Mystery Science Theater 3000: XV
Starring: Joel Hodgson, Mike Nelson, Trace BeaulieuDirector: Kevin Murphy
Studio: Shout! Factory
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Running Time: 360 minutes
DVD Release: July 7th 2009
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DVD Review
The crew of the Satellite of Love return in their awe-inspiring 15th collection of the most hilarious episodes from Mystery Science Theater 3000. Join Joel, Mike, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot as they supply their own playful brand of commentaries for these classic episodes: The Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy, The Girl In Lovers Lane, Zombie Nightmare, and Racket Girls.
Bonus Features:
* Glimpses Of KTMA: Scrapbook Scraps I
* Behind The Scenes: Scrapbook Scraps II
* Zombie Nightmare = MST3K Dream (Interviews with Zombie Nightmare stars Frank Dietz and Jon Mikl Thor)
* Kevin Murphy And Trace Beaulieu In A Sneak Peak From The upcoming Hamlet A.D.D.
* Promos
User Reviews
Aztec Mummy vs. Big Stupid vs. Zombie Rocker vs. Peaches Page - Rating: 4/5
Shout Factory delivers it's third box set of the infamous Mystery Science Theater 3000. This set contains four episodes spanning the comedy central years, from season one to season six. You get two episodes features Joel and two episodes featuring Mike. The film selection covers everything from a Mexican horror film to a exploitation film about women's wrestling. Throw in an appearance by Adam West and you've got a bit of everything.
"The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy" is the first film featured on this set. Since this is a first season episode of the show it means the whole vibe of the show was a bit different. The episodes have a slower feel, something that isn't necessarily bad, just a different. Things kick off well with the first episode of "Commander Cody and the Radar Men from the Moon". This serial provides plenty of fodder for Joel and the bots, with lots of silly costumes, special effects and nonsensical plotting. For me, the Commander Cody shorts are the high light of season one, and provide the best laughs.
When the feature starts up things slow way down. The movie itself is, in a single word, turgid. Huge sections are taken up with lengthy flashbacks to what appears to be previous films. There are long talky scenes that suck what little energy a movie about an Aztec Mummy should have. Attempts at gothic horror are lame at best and the dubbing is wretched. The final battle between the robot (a hilarious special effect) and the mummy is not worth the effort, and the whole thing is just a bust. This type of film would work better with more energy from the riffers, but we don't get it, and they seem drained by the train wreck of the movie as well.
Shout Factory adds a nifty bonus feature to the disk, a look at the old KTMA host segments. It's kinda neat to see this very early work by the crew, and fans will get a kick out of it. Also included are Comedy Channel promos for this specific episode and a double feature trailer featuring this film.
Great short, poor movie, average host segments and good bonus features makes this a solid 3 star effort.
"The Girl on Lover's Lane" jumps ahead to season five. The difference in riffing and overall comfort with the show is evident here, and for me it makes this episode shine a bit more.
The movie is a silly bit of melodrama about two drifters who roll into a small town. One is wet behind the ears, and seems to spend most of the movie clueless about hookers, and flashing his large wad of cash around in front of complete strangers. The other, Bix Duggan (called Big Stupid by Joel and the bots) is the world weary traveler. He keeps his eye on the young fool, but also falls for the naïve Carrie, who works as a waitress at the diner.
Carrie and Big seem to have a future, but Big can't be tied down, so he waffles back and forth. He seems like he's about to make up his mind when, horror of horrors, the director screws up a happy ending. The movie takes a dark turn when the town nutjob drags poor Carrie off into the forest. The movie actually offers plenty of funny moments and lots of good riffing by the crew. Things never really take off, though. Part of the reason is that the film drags in the middle and Joel and bots get caught in the dullness. But the random ending actually sparks them back to life and they deliver a solid drubbing at the end, and it flows right into the host segments. These are pretty funny as well, but my favorite is when the bots come up with better endings than the one the director came up with.
Shout Factory gives a nice behind the scenes look at the show in the extra on this disc. It looks like documentary footage taken from the creation of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians". There isn't any narration, but you get to see just about every stage of the process. It was a real treat to actually see these elements that I've read about.
Good movie, Good host segments, good extras. 3 stars.
"Zombie Nightmere" comes from season six, with Mike joining the bots in the Satellite and in the theater.
Boy does this cheesefest of a film provide the ammo. Pure 80's with huge hair, bad fashions and an all synthesized score, Zombie Nightmere amps up the wattage with some rockin' metal tunes that go to 11. You'd think you were in for some fun, especially when you see Adam West and Tia Carerre in the film.
After a strange prologue that looks to happen in the 80's version of the 60's, we follow a big muscled guy with a case of hockey hair around for a bit. He gets hit by a car and killed. Well, the jokers driving the car don't stop but continue on their merry way. These wicked teens are lead by one of the most annoying villains I've seen in a MST3K feature. He's such a bad boy that he throws pasta in his mother's face. Yeah, you read that right.
Anyway the beefy guy is brought back from the dead by a spaz-tastic voodoo priestess. He goes on the rampage, killing all those who wronged him. The police are on the case, but the young detective is too fooling to figure out the truth. Adam West plays the police chief who may have something to hide.
Mike and bots have so much to work with in this one and it's a pretty hilarious episode from beginning to end. Things slow up a bit when the detective comes nosing around, but Adam West usually shows up to make things more interesting. The Zombie is slow and non-threatening. The teens in the movie are pretty bad actors (even Tia), and the script tries to throw a curveball but it ends up hitting the batter. At least someone get's dragged into hell at the end of the film..
The extra on this disc is an interview with two cast members from the film and how they feel about the MST3K treatment and what they are up to now. These guys are pretty good sports about the whole thing and it's a fun extra.
Great movie, good host segments, good extras: 4 stars
"Racket Girls" is the final film in the set. It opens with a short film, "Are you Ready for Marriage". This black and white film follows the adventures of a young couple who think they are ready to be married. They go to their local church for advice and are quickly assaulted by a guy who could be a relative of H.P. Lovecraft. His advise is actually sound, even if his graphs, dolls and rubber bands are really silly.
The feature is a bizarre exploitation film about woman's wrestling. There is some kind of plot about a criminal underworld, but mostly that takes back seat to scenes of women wrestling (three matches, and one of them featuring women in cat masks), women working out in a gym, and one woman jogging and jumping rope while her... assets bounce all over the screen. Make no mistake this movie is all about having women bounce around and writhe all over each other. The only problem is, it's not the least bit erotic or shocking - at least to modern audiences. Sure you feel dirty watching it, but only because the movie has a kind of grime all over it.
It also is pretty dull. The whole story about the criminals making deals and sneaking around is boring. The poor acting and stupid script are worthy of Ed Wood Jr., and I was shocked to see he wasn't involved in this film.
As dull as the movie is, Mike and the bots attack full bore with riffs flying fast and furious. When they connect, they are right on and funny as hell. They keep the energy going, even when the movie slows to a crawl and it really helps to bring you along through it. After a while the wrestling scenes become funny because they never end. The looped crowd noise becomes a joke instead of an annoyance. The feeble attempts at a plot are just more pathetic and easier to riff. In a way it reminds me of "Red Zone Cuba" or "Starfighters". If you enjoyed the vibe from those films and how Mike and bots handled it, then you'll be on board for this one.
The extras include a trailer for the film (using it's other name, "Blonde Pickup") and a trailer for something called "Hamlet ADD", that features vocal work from Trace and Kevin.
Great Short, Good Movie, Great Host segments, Good extras. 4 stars.
When it's all said and done you've got a good set here. Two three star discs and two four star discs round up to a solid four star box set. A fan can't really go wrong here, with "Zombie Nightmere" being a really great episode. I've seen mixed fan reaction to "Girl on Lover's Lane" (some people are really bothered by the ending) and "Racket Girls" (some people find the movie too dull). But I'll be watching all three again. Another great set from Shout Factory.
"A guy in a leather jacket with his butt on fire... they'll never notice that!" - Rating: 4/5
Introduction
Another release of MST3k DVDs and another set of four bad movies to suffer through. In this iteration, the films break three to one on the dull dreariness vs. goofy fun scales. Fortunately, the riffing and mocking from Joel/Mike and the bots are more than up to the task of making the movies bearable and, indeed, fun.
THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY (1957)
(with short: an episode of the serial, COMMANDER CODY AND THE RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON)
A note to any budding young directors out there: just because you tell your story primarily by borrowing the flashback technique from CITIZEN KANE, it does not make you Orson Welles (although the goofiness of your film's title should also be a hint). AZTEC MUMMY is the story of a band of hapless archaeologists who happen upon and then disturb a cursed, supernatural corpse. This plot necessitates far too many badly-lit scenes in a crummy underground Aztec temple set.
As for the battle promised by the title, it comes far far too late in the proceedings to liven up the movie. The actual mummy monster is fairly well-realized for the time and combines decent makeup and good costuming. This makes for a nice contrast with the robot costume which neglects to provide the robot with knee joints.
This episode (only the second of the nationally broadcast episodes of MST3k on the Comedy Channel) marks the first time the mad sciences would place a short film before the main feature (Joel helpfully explains the concept of a weekly movie serial to Tom Servo). The short features the kind of odd logic and bizarre plot twists that make these little film snapshots so much fun. My opinion of this episode as a whole was much improved by a second viewing. I was more appreciative of the jokes which really perk up the proceedings. This is a very good thing, because this type of film molasses really needs something to liven it.
THE GIRL IN LOVERS LANE (1959)
This film features two main characters. The first is an aimless drifter. The second is his younger, dumber, richer protégé who he hopes to mentor in the ways of hobo-ness. Arriving in an absurdly typical small town, the pair are terrorized by the town's gangs, Jack Elam and romance.
THE GIRL IN LOVERS LANE is not a horrible movie; it comes across as a fairly banal and uninspired melodrama. The ending is a little distasteful, but I quite enjoyed Joel's attitude towards avoiding the unpleasantness by simply encouraging Tom and Crow to write their own concluding pieces of fanfic instead.
ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE (1986)
If you were ever to simply list all the elements that would make a film perfect for the MST3k treatment, then ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE would contain a large percentage of your list. It's set in the 1980s with a mostly teenage cast (which reminded me of the LASERBLAST AND HOBGOLBINS experiments). It stars Adam West and has Tia Carrere in one of her first film roles. And, almost as importantly, it's a really bad zombie movie that defies logic and common sense.
With a film that would be funny enough on its own, this episode becomes hilarious with the riffing -- especially in the second half once Adam West shows up. I think I laughed as much at the movie's utter ridiculousness as I did at the jokes from Mike and the bots. The host segments for this one are short, but to-the-point and great. And can anyone tell me why the crime scene investigator is doing a bizarrely inappropriate imitation of Walter Matthau?
RACKET GIRLS (1951)
(with short: ARE YOU READY FOR MARRIAGE?)
I wasn't a fan of early 1950s female wrestling exploitation films until my encounter with RACKET GIRLS; in fact, I wasn't aware that there was such a beast. But here it is, in all of its sweaty, boring glory.
What THE STARFIGHTERS did for endless, repetitive refueling sequences, RACKET GIRLS attempts the same for female wrestling. This would be a very hard film to watch in its original format simply because of how long and drawn out the wrestling scenes are. While the cast is made up of actual female wrestlers of the era (Peaches Page, etc), it's a shame that no one spent much time teaching them how to act outside of the ring.
Extras
The most interesting extra is a two part excerpt from the MST3k video scrapbook. Part One is a series of host segments from the KTMA days, when MST3k was just a show on a local television station. Part Two is a behind the scenes look at the writing and taping of the SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS experiment. Both sections are a lot of fun for fans. Personally, I most enjoyed watching the writers viewing the movie and coming up with gags, while asking each other for more references and clarifications. Interesting stuff.
Stinger
The fifteenth collection of MST3k DVDs (the third from Shout! Factory) leaves fans in good shape. The box set is nicely balanced between two Joel episodes and two Mike episodes; none of the selections is worse than average and the best are classics.
The Girl In Lovers Lane makes this one for me - Rating: 4/5
I guess if you put a gun to my head, I would have to admit that my favorite MSTs are the ones where the film is an overwrought b&w melodrama from the 1940s to the 1960s. One of my all time favorites episodes was I Accuse My Parents ("Here... stab this into your thigh!"), and The Girl In Lovers Lane is almost as good. When the lead character introduced himself as "Bix Dugan", even I heard him actually say "Big Stupid". Classic, priceless, and my personal pick for the shining star of this collection. I tend to appreciate the really early episodes (Robot vs. Aztec Mummy) more as a chance to see the early roots of the show before they really found their muse, rather than for actual laughs. And I often find it difficult to sit through godawful horse **** mid-80s tripe, even when the jokes are great (Zombie Nightmare). Haven't gotten around to watching Racket Girls yet... but apparently it's a ripe piece of cheese from 1951, so I expect I'll enjoy the hell out of it.
Thank you sir I'll have another. - Rating: 5/5
Great as always. If you're a fan, buy it. If you know a fan, buy it for them. This is how we keep 'em coming. Get it?
? - Rating: 5/5
I love this show - it is truly 1 of my favoirites of All time. there's just 1 thing that happens every show that i have never been able to understand - "commercial sign/MOVIE SIGN" - What does that meeannnn???? Even after I finally deciphered what the heck it was that they were saying, i don't know if there's any definition that i'm not getting. it just doesn't make sense!!!
