Showing posts with label trace beaulieu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trace beaulieu. Show all posts

8/27/2011

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

Mystery Science Theater 3000 -  Manos: Hands of Fate  (1988)
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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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7/21/2011

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Atomic Brain (1988) Review

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Atomic Brain  (1988)
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This is perhaps not THE best MST3K episode, but it is still absolutely hilarious, and well worth the price of purchase for any MSTie. The host segments are great, and they include Mike's excellent chin-puppet performance (which the 'Bots find more disturbing than amusing), and Magic Voice's creepy run-in with the voice-over guy from the movie. The riffing is, of course, excellent, a personal favorite being the lyrics the SoL guys add to the weird theme music that accompanies some characters ("She's old... she creaks... she goes... downstairs...").
"The Atomic Brain" does feature lots of brains - human brains, dog brains, cat brains - though I'm not quite sure where the "atomic" part came from. The basic plot consists of a crazy old rich woman (Mrs. March) who has decided she wants to live forever, and the way to do this is to have her brain transplanted into the body of a young woman. Her wishes mesh perfectly with those of a mad scientist (Dr. Frank) who is working on the development of brain transplants. He's (rightly) been drummed out of respectable medicine for being a nutjob, and needs a patron to support his work. Thus, a strained partnership is forged, as Dr. Frank's work is supported and carried out in Mrs. March's mansion, with the understanding that he will eventually perform the transplant on her.
As potential recipients of her brain, Mrs. March hires three attractive 20-something women - from Mexico, Austria and England, if they're to be believed; Mike suspects they're all from Nebraska, which seems likely, given how poor their accents are. The Mexican girl is ruled out right away, as she has a West-Virginia-shaped birthmark that Mrs. March finds unappealing. She's handed over to Dr. Frank to be used as he sees fit.
Poor Dr. Frank's early experiments don't go so well. A dog's brain in a human man proved to be a mistake ("In hindsight, an obvious mistake," to quote Servo), and now his implantation of a cat's brain into the Mexican girl (whose name I've forgotten), only results in a birthmarked young woman who eats live mice and meows.
The cat-girl mistakes the English lass (whom Mrs. March prefers as her future body) for a catnip toy, and scratches out her eyeball, so Mrs. March is forced to settle for the Austrian by default (she warms to the idea, though it does take her a few scenes to get over the disappointment of losing the English woman, who by her own admission has "the same measurements as Marilyn Monroe").
The movie continues in a similarly silly vein, with brains being exchanged like scented candles at a Yankee Swap. I won't spoil the ending for you; suffice to say, it is ambiguous and goofy (which is to be expected).
All in all, a very funny episode, and one I'd recommend to both seasoned MSTies and newcomers. Buy it, watch it, love it!

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7/14/2011

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Mitchell (1988) Review

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Mitchell  (1988)
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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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7/06/2011

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly (1988) Review

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly  (1988)
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For what it's worth, this episode gets my nod as the quintessential "MST3K" episode. Aside from the feature presentation (more on that in a bit), this one boasts the two finest shorts ever featured on the show ("Posture Pals" and "Appreciating Our Parents"), indispensible time capsules of Eisenhower's America which, even without further commentary from Joel and company, would be sidesplittingly hilarious. Then there's the invention exchange: I don't think Dr. F was ever able to top himself after the madness of "Some Pills That Are Hard To Swallow," and the "Emilio Este-Pez" is certainly one of Joel's worthier efforts. But those are just appetizers to set you up for the succulent main course, a wonderfully Roger Corman-esque bomb with the priceless cast of John Carradine, Tor Johnson, and several anonymous, large-breasted female costars. Along the way we're treated to numerous Marx Brothers and "Fawlty Towers" references, Tom Servo's rendition of Tor Johnson doing Hamlet, and a tribute to BoweryBoyspeak. Add 'em all up, and you've got the perfect episode for introducing nonfans to the show. "Time for go to bed!"

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6/30/2011

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

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 11 (Ring of Terror / The Indestructible Man / Tormented / Horrors of Spider Island) (1962)
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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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6/29/2011

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Pod People (1988) Review

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Pod People  (1988)
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Good? This episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 is the BEST! It ranks perhaps even above, Ator, Attack of the-the Eye Creaters, and even infamous short, Mr./Ms. Be-Natural. The Amazing Collasial Episode guide called it a fan favorite. Kevin Murphy noted how he wanted to kill this movie. The movie itself is a spin off from ET, perhaps? No one is really sure. It starts of in a misty wilderness with three poachers. Then we are in outer-space, (viewing something). Then it goes to some cheap rock band playing a stupid song which is excellently mocked by bots. Then the crew decides to take some nature shots of deer and wild life. We are then transported to the gentle loveable (extremely annoying) star? of the show Tommy's house. The thing from outer space crashes These little short hairy monsters (that are actually kind of cute) come out and kill the poachers. But Tommy finds one while serching for more "specimens" which are really CENTIPEDES! He names him Trumpy, we unfortunaly have have the plot of a horrible movie. But it was Tommy's kitten "Mittens" that stole our hearts. He attacked Trumpy's nose in one scean but obviously no one on the camera crew saw. I will give you Misties a personal guarentee that this movie is sucessful bashed!! And the songs they sing will stick in your head for a long while and make you laugh when it's inappriopriate and embarass you. This is probably the best episode ever done. It also has the best segway of all-time when Joel, Crow, Tom, and Gypsy sing a re-take of the movie's rock group song. "Hidous partrol now?" There's too many funny parts in this movie to tell in this review, but I guarentee you'll love it! END

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