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

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(More customer reviews)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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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 - Pod People (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)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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Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)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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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 - Eegah (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD from Rhino offers up one the most side-splitting, hilarious episodes of the legendary TV show "Mystery Science Theater 3000," in which they take on a 1962 caveman movie where an awful teen singer, his beehive hair-do girlfriend Roxy, and her fashion-impaired father go searching in the Palm Desert for a caveman named Eegah (played by 7'2" Richard Kiel, who would later plays Jaws in two James Bond films). The movie is horrible, but it'sm the perfect piece of stupidity for the MST3K writers and actors to take on, and the result is one of best episodes ever. This is the kind of episode that will make newcomers fall in love with this brilliant show.
And for those of you who are newcomers: "Mystery Science Theater 3000," (MST3K for short) it is a ninety-minute show featuring a silhouette of a man and two robots (Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot) in movie theater seats projected in front of a bad movie. The hosts provide hysterical, satiric, and culturally-savvy wisecracks to accompany the movie. The episodes also include sketches and songs and add up to some of the most hilarious comedy in television history.
"Eegah!" (what a title!) is from episode #506, during the last days of Joel Hodgson's run as the show's host (Mike Nelson took over in mid-season). The show was at the peak of its comedic genius, and "Eegah!" is one of the masterpieces of the Joel years. The film is utterly cheap, icky and gross, with some of the most repellent actors ever seen on screen...and Richard Kiel! (Bada-boom! Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week!) It ranks with "Manos: The Hands of Fate" for sheer unpleasantness. As Tom Servo says at one point: "I'm being punished for something, I know it. What did I do? I DIDN'T ASK TO SEE THIS MOVIE!"
So what the heck IS this oddly named, nasty little crumb of cummy cinema? "Eegah" was shot in the Palm Desert by Arch W. Hall, Sr., under the pseudonym Nicholas Merriwether. He also plays Mr. Miller, the adult lead, under the name William Watters. He cast his son, Arch Hall Jr., as the romantic teen lead, one of the worst casting choices in history. Kiel may play a big ugly caveman (with an obviously false beard), but Arch Hall Jr. is a pudgy, sun-burnt, gross, greasy, bleached-bond little creep. (In one sketch, Tom and Crow turn Joel in Arch Hall Jr. by giving him the look of a sun-burnt baby, inhuman play-dough colored skin, and mumpy cheeks.) Arch also `sings' a couple of awful tunes while strumming two chords on the guitar -- his dad apparently thought he was an up-and-coming rock star. When Eegah finally decks the kid, you'll cheer along with the MST3K boys as he hits the sand.
But there's so much else that's wonderful here (wonderfully bad, that is) that the hosts' wisecracks never let up: The sickening scene of Roxie shaving her father while singing, the generally wrong relationship between Roxy and her father (were they off-screen lovers?), Arch wandering through the desert endlessly screaming ROXIEEEEEEEE! ("Well, back to another day of whining,"), the dune buggy racing through the desert sands while Roxy screams "Wheeee!" (Tom's comment: "Stop saying `wheee!' Nobody says `wheee!'"), Eegah's minor rampage in Palm Springs, and the classic line that suddenly comes out of nowhere, with nobody on screen seeming to speak it: "Watch out for snakes!" This became an MST3K running gag in many later episodes.
This DVD is a laugh riot, and an essential Joel episode. Tom, Crow, and Joel have rarely been so funny and so sharp while watching a film. It's one of the classics, hysterical from beginning to end, with funny host segments as well. It feels like plunking down on the couch and watching a film with your best buddies; I think that's the main charm of the Joel years of the show.
The Un-cut, un-MST3Ked version of the film is available on the same side as the MST3K episode; I don't recommend watching the film without the MST3K boys -- you'll suffer brain damage. However, this DVD has an interesting extra that shows up on none of the other Rhino MST3K DVDs. You can switch on an option that makes an icon of Crow appear in the corner of the screen during the MST3K version to indicate a place where a scene was cut from the original. If you hit the ENTER key on the DVD remote when the icon is on screen, you'll be branched out to the cut scene, and then returned to the MST3K version when it's over. A very clever feature, and I wish Rhino had taken more creative approaches like this with their other MST3K DVDs.
So, "Watch out for Snakes"...and watch this episode! Newcomer, or old fan, you'll be on the floor laughing (when you aren't averting your eyes from the horror that IS... ARCH HALL JR.!)

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Studio: Wea-des Moines VideoRelease Date: 04/25/2000

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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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The Brain That Wouldn't Die (Mystery Science Theater 3000) (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)[This is a review of the DVD version] If you love old bad SF movies but haven't ever seen them given the Mystery Science Theater treatment, you owe it to yourself to pick up this DVD! Mike Nelson and his robot pals Crow and Tom Servo watch this relentlessly silly turkey of a movie (a scientist saves the severed head of his girlfriend and puts her in a pan, where she pleads with him to let her die. How sloppily-put-together is this film? The filmmakers apparently forgot their own title and call it "The Head That Wouldn't Die" in the end credits.)--and throughout the entire film, Tom and the `bots mercilessly riff on the film with funny comments and jokes that'll have you rolling in your seats. Long a staple of Comedy Central and the Sci-Fi Channel, this is one of the first DVDs of this classic comedy series (many others are available on VHS). In addition to the pristine and clear picture you get with DVD, Rhino has also included the full *original* version of "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" on the flip-side of the disc so you can see it without Mike and the `bots (to riff on your own, perhaps?). The DVD menus are innovative and worth checking out just for the clever swish-pan of the bridge of the Satellite of Love (Crow, Servo, and Gypsy flash past us). If I had any quibble at all it's a minor one... why is the DVD chapter that begins the film entitled "It's Movie Time!" when every MSTie knows it should be "We've got Movie Sign!"? But I'll put up with minor problems like that as long as Rhino continues to give us these great reissues of classic MST3K episodes. Now if they'd only release "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" and "Outlaw"... (Also recommended in this series: the DVD version of "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Eegah.")

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Studio: Wea-des Moines VideoRelease Date: 04/25/2000

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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: The Movie (Widescreen) (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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From the makers of the highly successful cult classic TV series comes Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie - one of the most outrageous, most irreverent, and most hilarious big-screen spoofs ever! A mad scientist, in his quest for world domination, concocts a diabolical scheme to subject the human race to the worst movie ever made: 1955's This Island Earth. It's up to one test subject's quick wit, sharp sense of humor, and utter intolerance for cinematic garbage to foil the plans of the scientist and to save the Earth. Experience the hijinks and low jabs of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie - where the worse the movie is, the better time you'll have!

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