I thought it’d be fun to get people’s opinions on “Most Divided Host Segments vs. Movie Episodes”. I was watching “San Francisco International” and I absolutely love that movie (TV show?). I think the riffing is terrific, and I end up laughing through the entire movie portion. But, the host segments [the Urkel stuff, for those who don’t remember] are just terrible to me. I get the purpose of the segments. I just don’t enjoy them, at all.
So, I thought it might be cool to see if other people have certain episodes in which the movie outweighs the host segments considerably. Or even if the opposite is true. The movie portion just doesn’t work on any level, but the host segments are gold.
What comes immediately to mind is 416- FIRE MAIDENS OF OUTER SPACE. The “Dark Timmy” segments are such classics. At the same time the movie riffing is a bit sub-par for me.
For the reverse, I’d pick 702- THE BRUTE MAN. Hilarious in the theater, but the segments do nothing for me.
What what be your pick?
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Well, I’ll be the first to say there’s the obvious Fire Maidens From Outer Space and Last of the Wild Horses. Classic segments but not so classic riffing.
My own choice would be The Giant Gila Monster, I love the host segments in that one. Joel’s failed teen hop, AA, and Servo on Cinema. Not to mention the classic Rennaisance Faire Punching Bags Invention Exchange (“Sample my fist!!”) and Heela at the end. THe movie itself however, I don’t like as much.
Hmmm…a good question. My pick off the top of my head for Great Host Segments/OK movie would be Pod People. Those host segments are all home runs, including one of my favorite invention exchanges ever, the Public Domain Karaoke Machine. (“You’ll get ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic!’, etc.) The movie itself was just OK for me. To be fair, for some reason the sound on my copy of Pod People seems to be turned really low, so I wonder if it’s because I just have issues hearing the riffs. (I have this problem with lot of Joel-era episodes, for some reason.) I watched about 20 minutes of that episode on Youtube a couple weeks ago and I laughed a lot, so maybe I’m enjoying it more the second time around.
As for Great Movie/OK host segments…maybe Space Mutiny?
I usually fast forward the host segments, I’m more interested in the riffing of the movie.
@ #2 CG
I whole-heartedly agree with you that Public Domain Karaoke Machine is one of the best inventions (“The imortal ‘Baa Baa Blacksheep!'”) but I disagree about the riffing. It’s one of my favorite episodes.
Oooh…this is a toughy. My girlfriend is getting ready for work and saw this; she says “The Host Segments are distracting!” And she will sometimes make me skip them (I know, it’s sacrilege).
I’ll be 100% honest: The Mitchell riffing was awesome. The host segments…well, they wear on repeated viewings. Ditto with Giant Spider Invasion; great riffing, mediocre segments.
As for weak riffing, great host segments… I’ll get back to you.
I think that the theater segments for Time Chasers are pure hilarity, but for me, the host segments aren’t as funny. I like them, but they just aren’t as funny as the segments in the theater. The regular version of Night of the Blood Beast is the same type of story for me. I think that the theater segments are funny as heck, but the host segments aren’t very funny at all.
Hmmm.good question….
For better segments I would start with Stranded in Space. The movie didn’t do much for me but the host segments were hilarious (Joel as criminal overlord trying to bump off TV detectives sticks in my mind.) I also liked the 70’s trading sets and the Mads’ variation on the graphic weapons (the bang gun, the schelunk knife, etc..)
I also liked he cheating theme during TWWOB – not that there was anything wrong with the movie (I mean, there was a lot of things wrong with the movie, but you get my drift) and the short was funny (in a depressing way) but the theme of Crow’s cheating and the coup de gras of Crow going Ollie North at the end really sold it for me.
As a sports nut, I loved the Sidehackers lingo and Joel and the Bots sidehackers’ song – the movie was fine but the host segments trump it.
For historic purposes, I have to go with Diabolik – the movie was okay but having the Mike and the Bots prepare for Earth and Pearl’s reaction to them landing made it classic (the beginning segment and the Mary Tyler Moore ending hug at the end was great.) I wonder how ConGypsco is doing in this market? Should I invest in it?
I’ll go with CG on Pod People. I loved the “Music from Guys in Space” new-age music was very funny (and very vogue at the time.) I also love Random guy’s GGM take, too (let’s get something from the stupid jerk. Hey, stupid jerk!!)
@ #7 saherrin
It took me a moment to figure out that “Random guy” meant me, but now that I think about it, that’s a pretty apt description for me in real life.
I meant random citizen..sorry…
I’ll agree with Time Chasers for the host segments being the best thing about that episode. I also think Indestructible Man falls in that category; great host segments, very dull movie that can’t even be saved by some okay riffing.
Will have to give some thought to the flip side of this question…..
I love the host segments myself. The last segment after “Attack of the Eye Creatures” where they discuss why the makers of the film “just didn’t care” can always make me laugh. Once Frank and Dr. F left, the segments did not seem as funny,even though I’m a big fan of Bill Corbett, and nothing against Mary Jo Pehl, I think she’s a riot! but I thought that many of the riffs in those episodes sans Frank and Dr. F are top notch despite the host segments being a little iffy.
i’ve spent an age lurking around here and have never posted a comment, but this… i feel strongly about. i struggle to a degree with all post joel host segments, because even when frank’s about (post frank, with the exception of “earth vs soup” i can not think of a single funny host segment – or to be more generous, a properly *funny* host segment in the manner of the joel ones) i just find the mike and the bots chemistry to be somehow… lacking the dynamic of joel and the bots. don’t get me wrong, i think the mike era riffs are mostly far funnier than the joel era, but the host segments just lose the impetus. i laugh at quite a few of them – i really like the urkel stuff, even though i had no idea who he was (i’m british, my wife is american – a lot of worrying youtube education resulted) – but cherish none of them like i do the joel era stuff. plus i find removing mike from his frequently scene stealing cameos as villains and aliens kind of means we miss some of the funniest stuff from the series. if i had to choose one episode though which as far as riffing goes is solid gold and as host segments go is… shockingly bad, well it has to be “space mutiny” doesn’t it?
as an aside: as a british viewer of MST3K i always think the host segments kind of parallel the trajectory of “red dwarf”. earlier, funnier episodes are ramshackle, charming and low budget and are more inventive in their attempts to mine comedy from limited resources. then the later episodes are too plot driven, too shiny looking and by the time you start to fiddle with the central dynamics of the characters your left with a charmless mess. but like i said, i still love mike era riffing. just host segments? oh dear god no…
For the most part, I loved the host segments of season 8 (the Planet of the Apes spoof was just okay until the Deadly Mantis). The brains hated being forced to do a story arc, but I think they came up with some of their best ideas under that pressure. Of course, my favorite are the Public Pearl segments from Overdrawn at the Memory Bank.
Least favorite would have to be the slow, long walk to a little joke segments. For example, Mike listening to the music from the Crawling Terror, Crow’s Vegetable Stand and of course the infamous Bobo making a brain sandwich (was the only dead spot in an otherwise top-notch episode).
“Invasion of the Neptune Men” – The riffing was actually pretty good, but the movie is so painful it’s hard to sit through. However, the host segments are classic – Bobo’s statue, Noh Theater, more fun with Bobo, the return of Krankor, the Japan suggestion box.
When it comes to great riffing/not so great segments, I’d go with Space Mutiny. Probably moreso by the fact that the riffing is so strong and continuously funny, writing segments to equal such a high level may have been next to impossible to do.
As for great host segments/sub-par or average riffing, I’ll set myself up for some criticism here and say The Beast of Yucca Flats. Not including the two shorts before it, the riffing to me isn’t nearly as impressive as the two other CF movies they did. However, I always enjoyed the host segments, especially the Film Anti-Preservation Society sketch. MST at its satirical best!
Pick any first-season episode. Some of them are reasonably well riffed, particularly Robot Monster, but the host segments are almost all terrible in the 1st season. A lot of times, everyone seems kind of lost. The formula still needed a lot of work. And Frank Conniff, possibly. 2nd season’s host segments are better overall but there are a still occasional dead zones even into 3rd and 4th seasons, usually involving a misconceived prop-comedy sketch.
Episodes with better host segments than movie segments? There’s The Dead Talk Back. The movie segments aren’t horrible but the entire episode is outshone by the Grateful Dead parodying. It doesn’t help that the short’s dull, too.
Similar story with Last of the Wild Horses. Very hard to get through except for the Trek mirror universe bits.
Dare I say…Manos to an extent? An energetic short and some of the best host segments ever–the family vacation and Gypsy as a tobacco-chewing sheriff, Joel as THE MASTER, and then Torgo’s Pizza–but the movie segments, while quite watchable, can’t help but bog down from time to time.
I thought “Hellcats” had the weakest host segments for the the simple fact that they were nothing but flashbacks to previous shows.
The reverse for me would be “Pod People”. The movie is lame but their spin on it in the host segments is hilarious. Plus, I give extra love to segment two where Crow is eating a sandwich with bites taken out of it. It’s that kind of off the wall stuff that I love about the show.
Oh, my GOD- the “Instant monkeys online” host segments during “Overdrawn At The Memory Bank”. The rest of the host segments are gold- Pearl and Brain Guy singing “When Loving Lovers Love” and all the other PBS parodies but the segments with the off-camera monkey just irritated the hell out of me.
For awesome host segments eclipsing substandard movie riffing, nothing quite compares to Last of the Wild Horses. Even the novelty of having the mads in the theater doesn’t quite cover up the fact that there isn’t much material to work with on that one.
As for great movie, poor segments? Not sure… but I think Hellcats deserves a special mention here, if for no other reason than the incredibly lame idea of flashing back to previous segments, one of which wasn’t even all that good the first time. (I’m aware of why they did that, but still…)
A good thread – requires long thought – I imagine most comments will come flooding in mid to late Sunday and on into Monday. I agree with the Star Trek “Mirror, Mirror” host segment theme in “Last Of The Wild Horses” and the “Alien” themed segments of “Fire Maidens…”. Most good host segments I like, usually go with good movie riffing such as “Overdrawn At The Memory Bank”, “Werewolf”, “Riding With Death” and “The Final Sacrifice”. One that comes to mind is “Agent For H. A. R. M.” where Bobo defends Mike at his trial with a Matlock personna… priceless, the movie riffing… mmmmm, so so.
Hamlet. The movie is a stiff, but I love “Alas Poor …”.
Most of the early KTMAs, are only interesting for the host segments.
Diabolik has pretty good riffing, but I think I’ve watched the host segments (especially To Earth) more than the riffing segments.
Most season 6 episodes have lousy host segments. I’m not sure why exactly. For alot of them, such as with Bloodlust, I find myself thinking, “Come on! Get back in the theater already!”
This might be a bit obvious and maybe unfair, but the “Home Game” special, “The Day The World Ended,” when fans IM’ed riffs through the Sci-Fi Channel web site to appear in text form at the bottom of the screen as the movie played and was interspersed with behind-the-scenes vignettes of the then-upcoming premier of the show on Sci-Fi.
I loved the special, laughed at the jokes, but, well, they were pretty spotty. Again, not really fair since that was ad-libbed. I doubt anybody had watched the film beforehand and had quips at the ready. But getting to see the Brains talking about how they were bringing the show back was terrific!
For me the host segments are always oranges to the movie sequence apples. I love them and laugh at them with different criteria in my funny bone. They aren’t funny in the same way, and that’s the point. They’re a chance to break up the rapid-fire quipping so we can catch our breath. That’s why the pauses on the Titanic eps are so welcome, why the sketches on the Film Crew eps were so much fun, and why the RiffTrax format gets a bit exhausting.
I have to agree with klisch (#3): I rarely watched the host segments, finding the vast majority of them to be deadly dull, unfunny, and often awkward and embarrassing–especially during the Joel years (I don’t know what it is about that guy, but I’ve never found him funny in any other context than the riffing, and even there I always thought he was the weakest element of the show). It’s been an eternal mystery to me how I could love the riffing portion of the show with such a passion and be so indifferent/hostile to the host segments(though I did find that the SCI-FI segments with the story arcs to be much better and more interesting that the ones from previous seasons).
I realize that I am probably in a tiny minority on this, and perhaps this will unleash a torrent of commentary the other way, but I’m guessing that there are a fair number of people who’ve long felt the same way, and maybe that’s a topic for a future weekend discussion thread.
And before all the Joel fans come down on me–I give the guy all the credit in the world for creating every aspect of a classic show. I just find him particularly dry and not very funny, making him, for me, a better executive producer than performer.
I hated First Spaceship on Venus, but the host segments are wonderful (ok, except that gorilla bit). The Klack commercial is really one of my favorite moments ever. Sidehackers is another movie I despised, but loved the host segments.
I agree with The Pod Peeps comment @ 2 on great host segments that… I want to add Daddy-O to that list as well. The “Hike up Your Pants!” song was the best and J&TB seemed to really get into it. In this case the movie riffing were a 4 but the host segments were a 5+ for me.
“I’ll be 100% honest: The Mitchell riffing was awesome. The host segments…well, they wear on repeated viewings. Ditto with Giant Spider Invasion; great riffing, mediocre segments.”
I have the exact opposite opinion. I really wish they’d picked something else to close Joel’s MST3k career, but the host segments are fairly good . . .
I won’t venture any specific episodes, but I feel like, in general, that Joel-era episodes are held up more by their host segments, Mike-in-Comedy-Central-era episodes are held up by the riffing (if at all), and Mike-in-Sci-fi-era stuff is variable with a lot of great and weak stuff in both directions (but more good than not). I like Joel host segments largely because they’re charming in their sincerity, and therefore very memorable, while (later) Mike host segments are memorable because they combine subtley with silliness for major comedic payoff.
—
“One that comes to mind is “Agent For H. A. R. M.” where Bobo defends Mike at his trial with a Matlock personna…”
Matlock? Unless I’m grotesquely mistaken, he’s supposed to be Clarence Darrow . . . you know, from the Scopes Monkey Trial?
—
“Oh, my GOD- the “Instant monkeys online” host segments during “Overdrawn At The Memory Bank”.”
Ah, good stuff . . . a favorite quote around here for internet-related topics.
—
“I realize that I am probably in a tiny minority on this,”
You are.
But I agree that early-era stuff had a *lot* of kinks to work out, and there are many early and not-so-early episodes (especially season one, much of season 4, and frankly lots of season 6 as well) that I simply don’t watch.
But Joel remains awesome. ‘Course, I really enjoy dry humor . . .
—
“For me the host segments are always oranges to the movie sequence apples. I love them and laugh at them with different criteria in my funny bone. They aren’t funny in the same way, and that’s the point. They’re a chance to break up the rapid-fire quipping so we can catch our breath. That’s why the pauses on the Titanic eps are so welcome, why the sketches on the Film Crew eps were so much fun, and why the RiffTrax format gets a bit exhausting.”
I agree completely. Whenever an initate asks why they even bother with host segments, I tell them it’s to break up the monotony of the movie and offer a chance to do different kinds of humor, so as to keep things fresh and moving apace. They’ve all eventually seen the light.
While I have enjoyed Rifftrax far more than Cinematic Titanic thus far, I do agree that a long film can get hard to sit still through (depending on the movie, though). That’s why I’ve focused on Rifftrax shorts, which never get over-long and are so variable in nature that they can be watched in succession without getting tiresome.
So in the end I don’t get the folks who’ve said they voluntarily skip through the host segments. That’s the equivalent of skipping the parts with Jedi if you’re a Star Wars fan, or skipping the parts with hobbits if you’re a LotR fan, or skipping the parts with Homer if you’re a Simpsons fan. Although I’m trying not to be judgemental about subjective opinions here, I really can’t envision how one could be properly considered a fan of MST3k if they skip the very thing that makes the show MST3k. Without host segments, it’s something far more generic. Still entertaining, sure, but hardly with the same level of charm or memorability. The host segments are the soul of the enterprise in the way Jedi are for SW or hobbits are for LotR. These things would not be pop-cultural icons without them.
If you only like watching the riffing, then you’re into riffing, not into MST3k. If you don’t like host segments, you like something other than what truly makes MST3k what it was meant to be. And what is that? An all-around brilliant show built on sincerity and ingenuity that people of all ages, myriad demographics, and, yes, endlessly dissenting opinions can enjoy.
IMHO. No offense, won’t you?
I’ve never been one to judge host segments. I just accept them as the bookends of the show, some more diverting than others. They certainly beat the hell out of the commercials back when they were airing on television. The only one that I ever bother to skip over is that one from The Screaming Skull. It’s funny but a little irritating.
A lot of the season 6 sketches felt pretty perfunctory, almost as if they were intentionally saving their time and effort for the movie. For me, the biggest Good Riffing/Lousy Host Segments disparity is Red Zone Cuba – except for the lotto gag and the happy upbeat song, everything falls flat.
Then again, season 6 ends with Samson vs. the Vampire Women, where the host segments and the perfect send-off to Frank far outshine the movie.
I think the funniest run of host segments they ever did was the “Mike on trial” in Agent For H.A.R.M., just genius every moment. The movie riffing was decent, but couldn’t hold a candle to the host segments. The other one like that is Starfighters that has awesome host segments, but the movie is such a chore.
As for the other way around, the only segments that truly bomb are any that are Joel centric. I can’t think of any whole episodes where they are all like that, though.
I will say that the “Timmy” segments in Fire Maidens from Venus aren’t that good. The idea is brilliant, but just not very well executed. Timmy is only really funny during the movie segment where he is annoying Tom, but then he is immediately defeated (by Joel with a broom, no less). It just seems a waste of a good idea.
I agree with #1 about Gila Monster. I’d like all
dvds to have subtitles, but it’s hard to understand
even a fraction of the French girlfriend, accent and
low voice. And of course, per ususal, the “teenagers”
aint.
Sorry about “ususal” above. Guessh
too much watching the inebriated disc jockey. HIC!
Everybody loves somebody sometime.
Everybody…..
Angels Revenge for me. Love, love, love the movie—just walking through the mall yesterday, I hit on some reason to think “The sensibly dressed commando!” to myself—but then…Aaron Spelling’s house. But working on the regular show and a movie simultaneously will do that do a writing staff, right?
I agree with Fart Bargo (#26) about Daddy-O. Great host segments in general (especially Hike Up Yer Pants) but an annoying movie with mediocre riffing.
My wife submits “Village of the Giants”. The host segments, including Frank’s layoff, Torgo being hired by Dr. Forrester and M&TB’s song “Let Me be Frank about Frank” are excellent, but the movie is quite lame.
My submission is “King Dinosaur”. Although the movie is lame, the host segments drag it to a previously unseen nadir. I consider the “Joey the Lemur” sketch as the worst one ever performed on MST3k. It is one of only two sketches that I skip, both in the original and the flashback. The other is the Earl Holliman nonsense in “The Attack of the The Eye Creatures”. I also get nothing from “The Emotional Scientist.”
Okay, it falls to me to defend Last of the Wild Horses, which has my favorite riff ever (honestly.) I’m going to paraphrase it – the sheriff finds the hero’s bandanna on the ground. “What’s that?” “It’s a plot point. Better be careful, it’s pretty flimsy.”
NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO STAY ON-TOPIC AND NOT GET CAUGHT UP IN A SIDE DISCUSSION, HOWEVER POTENTIALLY INTERESTING AND PROVOCATIVE, PLEASE SKIP THIS POST.
Raptorial (#27): Nice defense of the host segments, but I’ll disagree with your conclusion that they make MST3K what it was supposed to be.
I don’t think Joel pitched the show to KTMA or Comedy Central just as a puppet show about a guy in space with a few robot pals. IMHO the riffing was THE integral element that sold the show, and I’d argue that it’s that element that kept the show on the air for 10 seasons, not the host segments (after all, the casts of both CT and Rifftrax seemed to have moved on without them).
I’m also not sure if you meant to say the host segments were there to break up the “monotony of the movie” (I mean, if the movies were that monotonous, why bother tuning in week after week?), but I’ll agree that they did allow the cast to showcase other aspects of comedy, to provide a bit of storyline continuity, and to give the show it’s warmth and human appeal.
At the end of the day I really don’t think you can separate the riffing from the host segments–they are intertwined in the show’s identity, and maybe it’s only because I’ve already seen them and have the continuity in my head can I now view them as dispensable. I will say that I have shown episodes to a number of initates over the years, always skipping the host segments (after giving a brief glimpse of the principals to set up the concept), and I’ve never felt that this practice has limited their enjoyment of the shows. Maybe next time I’ll play an episode all the way through to see if it makes a difference, but to me the bottom line is this: if you like the host segments, great, and if you skip over them to get to the riffing, great as well. To each his own, and vaya con Dios.
As for Joel, the guy had a brilliant idea that has lived on for 20 years now in it’s original and follow-on forms, so his reputation is secure. Having stipulated to that, however, I just don’t think he was that funny on the air (do you remember that atrocious comedy wheel abomination that got a courtesy airing on CC? Good God, that was awful), and while I appreciate dry humor, I’m just not a fan of his style.
But he did do a hell of a job on his balls-out rendition of “Hike Up Yer Pants”…
My nomination for Bad Host Segs, Good Rif… would have to be Escape 2000 aka LEAVE DA BRONX! The movie was silly with great characters to riff as well as a dumb plot. The host segments were just horrid. Pearls constant, plaintive, nerve shredding “Clayton!” repeated endlessly was even more annoying than the Joey the Lemur act. Mary Jo was just too succesful in this skit. To top it off we then get Timmy Bobby Rusty or whatever which involves a gruesomely long close-up of Pauls face. This combination of a shrilling Harpie and a sticky, unforunate looking kid was a real buzz kill.
Although I can handle sitting intently through most episodes from season 2 onward, friends who I have shown pod people can’t handle it. The pace is just too slow for the theater segments to get outrageously funny. But if they could only be patient… the host segment of trumpy(s) (as in servo and crow) doing magic is so sudden and off the wall that it makes sitting through the movie all the worthwhile.
My nominee for Bad Host Segments/Great Riffing: “Zombie Nightmare”. I adore that movie, I will pop it in anytime (and actually need to be somewhat cautious, lest I annoy my housemates by watching it too often)…but frequently, I won’t even notice the host segments happening because they’re so perfunctory. It’ll be like I look away for a second, and they’re back to the movie. But the riffing? Spectacular. Sensational. Absolutely killer.
My nominee for Bad Riffing/Great Host Segments: “Bloodlust”. That opening bit, where they’re all reading the “spontaneous testimonials” to Dr. F? Perfect. Absolutely perfect, right down to Gypsy being the one to break down and shout at the camera. But I always feel like popping the DVD out again after that, because the movie is dull and clunky. (They probably should have gone for the gusto and made more use of the “Brady Bunch” connection.)
And in general, I’m far more likely to enjoy an episode with forgettable host segments than forgettable riffing. A good host segment is fun to watch, but even a bad one is over in about two minutes. Whereas bad riffing makes for a long, dull slog of an ep.
#38: “The host segments were just horrid. Pearls constant, plaintive, nerve shredding “Clayton!” repeated endlessly was even more annoying than the Joey the Lemur act.”
Oh, dear, I almost forgot about “Clayton! Clayton! Clayton!” It’s even worse in Deathstalker–almost unbearable. I know it’s supposed to be unbearable and Dr. Forrester’s reactions to the torture are funny, culminating in his locking Pearl up in a dollhouse. “I’m hungry, I’m tired, it never stops. Death would be a blessing.” It’s not quite enough, though, to make up for the sheer, excruciating agony of that shrill “CLAYTON!!” over and over again.
To be fair, there was one other good thing to come out of it, Crow’s reading a smutty Harlequin romance novel to the “dying” Pearl halfway through Deathstalker.
#37: “I’m also not sure if you meant to say the host segments were there to break up the ‘monotony of the movie’ (I mean, if the movies were that monotonous, why bother tuning in week after week?)”
…because the show wisely broke up the monotony for us? I appreciate the earlier point about Rifftrax. Three hours of unbroken tedium can be very hard going compared to the more varied experience of watching an MST3K episode, if the movie itself has nothing going for it. People complained about the Disembaudio material in the Rifftrax for The Room but they provided much-needed breaks in what was otherwise (even with the jokes) a rather nauseating wallow.
Geode, of course you’re entitled to your opinion. A couple of others here have expressed a similar opinion, usually along the lines of “Joel was the schlub who stumbled upon the idea for the show, and it’s a good thing Mike came along and saved him”. I know that isn’t quite what you said.
I don’t know if I could consider myself a fan of a show in which I didn’t think the lead performer was funny – I certainly wouldn’t spend time hanging around websites devoted to the show. It’s a little like hanging around the “Chico and the Man” website and saying that Freddie Prinze wasn’t funny, and you preferred the little kid that replaced him.
And I thought the “TV Wheel” was funny, but then, I really like the performers on the show, especially Paul Feig.
I’m a Joel fan. Mike is brilliant! Joel is brilliant! They both are brilliant! Hoorah!! :grin: Get over it already. The show’s been off the air for 10+ years. The show developed the way it developed because that’s the way it developed. The End.
Anyway :lol: , I would choose The Wild World Of Batwoman. I liked the host segments dealing with Crow’s cheating. Although they try so hard to riff this well, it just doesn’t quit come off. Still, three stars from me. ;-) Oops, sorry, wrong discussion.
“Prince of Space”! I hate the movie, BUT the ‘Wormhole’ segments crack me up. The time delay by so many seconds skit & the HILARIOUS robot Mike are BRILLIANT!!! They even have robot Mike go into the theater for a while and after a commercial break ‘gets better’! :mrgreen:
Loved host segments for “Monster A Go Go” mainly because they freed themselves from having anything to do with the movie, which was practically unwatchable, even with the riffs. It just kept going on and on! I think the worst individual host segment was Frank’s Tupperware party (or whatever it was) during “Catalina Caper.” Every time I try to break in a new MiSTY with this movie, I feel like fast-forwarding through that painful segment, because it’s embarrassing!
I don’t like the ones where the gang on the SOL try to reenact scenes from the movies. Like in “Cave Dwellers”, where they don cavemen dress and hop around doing nothing, or in “I Accuse My Parents”, where they simply sing the “Happy in Your Work” song. It took little imagination to do those, and I guess it was to give the writing staff a bit of a break.
I’ve recently been a devoted admirer of this web site for a while and never really provided something back, I really hope to change that later on with more talk.Thanks for another new addition for the web site.
I just “love” these negative divisive topics.
Call me a Pollyanna, but I’m really starting to resent these topics that are created to get MSTies to bicker amongst themselves and bitch on aspects/episodes of the show they can’t stand.
Seriously, what gives?
Both of my choices have already been mentioned.
Good Riffing/Not-So-Good Host Segments: Angels’ Revenge. The movie kills me but there’s just nothing there in the host segments, with the possible exception of the opening bit with Dr. F and Frank as 70s relief pitchers (“I’m Tug McGraw.”).
Not-So-Good Riffing/Good Host Segments: Bloodlust. The movie kind of drags, mostly because it’s not so much bad as it is interminably dull, but the host segments are excellent. The opening bit culminating with Gypsy’s surprising blow-up and the bots subsequent shock (“Mike, can we say it too?” “No!”), the line dance that turns into a slam dance in seconds, and the mystery dinner theater (“I did it!”) are all grade A in my book.
@Stefanie #44… I couldn’t disagree more about Prince of Space. It’s possibly the best episode of the entire Mike era in my opinion.