Mystery Science Theater 3000

[BrodieMan]

is there anyone here who is a fan of mst3k? i thought it was one of the most well-written, clever, and all around funny shows on the air, and although it had a nice long run, got cancelled too soon. i miss it a lot, and i know this probably shouldn't even be in the movie forum, i just wanted to know if any misties out there had a clue when re-runs might be airing.

[Steve]

This is the greatest show ever made.

[BrodieMan]

thanks for posting. :) when was the last time you saw the show? (please, please, please tell me it's still on tv somewhere)

[ryanpaige]

It's still on the SciFi channel on Saturday mornings (though not all Saturday mornings). Unfortunately, they only play reruns since there are no new ones produced (and they only show seasons 8, 9 and 10 because that's all SciFi has the rights to), but it is still on the air (or was last Saturday anyway).

I loved the show. Unfortunately, I came to it very late. We didn't have Comedy Central where I lived, so I didn't see any of those shows. I didn't see an MST3K until they went to SciFi (the first one I saw was "The Mole People" with John Agar). It's an hilarious show. I've managed to see some of the older episodes that are available on tape (and, of course, there are many people on the 'net who will gladly sell copies of other episodes, too). Always funny.

[BrodieMan]

ok, thanks. i have been jonesin' for that show so damn bad. i, too, came to the show late but now as late as you. for me, i started watching while it was still on comedy central, but i got into it about the same time mike started hosting. sadly, i never became familiar with the joel episodes, but at least i can console myself with the last few seasons, if i can find it. by the way, i read part of your script, and it sounds pretty good. good luck.

[Yoda]

I've moved this thread to the Intermission forum. Oh, and yes, this is one of the funniest shows in existence. I remember reading some critic's writings...he hated the show. I hated him as a result. :) The movie was hilarious, too. We own it, thankfully.

[BrodieMan]

hey, it's cool you posted. :) sometimes i worry this show doesn't get the recognition it deserves. truly a hilarious show. i hope i can see it this saturday. by the way, twt, i hate know-it-all critics too. :)

[OG-]

I try to watch this show ever week with my friends. It's the best watching it with friend. They arn't making anymore new episodes, it got cancelled, but reruns are on alot on the Sci Fi channel.

[BrodieMan]

ok, i just found the schedule online, and apparently it's on saturdays at 10. yes! thanks for posting everybody. :D

[jackiemcghee]

Has anyone checked out the MST3K DVDs? I'm in Scotland and was considering importing them from the US. I'm a massive fan of the show.

[jrs]

What about another MST3K Movie????

[BrodieMan]

if there's another mst3k movie in the works, let me know! holy crap, that would be awesome! it's probably not gonna happen, though.

[BrodieMan]

also, while i'm posting, does anyone have a favorite episode? :D personally, i can't pick, but i just saw "the final sacrifice" this weekend, and laughed my *** off after forgetting all about it. god bless reruns.....

[OG-]

I watched that one too.

Best episode ever has got to be "Time Chasers". I have never laughed so hard at people making jokes about movies in my life. Me and my friend Jeff were crying. It was so damn funny.

[jrs]

has anyone seen the commentary on the ghostbusters dvd? its just like MST3K.

[OG-]

nope

[jrs]

you should its hysterical

[BrodieMan]

yes! time chasers was awesome. my favorite part was the dorky scifi lingo, cause i hate that crap in movies. the whole thing with flav-o-fives (chips) and "doppling"... that episode about mad me piss myself. :D

[BrodieMan]

i liked Diabolik, too. did anyone notice that the Beastie Boys parodied that very movie in their Body Movin' video? that was freakin' sweet.

[BrodieMan]

oops, i was thinking of overdrawn at the memory bank. my bad. that was on this weekend, by the way.

[sadesdrk]

I was totally board with all the recent threads so I scrolled all the way down and found this little gem.I started watchig MST3000 when it was the original guy,what's his name again?Tom?Anyhoo,Crow was my favorite.Once they were doing this old movie about this brain that attacks people and Crow stops making comments all the sudden so the others ask what's wrong and Crow says(in that cute voice)"I don't have a brain to make fun of...or a womb."My fav.movie they did was the Attack of the 50ft.Woman.-Oh-and all the ones with that little chinese boy that could call the "nice"monster and every time the kid talked they'd say SHUT UP!I miss it.:bawl:

[ryanpaige]

Joel. The original guy was Joel.

[sadesdrk]

Ah yes,Joel.Thanks.

[BrodieMan]

sadesdrk likes mst3k! :D that's awesome. a couple weeks ago, they reran the girl in the gold boots. does anyone remember that one? crow tries to enact revenge on mike a la the character in the movie by making him pour beer on something he likes... mike's favorite object: a beer stein. that episode was funny from the front to the back. and critter singing with his acoustic guitar made me cringe. i'm laughing just thinking about it.

[sadesdrk]

I seriosly can't even think of mst3000 without laughing my @#$%&!off.It was such clever writing I don't know how it ever got cancelled.My theory is that it was just over most peoples heads.Either that or some people thought it was like disrespectfull to those horrible old movies.i don't know.BrodieMan-I don't think I saw the Gold Boots one.Where are you catching the re-runs?

[BrodieMan]

sadesdrk-
the reason i started this thread is because i wanted to know when and if reruns are being broadcast on scifi. apparently, the are running saturdays at 10 in the morning. i hate getting up but it's worth it. i agree with the writing on that show tending to go over people's heads. i have been a fan since the comedy central days, but like i said, i missed out on the joel years. that show was so incredibly funny and clever. i loved everything about it. it was so sorely missed. oh, well. the reruns are better than nothing at all. i love your taste, by the way. i've only met a couple people here and there that have even heard of that show.

[OG-]

Oh by the way, they start at 9 now.

[BrodieMan]

thanks :) i was just about to say they moved it, but OG beat me to it. and there's a week this month they're gonna be doin some star trek thing, so check it out before you watch it.
http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/
have fun :)

[sadesdrk]

Sweet...I'm so there.Thanks boys.

[ryanpaige]

Originally posted by sadesdrk
I seriosly can't even think of mst3000 without laughing my @#$%&!off.It was such clever writing I don't know how it ever got cancelled.My theory is that it was just over most peoples heads.Either that or some people thought it was like disrespectfull to those horrible old movies.i don't know.BrodieMan-I don't think I saw the Gold Boots one.Where are you catching the re-runs?

I think it as much that Best Brains didn't want to do it anymore. It was on the air a long time. Eventually, one just wants to do something different than hang out with puppets and crack wise about bad movies (even though it saddens the rest of us that there aren't any new ones being made).

[Loner]

I've been renting the series on Netflix recently.

I was pissed when Joel was replaced by Mike back in the day.

But after watching these again, I like Mike way more than Joel.

I viewed The Crawling Hand last night as an example.

Most us the jokes are like let's give the little lady a hand.

Then show the hand strangulating a woman.

Trying to create humor out of common phrase is not funny to me.

[Yoda]

I go back and forth on those types of jokes. Obviously they're intentionally hammy, so I don't mind most of them. I don't notice them often, though.

Anyway, still love this show, even though it's gone. Lots of old archives I've still yet to get to.

Thankfully, tt lives on (with the same people) over at www.rifftrax.com. You buy an MP3 along play it along with any one of a number of recent DVDs. Works pretty well, can be purchased instantly, and only costs a few bucks a pop (sometimes less). I've bought a couple dozen, and I love it. I particularly like how they already have plenty of RiffTrax for movies I already own, which gives them a whole new kind of shelf life.

Yes, I know this sounds like a commercial, but hey, I'm a fan. It's a great idea executed very well. Hugely recommended to anyone, and that recommendation becomes an insistence for anyone who enjoys MST3K.

[MovieMad16]

I think its funny and they should bring it back or make Rifftrax a proper show.

[Mysticalunicornfart]

You bet your sweet little fanny it's funny.

Who doesn't love Rowsdower and his lunch-meat jackets?

[Mr. Ken V.B Liar]

Yes, well, let's just say after seeing the Movie on TV I was an immediate fan. I admit some are funnier than others, but the main point is that none of them AREN'T funny....."Big McLargehuge" - name the film! :D

[Mysticalunicornfart]

Space Mutiny..? That was a great episode!

What about this one: "When carnies flirt"

[Mr. Ken V.B Liar]

Space Mutiny..? That was a great episode!

What about this one: "When carnies flirt"

Space Mutiny almost made fun of itself. 'Special effects by Industrial Light and Morons'. :D

Have no idea where that's from. 'When canaries flirt...' - hmm.

[Mysticalunicornfart]

Manos: The Hands of Fate! one of the classics.

[Blix the Goblin]

I recently watched "Night of the Blood Beast," definitely one of my favorites.

[Iroquois]

All I'm saying about this is that nowadays I consider this my #1 favourite show.

[Yoda]

It's way up there. Shame they took so many of them off of Netflix Instant recently. Particularly the one where they mocked Werewolf, which is one of their all-time best.

I assume you're aware of--and similarly infatuated with--RiffTrax?

[Iroquois]

I've streamed a few of the "best of" clips from YouTube but I have yet to hear a full RiffTrax of any movie so far.

[Yoda]

Ah. Well, odds are good you'd like them. They can lose something in that they're not always done on terrible films, which gives them a very different feel. And I find after one I've kind of had my fill of the humor for a little while. But they can be pretty great.

Definitely start with the Twilight riffs, if you're going to give them a go. If you like those, the Star Wars prequels are pretty good, too.

They also have live shows from time to time; I've been to a few and they're pretty invariably hysterical.

[Upton]

Ya I saw them do Manos a few months ago and it was two solid hours of non stop laughing. The short films they riff on at the start are even better than the movie proper. Easily the funniest movie theater experience I've had

[Blix the Goblin]

Rifftrax is very hit-or-miss. The really great ones are those featuring Bill Corbett, as he's easily the funniest writer in MST3K's history, which is why the riffing in the show became immensely better when he was hired during the 1996 hiatus. This was a great move after losing the brilliant Frank Conniff, who gave the early seasons most of their amusingly obscure film and literary references. But I digress, the bottom line being Rifftrax recordings with just Mike or Kevin tend to be kinda lame.

[Yoda]

The problem with that is that they have other writers who don't riff at all, so it can't be assumed that any joke was written by the person who spoke it. I would assume there's a tendency towards that, but who knows?

All we can appraise with certainty are the deliver styles. I tend to prefer Mike and Kevin's, though not greatly, but mainly I like the way all three play off each other. Kevin's probably the most absurd (again, performance wise, though that obviously augments which jokes he ends up reading, I'm sure), Bill the most deadpan and obscure, and Mike more sarcastic. It's a great combination, and I have a suspicion that it's that lack of a third person, more than the specific combination of people, which most contributes to the relative lameness of some of the subpar riffs. I'm at the point where I'll usually skip any effort that doesn't have all three of them, regardless of which two are involved.

[Blix the Goblin]

The problem with that is that they have other writers who don't riff at all, so it can't be assumed that any joke was written by the person who spoke it. I would assume there's a tendency towards that, but who knows?I'm not basing what I say on that at all. These are observations I've pieced together from years of reading about the show and listening to interviews and panels.It's a great combination, and I have a suspicion that it's that lack of a third person, more than the specific combination of people, which most contributes to the relative lameness of some of the subpar riffs. I'm at the point where I'll usually skip any effort that doesn't have all three of them, regardless of which two are involved.The combination of those three styles is certainly part of it, but not all. When Corbett is involved all of their riffing improves, at least from what I've seen. Obviously I haven't watched every Rifftrax out there, and I know there are quite a few.

[Yoda]

If you're saying you mean he's just the funniest person, then that's certainly the kind of thing you could glean from interviews. But if you're saying he actually writes the funniest jokes, that would seem to require some highly specific (and numerous) interviews/panels to render a verdict from. If such things exist, hey, I'd love to read them! :) Which is an honest request and not a chest-thumping challenge or anything. Most of what I've seen about the show gives you a rough idea of each guy's style, but not enough to parse out each guy's contribution.

As for the combination of riffers: insofar as you're just saying you like the ones with Corbett more, hey, to each their own. :) Whatever the reasons, the end product can be pretty great, and it's a slam-dunk recommendation for anyone who loved MST3K. And I'm consistently surprised by how many fans of the show haven't heard of it, though they've done a much better job of getting the word out over the last year or two.

[Blix the Goblin]

If you're saying you mean he's just the funniest person, then that's certainly the kind of thing you could glean from interviews. But if you're saying he actually writes the funniest jokes, that would seem to require some highly specific (and numerous) interviews/panels to render a verdict from. If such things exist, hey, I'd love to read them! :) Which is an honest request and not a chest-thumping challenge or anything. Most of what I've seen about the show gives you a rough idea of each guy's style, but not enough to parse out each guy's contribution.I honestly don't remember the specific sources, but this weekend I will do some digging. That said, just think about the huge improvement in the riffing in the jump from Comedy Central to the Sci-Fi Channel. The only change to the writing staff is that Trace Beaulieu left and Bill Corbett came on. Yes the show was becoming more sophisticated with each season, but I think it's obvious there's a link there, and it definitely didn't have to do with the new network.As for the combination of riffers: insofar as you're just saying you like the ones with Corbett more, hey, to each their own. :) Whatever the reasons, the end product can be pretty great, and it's a slam-dunk recommendation for anyone who loved MST3K. And I'm consistently surprised by how many fans of the show haven't heard of it, though they've done a much better job of getting the word out over the last year or two.Also synced videos of Rifftrax and the movies they riff are huge on torrent and pay-to-pirate websites, which I think have spread the news far better than their official website. Still, even so, few people have heard of it. Odd.

[dadgumblah]

Another MST3K fan checking in here! My first episode was City Limits, with Robby Benson, Kim Cattrall, and James Earl Jones, among others. This was in the early 90s and I had no idea what it was, but after about five minutes I was laughing my butt off and hooked. City Limits is still a favorite---I'm still waiting for it to be released on DVD.

Other favorites they've done: Teenagers From Outer Space
Manos: The Hands of Fate This one seems to be on any self-respecting Mistie's Top 5 or Top 10 list.
Mitchell Oh, do I love this one. Joel and the 'Bots ream Joe Don Baker mercilessly and deservedly so. This is also were Joel left and Mike stepped in at the end.
The Giant Spider Invasion
Prince of Space
Werewolf I didn't know Rifftrax did this also, but the MST3K one is one of my favorites.
Godzilla vs. Megalon This one was available on MST3K Collection #10 and Godzilla fan that I am, I picked it up right away. I'm glad I did because they lost the rights to the film and it was replaced on subsequent sets with The Giant Gila Monster, which is a great one in its own right.
The Final Sacrifice
The Pod People I'd better stop there...I could list a whole lot more!


For those of you who don't know, five of the past performer/writers of the show have their own gig, called Cinematic Titanic. They perform it live on a stage and stand on a structure to either side of the giant screen were the film plays. They have many DVDs available and are on tour a lot. The performers are Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, J. Elvis Weinstein (I believe he was on the first season only and was the first sidekick to Dr. Forrester), Frank Conniff, and Mary Jo Pehl. I've seen just bits of their videos but really need to get some DVDs!

Here is their site: http://www.cinematictitanic.com/

Plus, if you need a guide to what aired and when and if it's available on DVD, here's another site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mst3k_films#Season_3

[Upton]

Saw the Starship Troopers Riffrax Live recently - terrible choice on their part. The movie's too long so they couldn't attach any weird shorts to it and, unforgivably, they treated it like it wasn't self aware and made fun of it for things where they clearly didn't understand what was meant to be achieved. So bad. So unfunny. After about fifteen minutes all I wanted was for them to shut up so I could enjoy watching Starship Troopers on a big screen with a packed house. That would have been cool

[Yoda]

Zuh? They specifically went out of their way to make fun of how overt and clumsy the so-called satire was (IE: the Nazi-styled uniforms), so they knew exactly what it was going for.

I laughed plenty. Did miss the shorts, though.

"Hello, discount Rob Lowe."

[Upton]

I remember the quip about the Nazi uniforms. But it definitely felt like they completely missed the boat on so much of the point to the casting and acting and overall the Buenos Aries 90210ish part and the over-the-top military stuff. Or maybe I just give Starship Troopers way too much credit for how smart it is. Either way I didn't think their jokes were good

[Yoda]

Well, yeah, if you think Starship Troopers is brilliant satire, there's a pretty good chance that's going to color your view of the whole thing, rightly or wrongly. I just don't think there's any reason to think they didn't "get" it; more likely they just didn't think a lot of the attempt. I didn't either, for what it's worth, so maybe that's why I liked it more.

Anyway, they've shown they can riff any film pretty well, I think, but obviously the best efforts remain those that have the added hilarity of being inexplicably terrible.

[The Gunslinger45]

I always saw Starship Troopers as just a CGI popcorn flick and not much else.

As for MST3K, I had an incident last week where I nearly got hit by a forklift. Immediately after the incident I could not get this song out of my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx7ldTl7txQ

[honeykid]

I'd be interested in seeing a Rifftrax of Starship Troopers. It's a big favourite of mine and, while I feel they work best with poorly made 'straight' films, I can see that Starship Troopers could work well.

[bitbomb]

It's so disturbing how many people don't get Starship Troopers. BRILLIANT satire. One of Paul Verhoeven's best imo.

I've had The Final Sacrifice stuck in my head for months, I have it on VHS along with other favorites like Giant Spider Invasion, Riding with Death, and The Final Sacrifice.

I love the difference in their approach to the Rifftraxx of The Matrix as opposed to Reloaded and Revolutions. Reloaded starts out with a bang, citing movies that sucked on the third sequel, but The Matrix boldy sucked on #2, cracks me up every time. That clip is on YouTube somewhere, still can't post links yet so sorry for the inconvenience.

I caught one of their live shows broadcast via movie theaters, Reefer Madness, can't wait to catch another. So glad those guys are doing what nobody could possibly do better.

[The Gunslinger45]

I preferred Kubrick's satire in Dr Strangelove personally. And do not misunderstand me I like Starship Troopers a lot, just never saw it as satire.

[honeykid]

Oh, it's definitely satire, GS.

[The Gunslinger45]

So I have been told. Granted I have seen the movie since I was a teenager so maybe the satire will be stronger beyond the "Would you like to know more?" segments which were most certainly a crack on wartime propaganda.

[Yoda]

Anyone else going to tonight's Night of the Living Dead RiffTrax?

http://static.rifftrax.com/files/rtlive/notld/notld-home-splash.jpg (http://www.rifftrax.com/)

Looks like it's sold out here in Pittsburgh (though apparently they added a second theater), which wouldn't surprise me: the place has looked full every single time we've gone.

[The Gunslinger45]

I bought my ticket yesterday. Looking forward to tonight's show!

[The Gunslinger45]

Just got back from the show, it was a laugh riot!

[Upton]

Even after grumbling about their shoddy treatment of Starship Troopers, I happily threw down for this and had a fun time. I was lousy drunk on margaritas, but I remember them having some funny moments and I did think Night of the Living Dead lent itself well to riffing. Wish they wouldn't bring up the Brady Bunch squares so much, though. Still overall pretty good but man they'll never reach the dizzying heights of Manos/Norman/Cylinders again.

[Yoda]

Yeah, decent effort. I think they were hampered by the fact that it's not a great film for riffing, but they wanted to do something Halloween-themed and it's in the public domain, so it was probably unavoidable. Would definitely like to see them move back towards goofier films and more shorts.

[Iroquois]

So...anyone else heard about the revival coming up on Netflix next month?

[Yoda]

Yeah, I've been pretty psyched about it since the big Kickstarter. Pretty sweet that it's on Netflix, too.

I've loved MST3K since I was a kid, but there are a lot of dated pop culture references, so even the really good episodes have a handful of jokes that necessarily miss when watched today. Really looking forward to seeing a refreshed version, even though RiffTrax is pretty close to that already.

[Yoda]

Bumped to say: watched the first of the new episodes (which showed up on Netflix yesterday), and it was very good.

The most noticeable differences from the old episodes:

The jokes are faster/more frequent
This is a big change, but it fits the trend when you watch modern comedies compared to older ones, too. I'd actually say they're too quick sometimes, because you'll occasionally get a few one-liners in a row and you'll be processing one while the next is underway. Also, the timing is just a little too early, in that they occasionally start commenting on something just a half second before it appears on screen. Minor complaints, to be sure, though, and overall the increased jokes-per-minute is definitely an improvement.

More wit, less goofiness
There's still a lot of goofiness, to be sure, but when you watch the old episodes there are quite a few jokes that are really just silliness/irreverence. Sort of the "guy in a dress" logic where the mere fact that they're not taking the film seriously is meant to be funny in and of itself, which probably worked better when the idea itself was new.

Really can't stress enough that it's still tremendously goofy, but I like the skew here, too.

-

Oh, and while I used to skip pretty much all the little between-movie skits, I found these ones pretty enjoyable (the musical number, while a little fast and hard to follow, was pretty great).

Thirteen more episodes to enjoy. If the rest are even nearly as good as the first one, I'll be really impressed.

[Camo]

I've never watched an episode of this show but i've always wanted to. I've bookmarked certain episodes that were supposed to be good on Youtube before but never got back to them. Think it's because the episode is showing you a movie, always put me off a little but i've heard nothing but great things. Do you guys think i'd be better watching some of the older ones or just jumping in here?

[The Rodent]

Start with a few older ones... some of them are pure gold.

[Yoda]

Agreed. The old ones can vary in quality a lot, but start with the classics, several of which are on Netflix already. Manos, Space Mutiny, and Werewolf are all excellent.

[Yoda]

Three episodes in, still good, though I'm not sure if the second or third are better than the first (sure have their moments, though). I used to hate the skits, but I think they're better this time around (though I imagine many people will still prefer skipping them).

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C9o3EM5VYAAt_V7.jpg:large

No idea if they plan to do more, but I find myself wanting to "save" these and not rush through them too much, just in case.

[Blix the Goblin]

I'm enjoying the new MST3K, even if it definitely pales in comparison to the original show, especially at its peak.I've never watched an episode of this show but i've always wanted to. I've bookmarked certain episodes that were supposed to be good on Youtube before but never got back to them. Think it's because the episode is showing you a movie, always put me off a little but i've heard nothing but great things. Do you guys think i'd be better watching some of the older ones or just jumping in here?Definitely start with the original. Some of the best episodes include Pod People, The Final Sacrifice, Time Chasers and Secret Agent Super Dragon.

[ynwtf]

Oh, and while I used to skip pretty much all the little between-movie skits...

BLASPHEMY!!!
https://youtu.be/zE3UIYnF9w0


;)

Also: MITCHELL!!

[Yoda]

"What turned the musk deer's guts to spaghetti?
Was it in Tibet?
Yep.
I bet he met a yeti."

So good.

[Blix the Goblin]

BLASPHEMY!!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZyJCV_dyug