1009. Hamlet (1961)

[BruceLeePullen]

@PacketHauler

Red Zone Cuba anyone???

Hamlet (1961) and Red Zone Cuba (1966) aren’t alone. Other rays of sunshine covered.

323. The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969)

An MST episode I hadn’t seen till a few days ago. My mind is blown. So much pain in this picture. It’s off the charts. Easily one of the worst experiments in the show’s run. If watching James Bond were going to the dentist, you’d have this. Memories of seeing Castle the first time or thoughts? Where does Fu Manchu fall in MST history? [image]

405. Being from Another Planet (1982)

Titled Time Walker (1982) and renamed owing to FVI’s repackaging, Being from Another Planet scalded me in my adolescence BIG TIME when my recording of MST3K led me into this corpse. Goofy titles, dumb university, young people waiting to die. The Boiler Room was the monster’s runway and the movie uses it over and over. Austin Stoker? Darwin Joston? Where’s John Carpenter? Tragic Moments, the Jack Palance Impersonator Kit. Petrified poodle or Dead Man Walking? [image]

406. Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)

Photographed in eight days including outdoors at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) paired with A Bucket of Blood (1959) and House of Usher (1960) on American International Double Bills. Spending $70,000 and casting Playboy’s Miss July 1959 Yvette Vickers as Liz Walker, they spared no expense or did they? The Holoclowns, Patches the Leech, The Insty-Adolescence Kit, Undersea Kingdom, Weird Dreams, “A Danger to Myself and Others”, The Motives o…

424. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)

MST3K touches us as few programs can. Hilarity, irreverence, comaraderie, pain. Certain shows accomplish specific things. Cave Dwellers (1984) and Pod People (1983) were all-arounds. Good at everything, not too terrible, and great for beginners. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster (1966), Hercules Against the Moon Men (1964). They were romps with a specific theme in this case the monsters or title character. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) stood as the torture test and holy…

507. I Accuse My Parents (1944)

Wavering on whether or not to include this, the affection shown by fans convinced me. Morals, juvenile delinquency, Caprcorn, I Accuse My Parents (1944) tastes the rainbow of MST3K. Inspired writing, ideal subject, flawless elevation of the formula, Joel and Best Brains pulverize the target eviscerating what’s near into powder. Cake n’ Shake, the Junk-Drawer Organizer, Nude Tom Servo. The Pinocchio Syndrome, the Bots draw their families, Jimmy’s lies. “Jules and Jim!”, A young Al Bundy!", “Liar…

518. The Atomic Brain (1963)

A fave of mine even without the riffing. Three servants, a mad old woman, a nuclear scientist. Sounds like a sitcom. Weird narrator, brain transplants, people constantly using the stairs. “So we chaaaaaaaange partners!” “Selznick International Pictures”, “The Strange Loves of Martha Washington”, “Tonight on a very special Grandma Ironside.” Peak early Mike or a whole lot of darkness? [image]

606. The Creeping Terror (1964)

The music alone escorts me to the first time I saw it. “Da dada dada da da da…” Mike showing off his sound system driving the bots away, The Satellite of Love Coffee Shop, Tom and Crow crawling into Gypsy. Has a monster taking the scenic route ever felt this long? “The Unbearable Whiteness of Being” or Mike’s Manos (1966)? [image]

609. The Skydivers (1963)

The Skydivers (1963). Frank summed it as “kinda like Manos without the lucid plot.” Love Triangles, Acid in Parachutes, the FAA, Francisland is everywhere. Bleak living, pained faces, liquid comfort. Show choirs, “Uranus”, shop class. “This Is downright Hitchcockian…” “Robyn Hitchcock.” “I wet 'em!”, “They should set a place for Eraserhead.” “Let’s do the Sky Diver!!!” or “a National Geographic Special”? [image]

619. Red Zone Cuba (1966)

Coleman Francis directs and stars? What more could anyone ask? John Carradine singing, Curly jokes aplenty, “Hi! I’m Cherokee Jack!” Coffee, crime, everlasting close-ups. This, Creeping Terror (1964), and Yucca Flats (1961) are neck and neck as Mike’s worst experiment. As Crow said, “I want to hurt this movie, but I could never hurt it as it hurt me.” Chemotherapy or “Sal Mineo for Viceroy”? [image]

621. The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)

In my teens taping Mystery Science episodes off of Comedy Central, this one felt perfect. Two shorts (Money Talks! and Progress Island U.S.A.), one terrible movie, and that Comedy Central flavor in every bite. Choice skits like Crow’s Anti-Film Preservation Society, the wait for 11:30, and the victory and concession speeches shove this into higher territory. The riffs, energy, and pace mark Beast as the best of the Mike era. There’s very little negative I can say. This typifies why I fell for th…

805. The Thing That Couldn't Die (1958)

Things that can’t die. Death, taxes, sequels, remakes. Monsters fall into canyons, are burned alive, frozen, dismembered, and generally die until the sequel. The titles of their movies push their limits. The Thing That Couldn’t Die (1958), The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962), Die, Monster, Die! (1965), The Dead Talk Back (1957). Nothing ever lasts forever and much of it is “Promises, Promises.” Crow: A Thousand Years of Tyranny, The Observers, On The Site Inspection, Risk, Bram Stoker’s The Civil…

912. The Screaming Skull (1958)

Coupled alongside Earth vs. the Spider (1958) and Terror from the Year 5000 (1958) in AIP Double Features, The Screaming Skull (1958) is a remake of Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940). Newlyweds, a dead first wife, a concerned second couple, a servant devoted to the first wife. Much of it we’ve seen before. Tom Servo Beautiful Butterfly, Penguin Costumes, Robot Wumpus, Gumby PTSD, Calling For The Free Coffin, Crow as The Screaming Skull. “What a lovely arrangement of Popcorn Balls”, “I hate it when peop…