Hey folks. Here we go again, with ANOTHER OF NATE'S ALL-TIME
FAVORITE MOVIES! I asked the esteemed Ms Roberts to change the title
of this column because last month's title made it seem like all ten
were contained in the one column. I apologize for misleading everyone.
By installment six or seven, I may wish I had opted to do them all at
once. In the meantime, thanks for coming back for seconds!
This month's selection is a bit unusual. It is a movie that has
never managed to make much of an impression, despite the fact that I
have seen it about five times. It's called MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER:
THE MOVIE. This film is an edited version of THIS ISLAND EARTH, with
added comic commentary and four skits: one at the beginning, one at
the end, and two during the showing of THIS ISLAND EARTH. Some of the
comedy presented was very funny, much of it was merely amusing, and
some just fell flat. That's a pretty good curve, when you consider
that this movie delivers about 250 jokes an hour. I consider this
movie a good entry-level piece for the MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER
universe, a risk-free way to evaluate your own reactions to the
premise. Even if you don't care for it, I guarantee a few laughs.
Have you ever talked back to a movie? I used to, until I discovered
a group of guys who do it better. MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (or,
MST3K for short) is a 2-hour weekly cable TV show about a man and two
puppets who ridicule some of the worst non-comedy movies ever. Yes,
puppets. Odd choice, I agree, but it doesn't distract from the comedy.
And, over the course of two hours, there's a lot of comedy.
More important than the sheer amount of comic goodness in MST3K is
the fact that it's very clean; I would recommend it as family viewing
before I'd recommend just about any network sitcom. Though the show
has, by necessity of format, a certain mean-spiritedness to it, it has
almost none of the overt sexuality scattered across those so-called
comedies.
The movies that are featured span practically every genre
imaginable, from science fiction to fantasy to cop dramas to
undercover trucking! And here, we have the show's one weakness. The
premise of the show is to heckle bad movies, but some are just too
terrible to sit through, even with jokes. I personally recommend
avoiding (at all costs) RED ZONE CUBA, possibly the most excrutiating
movie ever.
Interested? Well, unlike the movies that I'll recommend over the
next eight months, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is relatively easy to
access. You may not even have to leave your own home! Do you have
access to cable? The Sci-Fi channel shows MST3K every Saturday (at
10am CST) and Sunday (at 10pm CST). A good time to tune in for the
first time might be April 17th or 23rd. These are the two showings of
the first episode of season ten, currently planned to be the final
season.
If you don't have cable, don't despair! Fifteen episodes are
available on video, and I highly recommend you beg, borrow, rent or
buy one, and experience the show for yourself. If your local video
rental store is worth it's salt, it should have one or four. At the
very least, they ought to have MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER: THE MOVIE.
Some other good introductory episodes include: MITCHELL and THE BRAIN
THAT WOULDN'T DIE. Heck, if all else fails, just come to my house and
we can watch one of the episodes I have on video. (offer not valid)
I would recommend sampling one episode of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER
3000 to anyone who would like a laugh (or fifty), and doesn't mind
people talking over the movie. Watching more than one is a personal
choice; I've found that some people have a great time with one
episode, but find more than one to be dull. And if you'd like to learn
more, you can check out and (or)
.
I'll be back next month, with movie number three. I just noticed,
it's another movie spun off from a TV show...