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Weekend Discussion Thread: Drab and Dreary MoviesHaving discussed the dark and dreary “Brute Man” this week, I thought we’d find out what you think is the drabbest, dreariest movie MST3K ever riffed.
My pick: “Radar Secret Service” — a gray movie full of identical men in identical gray suits and hats getting in and out of identical gray cars (except for the one with the giant metal volleyball on top, of course). Sid Melton lightens things up a little, but not enough to save it. Runner up: “The Undead.” When Digger Smolken is the liveliest character in the movie, you know it’s bad. What’s your pick? 169 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: Drab and Dreary Movies”Commenting at Satellite News
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Yeah, Ring of Terror is a damned good choice, but the clumsy gravedigger and jolly fat couple lighten up the movie. It’s like Crow says during the “ram chip” host segment, the fat couple provided comic relief, but they were still happy with who they were.
I’d forgotten about the fat couple. Ghod, now I hate Ring of Terror even more.
I freely admit however, that Hamlet really seems to aggressively PURSUE “dreary.”
Atomic Brain drab and dreary? You’ve got to be kidding. A parade of incredibly hot babes, especially the one in the chair.
I think that lots of people are confusing “drab” and “dreary” for painful and horrid. They are different things. For me a drab and dreary movie is one that is non-descript and at the same time depressing. Does the blandness lead to the depression or is it the other way around? The world may never know.
I offer a rebuttal to “Red Zone Cuba” being drab. I think the fact that the story is so convuluted and yet dedicated in telling its story actually gives the movie a type of drive. It dares you to watch it, sure, but that dare is in your face, and you can’t turn away. You’ve got characters who are so grim and mean spirited that you can’t look away. The editing is blunt and violent and grabs your attention. And who can forget the powerhouse acting of Cherokee Jack?
OK, I’m partially kidding, but I find “Red Zone Cuba” to be strangly watchable. A drab movie doesn’t do that.
And “The Undead” has a bunch of visual interest in it. Most of it has to do with the witch Livia and her Va Va Va Voom figure, but even the imp and the goofy costumes make this one sorta interesting. Add in digger Smolken and I wouldn’t call it drab. Bad? Sure, but not drab.
So what do I pick as by drab and dreary top five?
5. Hamlet – The play deals with depression, insanity, murder, incest and revenge. All these are very dark elements and can easily be turned into dreary. But the German production of these elements just takes all the interest generated in the play and hammers it into nothingness. This is a wretched production, and it manages to kill a great story. However, I think it makes a great riffing opportunity. I’m one of five people that actually enjoys this episode. I think Mike and the bots have a good time with this one and I enjoyed it too. But I gotta admit, I enjoy Shakespeare anyway, so that isn’t an obstacle to me.
4. Bloodlust – Take “The Most Dangerous Game” and make it boring! That was the director’s command and boy did the team behind this one work that order. There is no threat here, no suspence and no danger. You need that to make this story (a thriller) work in any sense. All the acting is calm and sedate. The only visual interest is given by the severed body parts, the goofy poses of the victims and the over the top mad man in the jungle. He is the only bright spot in this dull movie. The depressing part is that there is such potential with the original story. But not a drop is used.
3. Mad Monster – Same crimes as above. You take a werewolf movie and make it boring. No tension, no danger, and no thrill at watching a man become a beast. The script meanders and what little action we get lacks any spark at all. Even the transformation scene, which should give us something to at least watch with amusement is dull. And there is an over-riding feel of depression in this movie. Could be the sets, could be the attempt at a gothic atmosphere. Can’t say for certain, but my brain started to shut down while watching this – a defense mechanism against depression.
2. The Indestructible Man – Wow, this one goes out of it’s way to bore you. The acting never reaches horrible, and never tries to be better than just passable. The script could be interesting but it isn’t. The atmosphere is very grey and has a cold feeling to it. I don’t feel anything for any of the characters (not even annoyed hate). There is very little to recommend this film, and I find it a chore to re-visit, even in MST3K form.
1. Monster A Go-go – This one defines drab and dreary for me. You’ve got dark grey on light grey photography that immurses you in a bog of boardom. The plot is lifeless and inert. The Monster is slapped together and finally dismissed. No character stands out in the whole of the film. The dialogue is pointless and spoken (not acted at all). Even the “A go-go” scene at the party just hangs there like a grey noodle in grey sauce on a grey plate. And smothered on all of this is the general feel of apathy. No one cared while making this film. They didn’t care enough to even put in effort to make it bad. I just lays there, seemingly harmless, but really a sign of the apocolypse. It is a true example of anti-entertainment. Drab and Dreary – your poster child is here. :)
Another point against Hamlet; It looks as if it’s shot on a sound stage where all walls and props consist of items made using concrete. It may has well have been filmed in a parking garage with cinder block furniture.
Back on #20 I chose Hamlet. I just finished the Screaming Skull. I’d like to change my answer now.
P. S. The Gumby short was excellent.
Most folks have sited some very good points about their nominees. Although Coleman Francis productions have(and to some degree SHOULD)been included in this category, I believe that the “WTF” elements of his works (the weird narratives) elevate them just a tad above dreary.
I had forgotten “The Screaming Skull” I think because the short was so good as well Mickey’s Snagglepuss performance in it.
Hamlet is as dreary as dirty dish water. Even the most passionate parts of this play droned endlessly as the end stinger aptly illustrates.
“The Gumby short was excellent.”
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Provided you’re not a robot who has to undergo
years of powerful Adlerian therapy.
#155: You think that’s impressive? I decided to rewatch 323-Castle of Fu Man Chu because the previous commenter said that the jokes were “uninspired”. I suppose he was right, on some level, and now I’ll never think of that episode the same way, again, maybe. Gotta get to The Being From Another Planet and Track Of The Moon Beast, soon, or “uninspired” is going to stick on them, too!
“Moonrock? Oh wow!”
We should leave Coleman out of this; dreary and his pics are, they have a jaw dropping, compelling ineptitude, especially RZC – but are we confusing drab with boring?
HAMLET and RING OF TERROR are both, I almost never can watch them. Ditto for THE UNDEAD which just plain stinks.
My runners up are ALIEN FROM LA, GUNSLINGER and OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK… Fingalll…!!!
Oh gawd…I’d forgotten about “Gunslinger”. That has GOT to be the drabbest, dreariest excuse for a western I’ve ever seen. Everyone in the cast seems totally distracted and uninterested in what’s going on…which, granted, ain’t much. Even the colors are dull and non-descript. It’s way up there on my list of “unwatchable” episodes.
…..”HAMLET”… It`s dark, dreary and dismal.
Worse, it`s boring.
I would gladly take Coleman Francis over a German tv take on Shakespeare.
This is the only MST ep that just fell completely flat to me.
A couple of people have alluded to this already, but have we had a discussion thread for each of favorite and least favorite shorts yet?
Oh, yeah Gunslinger. Hmmm, that one is pretty drab and dreary. Allison Hayes is in it, and that’s something, and wormy guy is pretty funny, so it’s not as lifeless as Monster A Go-go. I think it could give “Bloodlust” a run for the money. I’ll stick with my original picks, but “Gunslinger” is right there at number six.
For me Joel and the bots are actually able to work with “Gunslinger” and make it semi-watchable. Not a great episode, but not as hopeless as “Mad Monster” or “Indestructible Man”.
#163: Personally, i’m hoping we get to talk about our favorite MST3K movies on the next weekend discussion. Come on, Sampo. Ya know it’s a good one.
Never seen The Undead or Radar Secret Service, so I can’t comment on them. My pick: High School Big Shot, with The Brute Man, Hamlet, Monster A-Go-Go, and The Creeping Terror as runner-ups.
As far as dreary looking, I have to say “Ring of Terror.” The whole film is so underlit, you want to yell for someone to turn on more lights.
As for dreary storywise, there are quite a few, but my top pick would be “The Girl in Lover’s Lane.” Carrie’s death and her father’s arrest is so depressing.
Sadly, I don’t have any videotaped episodes, so it has been years since I have seen episodes not on DVD. But there are probably more dreary bots films out there. I should also mention, as others have, “Hollywood After Dark.” A real downer. Kind of feel bad for Rue.
loran1958@hotmail.com
#167: The DAP has all of the unreleased episodes in .avi form and DVD (missing just a few on DVD, though). Enjoy, won’t you? :grin:
http://tracker.dapcentral.org/
3. “Hamlet”. I actually love Shakespeare, but this version looked like it was put on by a small-town Prozac Club, and filmed through dirty gauze.
2. “High School Big Shot”. My therapist has forbidden me to watch it again–it took so long for the slashes on my wrists to heal after the first time. Hard to beat the stinger, though–that big, sweaty face with every pore magnified blustering “A million bbbbbucks!”
1. “Manos”. Nasty, cynical, totally incompetent, and with the feel of a black-and-white film filmed through dirty gauze. That last bit is hard to do in ’70s-era color . . .