Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Box Set) Poopie, Manos: Hands of Fate, The Gunslinger (1957) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great movie pack, I'd highly recommend for anyone. The Crawling Hand threw me a little, because it was such an early episode. Tom Servo's voice was different (different actor), there was no TV's Frank, but the humor was still the same ("No zombies. No zombies allowed.") Meanwhile, the Wild Wild World Of Batwoman had no point and went nowhere fast. Towards the end, Servo finally yells out, "END!!! END!!!" Also has great lines like, "That's 40 pounds of butt in 30 pound butt-capacity pants." And The Beginning of the End has all sorts of great references and lines, "HEY FRAAANK!" Definitely a worthwhile buy.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Creeping Terror/Bloodlust/Sidehackers (Box Set) (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)Taken individually, these three MST3K episodes are quite good (I've reviewed each episode more thoroughly on each video's own page). If you want a volume discount on purchasing MST videos, this is the way to go.
I have to say that, were I putting together a 3-pack combo, I don't know that I would have chosen to put these particular ones together. 'Sidehackers' was the second show in Season Two -- early MST, in other words. 'Creeping Terror' and 'Bloodlust,' however, aired back-to-back in Season Six. I might have substituted a Season Four episode for one of those, or replaced 'Sidehackers' with another Season Six show to make the combo a tight focus on one season.
But nobody asked me.
Whatever the reasons these three were put together, you won't go wrong with any of these three episodes. While not the absolute best shows of any of their seasons, they are all above average. And given how tremendously good an 'average' MST episode was, 'above average' is definitely worth the price.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Hellcats Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an earlier episode of MST3K (Season Two), but it is very funny primarily because the movie THE HELLCATS is so bad. The plot is not decipherable, but it involves Ross Hagen (yes, he plays Rommel in THE SIDEHACKERS) trying to avenge his brother's death. He does this by joining a drunken sex orgy held by this group called the Hellcats. This is where the plot stops, and MST3K takes over. I especially liked the song "Mass Confusion," which Crow says "describes the plot." This latest Rhino release is top-notch; however, whoever was in charge of writing the synopsis on the back of the boxcover does not know the difference between Joel and Mike. Joel is the host in this episode but the summary says it is Mike about two or three times. Also, on the front cover, the folks at Rhino failed to edit the cast of The Hellcats, instead using the cast from BLOODLUST! Despite these minor mistakes, the final result is a high-quality tape of a classic television show, Mystery Science Theater 3000. Definitely recommended.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)While various MST3K episodes have circulated over the internet and from companies like Rhino, the MST3K movie has long since disappeared from DVD shelves. Now, rather than rent a copy from Netflix and then "lose" it so you can keep one (or pay extravagant prices on Ebay), Universal has rereleased this great film to the delight of fans everywhere.
So what makes this different from any normal episode? Well, first of all it's set between the sixth and seventh seasons (right after the departure of TV's Frank and before Pearl joins as a regular), so Doctor F has the bad guy side all to himself. Fortunately, Trace is more than capable of making his every moment on screen a blast (there's even a funny "mini-origin" monologue that starts the film off to catch everyone up to speed). The set is finally expanded here and we get to see more of the ship finally. But, strangely enough, this is actually SHORTER than any of the episodes you see on television. This was done because the studio was afraid people who weren't familiar with the show would get bored in the theater--but of course, why would they go see it if they weren't familiar with the show in the first place?
The movie they choose to riff is "This Island Earth", which I always thought wasn't such a bad film anyway. However, Mike and the Bots do manage to squeeze in some great lines throughout. Definitely worth the time!
One small warning: they do use a few more colorful words here than they did on television. Not often by any means, but they sneak a couple in here and there.
I'm so glad we're finally seeing this gem return to DVD! Don't know what brought it on, but thank you!

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Manos: Hands of Fate (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)The current wisdom among bad movie buffs is that Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is the worst movie ever made. Believe me, it's not. And if you don't believe me, then just watch this one. Try it without the MST gang and see if you think "Plan 9" is worse.
"Manos," according to film critic Michael Weldon, was written, produced, directed by its 'star' Hal B. Warren, a fertilizer salesman from El Paso, Texas. The plot, as such, concerns Warren and his family, who become lost while on vacation. They stop at a strange house to ask directions and are met by the weird servant Torgo, who takes them prisoner and helps to make the next 90 minutes only seem like 8 hours.
Even the MST gang had trouble with this one, as most of the good lines and ripostes are in the first half. One can actually feel this movie sucking the life out of the crew. At the end even Dr. Forrester believes he may have went too far. But one redeeming thing came out of this -- the addition of Torgo the pizza delivery man (played by Mike Nelson) to the list of characters that inhabit Deep 13.
The only other caveat I can add is that this movie is for those seasoned MSTies only. If you are new to the MST experience, I would recommend "The Beginning of the End," or "I Accuse My Parents" to get you up to speed before tackling this one.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Red Zone Cuba (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)Some important people in Hollywood obviously lost some bets; that is the only way I can possibly rationalize the fact that someone let Coleman Francis write, direct, and star in this incredibly lousy movie. Francis lumbers through this movie like a zombie-a very lazy zombie. His penchant for close-ups is probably explained by a desire to show as little of the set as possible. He doesn't even bother about making smooth transitions between scenes; he just cuts each one off and jumps immediately to the next one. Of course, bad movies make for great Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiments, and this is no exception. While Mike and the Bots add a lot of humor to the viewing of Red Zone Cuba, even they are powerless to mute its incredibly boring and bewildering effects on the viewer. When the best part of the movie is John Carradine's singing, you are in trouble. Carradine also apparently lost a large bet; unlike everyone else in this movie, he at least has at least a semblance of a reputation in the industry, and his "guest appearance" is totally unimportant and generally unexplainable.
Here's what might be the plot if Red Zone Cuba had one. Coleman Francis' character has apparently broken out of prison, and he ends up tagging along with two of the most uninteresting characters you would ever meet. When you are on the outs, running from the law, and in need of money very badly, where do you go? Why, to a secret training camp where a handful of men are planning to invade Cuba and take up where the Bay of Pigs invasion failed, of course. Much to the frustration of our three heroes, they are not actually paid up front the thousand dollars they are expecting, and after training for about a day (it's hard to tell because night and day change continuously and look pretty much alike), they're off to Cuba. For a second, it looks like the invading forces (all seven of them) stand a chance-there can't be more than 10 Cubans there to oppose them (including a fellow with the worst Castro [imitation] beard you will ever want to see). Despite being captured and never attempting to flee through the incredibly big hole in the wall of their "prison," the trio somehow make their way back to the States (presumably, but all of the locations look alike) and try to go legit-the key word here is try.
There are some quite funny bits by the guys on the Satellite of Love. Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo are hilarious as they begin the show pretending to be rich, smarmy, pompous gamblers. Halfway through the movie, Mike begins to think he is Carol Channing, thus providing Crow with a golden opportunity to do his wonderful Carol Channing impersonation. There is a short before the film, but it is quite forgettable; posture was seemingly all the rage in the 1950s, and this little film seems to argue that, when giving a speech, how you look is more important than what you say (let me clarify the fact that this is not the famous "plenty of lip and tongue action" short on how to give a speech). For me, the funniest moment of the whole movie has nothing to do with Mike and the Bots-one of the characters says that his daughter has been blind ever since her husband was killed in the war. What? Oh, man, they just don't write movies like this anymore-or if they do, moviemakers have enough sense not to film them.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Wild World of Batwoman (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)The MST3k guys do their usual wonderful job of taking an unwatchable movie and making it some of the best entertainment that you'll ever see. The film is absolutely ridiculous and it can't seem to figure out if it wants to be scary, serious, funny or hip. It ends up, of course, not being any of these things.
GASP as a scientist creates an atomic-powered hearing aid! THRILL as the same footage of the villain Rat Fink (yes, the main villain's name is Rat Fink) is used over and over again! SCREAM as the scantily clad extras dance awkwardly with each other (one wonders if they were paid per wiggle)! Where exactly this film went wrong is a question that one could spend many hours pondering, but it's much more fun to just sit back, relax, and watch Mike and the bots suffer through THE WILD WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN.
This episode also featured the short film, CHEATING. This is perhaps the epitome of every 50's educational short film ever made. To sum it up in words would not do justice to its sheer horribleness. It could cause death by laughter all by itself, but in the hands of the crew of the Satellite of Love, it becomes positively dangerous.
Note: For the very brave, the DVD version of this film also comes with the regular, un-MST3Ked version of the film. I do not recommend activating this feature without a parent, guardian or medical worker present.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Cave Dwellers (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)MY MY MY! This is one of the best MST3K episodes I have ever seen! From the bad acting, the plot that Tolken couldn't follow, and the first major plot point occuring 35 minutes into the movie, this piece of trash tops the list of bad movies! This movie abounds with bad puppetrs (a veluer snake and a spider with fishing lines), a hubcap called a sheild, and Ator (our "Dude looks like a lady" hero) putting together a hanglider in about 5 minutes (killed a deer, tanned the hide, made an anadized aluminum pole, welded, etc...) and flying it over a large city (modern), not to mention the bombs he puts together in mid air. Let me tell you, if that doesn't make you wretch watch Crow's analyzation of the continuity problems at the end! All in all, buy this and you won't be dissappointed! And remember, Stay Frosty!

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Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XVI (The Corpse Vanishes / Warrior of the Lost World / Santa Claus / Night of the Blood Beast) Review

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(More customer reviews)This set features two episodes hosted by show creator Joel Hodgson and two hosted by series head writer Mike Nelson. All are from the Comedy Central era of the show.

105- THE CORPSE VANISHES with short: COMMANDO CODY PT 3
This 1942 black and white thriller features Bela Lugosi as, surprise, a mad scientist who kills young women for glandular fluid that he uses to keep his own aging wife young and alive. He has two evil assistants, again surprise, a malevolent dwarf and a huge oaf. Commando Cody (Radar Men From The Moon) Part 3 is also riffed by the crew of the SOL. Tom Servo's head explodes for the first of many times in one of the host segments. Commando Cody and Bela Lugosi in the same episode equals much fun.501- WARRIOR OF THE LOST WORLD
A color film from 1983 by David Worth and starring Robert Ginty ("The Paper Chase Guy"), Persis Khambatta and Donald Pleasance. This "High Plains Drifter" knock-off with motorcycles and post-apocalyptic geeks is a laugh riot from beginning to end. The talking motorcycle, slinky Nastasia (Khambatta) evil dictator Prossor (Donald Pleasance), and Megaweapon are must-see entertainment. The running gag regarding the refusal to "remember" the starring actor's name is hilarious. Tom Servo riffing on dozens of people in under one minute is legendary. A really strong episode.521- SANTA CLAUS
This 1959 color film is a Mexican import courtesy of K. Gordon Murray. It is bizarre in the extreme. Santa lives on a cloud in outer space with children from all over the Earth as his helpers. The opening of the film showing the various cultures of the children is out-dated, weird, possibly offensive and achingly funny. The film only gets stranger from there as Santa has to go to Earth to deliver toys using all manner of wizardry conjured up by his assistant, the wizard Merlin. The host segment featuring Mike and the 'Bots as the rock band "Santa Klaws" is worth the price of admission all by itself.701- NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST with short: ONCE UPON A HONEYMOON
A black-and-white Roger Corman film made in 1958 is about an astronaut who returns to Earth seemingly dead at first, but he later turns out to be alive and pregnant with alien young! If the premise of the film isn't funny enough, MST3K certainly makes it so. Filmed in Bronson Canyon like many other fun films (e.g., Robot Monster, It Conquered The World), it also features re-used props from other Corman films. This is one of only seven episodes in MST3K season seven and features the beginnings of the Pearl Forrester character in Deep 13 after the departure of Frank Conniff from the show. Pretty much any Roger Corman film used on MST3K made for a good episode of the show and this one is no exception.
Extras:
* New interview with "Warrior of the Lost World" director David Worth
* Santa Claus Conquers the Devil: A 50-Year Retrospective
* Santa Claus original radio spot
* Santa Claus still gallery
* Teaser trailer for "Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray in Colorscope"
* Night of the Blood Beast Turkey Day host segments
* Turkey Day `95 bumpers
* Original theatrical trailers
* Four exclusive MST3K lobby cards by artist Steve Vance
* Also, in a limited-edition version there's a Tom Servo figurine


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Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This set is apparently the DVD-only version of the 20th Anniversary set from Shout Factory. That means that it does not include the tin case, plastic Crow figurine or episode lobby cards. It does contain four great episodes of everyone's favorite cow-town puppet show.
This set features one episode with Joel Hodgson as host and three with Mike Nelson hosting. Two episodes are from the Comedy Central years while two are from the Sci-Fi Channel shows.
211- First Spaceship on Venus
Originally called Der Schweigende Stern and made in 1960, this international cast film about the first astronauts to land on Venus is a hoot. Filled with wonderful ideas about international cooperation, yet strangely dated in its science even for when it was made, this movie's vision of the future is fun, action-filled and nearly breaks the goofy meter! The jokes are endless, non-stop and really top-notch from the MST3K crew. "What's a herring weigh? Oh, about a pound." "Everything's better in the crawler copter." Just the endless jokes about the robot in the film, Omega, will keep you laughing throughout. The host segments are just awesomely funny. When the planet has it's "brown explosion" near the end you'll be rolling with laughter and the jokes fly really fast at that point. This is a sometimes overlooked, underrated classic that is too funny to describe. I love it and never get tired of watching it no matter how many times I see it.
706- Laserblast
This 1978 feature comprises the final episode from Comedy Central and is an odd little feature that received 2.5 stars from Leonard Maltin, a fact that is the source of endless wonderful wisecracks as the credits roll. Hilarious throughout in spite of the fact that everyone working on the show knew it might be their last one ever. The host segment wrap-up with great 2001: A Space Odyssey references is terrific.
904- Werewolf
This 1996 feature with Richard Lynch is even more ridiculous than most stories based on lycanthropy. The goofy meter breaks in the first reel of this film and never gets repaired. An archaeologist gets cut by the skeleton of a werewolf and so, predictably, becomes one. The acting, bad foreign accents, and other low-budget silliness in this film are hammered mercilessly by MST3K. The host segment where Mike and the 'Bots are a girl group singing a teen tragedy song, a sort of like "Leader of the Pack" type number, is absolutely killer funny.
1004- Future War
This 1997 video feature is so bad it is beyond words. The huge headed Robert Zdar appears in his second film done on MST3K (the other was Soultaker) and his acting is just as stiff as in the other movie. The film features terrible looking rubber dinosaurs, mediocre martial arts-style action sequences, a hackneyed formulaic plot and acting so bland that calling it wooden would be a compliment! Fortunately, it has enough movement and scene changes to at least fuel a barrage of great jokes from MST3K. It's fun, but only thanks to the MST3K treatment. By itself, this film would be unwatchable.
The extra features on the DVD discs include the 3-part history of MST3K and a video of the reunion panel from Comic-Con 2008. These are very informative and entertaining, even for long-time fans. Great stuff all around.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 celebrates its 20th anniversary with a specially packaged DVD set housed in a limited-edition tin box featuring4 custom lobby cards and a figurine of Crow T. Robot! Features four of the show's most-requested episodes--First Spaceship on Venus (1960), Laserblast (1978), Werewolf (1996), and Future War (1997).
The Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 became a pop culture landmark in the '90s by poking fun at horrible movies of every genre and time period, and letting us listen in. They made the unwatchable essential viewing.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Mitchell (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a huge fan of these guys. The team of writers for this show are so talented it's sick. I was a huge fan when MST3K was on TV, and I have a bunch of the episodes on tape. Of all of them, this is the one I return to most.
The wonderful movie for Joel's farewell episode is Mitchell, some kind of lame cop-action-thing with a stupid plot revolving around drugs and prostitutes and Joe Don Baker's hideous acting. Perfect ammunition for Joel & co. to unleash one of the finest barrages of jokes in the entire series! You can tell the writers had fun with this movie. So much of it lends itself to insult: Joe Don Baker acting like he suffers from acute retardation; Mitchell's drinking problem; Mitchell's face; Mitchell's disturbing sexual relationship with his prostitute; Mitchell's big belly; Mitchell's driving skills; Mitchell's drinking problem; Mitchell shooting guns; Mitchell fighting; Mitchell's theme song; Mitchell trying to be tough...it goes on. This one will have you laughing yourself into a seizure every few seconds. The jokes come so fast that it's impossible to take it all in. I've seen this episode about a dozen times over the years but I still hear things I missed before.
Buy it and smile.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XIV (Mad Monster / Manhunt in Space / Soultaker / Final Justice) Review

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(More customer reviews)Shout Factory's second 4-disc DVD MST3K release features two episodes hosted by Joel Hodgson from the Comedy Central years and two hosted by Mike Nelson from the Sci-Fi Channel years of the show.

103- Mad Monster (with short: Commando Cody And Radar Men From The Moon - Part 2)
This season one gem features George Zucco and Glenn Strange in a 1942 film about a mad scientist that turns humans into monsters by injecting them with the blood of wolves. Even in 1942 this was silly, rehashed horror fodder from better movies. George Zucco's usual decent acting helps make this at least amusing. Glenn Strange often played monsters in films of the time. The short is perhaps the funniest part of this episode. Joel and the 'bots always struck comedy gold when making fun of Radar Men From The Moon in several season one episodes. This episode also features the hilarious sketch where Tom Servo (Josh Weinstein) makes a pass at a blender!
413- Manhunt in Space (with short: "General Hospital" - Segment 1)
This 1954 TV space adventure will have you in stitches. The effects are less than state-of-the-art even for the day, although they were so expensive they contributed to the show being canceled! Rocky Jones is a square-jawed fisticuffs wielding spaceship pilot with REALLY goofy sidekicks, including Winky, a young man who acts like a kid, and Bobby, a little kid that acts all grown-up. Then there's short-skirted Vena, his bright female crewmate that gets treated like, well, like women were mostly treated in the US in 1950's TV. Finally, there's elderly and brilliant Professor Newton, who in spite of being a genius, makes just enough miscalculations to get them into real trouble. Joel and the 'bots offer endless riffs about anything and everything during this one, it's terrific fun. Host segment highlights include the "space modifiers" sketch and the 'bots playing soap opera after the General Hospital short. Somehow, MST3K manages to make the dull-as-dishwater paced General Hospital short really funny as well. Personally, I love this episode. Rocky Jones and other similar rocketship space adventures always worked well on the show. They are lighthearted fun and the writers wrote hundreds of great jokes for all of them.

1001- Soultaker
This 1990 hokum about souls trying to get back to their bodies while evading the angel of death, who is also an angel of mediocre acting, is entertaining only because MST3K is making fun of it. Wait till you see the wooden acting of Joe Estevez and the huge-headed Robert Zdar. Calling their performances funny is an understatement; you have to see this to believe it. This episode of MST3K features guest appearances by creator and former host Joel Hodgson and former writer and performer Frank Conniff.
1008- Final Justice
This Joe Don Baker film from 1985 is a decent episode from MST3K's final season. Once again, Joe Don plays a cop who "doesn't play by the rules", another bad Dirty Harry rip-off anti-hero character. It's basically Mitchell with location shooting in Malta. There are some pretty girls, dumb action sequences, lots of violence, continuity errors, and a somewhat predictable ending. As usual, the MST3K writers have a fairly easy time making fun of the film's action "star". Note that the film's writer and director, Greydon Clark, was also responsible for the film Angel's Revenge shown in episode 622 of MST3K.

Extra features on the DVDs include:
* A new interview with "Soultaker" star Joe Estevez.
* Mike, Tom and Crow's appearance on ESPN Classic's "Cheap Seats Without Ron Parker."
* An interview with "Final Justice" writer and director Greydon Clark.

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From 1988 to 1999, the crew of The Satellite of Love skewered bad movies and in the process made them masterworks of comedy. Now comes their awe-inspiring 14th collection of the most hilarious episodes from Mystery Science Theater 3000. Join Joel, Mike, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot as they supply their own playful brand of commentaries on some of the most misunderstood masterpieces of cinema : Mad Monster, Manhunt in Space, Soultaker, and Final Justice.Bonus Features: * Brand new interview with Soultaker star and mst3k favorite Joe Estevez* Brand new interiew with Final Justice star Greydon Clark* Mike, Tom and Crow on the espn show Cheap Seats Without Ron Parker* Original Mad Monster trailer* 4 limited-edition mini-posters

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Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XV (The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy / The Girl in Lovers Lane / Zombie Nightmare / Racket Girls) (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XV from Shout! Factory will include two Joel hosted episodes and two Mike hosted episodes, all from the Comedy Channel/Comedy Central period of the show.
102- THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY (with short: COMMANDO CODY AND THE RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON Pt. 1)
La Momia azteca contra el robot humano was made in Mexico and was released in the US in 1959. From the grade Z costumes, acting and special effects to the mediocre dubbing, this film is perfect fodder for MST3K. If you've always wanted to see a poorly costumed mummy battle a cardboard box style robot, this is your film. This episode also features the beginning of Radar Men From The Moon, which was one of the best things about Season One MST3K. Hilarious!
509- THE GIRL IN LOVER'S LANE
This 1959 black-and-white film features Joyce Meadows and a very young Jack Elam. The film is a hackneyed story about troubled teens from broken and problem homes, but the acting is not actually that bad and it's engaging enough to really irk you when you get to the incredibly depressing outcome of this film. Even the final sketch of the show focuses on the noxious ending of the film. Still, if you focus on the jokes from the MST3K crew then you can get through it and the mostly one-dimensional and unimaginative writing make for some amusing jokes through most of the film.
604- ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE
This terribly cheap and amateurish "horror" movie from 1986 stars Adam West. The scariest thing in this movie is the scene where the kid in his white underwear leaves a hot tub. Hilariously bad teen horror that works extremely well for MST3K. Zombie Nightmare is the only color film in this DVD set. This is a strong episode from the post-Joel era of the show.
616- RACKET GIRLS (with short: ARE YOU READY FOR MARRIAGE?)
This 1951 film is about a guy who runs a women's wrestling league as a front for all manner of illegal rackets. The film has a very "Ed Wood" quality to it. The movie and especially the short, Are You Ready For Marriage?, both work extremely well for the show.
Extras features include:
* Glimpses of KTMA (when the show was on a local channel in Minneapolis before it appeared on The Comedy Channel)
* The Design And Speculative Technology Of MST3K: Joel Hodgson And Trace Beaulieu Visit M.I.T.
* New Interviews with "Zombie Nightmare" stars Frank Dietz, Jon Mikl Thor and John Fasano.
* Kevin Murphy And Trace Beaulieu in a Sneak Peek of the upcoming independent feature film Hamlet A.D.D.
* Trailers/promos
* 4 limited edition mini-posters

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The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection - Volume 10.2 (Giant Gila Monster / Swamp Diamonds / Teenage Strangler / Giant Spider Invasion) (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Unfortunately, the original version of this volume 10 collection was put out of print by rights issues over the Godzilla movie included in it. However, another giant mutated reptile has stepped in to take Godzilla's place, so with help from The Giant Gila Monster, here comes MST3K Collection Volume 10.2! Here is a bit of information about each episode:
402- GIANT GILA MONSTER
Ray Kellogg, who also directed, "The Killer Shrews" and co-directed "The Green Berets", directed this 1959 black-and-white monster-on-the-loose film. It stars Don Sullivan as a young heroic singing automobile mechanic named Chase Winstead who must battle the giant lizard of the title as well as the prejudice of a cantankerous codger who thinks he's up to "no good". Meanwhile, he helps a lot of people throughout the story no matter what adversity comes his way, including his immigrant girlfriend and his physically disabled sister. Think of this as "Killer Shrews" with more likeable characters and slightly less drinking or "The Creeping Terror" without the carpet monster but still plenty of creeping.
This movie is yet another in a long line of cheap monster films produced in the 1950s that feature a supposedly oversized version of an otherwise normal creature as the monster. The special effects in the film are quite poor and it is painfully obvious throughout the film that the monster is a normal Gila monster crawling extremely slowly over miniature sets. The dialogue is naïve and ridiculous and the pace of the film is as slow as the starring creature. The direction also involves a lot of actors putting a leg up on something, whatever happens to be around in the middle of the shot, a fact that supplies the MST3K writers with endless jokes throughout this film, including an entire host segment. This film also contains a monotonous little ditty sung by Don Sullivan featuring the lyrics, "I sing whenever I sing whenever I sing" as he happily pounds away at repairing an automobile body. Jokes about this appear not only in this episode, but also pop up in other episodes of MST3K for years to come.
The whole episode is hilarious from start to finish. I don't want to spoil any jokes for newer MST3K fans that may never have seen this episode, so I won't quote any specific jokes here. Let me just say that the Renaissance festival punching bags invention during the pre-movie "invention exchange" host segment will have you rolling on the floor and that this episode as a whole is a strong classic no "MSTie" should miss. Movie sign!
503- SWAMP DIAMONDS (plus short: WHAT TO DO ON A DATE)
This is a 1955 Roger Corman "classic" starring Beverly Garland and Mike "Touch" Connors before his fame with Mannix. Beverly Garland leads a gang of escaped female convicts to a cache of diamonds and they kidnap the innocent Mr. Connors and his girlfriend along the way. A policewoman goes undercover inside the gang hoping to recover the stolen diamonds. Beverly Garland turns in the usual good performance and looks great doing it in spite of the mediocre film quality.
Host segments in this episode focus on the dating short as Servo tries to get up the nerve to ask Gypsy for a date. There's also a hilarious bit based on the "This Side of Paradise" episode of the original Star Trek series.
514- TEEN-AGE STRANGLER (plus short: IS THIS LOVE?)
This is the second episode of MST3K to be hosted by Mike Nelson after the departure of show creator Joel Hodgson. The main feature is a small independent film made in 1968 West Virginia about a serial killer in a small town and it looks every bit the amateur film. Highlights in this episode include Mike Nelson transforming into Mikey from the movie and the hilarious "The Janitor Song." The short is also a winner with some of the oldest looking "young people" you're likely to see on film; this is really funny stuff!
810- THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION
This movie is a 1975 monster flick from Bill Rebane, the same man who brought you Monster A-Go Go! This film is ever so slightly more competently made than Monster A-Go Go and actually features a couple of well-known actors: Barbara Hale of Perry Mason fame and Alan Hale, Jr. who was The Skipper on Gilligan's Island and also the sheriff in the film The Crawling Hand which was featured in MST3K episode # 106. The movie is really goofy fun, with large spiders everywhere, sleazy and gross yokel-type characters less appealing than the spiders, and a small car dressed up as the biggest and cheesiest looking spider of them all. The scene where Barbara Hale's character does an odd tumble down a hill is worth seeing all by itself and there's plenty of other good material here as well for the MST3K writers. This is certainly one of the more fun episodes done after the show moved to the Sci-Fi Channel. The amusing host segments are based loosely on the classic SF film Invasion of the Body Snatchers rather than on the film featured in the episode.
This DVD set also contains the following extra features:
-MST3K Video Jukebox with 15 songs from the series
-Outtakes consisting of about 15 minutes of the best moments from "Poopie 2"
This set is still great and the substitution of The Gila Monster movie in place of the originally included Godzilla movie is a fair one as both are terrific episodes every MST3K fan should see and most MSTies would love to own. Join Us! Movie Sign!

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The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 11 (Ring of Terror / The Indestructible Man / Tormented / Horrors of Spider Island) (1962) Review

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(More customer reviews)This set features one episode from season 2, two from season 4, and one from season 10. Three episodes feature show creator Joel Hodgson as host, while one features head writer Mike Nelson as host. These are four really funny episodes and there should be no hesitation in buying this set!
Episode 206- THE RING OF TERROR (with short: THE PHANTOM CREEPS PT 3)
This black-and-white (b/w) 1962 "thriller" features the largest group of the oldest medical school students ever found at one time in any US college. After the "thrilling" opening in which a man endlessly searches for his cat, "Puma", the film unfolds a less-than-suspenseful tale about a fearless medical student who must come to grips with the one thing that does frighten him. The film stars no one, little happens, the comic relief in the film revolves around cheap shots taken at an overweight couple, and the terrifying climax is more likely to induce sleep paralysis than fear paralysis. Why do the students all behave like undergraduates when this is post-graduate medical school? Who cares, the whole thing is so inept, it's hilarious! The MST3K host segments are all top-notch funny, particularly the "old school sketch" and the sketch recreating the autopsy scene from the film. The short is another installment of Phantom Creeps with Bela Lugosi and the MST3K writers get lots of great comedy mileage out of that one. This is another GREAT episode from legendarily hilarious season 2. Don't miss it!
Episode 409- THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN (with short: UNDERSEA KINGDOM PT 2) Lon Chaney, Jr. is one of those movie greats that didn't always say no when offered a less than stellar role, especially it seems as available parts dried up for him as he got older. This 1956 film is one he probably should have turned down unless he was really desperate for the paycheck, but we benefit from his choice to appear in this film as it is quite amusing all on its own. Chaney plays "The Butcher", an executed thug who ends up mute but not quite dead after his execution. Most of the film involves him silently seeking revenge on those who sent him to death row, with lots of really odd close-ups of his eyes. Joel and the `Bots hammer this film mercilessly in a non-stop manner with one great joke after another; it's just terrific! The short, Undersea Kingdom part 2 with Ray "Crash" Corrigan, is also "ROTHLOL" funny.
Episode 414- TORMENTED
This 1960 b/w film is a Bert I. Gordon "classic" about, Tom Stewart, a guy who doesn't save his old girlfriend from an accidental fatal fall after she threatens to mess up his wedding plans to a New England high society girl. Throughout the rest of the film he is "haunted" by her ghost and driven to the brink of madness and more murder. The haunting scenes could not scare a small child, but they are hilariously cheesy fun to watch. Is a ghost really haunting Tom or is his conscience just getting to him? You'll be laughing too hard to care much about that! You'll also be reciting, "Tom Stewart killed me, Tom Stewart killed me" like a litany after the credits roll.
Episode 1011- HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND
This 1962 b/w film is a German-Yugoslav co-production and the dialogue dubbing adds much to the hilarity of this inept film. A group of female dancers is stranded on an island with only a few men and lots of excuses to show as much skin as possible without any actual nudity. The scantily clad pretty girls seem to be most of the reason this film got made and mostly what the film's makers expected would get people to watch it. The giant spiders and the "horrific" results of their bite are about the poorest special effects and make-up one could expect from a film regardless of what year it was made. This is a very strong episode from MST3K's final season.
Extra features on this set include MST3K Video Jukebox Volume 2, Original Theatrical Trailers (for all except "Ring of Terror"), a "Tormented" Reunion (with Bert I. Gordon, Susan Gordon and Joe Turkel) and the MST Hour "Jack Perkins" Wraps for "Tormented" featuring Mike Nelson as "Jack Perkins".
Given the fact that some of these MST3K DVD sets go out of print rather quickly due to issues with rights over the films used in the show, I'd recommend buying this set right away. Don't miss these four great episodes. Movie sign!

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MST3K COLLECTION VOL 11 - DVD Movie

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Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XVIII (Lost Continent / Crash of the Moons / The Beast of Yucca Flats / Jack Frost) Review

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(More customer reviews)This set features two episodes hosted by Joel Hodgson and two hosted by Mike Nelson. Three are from the Comedy Central era of the show and one is from the Sci-Fi Channel era.

- Episode 208- LOST CONTINENT ("Rock climbing, Joel.")
This 1951 black-and-white Robert Lippert production is directed by Sam Newfield and stars Cesar Romero, Hillary Brooke, Sid Melton, Acquanetta, Whit Bissel and Hugh Beaumont. The main cast comprises a scientific team charged with recovering an off course test rocket. The cast of fairly well-known actors does little to stem the pain of the film's padding accomplished through endless rock climbing sequences, but those elements did elevate this episode to a kind of cult status both within the show and among the MST3K fan base early on. References to rock climbing and other elements of this film abound throughout later episodes of MST3K for years to come. Every fan of the show should see this episode for that reason alone, but don't let me forget to mention that it's absolutely hilarious. Stop motion dinosaurs and lizards posing as monsters make occasional appearances in the film. And did I mention rock climbing?

- Episode 417- CRASH OF THE MOONS with short, "General Hospital"-Segment 3
Rocky Jones (Richard Crane) and his crew comprising Winky (Scotty Beckett of Our Gang/Little Rascals shorts), Bobby, Vena and Professor Newton are back for another adventure from this short-lived 1954 TV show. So is the evil dictator, Cleolanta (Patsy Parsons), who in this episode is scheming to destroy another inhabited "moon" before it collides with her own planet. The wayward moon is ruled by the affable Bavarro, played by John Banner, later of Hogan's Heroes fame. As with the previous Manhunt In Space, this episode of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger features a rather silly, low-budget, but earnestly presented view of mankind's space-faring future. The Rocky Jones episode itself is entertaining fun and this episode is really funny. Regarding the General Hospital short, once again MST3K turns dreary and dull footage into comedy well worth watching.

- Episode 621- THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS with shorts: "Money Talks!" & "Progress Island, U.S.A."
This 1961 turkey from Coleman Francis stars none other than Tor Johnson of Plan 9 From Outer Space fame. Tor also appeared in other movies used on MST3K, including Bride Of The Monster and The Unearthly. This movie often makes lists of worst movies ever made and rightly so, the story and dialogue are at times nonsensical and mind-boggling even for a low-budget science fiction movie. A Russian scientist played by Tor defects to the US and is turned into an atomic mutant by a nuclear blast. As is often the case in Coleman Francis films you can find Tony Cardoza among the cast delivering his usual level of performance. This episode also features two shorts that will please any MST3K fan. Another must-see movie and episode.

- Episode 813- JACK FROST
This 1964 color film was originally titled "Morozko" by the Soviet film makers, but was retitled "Jack Frost" for US release. As with the other Russo-Finnish movies used on MST3K, this film is both beautiful and goofy at the same time and that makes for a strong episode and a fan favorite. The lush color, decent production values and incredibly bizarre fantasy nature of the film rendered even more bizarre by the editing and dubbing for English make a wonderful blend of quality and weirdness that provided great comedic fuel for MST3K. Many classic Slavic fairy tale elements combine in this story of two children who have strange adventures as they encounter a sorcerous Mushroom Pixie, the evil witch Baba Yaga, and other mythical weirdness. Jack Frost himself eventually appears somewhat late in the film.

The actual DVD quality of previous Shout! Factory releases has been generally terrific with good picture and sound and few anomalies. Extra features just announced by Shout! Factory include special introductions by Frank Conniff and Kevin Murphy, original Mystery Science Theater Hour wraps, a look back at The Beast of Yucca Flats featurettes, original trailers & promos and more.

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The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 12 (The Rebel Set / Secret Agent Super Dragon / The Starfighters / Parts: The Clonus Horror) (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)MST3K Volume 12 contains four more episodes of the beloved cow-town puppet show, two with Joel Hodgson as host and two with Mike Nelson in the jumpsuit. Three are from the Comedy Central years while one is from the first season at the Sci-Fi Channel. This is a load of fun that may not be in print for long if issues with the rights over the films used in the show crop up, so order now before it's too late!
Episode 419- THE REBEL SET (with short: JOHNNY AT THE FAIR)
In this amusing episode from season 4, Edward Platt (The Chief on Get Smart!) is a criminal mastermind who concocts a heist using some desperate young men from his local pool of beatniks in this 1959 caper film. His scheme also involves eliminating his help after the job so that he can keep all the loot for himself. Don Sullivan, who played Chase Winstead in Giant Gila Monster ("I sing whenever I sing", an MST3K fan favorite) also stars. The short, Johnny At The Fair is hilarious! The short and the main feature in this episode are both black and white. All the other episodes in this set use color films.
Episode 504- SECRET AGENT SUPER DRAGON
MST3K has a fine day making fun of this film, a crummy James Bond wannabe made in Italy in 1966. The original title is "New York chiama Superdrago". The beautiful Marisa Mell who was also in Diabolik (MST3K's final episode!) is in this film. Watch out for the poisoned chewing gum and other "clever" spy gimmicks.
Episode 612- THE STARFIGHTERS
Nothing actually happens in this 1964 film that looks more like a dull documentary than an actual piece of cinema. There's not much of a story, not much action and no great scenes of F-104 Starfighters doing anything spectacular in the way of aviation moves. The only reason to watch this film is to see Mike and the `Bots riff away at it. You may, however, learn some agricultural terms you hadn't heard before, like "corn detasseler". Future Congressman Robert Dornan stars. He was later banned from the US Capitol and the House of Representatives in 1997 for a loud verbal attack on another House Member while Congress was in session. Get your "poopie suit" on for this one and jump in!
Episode 811- PARTS: THE CLONUS HORROR
This weird, somewhat clever, but low-budget and depressing film from 1979 actually has some name actors in it: Keenan Wynn, Peter Graves (he was in several MST3K films and apparently attended the University of Minnesota), and Dick Sargent. It was remade without permission as the "The Island" in 2005, sparking a well-deserved lawsuit by the original filmmaker. The story involves a bunch of selfish rich guys using a secret cloning program to produce spare parts to improve the length and quality of their own lives. The clones are treated as disposable organ banks. The story is really, really dark! Never fear, the crew at MST3K lighten it up quite a bit. Movie sign!
Extra features on this set include:
Original Movie Theatrical Trailers
MST3K Video Jukebox, Vol. 3
An interview with The Rebel Set star Don Sullivan
MST Hour "Jack Perkins" bumpers for The Rebel Set
An interview with director Robert Fiveson, director of Parts: The Clonus Horror

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