Annotated episodes as well, in epidose form. erk. posted by Rumple at 1:34 PM on October 26, 2006
An entire site dedicated to explaining jokes. Wow. posted by Malor at 1:38 PM on October 26, 2006
And of course, for MST fans, there's Mike Nelson's new very similar project, Rifftrax. Recently, The Matrix. Next up, Star Wars Episode I. posted by LobsterMitten at 2:10 PM on October 26, 2006
I'd just like to take this moment to remind everyone about http://www.rifftrax.com , Mike Nelson's new project wherein you can download an mp3 to play concurrently with modern movies. He is often joined by other members of the MST3K cast.
When I first looked, I didn't see my favorite riff from "The Mole People". (something like, "This movie's nothing but ropes and asses".) But then I saw it was a distributed project. First SETI, then Folding at Home, now MST3K. I will be signing up shortly... posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 2:15 PM on October 26, 2006
For those familiar with RiffTrax... is it good? I love MST3K, haven't yet checked out RiffTrax. posted by gurple at 2:20 PM on October 26, 2006
i have a ton of torrented mst3k episodes, i like to fall asleep to them.
they're like nature's little seditive. nice find Rumple. posted by nola at 2:24 PM on October 26, 2006
Let's say, hypothetically, that someone recently came across the complete MST3K archives on bittorrent. Where would be a good place to start digging in? Any particular standouts/personal favorites? posted by GeekAnimator at 2:34 PM on October 26, 2006
hypothetically, _Mitchell_ and _The Pod People_ are two of my favorites. Oh, and _Jack Frost_.... I can't find that one anywhere. posted by gurple at 2:38 PM on October 26, 2006
Malor: "An entire site dedicated to explaining jokes. Wow."
Well, difficult to believe as it may be, there's a world outside the USA; and some of its inhabitants do, strangely enough, appreciate this oddball humor. But (since we poor benighted foreigner have not been raised on a steady diet of American soaps from the 50s and 60s) it is sometimes kinda hard to get jokes about minor celebrities, ads or songs that never made it across the pond. So, yeah, I do enjoy going through such lists and checking off throwaway lines that I didn't "get" - just because this website does not appeal to you that doesn't mean that no one else will find it useful...
@GeekAnimator: personal favourites and recommendations are 1005: The Blood Waters of Dr. Z (scientist turns himself into a fish and somehow fails to conquer the world) and 0812: The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-up Zombies (really, really bad amateur entertainment makes up three quarters of this stinking heap of trash). posted by PontifexPrimus at 2:40 PM on October 26, 2006
I remember really laughing at:
Hobgoblins
Manos: The Hands of Fate
The Brain That Wouldn't Die posted by sonofsamiam at 2:41 PM on October 26, 2006
The stuff with Joel I usually tend to like better.
Catalina Caper, Cave Dwellers, Daddy O, Killer Shrews, Rocket Attack USA, etc etc. posted by BobFrapples at 2:42 PM on October 26, 2006
I LOVE IT!!!!!! Especially the RiffTraxx idea. Roger Ebert once had the idea of having regular folks create their own commentaries to popular films, and making them available for download in MP3 format. I don't know if that ever took off. posted by The Deej at 2:53 PM on October 26, 2006
pod people is a great one.
also . . .
the touch of satan
blood waters of Dr.Z
projected man
i'm sure i'm forgetting some that are really good.
oh oh! phase phase V and city on fire. posted by nola at 2:53 PM on October 26, 2006
No Final Sacrifice? Blasphemy!
"You got mud on your face, you big disgrace, shoving those sandwiches into your face" "Singing we will, we will Rowsdower!"
Ok, so it was sci-fi era, but it's still a classic dammit! posted by splice at 2:55 PM on October 26, 2006
I love the distributed annotation idea. The DAP people are great, I used to hang out in their IRC room.
As for good places to start: Fugitive Alien and Monster A Go-Go haven't been mentioned yet. And I always loved Overdrawn at the Memory Bank.
"Look, it's a Raul-ix cube!" posted by hobgadling at 3:02 PM on October 26, 2006
Jack Frost.
"Oh, the world's thrown in to chaos, earthquakes, floods, but that's fine. You knit your sock!"
Never fails... posted by Spacey at 3:09 PM on October 26, 2006
GeekAnimator: which torrent sites would, hypothetically, carry such a complete archive?
I'd say jump into almost any season 3 or 4, and a bunch of season 5 is excellent. Warrior of the Lost World, the aforementioned Cave Dwellers, Time of the Apes.... aaahhh, memories. posted by acid freaking on the kitty at 3:14 PM on October 26, 2006
Yikes. Hopefully the DAP doesn't get some takedowns because of this. posted by zerolives at 3:15 PM on October 26, 2006
Thanks for putting out the word about Rifftrax. Time to go make my Netflix queue an embarassment.
As for a good place to start, I'd say Space Mutiny. It contains a moment that really sums up why MST3K exists.
Plus, Big McLargeHuge. posted by unsupervised at 3:18 PM on October 26, 2006
Sing it with me...
"They tried to kill me with a fork lift..."
Whenever I think of MST3K this song speeds it's way straight into my frontal lobe. posted by quin at 3:21 PM on October 26, 2006
nola: i also fall asleep to mst3k on a regular basis, have done so for years.
"Oh, the world's thrown in to chaos, earthquakes, floods, but that's fine. You knit your sock!"
Or,
"Frodo gets drunk and screws with his neighbors!" posted by gurple at 3:28 PM on October 26, 2006
unsupervised, I'll see your Big McLargeHuge and raise you.... Gristle McThornBody! posted by splice at 3:34 PM on October 26, 2006
The Rifftrax are good. Most of them only have Mike, not the otehr guys from the show, which I think is a weakness. And the quality varies from movie to movie. But they're still fun, and it's nice to have new stuff coming out.
Which episode of MST to start with depends on what kinds of movies you find funny and endearing vs which you find intolerable. There should be an episode guide on the web somewhere showing which are sci-fi and which are biker-gang movies etc.
Try at least a couple from both the Joel (early) and Mike (late) eras. They have very different personalities. I would do Joel's first. Have fun! posted by LobsterMitten at 3:37 PM on October 26, 2006
Stag Squatthrust?
Chin Beefington? posted by LobsterMitten at 3:37 PM on October 26, 2006
"Oh take me to the sweet mushroom palace, my friend booze..."
Are these hypothetically available captures of better quality than the ones I hypothetically came across a few years ago? I downloaded some but they were worse than my old SLP speed VHS tapes. Hypothetically. posted by PinkStainlessTail at 3:49 PM on October 26, 2006
Fridge Largemeat!
Blast Hardcheese! posted by splice at 4:03 PM on October 26, 2006
Girlstown (episode 601) is one of my personal favorites.
Also, all the short films are great ("A Date With Your Family" being the best of the best, IMO) posted by jasper411 at 4:11 PM on October 26, 2006
Are these hypothetically available captures of better quality than the ones I hypothetically came across a few years ago? I downloaded some but they were worse than my old SLP speed VHS tapes. Hypothetically
Well, most of 'em look like they were captured from old SLP speed VHS tapes, so no, the quality isn't great. Watchable though. ~700MB apiece.
GeekAnimator: "Let's say, hypothetically, that someone recently came across the complete MST3K archives on bittorrent. Where would be a good place to start digging in? Any particular standouts/personal favorites?"
Speaking as someone who has the entire Joel years (including the KTMA's on VHS and saw all episodes when they were first run) *deep breath*, this is hard to answer.
The ones I always seem to go back to are:
Catalina Caper
"I see a gifted singer all hopped up on goof-balls"
(Tom Servo in reference to a young Little Richard during a musical number).
Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
"That had BETTER be chocolate pudding!"
(Crow in reference to one of the kids being pulled from a hiding place).
Master Ninja
"Say what you will but Claude Atkins has a nice rump."
(Joel in reference to Claude Atkins walking away from the camera).
Keep circulating the tapes!
*cry* posted by KevinSkomsvold at 4:27 PM on October 26, 2006
My grandmother-in-law is the bank teller in Wild Rebels. Another Bill Grefe classic. With squealing tires on a dirt road! posted by Shecky at 4:40 PM on October 26, 2006
Beat Punchbeef.
Fridge Largemeat.
Thick McRunfast. posted by unsupervised at 4:53 PM on October 26, 2006
In addition to Rifftrax, MST3K fans should also check out the new project by The Film Crew (Mike, Bill and Kevin from MST3K). They are going to be riffing some b-movies and you can vote on their site for which one they should do first. I think it's the closest thing we're going to get to an MST3K revival.
Between Rifftrax, Film Crew, Rhino releases and the DAP DVD project, it's been a good year for the Mistie. posted by Otis at 4:55 PM on October 26, 2006 [1 favorite]
Oh, and my faves:
Space Mutiny ("Ugh, she's presenting like a MANDRILL"..."Nice of you to give that dead woman another chance."..."There's a ferret cage by the wall if ya need it.")
Werewolf (Werwilf... warwoof... "Why is my underwear on backwards?"... "Alright! Everyone go up a shirt size!")
Time Chasers ("Lesbians...... OF THE FUTURE!!!!!!!"...."He died as he lived, dirty and splayed.")
I could go on... but I won't.
The DVD collections are available wherever fine DVDs are sold. posted by The Deej at 5:09 PM on October 26, 2006
Fudge Buttsteak. posted by dgaicun at 5:13 PM on October 26, 2006
Another fan of Pod People here. A terrible Spanish movie that can't decide whether to be Predator or Mac and Me; top-flight, non-stop commentary; and two of the show's best songs. Along with the aforementioned Cave Dwellers, it's the best of the Joel years. (Which, for me at least, means that it's the best of MST3k, period). posted by Iridic at 5:15 PM on October 26, 2006
People are too hard on Mike. He brought us Rowsdower!
For the really patient, quite a few episodes are on YouTube broken up into 10 parts each.
You've also just have to take a look at the MST Scrapbook with lots of pre-"Comedy Channel" footage when it was on KTMA, back in the day when Joel has a mullet, the show looks like cable access, and Tom Servo was voiced by a 17 year old. posted by dgaicun at 5:36 PM on October 26, 2006
Hobgoblins, The Cave Dwellers, Space Mutiny, Time Chasers, Laserblast. posted by EarBucket at 6:31 PM on October 26, 2006
"Mr. B Natural" is quite possibly my favorite thing ever. I like it more than ice cream and most of my family members. posted by jrossi4r at 6:59 PM on October 26, 2006
Mr. B. Natural gets no love. Even though he's hot.
My favorite bit: the short about electric appliances with the girl who's squishy. posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:05 PM on October 26, 2006
I discovered it very late in life, 1-2 years before it ended. Loved Mike, and it's weird to go back to Joel, but god love it no matter. Being a Deadhead as well, I say keep it going through the enthusiasm shown here, and the possibility of circumventing Normal Outlets. posted by rleamon at 7:06 PM on October 26, 2006
Well, that was serendipitous. I also like it more than ice cream made from jrossi4r's family members. posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:06 PM on October 26, 2006
"People are too hard on Mike. He brought us Rowsdower!"
Amen. I'm completely a Joel guy, but The Final Sacrifice is among my favorites. Somewhere after Sidehackers... posted by jaysus chris at 7:47 PM on October 26, 2006
Doesn't wikipedia make this kind of unnecessary? I mean, if you don't get 10% of the jokes, and want to, it's not hard to just look up the references. Also: Awesome. posted by hoborg at 8:00 PM on October 26, 2006
Amen. I'm completely a Joel guy, but The Final Sacrifice is among my favorites. Somewhere after Sidehackers..."
Mike's Jack Perkins imitation trumps any reservations I ever had about him. posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:19 PM on October 26, 2006
LANCE HARDBOTTOM posted by loquacious at 9:04 PM on October 26, 2006
Cave Dwellers is the reason why I finally bought one of the DVD sets. "Somebody's been four-wheelin'"... Ack, my diaphragm is starting to hurt just thinking about it. posted by jiawen at 9:44 PM on October 26, 2006
I may be in the minority here, but Giant Spider Invasion is probably my favorite episode of them all, for many reasons, but foremost among them being this line that Tom utters:
"Ed Wood's 'Lolita'"
An amazing brilliant observation. I tend to prefer the sci-fi channel episodes; the writing seems tighter and I'm fond of Bill Corbett's more acerbic and angry Crow. It makes me so happy to think that humanity made this show. posted by deafmute at 10:27 PM on October 26, 2006
Mr. B. Natural gets no love. Even though he's hot.
Um. I hate to burst your bubble, but "Mr." B. Natural is obviously a woman. See the applicable host segment for further debate.
"Mr." B. Natural taught me everything I know of love posted by sparkletone at 10:53 PM on October 26, 2006
Bob Johnson! no... wait... posted by SansPoint at 11:38 PM on October 26, 2006
Hercules has a great line: "Quick! Dial IXII!" posted by Malor at 12:41 AM on October 27, 2006
Sidehackers!
"love pads the film"
"I gotta pick the fridge up at the airport"
"There's a LADDER IN THE WAY"
*cries tears of laughter*
Once I saw Joel & the guys at a convention. There was a Q & A session and people lined up at the mic to ask their questions. It was made clear that each person got one question. After they asked their question, each was given a dollar bill by Joel.
One guy asked his question, got his dollar, and stayed at the mic. He goes, "I have another question" and started asking it, whereupon Joel took the guy's dollar back (to raucous applause).
Good times. posted by beth at 4:03 AM on October 27, 2006
Grunt Steakthrust!
I'd recommend "Merlin's Chop of Mystical Wonders." It's got Ernest Borgnine in it. And a monkey. posted by ook at 4:35 AM on October 27, 2006
Um. I hate to burst your bubble, but "Mr." B. Natural is obviously a woman.
It don't matter when it's Arcturian, baby. posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:46 AM on October 27, 2006
No love for Prince of Space? "I like it VERY much!" posted by Chrysostom at 6:48 AM on October 27, 2006
Oh, Final Sacrifice was the other I couldn't think of! Where Mike gets Prospector's Disease! posted by sonofsamiam at 6:49 AM on October 27, 2006
Seconding Daddy-O and Catalina Caper as two of the best, adding The Giant Gila Monster* and dropping by to say:
1. Cliff Beefpile
2. "Side hacking is the thing to do. It doesn't really hurt to have a low IQ!"
*If the MST3K people have done nothing else, they have lessened the likelihood myself or my wife will ever kill someone who makes an 80-point turn getting out of a parking space. It just turns into "Should I go backweerds?" posted by yerfatma at 9:54 AM on October 27, 2006
Mike's Jack Perkins imitation trumps any reservations I ever had about him.
Don't forget his Morrissey: "Did I mention that I cried today?".
On the subject of Daddy O, I have been known to burst into the Pants Up/Rock Candy song for no damn good reason. posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:00 AM on October 27, 2006
posted by Rumple at 1:34 PM on October 26, 2006