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How Were the Shows?

An open thread for reports from this week’s Cinematic Titanic shows.

38 Replies to “How Were the Shows?”

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  1. GonzoRedux says:

    The sound in Mass. was kind of crummy at first, but got better through the night (I don’t think the dialogue is all that meaningful anyway). Great show!

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  2. The Doctor says:

    I had a blast, and my girlfriend who hates this kind of stuff enjoyed it too. The opening was really funny, but Frank looked exhausted. Some great call backs to MST3K riffs that got some big laughs. Not my first choice for a movie but then again I’m not a professional.

    Favorite non movie line “Northampton….With one H. Not since the H in Hanukah has an H done so much.”

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  3. Andnik says:

    thanks Doc for spelling my home town right, anyway the show was great lots of fun

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  4. Steve K says:

    Good show, as #1 mentioned, the sound wasn’t great (I think it was the acoustics of the theater), but the movie was truly horrible!

    Another sign of the economic troubles we live in? a little over a year ago, it was 10 minutes, last night it was 15. Talk about inflation!

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  5. Mayo says:

    The sound of the movie was hard to hear at first, which was a bit of a problem but it got better. My dad enjoyed it as well but not as much as me. He doesn’t really get the whole MST3K-CT thing. But I had a great time!

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  6. the2ndsuitor says:

    I had the best time an MST3K/CT fan ever had, as I was lucky enough to be in the same hotel as the crew. I walked in to the lobby, into the middle of their grouping, and the 1st thing I thought was “did I just drop acid? It’s the people who’s show we’re here to see!”
    Apparently, I said that outloud, as they all turned around and began introducing themselves. This was the nicest group of people I’d ever encountered, aptly rounded out by Dave Gruber who wanted to know our names & all aboot us. The run-ins were semi frequent. We ran into Joel, Mary Jo (who my wife gushed over, and took it very nicey), & Trace @ breakfast. We had a few smokes w/ Josh, who gave us a great idea of what their life & travels are like. And each time we ran into Gruber, he treated us like old friends. His opening stand-up was a perfect lead in, & when he brought Josh & Frank on, it just got better.
    The movie, Dangers of Tiki Island and their riffing were hilarious. I told them I couldn’t believe the film hadn’t been savaged before, as it was ripe for mocking. I still don’t know why the white people went to Tiki Island!
    Seeing the riffing live with an audience really was incredible. The meet & great afterwards was quick & Frank was on fire! I’m still a bit beside myself & can’t believe how lucky we were. Joel & Josh gave me an idea of how really DIY the experience is for them and it deserves to be supported. If you get the chance to see it, I can’t recommend it enough.
    -The Guy in the Pink Floyd Hat

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  7. Travis H says:

    The show last night was AMAZING. And getting to meet the CT gang again was so wonderful. I’ve been on a super-MSTie-geek natural high ever since!!!

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  8. Kenneth Morgan says:

    Just got back from the show at the McCarter in Princeton. Packed house full of MSTies. The opening warm-up was the same as the other CT shows I’ve seen, though I think a couple of Gruber’s haikus were new; it was all still funny, though. The movie was “War of the Insects”, which I hadn’t seen before. The riffing was fast & funny (loved the Servo references), but the movie was utterly awful. More than once, a scene came up which left me actually saying, “What?” in incredulity. I couldn’t stay for the cast appearance afterwards.

    All in all, I had a really great time. Now I just have to wait for the next Rifftrax show to balance everything out.

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  9. Matt says:

    @the2ndsuitor: I got the impression they were in the Peace Corps.

    The NoHo show was amazing! There were some sound problems, but God, it was one of the best nights in my life. The line to get in the theater stretched around the block, there were seats in the orchestra pit–when I got my tickets online those weren’t even available. Frank’s joke about Torgo getting a show on Fox was great. The riffing brought the house down, though.

    I didn’t think Gruber’s stand-up was that great. He made a joke about California being liberal . . . in the People’s Republic of Taxachussets.

    It was so wonderful when Joel came out and introduced everyone. It was like meeting old friends again after a long time apart.

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  10. Bob Searles says:

    The critics loved Genocide!

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  11. Opus says:

    “War of the Insects” would have been in the top ten worst movies ever done on MST3K. The story was fairly easy to follow, but not presented interestingly and the ending was a downer. Lots of the characters behaved in the most idiotic ways imaginable (such as shooting guns near an H-Bomb and tearing up and throwing a piece of floorboard to defend against a huge swarm on insects). Really poor editing, animated overracting, shoddy camerawork. The most sustained laughs from the audience weren’t even from jokes made by the CT people, but from the absurdity of the film (Charlie’s gravestone -> amirite people in attendance?)

    I enjoyed Gruber’s warmup with Mary Jo, Josh, and Frank. I was a little wary with the mixed reviews, but I thought it turned out very well. Funniest bit for me was Dave reading through Highlights magazine.

    The riffing was of course tremendous. The live experience is quite interesting. One of the things I’ve noticed as different with CT is that there are so many more jokes done than there were on MST3K. Maybe it’s from having 5 riffers instead of 3? Occasionally when I see the DVDs, I wish they would slow it down a tad at times and let the jokes breathe a little. But this is actually an asset when doing it live. When you’re in a crowd watching a horrible movie and there’s silence where there could be riffs, you risk getting lost in the unintentional humor of the bad film instead of the intentional humor from the 5 onstage. It helps to have the riffing be quicker so you don’t lose the audience (but at the same time, you want to leave enough space for dialogue to be said if you want to riff on that instead of the pantomime… a tricky balance). Granted, there were parts of the movie that were so ludicrous that the audience couldn’t help but laugh, but I think it was a great job by the CT group. I can remember where I was still laughing after a riff and they had already done 3 more jokes… they’re giving you your money’s worth in that department.

    There were some more topical riffs (there were two references to the Balloon Boy and when the flaming plane went down, Frank said that’s what happens when you book Kevin Smith on your flight). Lots of jokes at the absurd technical aspects of the film. Joel got a few Tom Servo call-backs in. Mary Jo told a joke when there was an insert shot of Charlie about Genocide being his sled (those there live might understand this better) that got big applause from Joel, wonder if it was an ad lib?

    I think Trace got the two biggest laughs of the night (the one I recall is when he asked why the guy’s flashback was so gay), but also got TWO of his riffs booed (good natured)! Once when there was a swarm of bees and he said the preview of the film was getting great buzz (“Hey, it’s not as easy as it looks!” was his response to the crowd) and once where he said the wasteland island was still better than Detroit (“Why do you care?”).

    The only disappointment would be the sound quality (and the print) of this film was so bad, it was hard to hear what was being spoken at times. There were also moments where I couldn’t really understand the CT people either, but it certainly was not a show long problem.

    The cast got a standing ovation and came out for one last bow when Josh said they’d be in the lobby signing. The line for it stretched around the theater, so I didn’t stick around for it.

    Overall, it was a great experience, highly recommended.

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  12. losingmydignity says:

    Saw my Fifth! live CT show in Princeton last night. Great show as always and was so glad it was War of the Insects as I had not seen it.

    As has been noted several times already Genocide (War of the Insects) is probably one of the worst movies the MSTMOB has ever done! Really! My girlfriend called it “Manos with a budget” in terms of badness (not subject matter, plot etc). I have never gaped in awe at how bad a movie was before. Some highlights were anything with Charly (I would love to have seen an MST host seg with Joel and the bots all in orange jumpsuits going crazy) the digging the hole for the pregnant wife scene and throwing boards over her…hilarious. Opus, I loved the detroit riff and the flashback was gay riff. Defin. highlights.

    I’m not going to the New York show tonight as I saw Tiki in Philly. To those of you attending: enjoy, Tiki Island is one of their best ones so far!

    P.S. New Jersey turnpikes and drivers………arrrrrrrrrrrghghghgghghgh!

    I can’t believe the Genocide was his “sled” line was improve… It was so perfect!

    Only bad things: the sound wasn’t so good…add to that someone who decided she needed to laugh over the jokes or before they were finished. Ah, well, at least she was having fun. Also, I wish they would do a new opening (with Gruber, still, I love that guy)as they have traveled enough there must be repeat viewers like me by now.

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  13. losingmydignity says:

    That should have been improv not improve.

    Also, does anyone else think Genocide had a real Season 3 vibe to it? Partly because of film choice but also the kind of jokes and riffs…

    Also, has one else seen five different live CT riffings like me? Or am I the King or what?

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  14. the2ndsuitor says:

    @Matt

    Yeah, I did over-gush like a school-girl a bit, but I was really taken aback by the fine folks at CT.

    Also, I liked Gruber’s joke. Any group should have a sense of humor aboot itself.

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  15. dad1153 says:

    Just got back from the (SOLD OUT! :razz: ) Nokia Theater show in NYC’s Times Square. It was my first Cinematic Titanic experience ever (never seen the DVD’s or a live riffing show before) and it was a blast. Not entirely sold on Gruber (he’s harmless as an opening act though) but put him together with Elvis Weinstein’s bass guitar and some haiku poetry and he’s a man transformed. “Tikki Island” is an abomination of a movie and I’m glad the Brains didn’t get a hold of it during their “MST3K” days. Part of the joy (and shock to me!) of watching “Cinematic Titanic” for the first time was seeing/hearing the Titans push the humor barrier well beyond the boundaries of network or even cable TV standards. Lots of profanity (the ‘R’ type) but not gratuitous, just well-timed and well-delivered ‘F*** You’ and ‘S***’ reactions from the Titans to the movie’s jaw-dropping stupidity. Most of the biggest laughs came from just everyday observations and just the movie setting itself up for gleeful mocking. Every time the monster, a midget servant or the oversexed blonde lady showed up these guys kicked it up a notch, to the delight of an obviously-adoring crowd. Since my only experience watching Weinstein is in the season 1 DVD’s of “MST3K” I was blown away by how much better he’s 21 years later. He did the best improvs and had Joel (who I could see clearly from my 2nd row orchestra sitting) cracking-up in between jokes. That’s the other beauty of seeing a live show: peeking at these guys smiling under their breath when a joke connects, blow over failed riffs (of which there were many) and constantly look at each other in bemusement when something goes off-script. For my money Trace’s timing was far better than even his Crow T. Robot’s heyday. He delivered the night’s biggest laugh with his perfectly-timed ‘JACKPOT!’ exclamation. :mrgreen:

    Favorite line of the night: ‘And that’s the take they went with.’ :lol:

    After the show ended around 10:30PM about 5-10% of the audience stood in a super-long line waiting to have the Titans sign stuff (I had nothing I wanted them to sign and I’m not an autograph collector anyway; just wanted to shake these guys’ hands for the first and probably last time in my life). At 11:50PM I got my handshakes from the Titans (and Gruber) plus two “Cinematic Titanic Live” DVD’s (after the handshakes… yes, I’m weird like that! :cool: ). I’m officially a convert now.

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  16. Brian says:

    Just back from NYC. This was my first CT show, and I can say that I really haven’t laughed that hard in a very long time. Believe the hype – it’s a *FANTASTIC* show. The crowd was awesome (celeb sighting: John “I’m a PC” Hodgman sitting in the elevated VIP section) and the movie was delightfully horrendous. The cast was phenomenal and on point, and between this experience and my purchase of “East Meets Watts”, I’m completely sold on the live format.

    I stuck around afterward to meet the cast (thank you to my very patient family), and they really couldn’t have been nicer people. They seemed sincerely humbled to meet their fans, and took time to talk with everyone. I’m really happy for them that they sold out the theater, and I can only hope that it means a return visit to NYC. I would definitely see them again at the next opportunity. :smile:

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  17. EricJ says:

    “Frank’s joke about Torgo getting a show on Fox was great. The riffing brought the house down, though.”

    That, and “A cop pulled me over for speeding, but he was nice and just let me off with a warning; he told me not to go see Clash of the Titans”.
    (Surprised they didn’t mention Dave Gruber as being of Higgins Boys & fame, considering how many riffs the show got during the S1-2 Channel days.)

    And the Tiki riffs about the midget-filled mansion (“They put them in to make the house look bigger, and it just didn’t work out…”) were hysterical, and the “fanning” riff had me in the giggles for two minutes.

    Even got my MST3K DVD autographed by the group (even gave Mary Jo compliments, considering that I never used to stand Pearl Forrester), but thought Frank looked like it’d been a hard night, so I didn’t say much. It was late for me too, so it almost didn’t register with me until I got back that “omg, I just talked with Joel!”, but he was pretty friendly all around.

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  18. Chuck says:

    >@losingmydignity

    Sorry, Losing: I’ve seen them six (6) times.

    Which, of course, means I’ve seen Convoluted Man six (6) times.

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  19. Gummo says:

    Saw the New York show last night and haven’t laughed that hard at a live event since I saw the original Broadway production of The Producers (well, maybe when I saw Eddie Izzard live). We must have been right behind dad1153 as we were in the 3rd row, which was the luck of a lifetime because you could really see the interaction between the CTers, which was a delight.

    Yes, the movie was truly horrible but the real embarrassment came about 30 seconds in, when I turned to my wife and whispered, “Oh **** — we OWN this!” Yes, as John Ashley fans (thanks to MST!) we have a box set of his Filipino horror films, including this one under the title “Bride of Blood.” It was a perfect choice for riffing, being slow, weird, and having one of the funniest rubber monsters in filmdom.

    It was such a pleasure being immersed in a theater full of MST fans, who are so quick on the the draw, they’d often start laughing at the movie’s absurdities without any riffing at all. This being my first CT show, I found Gruber to be an amiable and fun warm-up, but of course it was the riffing we came for, and we were not disappointed. Jokes flew thick & fast, occasionally dirtier and more political than in the old MST days. (I think it was Trace who declared one of the movie’s characters one of the Worst Persons in the World! — I wondered if that was a mainstay of this movie’s riffs or a shout-out to Keith Olbermann, who was in the audience, about 4 rows behind us.)

    As mentioned the other big star spotted that evening was John Hodgman, who seemed like a very nice guy, talking to a bunch of people after the show and apparently in no hurry to leave.

    We did not have the patience to wait on the line to meet & greet and I knew anything intelligent I might have to say to the gang would be reduced to incoherent fanboy gush by the time I got to their table, so we just left, exhausted from laughter and determined to see them again, if they come anywhere near New York again.

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  20. RAD says:

    Losing/Chuck;

    Sorry guys, I’ve been to over 20. :)

    RAD

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  21. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    NYC Show Last night, 4th row right of center ( better seats, I think, than Keith Olbermann ! ). My first CT Live, but I saw the rifftrax simulcats last year.

    While I had a good enough time, I’m still not a convert, but first a gripe:

    We all expected the show to start at 7 ( the line started forming before 6 ), a minute or so before 7 they announced that the show was starting at 8:30, and once you were in, all exits were final. Many of us were disappointed. A cheap stunt by the theater to force us to eat at the snack bar and drink at the bar bar for 90 mins ? I guess so… kinda of low rent.

    The 30 minutes of warm up was pretty good ( if long ), I don’t have much experience with Gruber but he was funny, friendly and high energy. I am not a big fan of J. Elvis, but he was pretty fun as well. Frank’s bit was mixed. I had the feeling I had heard the convoluted man bit somewhere before but I couldn’t place it ( nice idea, poorly executed ).

    It was great to see everyone live and Joel really felt sincere in his little intro.

    As for the subject film and riffs: Exactly the same feeling I have with the CT DVDs, except the crowd energy. Yes, I laughed, sometimes I laughed very hard. But I only laughed half as often as my fellow audience members. many of the riffs are not witty, the writing is not as good. Perhaps there is less ‘craft’, and instead they just throw yucks at the screen. They feel forced and rushed. And I have said before, there are too many riffers, and they are not all equally good at it. In CT does each riffer write their own riffs or is it group write plus joke assignment like MST ? I’m guessing that they write their own riffs. I must say that I did like the PG-13 vocab and R-Rated riffs… they really fit well, they were not gratuitous in anyway.

    The audience vibe was great, Mysties are pretty good people.

    I’m glad I went, but I doubt I’ll go again.

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  22. Gummo says:

    Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, just a factual correction:

    The show was scheduled for 8.

    Doors opened at 7.

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  23. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    Gummo: Can you show me that written somewhere, cuz a lot of us were taken by surprise. Nothing on my ticket, my reciept, the nokia website or the CT FB page said anything but 7.

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  24. oddstocks says:

    @ 21

    They’ve said before in interviews that they all do a pass and then riffs are assigned, so no, they are not speaking all their own riffs.

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  25. Brian says:

    #23 – My ticket said Doors @ 7pm:

    Here’s a photo of my ticket

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  26. Temple Fugate says:

    What an awesome experience. I was glad to hear they were doing a film that hadn’t been released on DVD yet. Made it extra special. But wow, those riffs were FILTHY! The dirty:clean ratio of riffs on this one was staggering. Hilarious, but staggering. “JACKPOT!” “I’d love to go up on her!” It never stopped. Granted, the movie gave them a lot of excuses to use that type of humor with that demented witch of a wife, but still. Wow.

    My favorite moment in the film is when the manservant/genie is walking toward the camera for fifteen seconds. “Hold on, be there in a sec. And if you think I’m gonna say any of my lines while I’m walking, you can forget it! (deep breath)” Genie: “Good morning.” I tried really hard to keep myself from laughing longer than anyone else around me. Probably failed at that. So funny.

    Before the show started I noticed lots of people turning around so I did as well. There, not twenty feet away was a guy who looked like John Hodgman standing in the aisle talking to someone. I wasn’t totally sure it was him, until someone near me made an “I’m a PC” joke. Coincidentally I had brought his book “More Information Than You Require” to read on the train on my way to the show. I cursed at myself for being too shy to jump into the aisle and shove the book in his face going “SIGN PLEASE?!?!?” Really should have tried harder to find him after the show, but I was more vested in the Titans’ autograph line. Priorities. :-/

    Dave Gruber was pretty funny. I especially loved his bit with all the sponsor advertisements. He has a great dry radio voice. One joke that threw me for a second was “Knock Knock!” (Who’s there?) “I prefer the first Doctor!” It took a second to get that one, and once I did I had to wonder why he didn’t say “Four” or “Five.” Those are usually the two most popular of the classic series.

    After the show I stood in the autograph line and my knees were literally shaking. I tried very hard to hide my “I’m meeting famous people!” face as I jovially shook everyone’s hands and gave them my Episode Guide to sign. Trace asked “Do you want me to make this out to you?” And I was like “Nah. Uh…well, sure! Please do.” >_< I am not an experienced autograph requester. Mary Jo thanked me for coming out, and in turn I thanked her for coming to NYC, saying East Coast MiSTies have been hoping for a long time they would come here. I told Joel that MST3K taught me one of the most important life lessons: Never take anything too seriously. He nodded in hearty agreement.

    So, yay. My personal account of the evening. Still having trouble believing it all actually happened. And I hope I get better at meeting famous people.

    The website and ticket said the doors opened at 7, ("DRS 7PM" on my Ticketmaster ticket) and the website specified the event started at 8. (Went to double-check the site just now, but the CT page is apparently already gone. Other performances do list a start time separate from the door time, however.) I knew the event start time beforehand, but having never been to the venue before, I got in the huge line at 6:40, figuring the earlier the better. Not so. If I ever go to this venue again I'll know it's totally safe to arrive just 15 minutes before the show start time instead of an hour.

    The Nokia Theater seemed to me to be a multi-purpose venue that places an emphasis on more personal, interactive functions. Hence the multiple bars and the open-floor theater w/ removable chairs. Looking at the website, it seems standard practice for this theater to have what boils down to a "cocktail hour" before the events start. A way to make more money? Sure, but probably also a chance to hob-nob with socialites and potentially famous local personalities like John Hodgman. And of course, to meet with performers after a show. I've got no personal qualms about the theater. It's just different from an usual theater.

    @Gummo (#19) Third row represent! (I was the skinny guy near the middle…was I sitting next to you? I remember the couple next to me reacting when John Ashley's name popped up.)

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  27. @#20 RAD 20+ ME: THREE :cry: They were great shows and for a strange coincidence my cousin’s daughter gave birth to a baby boy last night & named him………….Charlie! For realz!

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  28. losingmydignity says:

    Chuck: Congrats! You win. (we love Frank but can we talk him into doing a new song…just for us?)

    RAD: That’s why you’re THE MAN. :smile:

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  29. dad1153 says:

    Gummo said: “We must have been right behind dad1153 as we were in the 3rd row, which was the luck of a lifetime because you could really see the interaction between the CTers, which was a delight.”

    I was the guy with the headphones that kept turning around looking at the back rows (just soaking up the Nokia theater remodelations; I used to go there often years ago when it was the Astor Plaza movie theater) and gave Joel the one-man standing ovation. :roll:

    I’m not a medium, I’m a petite said: “NYC Show Last night, 4th row right of center ( better seats, I think, than Keith Olbermann!). My first CT Live, but I saw the rifftrax simulcats last year.

    While I had a good enough time, I’m still not a convert… I’m glad I went, but I doubt I’ll go again.”

    Olbermann was there? Shoot, I love that guy. Had I seen him I probably wouldn’t have been able to resist going over to him and shaking his hand.

    …medium… I can see and understand your points for not wholy embracing CT. I felt that Frank and Mary Jo were burdened with the weaker lines (which leads credence to your argument that three riffers would be the ideal number, but then CT would be indistinguishable from MST3K and Rifftrax). Frank and Mary Jo made the most of their few chances to score laughs though. Mary Jo’s ‘You know she’s thinking about it’ line actually scored one of the night’s biggest laughs, and I don’t think it would have connected as well if it had been any of the other Titans delivering it like she did. Obviously my reaction was the opposite of yours. Rifftrax has never clicked with me (even though I find Mike/Kevin/Bill hilarious) because there was something missing that I found in the “CT” experience: the joy of bashing an MST3K-caliber bad flick, something Rifftrax doesn’t venture into often now that they’re more concerned with the mainstream and/or newer flicks (because they want to riff something that enough people have bought on DVD to make it worth their while). I don’t really like the shorts (they’re OK but not something I seek). Basically Rifftrax has become mainstream to accomodate its download business model while Cinematic Titanic is embracing the cult & underground ‘our little club’ mentality of MST3K by pursuing (out of necessity but also by choice) something that will never be sought after on home video by anyone but diehard ‘bad movies that are good’ fanatics.

    When I shook the Titans’ hand I told them that it was my first CT experience ever, that I felt conflicted about splitting my MST3K loyalties but that the live experience had convinced me they were the true heirs to the MST3K legacy (even though I still think the world of the Rifftrax folks) and that they had earned my future business. I honestly couldn’t think of a better complement to these guys than telling them they had made a long-term customer. I was going to complement J. Elvis for being the only riffer with the self-confidence to be sipping a Beck’s beer (instead of the water bottles everybody else was drinking) both on-stage and during the meet-and-greet afterwards, but I didn’t know how to word it right so I just didn’t mention it. Maybe next time they come to NYC. ;-)

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  30. Gummo says:

    Temple Fugate, yup, that was us next to you! What a great night, eh?

    (And probably THE most uncomfortable seats I’ve ever experienced at a theater!)

    dad1153, you were right in front of Temple Fugate, I believe. I was wondering what you were up to!

    I, for one, have no trouble enjoying both Rifftrax and CT. In fact, CT left me lukewarm until East Meets Watts; I found them pretty stiff and not really clicking as a team in the first few CT outings. OTOH, I’ve always found Mike, Kevin & Bill to have a great chemistry. And they still do a lot of the bad old public domain movies, too — I really liked Missile to the Moon, Planet of Dinosaurs, Voodoo Man and of course Reefer Madness.

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  31. fathermushroom says:

    The Princeton NJ show was great. They showed “War of the Insects (Genocide)” and the crowd loved it. The warm-ups were fun and my crew (I went with 6 non-mstie friends) ALL had a great time.

    Fourteen thumbs up!

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  32. fathermushroom says:

    I forgot to add that I waited on the looooooong line for the meet-n-greet, and my friends were uber-patient so I could do it, which was real nice of them. The Titans were absolutely gracious, tired as they must have been, and I got autographs but mostly wanted the chance to thank each of them personally for all the years of laughs. They were really sincere and down-to-earth people and I’ll certainly see them again if I get the chance.

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  33. Temple Fugate says:

    @dad1153 Yep, I was directly behind you. Arrived almost as early as you did. Never noticed Keith Olberman, though.

    @Gummo I hope I didn’t distract you much with all the fidgeting. Those were definitely some uncomfortable seats.

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  34. Gummo says:

    Temple Fugate, not at all, I was probably squirming as much as you were and never noticed you having any problem!

    Keith Olbermann was sitting center right, approximately row 8. He came in not more than 10-15 minutes before the show. Just a couple of minutes after we got there.

    And I don’t think Frank’s lines are any less funny than anyone else’s, but he does have a tendency to stumble over them a little more than anyone else, especially The Original Three.

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  35. Temple Fugate says:

    Mary Jo’s shown a marked improvement since the beginning of CT. Her jokes last night were well delivered, and there are some jokes that never would have felt right if spoken by one of the male riffers.

    Frank is just a great personality to have on the stage. He’s got a unique energy. Nobody could have pulled off “DON’T TOUCH THAT!” in East Meets Waats like he did. I got a good laugh out of his laughter in reaction to some of the other riffs. I can’t remember the part of the film, but there was a line that Josh said that cracked Frank up so much that Frank’s own riff immediately afterward dissolved into a guffaw. Could he improve so that he doesn’t crack up and impede his riffing ability? Yes, but I still like him the way he is. It’s a live show, it adds to the atmosphere. And every one of them slips up from time to time. I think Trace mispronounced a word and Joel stumbled through a sentence.

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  36. Sharktopus says:

    Ten thumbs up for the Times Square show! Wish I could’ve waited on the (unsurprisingly) long meet & greet line, but Metro North Railroad waits for no fan. I’m sure the Titans were told how awesome they were enough, anyway.

    I spotted Keith Olbermann sneak in about as well as an unusually tall cable pundit can, and wondered why he didn’t have seats in the VIP balcony. Some of us spotted John Hodgman up there after the show, and he was kind enough to climb down and say hello to us orchestra-level peons. Anybody else spot some pseudo-celebs?

    Here’s hoping the Titans return to New York post haste, and maybe get the show started before 9 PM next time, maybe? ;-)

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  37. Mayo says:

    BTW, Mary Jo and Josh are awesome at riffing! Coming away from the Northampton show I was most impressed with Josh and Mary Jo. They never had a real chance to shine on MST3K but they’ve definitely proven themselves to be great riffers.

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  38. GregS says:

    Had a great time at the McCarter on Friday. I’ve nothing to add that hasn’t been touched upon already regarding the dreadful “Genocide” movie, and the excellent riffing.

    It was a great pleasure to meet everyone at the end of the show, although Joel and Frank looked completely wiped out.

    We were a bit miffed at the McCarter’s staff for not guiding patrons on where the signing would take place. We wondered around for about 20 minutes trying to figure out where to line up – it turns out that we could have been almost first in line if someone had only thought to announce where to line up! A very small gripe nevertheless.

    What a great time – I hope they do future shows in the area!

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