I really didn’t like the reply. MCT3K really does/did exist. I tried again looking it up and this time found these:
http://www.bindingpolymer.com/mst3kfanvids/legacy/thenews2.html
The item in question is under this date: Nov. 16, 2008
and:
Algorithms are tricky s.o.bs, aren’t they? Like the husband in Screaming Skull.
One of my favourites from the Netflix era. Much love has been shown already, but the UFO song is second only to the reptilicus rap, Caroline Munro and the Hoff as spectacularly wooden and wonderful as ever, the non stop naming-the-spaceship bit and a character called Thor who looks like Drax’s dad.
Yeah, I’ve watched Avalanche a bunch of times. It may be one of the more notable examples of “too many riffs,” but I think it’s a good episode. Maybe because it’s not that bad of a movie for what it is (similar to Starcrash)? Not sure.
Yeah, I think Avalanche is rushed and variable on riffs, but it’s so fun to watch you don’t care. I think a fair amount of the riffing on Starcrash is mid but it’s the same situation. So I rewatch both often, whereas Cry Wilderness is a perfect diamond for me - like Manos or Pod People, I can only watch it so often so as not to dull its luster somehow.
Ugh. As a science fiction movie fan I find this episode awful. There’s Caroline Munro, who is hot, and Marjoe Gortner, but little else. Even Christopher Plummer couldn’t save this mess! I’ve seen Star Wars A New Hope dozens of times, but this crap? Exactly once. Even Roger Corman’s Battle Beyond the Stars puts this garbage to shame! My least favorite episode of season 11.
It’s a bad movie, but it’s also frothy and goofy rather than dark and grim. So I’ve watched it several times. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite episode of the season. I would award that badge to Beast Of Hollow Mountain, but it’s fun to watch.
This episode was an unusual experience in that I had previously watched the movie being screened. Therefore, I can assure you that the uncut version makes no sense either. My guess is that, to cash in on the then recent success of Star Wars, the writers assigned to the project were given a crash course in science fiction storytelling. This would certainly explain the haphazard nature of the worldbuilding and the randomness of the technobabble.
It’s certainly one of the more flagrant Star Wars knockoffs that came out, what with the space wizard wielding a laser sword. Far more so than Battlestar Galactica. But guess which one faced litigation from Lucasfilm? Fortunately, the movie’s stupidity is of the entertaining variety and the riffing enhances it. One scene in particular involved a series of ships being launched, where Jonah and the Bots rattle off a series of names for them. My first viewing of it had me laughing so hard that I ended up hyperventilating.
One of those little things that got a laugh was how badly Count Zarth Arn was dubbed as the actor who played him, Joe Spinell, had an extremely thick New York accent in real life.
I adored Starcrash before it was riffed. Yes, it’s daft and nonsensical, with the cheesiest Deus Ex Machina imaginable, but everybody goes at it with 100% enthusiasm. Even Christopher Plummer doesn’t hold back and phone it in.
Plus it was another tick on my “was Robert Tessier in EVERYTHING in the Eighties?” check-list.
Best Starcrash review: “I never thought that a robot shooting lasers at cavemen could be this boring.” – Crow T. Robot
My Favorite Starcrash review:
“Designed by committee, am I right, guys? Look at this crap.” - Crow T. Robot
It’s Just A Show 15. [MST3K 1106. Starcrash]
I definitely appreciated seeing Caroline Monroe in this film. I have to admit I have never heard of the name marjoe prior to looking up the actor in this film so that was a new one to me.
Marjoe Gortner steals his scenes in Earthquake (1973) as an unhinged National Guardsman. He had a stare that worked in movies.
We watched Battle Beyond the Stars, which was mentioned a couple of times in this thread, last night. I gotta say, for all it’s a Star Wars ripoff, it’s not that bad. For its budget it’s got some decent vfx, model shots, and alien makeup, and honestly impressive lighting that’s rather theatrical. I actually found myself getting kind of invested, oops. I’d say it’s considerably better than Starcrash.
Corman spent a bit more than usual on the SFX on Battle beyond the Stars, which means that a lot of those spaceships (especially the one with boobs) appear in other Corman sci-fi flicks.
But I like that, in his version of The Magnificent Seven*, he got Robert Vaughn to pretty much reprise his role. However I do think that, like most movies, it would be better without George Peppard.
*yes, you don’t need to point out the Kurosawa origin of that movie.
Uh, is that a dead dog on his left or does he have giant furry paws in this movie?
Marjoe Gortner is a fascinating character. As a child, he was an evangelist preacher, who later made a documentary about how such preachers fleece their flock for every dollar they have.
Then he made some interesting movies, like Food of the Gods and When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?, plus rubbish like Viva Knievel!, but also found time to release an album called Bad but not Evil, which is actually worth a listen.
I feel at least 75% confident that Gortner can’t acquit himself any worse as a singer than Munroe does for herself upthread.
