Mystery Science Theater 3000: C/D, S/D.

Oh yeah, that's another POX choice.

I think Season 6 was pretty clearly the strongest, from a joke-writing standpoint.

haven't read anything yet, but why was the show cancelled?

But more important news -- the debut of RIFF TRAX!

Welcome to RiffTrax.com, an innovative new site featuring the hilarious DVD commentaries of Michael J. Nelson, head writer and star of the legendary Mystery Science Theater 3000!

Do you feel that some of the movies coming out of Hollywood are just, well, missing something? At RiffTrax, you can download Mike's running commentaries and listen to them along with your favorite, and not so favorite DVDs. It's like watching a movie with your funniest friend. And it's easy to do. Just check out our FAQ; more than likely, you have the tools to do it already.

Don't just sit back and take whatever Hollywood throws at you. Transform the DVD experience with RiffTrax. It's
the most fun you'll ever have at the movies.

And what is the first movie he's doing?

ROADHOUSE

I am so happy.

Meantime, the next DVD set has been confirmed -- out the end of August!

Episodes are:

* 212- GODZILLA VS. MEGALON
* 503- SWAMP DIAMONDS (plus short: WHAT TO DO ON A DATE)
* 514- TEEN-AGE STRANGLER (plus short: IS THIS LOVE?)
* 810- THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION

The collection also includes these extras:

* "MST3K Video Jukebox" (15 songs from the series)
* "Photo Gallery"
* "Outtakes" (we're told this actually means about 15 minutes of the best moments from "Poopie 2")

August 29 is the confirmed release date; with the usual suggested retail price.

Ah, a clean copy of Teenage Strangler -- I'm so happy.

"AND I DIDN'T STEAL NO BIKE NEITHER!"

"Mistress Ayesha, I'm here for my beating.")

Yes!

One case where the homo-coding of the two main bachelor characters is actually not off-base.

Not to mention the dorky kid in hot pants and Oscar Wilde as heavy.

Oh and lest we forget:

"Stand by for action!"

"REX DART, ESKIMO SPY"

Check the "Someone explain Cat Fancy to me" thread.

Anyway, next one will be The Fifth Element, while it turns out Mike, Bridget and their kids are moving to San Diego, due to Mike's increasing role with Legend Films as 'chief content producer.' Bit of a climate shift, that!

Master Ninja Theme Song!

I don't suppose the Jr Rodeo Daredevils short is around somewhere on the internets

"And eat your oatmeal!"

i work with dr clayton

star trek V i mean.

Cocktail? Oh dear!

Trust me, the download pays for itself the moment you hear Kevin & Mike together on the same audio track.

You gotta do it!!

Your concerns are justified, given that Star Trek V is certainly not the kind of movie a right-minded person should be expected to pay for. It'd be like buying a copy of Bloodlust.

In which case, I sympathise. Luckily I had the foresight to marry a Trekkie-in-denial, otherwise I'd probably be in the same predicament.

Just now finished up Samson Versus The Vampire Women, which has some surprising dead time (they could have done a lot more with the wrestling sequences) but redeems itself with the absolutely hilarious use of the old professor. The impressions they do of him are dead-on and add so much to the movie. "Now I want you to come back tomorrow, and leave immediately!"

Never could muster the interest to download/rent/otherwise be exposed to anything sci-fi related. It's not knee-jerk Mike hate (although I vastly prefer Joel) - just that everything I heard sounds so WTF. Dr. Forrester's mom? What? Great, more hammy villainy in Deep 13 is totally what the show needed....

Altogether, classic as entertainment on its own, probably dud in terms of what it spawned; as several people observed upthread, the world did NOT need another excuse for nerds to think they're clever in public places. Sons of bitches nearly ruined Snakes On A Plane for me. I don't think it changed anything one way or the other in terms of how we watch or consume anything - I mean, it was the 90s, postmodernism and cynicism and backtalk were hep generally, not to mention the tension between ironic appreciation and genuine camp love.

"He's got a voice like a body being thrown through a bus window."

Speaking of, in part, there's a new interview with Mike up recently here worth a read if you have some time for it. One of my favorite bits:

QS: Of the ones you've done so far, are there any that were particularly hard going for you?

NELSON: I really, really, truly hated Star Wars: Episode I. I can't even describe how angry it made me.

QS: Had you seen it prior to that? Did you follow that whole debacle in real time as they were released? Or did you know enough to avoid them even then?

NELSON: I think Kevin at the time called me up and said we should go at the premier of this new Star Wars movie and laugh at the people. And I said, "That sounds fun." I think we couldn't get to one... they were all sold out, so we had to get to the one where only like 20% of the audience is dressed up instead of 95%.

QS: That'll keep down the light saber battles before the show starts.

NELSON: Yeah, you keep getting poked in the eye with light sabers and stuff. So we went to that and it was in the middle of the day, and I don't know why but I fell asleep during the middle of it. And I also, it was so loud, it was the loudest experience I'd ever had outside a Who concert. It was so loud that I couldn't even comprehend what was going on. So the memory of it was not coherent.

QS: Don't worry, neither was the execution...

NELSON: (laughs) Then when I saw it again... I just could not believe how incompetent it is in every way. Storytelling - non existent. Acting - god awful, horrendous, terrible acting. It's just astounding how bad it is.

QS: And yet made so much money. Do you ever worry about your fellow man when you view some of these huge successes?

NELSON: It does trouble me. It troubles me. But I fully accept that there are certain things that I am immune to. And I try not to make judgments on those. I am immune to the charm of comic books. And I understand that very many talented and smart people make them and read them, so it's something in me. But with Star Wars, I don't think I can be that charitable. I can maybe go halfway on that.

Other snippets: meeting Burt Reynolds and being fascinated by his wig and why Kevin Smith horned in on Mike's turf with the Roadhouse commentary.

Vol. 11 DVD set of MST3K out in a few months; no word of the contents yet. Also, apparently the rights have expired to all the films on Vol. 1 if you've not got them already, but doubtless your friendly neighborhood torrent will have you covered.