Movie: (1979) An unsuspecting family spend the night at their newly built solar-powered house and are confronted by concepts.
Open: J&tB are still hanging out in Moon 13. Jonah is still at work on the containment vessel and the bots are just making mischief. Max seeks assurances from Jonah, and gets them, giving Max a good feeling.
Back on the SOL, J&tB are having’ a cup o’ joe, while the Mads drink from empty mugs.
Invention exchange: J&tB present the Fortune Meal. Meanwhile, the Mads show off their spray-on mustard gas.
The Mads tell Ardy to flush the movie, but he is busy suiting up Bonesy the dog, so he can go walkies.
Segment 1: J&tB are rugged men of a certain age until interrupted by hill bikers.
Segment 2: Script writers Jonah and Crow get help from Prof. Harold Servo, along with Growler and M. Waverly and, later, Max and Kinga.
Close: J&tB are losing it. Meanwhile, Max & Kinga are visited by Dr. Lawrence Erhardt, who gives them a mission.
Stinger: The little green guy pleases Jenny.
Thoughts:
• Callbacks: “Pretty nice.” (Mac and Me). “Bah-boom!” (Atlantic Rim). “Knew your father I did.” (Mr. B Natural). The movie “Avalanche.”
• The great “concepts” song is another winner from Paul & Storm.
• Nice to hear a Flash Bazbo reference.
• Kinga’s mom was Kim Catrall? Of course! (That comment was meant to be sarcastic. There was a bit of a fan grumble by fans who noted that Dr. F never once mentioned Kim and that it was Crow who was in love with her.)
• The voice of Bonesy was the great Ivan Askwith. A commenter says Bonesy previously appeared in the first issue of the comic book series, though he did not talk.
• Cast and crew roundup: This one has many connections to “Laserblast.” Writer J. Larry Carroll was a producer on “Laserblast.” Steve Neill, a producer who was also credited with the original story, did the special effects makeup for “Laserblast” and played an alien. Producer Charles Band also produced “Laserblast.” Producer/director of visual effects Paul Gentry also did the laser effects and still photographer on “Laserblast.” Composer Richard Brand also did the music for “Laserblast. Makeup artist Ve Neil was also makeup artist on “Laserblast.” Sound mixer Joel Goldsmith also did music for “Laserblast.” David W. Allen, who did dimensional animation and was a technical advisor to the special visual effects unit, also did animation effects for “Laserblast.”
Also, director John “Bud” Cardos also directed “Outlaw of Gor.” Property master Michael F. Hoover was also special effects technician on “Cry Wilderness.” In front of the camera, Robert Contreras also appeared in “The Black Scorpion” and “The Beast of Hollow Mountain.
• Fave riff: “Don’t talk to the Lovecraftian obelisk, dear.” Honorable mention: “Uncle Owen, a Star Wars story.”
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My wife has to watch this ep with me. That is the only Father’s day gift I want. I’ve already watched it 2X. This may be in my top 3 of ALL MST eps! Only Time Ending Day will tell.
“They must have gone to a seminar.”
“Movie: (1979) An unsuspecting family spend the night at their newly built solar-powered house and are confronted by concepts.”
Isn’t that kind of like that Simpsons episode that one time? “Could I BE any more of a house?”
;-)
That was a nice little moment Jonah and Max shared on Moon 13. It kind of reminded me on how Mike duped Frank out of his keys to get Joel’s release in #512 Mitchel. But as Jonah is still working on the Containment Vessel why do I see four empty holes when this season has just three episodes to go?
Invention Exchange: First off, I completely reject the premise of the SOL invention. I think fortune cookies are quite tasty. With that out of the way, I do like their invention. And how often have I learned an old crush did much better than me? For the Moon 13 invention, they have totally hit on a problem I’ve run into countless times. You never get an even squirt of condiment out of any squeeze bottom and yes, the problem seems more pronounced on “tube meat.” But where did Kinga find surplus World War I mustard gas still in date?
So Ardy has a new pet. How cute. But may I suggest a cat? They don’t need to go out for walkies. Just leave the inside and save the time of suiting them up.
Jock Ewing is in this movie. I’m in. Hard to imagine he was in this turkey given he was just getting going in what went on to be one of the all-time great successful TV shows.
The concept song was great. This was the on-demand song Kinga wanted in Atlantic Rim. I especially like the Max out of breath at the end of the song bit.
This is a strange movie. It firmly falls in the category of while no means good it was just bad enough to fall in the Goldilocks Riffing Zone. It does have a weird arc. It starts out as a weird paranormal mystery movie and then finishes up as one weird mama-jama of a movie. The riffing was the strongest of the season as well. (At least so far.)
I have to say this episode was well on the way to becoming my favorite of the Revival, and then… I wasn’t expecting any classic show cameos and then came the Tom Servo we never knew: Josh Weinstein! He was the guy I really came to appreciate during the Cinematic Titanic run. This cameo was just plain wonderful.
There was just so much to love in his appearance. I loved the way he questioned if Max was a third banana or a second banana once removed. I loved the explanation of his being less mad resulting in his being less shrill. I loved how they paid off his ongoing journey of self-discovery three times. That part worked out real nice. It was great how the paid off the Gizmonics intruder alert with his appearance. Plus Dr. Erhart recognizes the great team that Clayton and Frank (his successor) made and knew they couldn’t be broken up. And who can’t get enough of Idiot Control Now? But most of all I loved that Kim Cattrall turned out to be his mother. It totally makes sense though I thought they missed a step in that there was no reaction from Crow.
Did we also get another revelation from Dr. Erhart’s appearance? In the past we were led to believe that the concept of TV’s Son of TV’s Frank was just Max’s delusion. Now Kinga seems to acknowledge he is Frank’s son.
Favorite Riffs:
Grant keeps through a door in the ransacked home. Jonah “Well someone was here. Crapper’s full.”
Jenny stares off into the desert. Tom falsetto “Mommy can I go play on the missile test range?”
Beth calls out “Jenny.” Tom sings falsetto “867-5309.”
Jonah as Jenny “Oh man I don’t pity this potty because I’m here to bring the thunder. Ba-boom!”
Ana “Where can we go at 1 o’clock?” Jonah “Denny’s”
But was the ironic attempt to create a viral song really just a set-up for the effortless Concept song here?
Wow. Charlie Band, you’ve done it again.
Talk about a movie tailor made for MST3K. A completely gonzo plot, an air of 70’s sleaze, a few stop-motion critters, and, of course, a proliferation of concepts! I’d never seen it, and I have to admit, I was quite taken with it in a bizarre way. Sure, it’s a complete and total mess of incoherent NONSENSE, but thats what makes it so fascinating. That’s also what makes this an enjoyable episode. While the riffing pace tends to lean more toward the frenetic pace of Season 11 at times, most of the jokes land, and the sheer amount of material this movie throws at the riffers ensures that they have something new to focus on every few minutes. Throw in some great segments, a fantastic winner of a song, and a finale that’s as epic and surprising as it was emotional (at least for me), and you have a pretty solid 4th entry in The Guantlet.
Some thoughts:
-This episode’s opening is where Jonah’s “ironic comeuppance” plan begins to take shape. We aren’t quite sure what he’s up to just yet, but this plot thread will ultimately lead us to this season’s shocking finale…
-The Peking Duck 8 Ball is one of my favorite props this season. There’s just something about it that tickles me.
-On the Moon 13 front, the Invention Exchange is another winner, but with the caveat of once again resorting to an effect that’s decidedly not “in camera”. Kinga’s mustard gas, like various instances of smoke and water last season, is superimposed. Call it a pet peeve, but this just feels unnecessary. On the bright side, the term “tube meat” will haunt my dreams forever…
-This episode introduces us to yet another new character: Bonesy, Ardy’s talking dog. Its a random idea, but funny in its absurdity. Also, the Bonesy puppet is brilliant in how simple it is, yet completely effective in convincing you it’s a dog wearing a spacesuit.
-Remember when you could just hold your child on your lap when driving on the highway, no seatbelt required? Yikes.
-The “rugged men of a certain age” skit is another cute and brief segment. They really seem to have been quite taken with the grandpa character (he gets a lot of attention in the riffing and is obviously the inspiration for this segment). I like Jonah reacting to the “hot” steak prop when he picks it up.
-Any Young Frankenstein reference is always welcome. There, I said it, and I’d say it again if I had to.
-Self reference: “Evil Cambot?!”
-This episode is a prime example of how hard it is to focus on the silhouettes this (and last) season. Maybe it’s the smaller size, maybe it’s the dark movie (and other dark moves before it), but my eyes just aren’t as drawn to the shadows as they are in the original run of the show. This was my third viewing of this episode, and each time I caught the tail end of a silhouette gag I’d missed last time. I suppose that gives the episodes rewatch value, but it’s something I’ve noticed quite a lot over the course of the (so far) 20 revival episodes.
-Movie question: why the heck didn’t grandpa shoot at the floating Betamax player from the upstairs window? He had a great position, but decided to run downstairs and abandon his wife, daughter and granddaughter?
-Servo channeling his inner Robert Preston for the song “Concepts!” is easily the host segment highlight of this season. Funny how they spent an entire segment back in Atlantic Rim making an extended joke about being unable to craft a song as great as last season’s “Every Country has a Monster”, and they totally pull that feat off in this episode. It’s a hoot all around.
-So, I’m just gonna say it: the stop motion in this film is pretty solidly awesome. If only we could, you know, SEE IT…
-Classic bit: “You look, I’m bitter.”
-This is the first episode of this season to not feature the riff “Swing and a miss.”
-Alright, time to talk about the epic final segment! First off, what an incredible surprise! The only thing I knew was that this episode ended with a surprise cameo, but I had no idea who it would be. Kudos to the team for keeping this under wraps! I have to admit, even though I knew it wasn’t likely, I was secretly REALLY hoping that it would be J. Elvis. I’ve always been a fan of his and, having seen him perform live (and met him!) several times during his Cinematic Titanic days, have always felt he deserved more respect as a solidly hysterical comedian. Add to this his recent battle with cancer and his rocky relationship with Joel, I can honestly say that seeing him come back to the show after nearly 30 years was genuinely emotional for me. It was a genuine MST3K miracle.
-Now for the obligatory “lore” discussion. First up, the explanation for Larry’s 3 decade absence is every bit as hilariously vague as you could hope. While his face was plastered all over milk cartons on Earth, Larry was apparently on a cosmic “voyage of self discovery”. However, after this things start to get a bit rocky as far as the timeline goes. Did Larry use the “Pretty Lady” spacecraft for his voyage, and if so, how’d he pull that off if Dr. F left the ship to him after his death? Speaking of Clay’s death, Kinga says this occurred “20 years ago”, placing it ALMOST at around the time Laserblast’s airing took place. However, as we all know, Clay (as a star baby) grew up a second time, only to be killed by Pearl. (Presumably, it’s the ashes of this version of Dr. F that Larry steals, although the timeline still doesn’t add up.) And then there’s Frank. Did he even leave a body behind to be cremated upon his ascension to Second Banana Heaven? And somewhere in the middle of all this, Dr. F decides to leave Larry his ship and plans his own funeral to the point of picking a resting place AND a song, and THEN Gizmonics somehow gets their ashes? Temporally speaking, it all makes precious little sense. But it’s so dang awesome seeing J. Elvis back, forgiving any continuity hiccups is easy. It’s is just a show, after all.
-I’ve been seeing some mixed reactions to the reveal of Kinga’s mother. I will admit, I always saw the Kim Cattrall obsession as more of a Crow thing, but in the end, I simply saw the reveal as a tribute to Trace. When Larry dropped the name, my first reaction was to literally say, “Of course! Who else?!” out loud in my living room. In my mind, it makes perfect sense, even if only as a reference to the old days. I can only hope that, somewhere out there, Kim happened to be binging the new season and got a chuckle out of hearing her name on the show yet again.
-Callbacks: Pretty niiiice! (Mac & Me); Buh-boom! (Atlantic Rim); Eeeegaah!; Knew your father, I did! (Mr. B Natural); Two uses of “Bang!” and “Who is she, Paul?” (Cry Wilderness); Shoutout to Avalanche.
-Favorite Riff: “He’s on an exchange program from Uncanny Valley.” Honorable Mentions: “This whole movie is like the cold open of a Columbo episode.”; “Ah, home sweet beige.”; “Leslie Nielsen in: Death Wish!”
First off, you don’t shake a magic 8 ball, you turn it. You’ll cause bubbles if you shake it.
Now, returning to this one again. It’s one of the better season 12 episodes. Pretty funny, although there are a few crashing thuds (milk steak, Hollerback Girl).
It’s a good movie fit for the show, too. The only real problem is it came about 30 years too late. Cult film enthusiasts have already discovered the world of Charlie Band years ago. But that’s just like Mac and Me. Obvious low hanging fruit. If they never wanted to riff the likes of Plan 9 before, why is it suddenly acceptable now?
Anyway, I digress. This is a pretty good episode, overall.
Oh, and there would be no Poltergeist without this movie
Fun fact: The actresses for Beth and Jenny also portrayed a mother and daughter in Kingdom of the Spiders.
And while we’re at it, “Daddy, what’s Vietnam?”
Agreed. And it’s not like they’ve haven’t done jokes along those lines before. Recall the Invention Exchange segment from The Unearthly where Dr. Forrester states, “It does my heart good to see Crow T. Robot burnt beyond all recognition.”
Isn’t this from his health scare in June? And why are all the comments in this thread date-stamped June of this year as well? Do others have these date stamps or am I having a stroke? I mean, I know I haven’t had enough coffee this morning, but geez.
This was a WDT in June, like the others from the season. They’ve been reopened for WDT, I think for those who just got the DVDs or something.
Thank you, Lawgiver. Duh, me! I am NOT awake today; I knew that about previous discussion threads but it wasn’t sinking in. Anyhoo, I still don’t have the DVDs or Blu-Rays or whatever and have not seen this season yet, except for watching “Mac & Me” at a friend’s house. Just didn’t have the urge to re-up on Netflix only for this.
Because they don’t come out until November 26.
Yeah, that would explain it! To everyone here at Satellite News, I’m really not on drugs today. Probably couldn’t hurt, though. ;-)
I love how Weinstein’s return to MST3K never received as much hoopla as I thought it would.
My only real disappointment is there’s still no definitive explanation for why he just “went missing”.
I think you missed someone in the roundup. The famous (in some circles) stop-motion wizard David W. Allen worked on both “The Day Time Ended” and “Laserblast.”
This is the episode from the Netflix reboot that I’m going to re-watch next. I remember it as the closest thing to a classic MST3K ep: dumb but honest movie with lots of riffing meat, fun host segments, etc. I don’t think I appreciated it fully the first time because it is so random and confusing, but it feels like one of those episodes that improves every time you see it anew. I remember loving “Concepts”, too. In fact, it’s the one part of the reboot I seek out on YouTube from time to time. Felicia Day’s finest moment as a mad!
Speaking of J. Elvis and lack of hoopla, did anyone see his recently released movie The Fiddling Horse? The trailer looked promising. It was in a local theater on the release date, but disappeared in a blink. I wanted to see a J. Elvis movie even if it stank.
Yeah, uh, on imdb, no reviews, no votes, means NOBODY saw it. Years ago I saw somewhere that only one movie in ten ever finds a distributor (i.e., 90% of completed movies sit in the can forever). Maybe somebody remembers when imdb had its own collection of free movies to watch, hundreds of them, and almost all were movies that never got picked up. An awesome amount of lights, cameras, setups, shots taken, and cast parties, for pretty much nothing.
THE FIDDLING HORSE was Film Daily’s “Indie Film of the Day” one day:
https://filmdaily.co/craft/spotlight/the-fiddling-horse/
“Yeah, uh, on imdb, no reviews, no votes, means NOBODY saw it”
Not necessarily. It might mean that it was only seen by people who Just Didn’t Care enough to contribute reviews, votes, or anything else. I peruse IMDB all the time yet I’ve never taken time to sign up to be able to write reviews, cast votes, or do anything else like that there, because I Just Don’t Care about doing any of that there. ;-)
So we’ve got at least three data points (this, Laserblast, and Robot Holocaust), the bare minimum to form a pattern, do Charles Band films kinda need a prequel to further explain where the Hell the monsters/aliens came from?
I was wondering if they made a My Little Pony reference, then I remembered Patton did two episodes of Friendship is Magic.
I enjoyed Jenny’s sweet little “Thank you, water” / “Thank you, lights” sequence. Such a pure child moment. Really, the whole movie could have been about her reactions to the situation. :-)
(probably just as well that they didn’t start the sequence early enough for us to hear her say “Thank you, toilet,” though)
Charles Band has directed at least sixty-three films. I think you’d need more than three to establish a pattern. :-)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0023929/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2#director
Yes, Charles Band, the director who created his own Cinematic Universe (consisting of nearly half of his film output) long before it was in style to do so.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongy_Westphall_Universe
C’mon, look at it, folks, actually LOOK at it, that’s right, take a big steamy GAWK. ;-)