MST3K Keeps Real Comedy Alive In Its Thirteth Volume Of Episodes

Courtesy: Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory will release the thirtieth (yes, thirtieth!) volume of episodes from the classic cult hit series Mystery Science Theater 3000 later this month.  This latest grouping of episodes is one more welcome addition to the library of any MST3K fan and an equally welcome way to beat the heat this summer.  For that matter, it’s just as welcome an alternative to the seemingly endless stream of prequels, sequels, and remakes currently polluting the nation’s theaters right now.  The main reason for the enjoyment of this set is obviously the movies featured in the set.  As with every single previous box set, the writing for Mike, Joe, and all the rest is just as sharp and hilarious as ever.  And last but definitely not least, the bonus features included in each disc round out the whole thing.  All three pieces together make MST3K: Volume XXX one more must have both for any fan of this cult favorite and for any true-blooded classic film buff.

The first and most obvious reason for the success of MST3K: Volume XXX is the grouping of movies chosen for the collection.  Four more movies from Hollywood’s golden era have been chosen for this collection.  And they feature some of the most legendary names in the history of the movie industry.  One of those names in question is none other than Willis O’Brien, who was the mentor to fellow legend Ray Harryhausen.  O’Brien’s famed stop-motion techniques were used in The Black Scorpion (1957), which is the first of the set’s movies.  Also included in the set are Outlaw of Gor (1988), It Lives By Night (1974), and The Projected Man (1966).  Audiences may or may not recognize a very young Jack Palance (City Slickers, City Slickers II, Batman) in Outlaw of Gor.  And while they may not have ever become as big as Palance, the cast members of each of the other movies included in this set each put forth their best effort, which will potentially make them memorable in their own right. And now thanks to the movies seeing the light of day once again thanks to this new box set, those cast members both famous and not so much will get new notoriety. What’s more, audiences that might never have heard of these movies will receive a film history lesson from the movies themselves. That featuring of some of Hollywood’s biggest names alongside some of the lesser known names and movies shows why the movies themselves are key to the enjoyment of this latest volume from Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The movies included in this volume of MST3K are the biggest reason for the collection’s enjoyment. On a somewhat deeper level, the show’s writing holds its own importance. Whether it be in the outrageous skits that bookend the movies or the biting commentary itself made during the movie, the show’s writing in these episodes is hilarious. The barbs aimed at the movies include countless pop culture references that the show’s original audiences will appreciate. From the Three Stooges and the Smashing Pumpkins to Cosmo magazine to classic movies and television shows other than the movies being exhibited, the writers (and the delivery of the jokes) will have audiences laughing tears of joy. The writing in the show’s skits is just as entertaining as the commentary that fills each of the movies. This time out, Pearl discovers her evil lineage in one episode. In another, Dr. Forrester’s experiment ends up badly, with both his assistant and himself altered in unexpected ways. There are plenty more laughs from the skits that will leave audiences in stitches. Those laughs will come when audiences purchase this box set for themselves.

The writing that went into the skits and commentary along with the movies themselves chosen for this volume of episodes together more than put the box set over the top by themselves. The bonus features included with each of the movies collectively finish off the set. Just one example of how the bonus features put that finishing touch on this set is the bonus “Making of” featurette included with The Black Scorpion. That featurette is more a history lesson about the history of stop motion in film than a documentary on how the movie in question came to life. Audiences learn where stop motion started in the movie industry and its significance in the overall picture of The Black Scorpion. Audiences will enjoy just as much the interviews with the heads of Outlaw of Gor. Included as bonus material in this movie are interviews with the movie’s director and producer. There is also a feature on author John Norman and his books from which Outlaw of Gor was adapted. It all definitely makes for its own added entertainment. And that entertainment together with each episode’s solid writing and the movies themselves puts the finishing touch on one more volume of films and comedy that every MST3K fan will definitely want to add to their own home library.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXX will bbe available Tuesday, July 29^th. It can be pre-ordered now on DVD at http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/mystery-science-theater-3000-volume-30. More information on this and other releases from Shout! Factory is available online now at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

MST3K The Movie A Fabulous Farewell For Cult Sci-Fi Show

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Universal Studios Home Entertainment/Gramercy Pictures

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is an absolutely funny final farewell for this cult classic TV show.  The movie was already extremely difficult to find in its original release some years ago.  Now thanks to a partnership between Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Shout! Factory fans of the show and its big screen finale can finale add this piece of movie history to their home libraries.  And they can do so in proper fashion on Shout! Factory and USHE’s release of the movie in a double-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release.  The movie itself is reason enough to pick up this new re-issue.  The choice of movies to be*critiqued* by Mike and his robot friends was another positive.  And in turn, the feature on the making of both This Island Earth and on the history of MST3K: The Movie seal the deal for fans.  Together with the movie and the movie within the movie, the whole package becomes one of the best re-issues of 2013.

The story behind MST3K: The Movie will impress any hardcore fan of this cult show.  It plays out just as if it was an extended episode from the show itself.  Ironically enough, as audiences will learn in the bonus feature, “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie: The Motion Picture Odyssey”, that actually was not the intent of those behind the cameras and the movie’s script.  That aside, all of the irreverent humor that made the television series so funny is here.  The same can be said of the hilariously intentional low-grade sets and special effects that made the original series so funny, too.  It was obvious that despite being a big screen feature, the people behind the cameras wanted to make sure that this feature entertained the show’s core audiences just as much as the original show did.  And it did just that.  The interesting fact here is that as hilarious as the movie was, those behind it faced a lot of contention from Universal in its creation.  This is revealed in interviews in the extremely in-depth bonus feature that is “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie: The Motion Picture Odyssey.”

“Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie: The Motion Picture Odyssey” is one of two bonus features included in the movie’s new re-issue that make it even more enjoyable this time around.  This feature actually should have been the “Making of Feature” rather than the “Making of” feature that was included.  That’s because of just how in depth this feature turned out to be.  It offers a glimpse into the movie from its conceptual stage all the way to its premiere.  Along the way, audiences are presented with both the good and the bad of the movie’s eventual creation.  Some of the most interesting of the stories involve creative conflicts between Universal’s brass and those in charge of the movie itself.  One of the most notable of those anecdotes involved a joke centered on the alien creature crafted for the story.  The joke involved comparing it to one Bootsy Collins.  According to the story shared by Trace Beaulieu, the studio brass didn’t want the joke in the movie because they thought that no one knew who Bootsy Collins was at that time.  So the joke ended up being pulled.  It’s wasn’t the only conflict those behind the cameras had with Universal, either.  According to the stories shared, there were a number of conflicts between the two groups.  And viewers will get to find out just how many there were when they pick up this re-issue for themselves when it is released on September 3^rd.

“Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie: The Motion Picture Odyssey” is the heart of the bonus features in the new re-issue of this release.  However, just as with the previous MST3K box sets, this one also includes a fully in-depth analysis of the movie screened within the main feature.  And this analysis is no different.  “This Island Earth: 2 ½ Years in the Making” offers audiences a complete look at the work that went into making the movie in question.  In offering the discussion, it also goes into a certain amount of depth as to what makes the movie so important in the overall picture of 1950s science fiction flicks.  One of the most notable facts shared in this special is that had the mutant used to move the story not been included, the movie would have been considered a movie for adults.  And it was Universal’s brass that insisted the mutant be included as it would bring in young audiences.  Speaking of the mutant, those interviewed for this feature actually go into depth about the mutant, even going so far as to share some laughs about it.  As with the previously mentioned bonus feature, there is so much more for viewers to take in here, too.  Together with the previously mentioned feature and with the movie itself, the whole package proves in the end to be another joy from Shout! Factory and one more of the best of the year’s re-issues.  It will be available Tuesday, September 3^rd and can be ordered online direct via the Shout! Factory website at http://www.shoutfactory.com/?q=node/217794.  Audiences can find out more about this release and other upcoming releases from Shout! Factory on the official Shout! Factory website at http://www.shoutfactory.com and the official Shout! Factory Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial. 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebok.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

MST3K Vol. XXVII A Laugh Riot For Film Buffs

Courtesy: Shout! Factory

The latest installment of the cult classic, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), keeps the laughs coming yet again.  MST3K Volume XXVII brings audiences four more episodes and four more movies that are so bad that they’re good.  And of course, what volume of MST3K episodes would be complete without the absolutely hilarious commentary by Mike, Joel, Crow, and Tom Servo?  It’s all here in one more collection that any fan of this classic series will love to watch again and again.  Audiences even get to see a young Ron Howard away from his more well-known role as Opie Taylor in one of the movies.

From giant dancing teens to Cold War propaganda to a giant killer bug to subterranean creatures coming to take over the surface world, this volume has more than its share of campy greatness in its four discs.  The set is anchored by what is one of Universal’s best of the bad in The Deadly Mantis.  The Deadly Mantis is just one of the many classic horror/sci-fi flicks that Universal Studios churned out after the success of its original monster movies (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon).  This terribly campy flick features a giant prehistoric praying mantis wreaking havoc on the world when the iceberg in which it was encased breaks loose from the arctic and thaws out in warmer waters.  This sci-fi classic was one of the campiest of Universal’s monster movies.  But by comparison to today’s over-the-top movies claiming themselves to be horror, it is a welcome inclusion for fans of real sci-fi and horror flicks.  Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo’s irreverent commentary makes it even better.  There are pop culture references, some slightly politically incorrect jokes, and even some that are so nonsensical that one can’t help but laugh at them.  The jokes are just part of what makes this movie the anchor to this new set.  Fans of classic movies will appreciate the bonus feature on the life of William Alland.  “Chasing Rosebud: The Cinematic Life of William Alland” explains the importance of Alland in the history of monster and sci-fi movies.  Whether viewers are watching this movie for the first time or for the first time again, this feature will make audiences appreciate his work and The Deadly Mantis even more as a campy yet highly important piece of movie history.

If a classic monster movie from Universal isn’t enough, then perhaps audiences will enjoy the Cold War era propaganda piece, Rocket Attack U.S.A.  This black and white movie was centered on tensions between the United States and Russia and what would happen if the two sides both launched their nuclear warheads.  It would be no surprise if this 1961 classic was at least partially the influence behind the far more influential 1964 drama, Failsafe.  The movie’s criticisms don’t’ stop during the film.  Just as with the other movies in this and previous volumes of MST3K episodes, this episode is presented exactly as it aired, complete with intermission segments.  The killing of the movie keeps going with its intermission segment as Joel and company go off on the evil Dr. Forrester about all of the movie’s inconsistencies.  It’s so funny hearing them filet the movie because viewers know that what Joel and company have to say is exactly what they themselves would have said.  That ability to relate to viewers event today makes both this flick and The Deadly Mantis (as well as the set’s other pair of movies) as enjoyable as they are campy. 

The movies included in this latest volume of MST3K episodes are funny and enjoyable.  It should be noted that Village of the Giants probably isn’t entirely proper for younger viewers.  If anything, it comes across as a little bit of an exploitation film, as the “teen” girls outgrow their clothes when they grow.  They do keep themselves covered.  But some parents might find this a little unsuitable for children.  That aside, there is one more factor to note in this new set of episodes.  That factor is the set’s packaging.  Each episode is set in its own slim case within the larger box.  And each box has its own hilarious artwork that goes along with the movie.  The artwork used on each episode’s box is just as campy as the movies themselves.  So even before viewers put in each disc, they get a good laugh from the artwork on each case.  That each disc has its own slim case, this protects each disc from scratching.  It’s one more positive—along with the set’s other factors–that will impress fans from the very first time they pull the wrapping from the box.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XXVII will be available Tuesday, July 23^rd.  It will be available in stores and online and can be ordered direct from the Shout! Factory online store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/?q=node/217352.  Fans can find out about all of the latest releases from Shout! Factory on its official website, http://www.shoutfactory.com and its official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial. 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.