, Laserblast. You'll note I've listed a lot of the color/modern films here. I tend to like those better, but I also think they're better riffed.

Mike Era -- Sci-Fi Channel (pre-Syfy name change):

The Sci-Fi era features a new Crow voice (Bill Corbett), and the departure of both Frank Connif (TV's Frank) and Trace Beaulieu (Dr. Clayton Forrester). Instead, we now have Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester), Bill Corbett (who plays Brain Guy/Observer in addition to voicing Crow), and Kevin Murphy (Professor Bobo, in addition to voicing Tom Servo). Movies tend to hew more towards color films, although there are some solid B&W episodes early on. The new Crow is a bit more cantankerous, and takes some getting used to, but the episodes are still solid.

- The Final Sacrifice (a.k.a. "The Canada Episode")
- Space Mutiny
- The Pumaman
- Quest of the Delta Knights
- Devilfish

Honorable mentions: The Phantom Planet, Time Chasers, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, and many others. It's actually a really good run if you didn't "imprint" on the old crew.

 

[The Wook]

Wow, Solo, that's a wealth of MST3K information! Didn't know I was talking to such an aficionado of the series. But I'm not lettin' you off the hook that easy. lol Gimme your TOP THREE EPS of all time, IN ORDER of 1st favorite, 2nd favorite, and 3rd favorite. You are permitted ONE Honorable Mention.

Go!

 

[Solo4114]

Top 3:

1. Outlaw
2. Warrior of the Lost World
3. The Final Sacrifice

Honorable Mention: Santa Claus.

I base this on the consistently funny quality of the riffing in these films, and the fact that there isn't (to my recollection) any lull in the hysterics during any of them. They're funny throughout. Santa Claus gets an honorable mention because it's HYSTERICAL in the opening, but kinda loses it a little at the end. I still watch it on Christmas, though.

 

[The Wook]

Top 3:

1. Outlaw
2. Warrior of the Lost World
3. The Final Sacrifice

Honorable Mention: Santa Claus.

I base this on the consistently funny quality of the riffing in these films, and the fact that there isn't (to my recollection) any lull in the hysterics during any of them. They're funny throughout. Santa Claus gets an honorable mention because it's HYSTERICAL in the opening, but kinda loses it a little at the end. I still watch it on Christmas, though.

Cool, I haven't seen any of those 4. It'll be interesting to see if any of them topple Manos as my personal favorite.

So, I get why you're not a fan of Manos. But why do you think it's the most famous MST3K episode of all time?

The Wook

 

[Solo4114]

Cool, I haven't seen any of those 4. It'll be interesting to see if any of them topple Manos as my personal favorite.

So, I get why you're not a fan of Manos. But why do you think it's the most famous MST3K episode of all time?

The Wook

Probably because it is generally regarded as the worst movie ever made. It's the only one where the mads actually apologized to Joel and the bots for the awfulness of the experiment. Although, to be honest, I think they did worse films for episodes.

 

[robn1]

...I think they did worse films...

Red Zone Cuba. Terrible, the only MST3K that put me to sleep. Long stretches where Mike and the bots have no comments at all, because there was nothing.

 

[The Wook]

Probably because it is generally regarded as the worst movie ever made. It's the only one where the mads actually apologized to Joel and the bots for the awfulness of the experiment. Although, to be honest, I think they did worse films for episodes.

Like what?

 

[Solo4114]

Red Zone Cuba. Terrible, the only MST3K that put me to sleep. Long stretches where Mike and the bots have no comments at all, because there was nothing.

Like what?

Red Zone Cuba is a rough one. Several of the Coleman Francis ones are bad, but that one's the worst.

Creeping Terror has some slow parts, but it's saved by how absurdly awful the monster is, like, in a funny way.

I'd say some of the Season 1 stuff is the worst, though. Season 1 is rough because the show was still very much finding its legs. So, the riffing was a lot slower, Joel was (purposely) a lot "sleepier," Crow was much more baby-Crow-like, and they had a different Tom Servo voice (J. Elvis Weinstein, who also played Dr. Erkhard or something). Especially if you're used to Kevin Murphy as Servo, going back to Season 1 is rough. Plus, they were a lot less focused on controlling the content. They just picked really bad movies, without regard to how they were bad. A bunch of that changed in Season 2, after they did (I think) the Sidehackers. Prior to that point, anyone in the crew could just suggest an episode, and they'd write the riffs and then film it like a week or two before. But that episode actually features a rape in the original film, and they had to cut around it, which made the movie even more awkward and weird (it's still entertaining as a film, albeit bleak). After that, they agreed to all watch a film before it made the list of what they'd riff that season.

Anyway, in Season 1, there are just some real stinkers. Robot Monster is one, The Slime People is another. I've only watched Season 1 episodes, like, once, so I don't remember them very clearly, but they're generally pretty tough to get through. The riffing is more sparse, and not as funny, and the films are, in many cases, a lot worse. They're sort of bizarre artifacts, if you're curious about bad films in general and some of the crazy crap people have tried to turn into films (seriously, just look up Robot Monster for what I'm talking about), but they're just really hard to watch.

I actually think Robot Monster is way, way worse than Manos, which at least has sort of a goofy charm to it once they stop driving and get to the weird-ass motel.