Time For Fund Another Season of MST3K

 

Last Christmas, we gave MST our heart
But Joel, Emily and Jonah (and Pearl) all ran away
This year, they expect us to pay
For just one more season, season, season.

Just one more? NO WAY!
We'll shut up and keep paying for this, especially if we get value.
OK, of course, they'll all come back somehow like the guy who tried to escape from Squid Game, and it's back to cheesy movies, the worst we can find, etc.
My hopes are that MegaSynthia gets a lot more coherent (like Synthia did), and we find out Cabal is a fraud but points out his ideas did work.
Oh, and he shoves Kinga and Max into the theater for a reel, and turns out they're a little too good at this riffing thing. 

This time, Joel and company will forsake Kickstarter and do it themselves. It started the week before Halloween, and will run until the day after Thanksgiving. It's a good choice of dates. 
As usual, the more people contribute, the more shows they make. The minimum goal is $4.2 million, which means six movies, six shorts and 18 restored episodes. The maximum is $7.4 million which gets 12 movies, 12 shorts and 36 (!) restored episodes. Maybe by then they can come up with a way to keep The Final Sacrifice available to all

Here's a video to explain more:

The perks are also available, especially knit caps, pins and t-shirts. They also have a new company who's better at shipping stuff. They are also offering special perks where your name is included in the credits or you can attend a class in riffing. 

Actually, considering the costs and value of the perks, it's still a good deal. Remember, those who got the full one-year pass got the shows, shorts, and post-movie interviews which were better than the movie. The chance for people who made the next MST targets explain themselves is priceless. Imagine if Hal Warren had to explain his movie.

This show will be 35 years old in a month (although it says that happens next year, but only as a national show. At least it exists!), It deserves to hit middle age.
Please give!
Oh, and here's the link as well. 

MST in 3-D: History in the Making, and Season 13 Is Now The Best

 

Back in the 50's, movie studios thought 3-D movies will get people back in theaters and away from that %@#&!! TV set, or at least Bonanza.

It got people interested, but it didn't last. It's still around thanks to Real 3-D, but it's not a common way to see movies.

It's even tougher to pull off on over-the-air or even streaming TV. You need those special red/blue glasses to get the full effect. Usually the movie that's shown is either Robot Monster or Creature From The Black Lagoon. Even Svengoolie tried a 3-D show with Revenge of the Creature in 1982, while the Super Bowl tried something similar in a halftime show in 1989. Then it discovered pop stars. 

Not too long ago, Kinga Forrester went insane! She vowed that she, too, can show a terrible movie in 

3-D, and it will be brilliant. THEY'LL SEE! THEY'LL SEE!
And what do you know....

This is clearly the show's greatest feat, showing the 1961 Canucksplotation film The Mask in 3-D, and doing a fairly good job of it. They not only presented fairly good 3-D effects, but went one step further. More on that later.

The story is about psychiatrist named Alan who is obsessed with an ancient mask that, when worn, doesn't turn you into an annoying version of Jim Carrey. It does show shocking visions (even for 1961) that may reflect the wearer's inner thoughts. In this case, they are very disturbing indeed. They feature a shocking ritual and a dark hellscape. Despite pleas by Alan's fiancee and a bland but still competent detective, Alan is overcome by the mask. He even threatens one of his patients.

The movie itself is on YouTube, and a couple of people have made reviews. Still, MST's new version is clearly the best. If you can, go to gizmonic.com and rent it. It'll be available for purchase by mid-November. Here's some samples. 

The host segments included a way to wear four masks at once, and variations of the Ouija game. After that, Jonah and the bots do some trick or treating, featuring Max and Synthia (who seems to be a Tom Atkins fan). 

There's also a spoof on Monster Mash, where the monsters can't attend the Halloween bash (but might be available at Thanksgiving), and noir therapy.

This, however, is the money shot:  MST making its own 3-D host segment despite low budgets and COVID limitations. IT IS BRILLIANT! It also guarantees it will be around for a while. 

By the way, even the papermations and the "intros" were in 3-D. Here's a picture of that

The post-game show was also fantastic, with the crew with their own costumes By the way, Emily is not Little Orphan Annie going blonde. Not only is it funny, but gives some footage of how they pulled off the 3-D host segment. It better be in the DVD sets next Spring. 
By the way, the Gizmoplex site has the complete episode with post-game show in 2D and 3D. Audio problems reported by the fans have been fine-tuned.

This confirms that season 13 may be the best one ever. Considering it had to show episodes as a boutique streaming service, and make them under COVID limits and a smaller budget, it has done a damn good job. Maybe we'll have to wait a long while for new episodes (like Andor and House of the Dragon), but the wait will be worth it after a season like this.

Now, riff time...

first, a visual riff for baseball fans

                                      
                                                                 Dock Ellis with the pitch...

A guy who apparently wore the mask is about to attack his date
I'm coming to get you,  Barbara

"And did he have any friends or relatives?"
Does a Sailor Moon body pillow count?

Alan unwraps the mask when it's sent to him in a package
Got your mail again, Nicholas Cage

"Do you know Dr. Barnes (Alan)?"
He sang Fish Heads.

In the vision, a man walks wearing a mask
It's Franken-David Byrne

Alan's fiancee tries to reason with him. "Sorry to barge in this way"
I'm a bit of a She-Hulk (when was this riffed?)

There's also riffs on Halloween 3, Jordan Peele, Mars Attacks, 3rd Bass, Whitesnake, and Sherman-Williams. 

Fans won't have to wait long for the next new show. Joel (and Emily's bots) will take on The Bubble, about a strange small town invaded by aliens (we think). All we know is one of the guys from the Mod Squad is in it. It'll be shown on Veteran's Day, or two weeks before the MST High Holy Days.
It's getting close to the end, too, so if there are any secrets that should be revealed (like who is Kabahl REALLY?), we may be close. 

Kinga's Revenge: MST3K's Christmas Gauntlet

In the not too distant future...maybe sometime before Christmas...

Kinga and Max want to get revenge on Jonah for locking them into that other theater he made for them after the Gauntlet, so they'd know what it's like to riff bad movies.
Sure, they were able to get out after an hour thanks to the Boneheads' safe-cracker skills, but were also surprised what movies were riffed. Then, they willingly saw all those movies while the tour was going on.
Sure, Max was a good riffer and Kinga learned she could do it, too.
Still, they're crazy movie tormentors, and they just had to strike back...especially her.

"Time for a little payback, Jonah," Kinga announces from Moon 13 to Jonah, Crow and Servo at the Satellite of Love one day in December. "Behold the CHRISTMAS GAUNTLET!!! Six examples of cinematic horror for the holidays, and there is no..."
"Wait," Jonah says, "we only have three Christmas movies in MST's history, four if you count 'Jack Frost'"
"Well, I don't," Kinga grunted. "It's a dumb winter Cinderella story."
Hands on hips, with hair bones sharper than her mind, she wonders how she can have a gauntlet with three movies.
Then Synthia shows up. "You know," she tells Kinga, "we could steal from the library of our arch enemies."
"Don't say the R word, I keep telling you that," Kinga yells. "I hate those guys over there, Nelson, his fat friends and chirpy wife, Granny Pearl working over there, too. OK, look over what they have, and give me a list. We've done that the past two years, so what's the difference?"
"Will do."
"I'll deck your halls with nightmare-filled boughs of horror, Heston. You'll pray for death via Yule Log!" You'll beg for Hallmark Channel movies! YOU'LL KNOW DEEP HOLIDAY HURTING!!!", as Kinga leaves laughing maniacally.
"Yes, Heston," Synthia says, "you'll suffer. Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...OK, she's gone."
Jonah is puzzled, "Synthia, whose side are you on?"
"My side, of course. I am Pearl 2.0, when I want to be."
"What are you saying?", Servo asks.
"Well, we'll give Kinga her Gauntlet, but you can help out. You know plenty about MST's history, and I know a lot about Rifftrax. We can come up with a list that'll please Evil Pebbles over there, but don't let on. We are still tour buddies, after all."
"Thanks, tour buddy," Crow says.
"OK," Synthia says, "but let's make sure it seems evil"
"That may not be a problem," Jonah says. "I think Rifftrax has holiday movies about as creepy as the ones we've seen."

With that, Kinga got two Gauntlets, the one she gave Jonah, Crow and Servo, and the second one after the first one didn't cause enough harm.

1. Santa Claus (MST Version)

This was the first exposure for most to a Mexican movie that features Santa, who doesn't play a big part in the holiday season down there. Still, it's an odd look on how he prepares for Christmas Eve with kids instead of elves, and his showdown with Pitch, a devil that's a bit too greasy. Santa hopes to bring a doll to a poor little girl, and teach the parents of a rich boy that Christmas should include their son. The host segments include a nice holiday song, the famous JOIKE sweater and a family reunion that doesn't work out

2. Rifftrax Christmas Shorts-stravaganza

This holiday treat from 2009 was the first big theater event that led to its ten-year run of riffing movies nationwide. It includes some strange holiday shorts, including Christmas from the point of view of the tree, and a pre-Rankin/Bass version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This includes Kevin's famous flub that derailed the riff and made it better.

3. Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, Rifftrax (Thumbelina version)

If there's a holiday version of Manos, this is it. We see elves singing while making toys, blissfully unaware Santa's stranded on a hot Florida beach because his reindeer flew away. It's hard to say which is more absurd: his song about his plight, or what the kids try to do to get him off the ground.
Then he stops to tell the story of Thumbelina, as dramatized at a long-forgotten amusement park called Pirates World. This was made by Barry Mahon, who also made some racy movies along with "Rocket Attack USA" (riffed on MST in 1990).
After the story, Santa gets rescued by the not-at-all known Ice Cream Bunny, complete with fire engine. Part of its route is, of course, Pirates World. Santa's Christmas is saved, which may explain why his sleigh disappears at the end. By this time, so has the audience.

4. Christmas That Almost Wasn't (MST3K, 2017)

Of course, the current series should be represented. It's about Santa facing homelessness because he can't pay the rent, and his landlord, Mr. Prune, is meaner than Scrooge. Santa actually has to get a job being, well, himself at a department store, but Prune rigs it so Santa will be without a home. A bunch of kids save the day by stealing the ending of another holiday movie.
The host segments include Kinga being about as un-cheery as you can get. Santa does show up (although he looks suspiciously like Joel Hodgson).

5. Santa's Village of Madness  (Rifftrax, 2014)

This trio of shorts features a bunch of animal mascots who supposedly live with Santa on the North Pole. They were actually part of K. Gordon Murray's kid's movies back in the 1960's. There's a slight connection with the Santa Claus movie Murray imported to the USA.
What's interesting about the shorts is that they have the exact same opening credits. Only the titles are different, if not the plots. They were actually made at Santa's Village parks in the Midwest and Califonia. The third short is maybe the strangest, because the "writers" decided at the last minute to threaten Santa with an ogre that's off-camera. Its defeat is also off-camera but the closing song would have also defeated the ogre because it is THAT painful to hear.

6. Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (MST3K)

The one, the only, the original. As Santa preps for his Christmas ride, some people from Mars want to kidnap him because apparently Christmas cheer is needed there, too, Two kids from Earth get involved, of course, along with a goofy comedy relief named Droppo.
However, it's the host segments that make it a classic, including "Patrick Swayze Christmas"and Joel and the Bots reading essays about Christmas and Gypsy getting the true meaning without a word.

After this Gauntlet dented but didn't defeat Jonah and the Bots, Kinga is about to give them Hallmark Channel movies. However, she's interrupted by a big hulking guy in chains.
"Oh, no, Marley's Ghost has come to....wait, I don't know anyone named Marley," she says. "Donna, is this one of yours?"
"Sorry," Dr. Donna St. Phibes says. "He's Murray from 'The Brain That Wouldn't Die.' You  know, the guy Dr. Cortner was building in his transplant experiments."
"Yes, I remember," Kinga says, "I notice his face is still tied to the back."
"Well, I think he wanted to scare you after seeing the Christmas Carol movie with Alistair Sim."
"Murray also sorry," Murray says (yeah, he can talk now after more than 50 years). "Murray wonders what Kinga got against those guys."
"Hey, it's what I do. Take him away, Donna," Kinga says. "He's the man in your life, not who I suspect you want."
"Oh, what do you mean?", Donna says, obviously being cagey. She leaves, but Kinga seems to hear something from Murray that hints he may be playing dumb, too.
"Well, it seems you're familiar with these movies," Kinga says to Jonah. "So here's another Gauntlet for you guys. I can guarantee you a couple of these selections will give you slightly deep hurting. Some of the others are alternate versions of what you just saw."

The second gauntlet begins with...

1. Santa Claus (Rifftrax Live version)

Kinga thinks Jonah and the bots get an extra jab by showing them the uncut movie, which includes more of Lupita's dream where some Raggedy Anitas try to tempt her into stealing a doll, and a lot of padding that's mainly Merlin trying to walk across the room.
It's preceded by one of those "At Your Fingertips" shorts, where this time kids are advises to mold sugar into many shapes. Basic Diabetes bombs.

2. Bridget and Mary Jo Christmas (Rifftrax)

Kinga wasn't eager to give the guys this selection, but she hopes the shorts will do some damage. Bridget Nelson and Mary Jo Pehl celebrate the holidays in their own special way with holiday images. The first one features a Castle Films version of "Scrooge"with Alistair Sim, Dean Martin singing, and "The Little Lamb" and how it gave Jesus his first gift.
The second version has a short about carving turkey that includes Harvey Korman plus some commercials and home movies given to them from a prop maker named Beez

3. I Believe In Santa Claus (Rifftrax)

When Kinga discovered this 1984 film from France (thanks to Synthia's "help"), she was certain it would be worse than Christmas That Almost Wasn't. She's right, because it's about a young boy who wants his parents to be with him at Christmas. One problem: they've been kidnapped by African terrorists, and the government isn't eager to get them back.
Thanks to the fool-proof method of wishing really hard, the boy along with a young girl wind up in Finland to ask Santa to save them. He also gets a Christmas fairy named Mary Ellen to help him, and she looks suspiciously like the boy's teacher. Santa and Mary Ellen transport themselves to Africa, and they look totally ridiculous in the desert.
Since this is a holiday movie, of course the boy and his family are reunited.

4. Nestor, the Long-Eared Donkey (Rifftrax)

So how did Rifftrax get this holiday special that Kinga is certain she saw when she was young?
Well, it's kind of a variation of the Rudolph story, except it stars a donkey who had very long ears but they come in handy when it helps Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. The song was co-written by Gene Autry a couple of years before (same guy who sung "Rudolph"). It aired on ABC back in the '70s and '80s but clips of it can be found in YouTube. You can find it on DVD.
The reason why it may not be seen on TV is because it's kind of dark in the first half, since Nestor is mainly on his own in his journey.

5. Rifftrax Christmas Circus

This was an easy choice for Kinga, after taking one look at Whizzo, the star of the holiday special. It's a filmed version of the TV show he had in the 60's in Kansas City. Rather than try to describe the movie, which somehow involves a magic carpet and a time machine, here's a review.
It's preceded with a short about the short life of Christmas trees, and they have faces!

6. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (Cinematic Titanic)

This is where Kinga starts to suspect she's been tricked by Synthia, who suggested this last movie.
Kinga isn't happy to see Mary Jo riffing in this movie, or Trace and Frank either. She wonders if it's really Pearl, Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank under assumed names. She's also puzzled seeing Dr. Erhardt there, too.
Still, she sends this movie to Jonah, figuring showing him this movie twice, but with different riffs, could throw him off. It doesn't.

When both gauntlets are done, Kinga fumes at Synthia.
"I should have known you would turn against me, Synthia," she says.
"Hey, I'm a clone of Pearl," she says," What did you expect?"
"Working with Jonah, too? C'mon"
"Well, these gauntlets don't really work because fans did these things when we weren't around.
Face it, Kinga, you can keep this experiment going, Netflix willing, but it won't be like the old days."
"Yeah, Synth?", Kinga says, "Tell that to some of the viewers from the old days. I am glad the newbies like us fine."
"Just hope Netflix will still want us, if not Daredevil."
"Well, better Netflix than....that third-rate David Blaine who made a fool of me"
"I know. Merry Christmas."

Kinga calls Jonah, scowls at him for a minute and yells, "BAH HUMBUG!"
"Hey, I apologize for surviving the gauntlets."
"You should! Stay away from Donna, too. She's bad news...for someone.....and....well, I should still say this, Merry Christmas, guys."
"Thank you," Jonah says."Merry Christmas to you too."
"Just remember, you're not getting a happy new year from me. After all, there's always movie sign...
I hope"
After that, she pushed the button.

MST3K Live In San Francisco: It's the Brain Game

Waiting 18 months for a new season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 is tedious, waiting almost that long to see Joel and Jonah up close and personal was tough, too.

Finally, I got to the Warfield for my first visit to San Francisco in five years. Lots have changed, and the sidewalk feces problem wasn't that bad. Actually, I was surprised the lower level was just chairs and the upper section all plush seats. Also, where else can you see this in the ceiling:

Dressed as Dr. Erhardt (remember him?), I was at the pre-show Q and A where people asked Joel about his favorite episode, and how mocking movies turned out to be a gold mine. I asked how he compared doing a tour than one-night stands from the Cinematic Titanic days.He said the MST shows are more complex, and it took a while to get it right. Jonah joined in and admitted he was a Fruity Pebbles fan.

The structure of the show was different, too, Without having Kinga and Max to mock Jonah, Crow and Servo from the Moon (something about meeting their price), Synthia  could do anything she wanted, and it made for an interesting show. They threw in some local jokes about traffic and the Mayor. They also had to "drive in" through something that was not Phil Coulson's Lola.

After Jonah had his invention, which was a stink cannon that fired flawless smoke rings:

Synthia turned the experiment into a game show. Maybe Kinga has no idea how the live show is coming along. Then again, she has her own game show for Jonah called
"Season 12: The Gauntlet" around Thanksgiving. I wouldn't be surprised if  Syn pushes Kinga out eventually, but shows she isn't an exact clone of Pearl.

.
Anyway, the movie was The Brain, which is about a brain that came from...somewhere...hoping to control all of mankind with the help of a guy who's not Phil Donahue. The only hope is some prankster who's somewhere between John Travolta and John Stamos, and relies on his girlfriend to do his homework. It doesn't help that there's lot of deaths, and Jim gets accused of all of them thanks to the Brain hypnotizing the town with little effort.  The full version is on YouTube, but the MST version doesn't include bare breasts and the more gory deaths.

As shown here, it starts with only Jonah and Joel riffing. Eventually, The gang was split between Team Red (Joel and Servo) and Team Yellow (Jonah and Crow) and they competed for points. For the record, Joel won, but it's likely the results differed depending on the venue. It's a great idea to vary the experiment, even if it's only for live shows. The point is, the public wants the best in vindictive movie commentary. This show delivered.

Here's a very good picture of the gang...

and the first official look at Dr. Donna St. Phibes (any takers she's a frantic frenemy of Kinga's back in Evil Scientist School?). Apparently her specialty is caring for B-movie monsters, like this one.

She was also a close friend of Jan in the Pan from "Brain That Wouldn't Die".

Dr. Donna was a big hit with the crowd, especially when she let the Brain  possess her so it could tell its side of the movie. Sadly, it didn't explain how it was born.
One thing's for sure, she looks like she's about to take the most evil free-throw.

As we said, the riffing style was done differently, probably after re-tooling the show throughout the tour. At one point, they had to riff sound effects. That's why the bots said "Bang" a lot when the cop tried to arrest Jim the Joker and his girlfriend Janet but kept aiming his gun at them while he handcuffed them. They also had to come up with names of perfumes Chanel and Calvin Klein would never make, like "Corridor" or "Tight Squeeze."

Some of the more interesting riffs...

A woman watches "Independent Thinking", the show the Brain uses for world conquest
Oh, they cast the new Roseanne

Jim arrives to school in his car
Why is the new kid driving Christine?

Some creepy male nurse named Varna shows up
Rowsdower?

The teens are chased by everyone at the complex where the Brain is, and leave via a very small door.
Narnia was crazy this time.

Jim has to come back to save Janet (of course) and they're still trying to avoid the Brain
The ultimate relationship test:  Ikea.

There are also riffs on Billy Idol, SNL, Molly Ringwald, SCTV and Soylent Green. There is also one late riff that wraps up the movie perfectly.

Finally, the full cast...

It's a pity the live shows aren't taped. It was great seeing the past and the present get together to keep the MST3K saga going. Hopefully, Netflix will fork over more bucks for future live shows, and maybe Kinga and Max will come in person to take over the live show...or maybe it takes THEM over?

Until then, fans will see if showing Jonah and his bots six lousy movies in a row will drive them nuts..or drive Kinga and Max nuts because they don't get the results they expect.
We'll find out November 22nd on Netflix.
By the way, it's the same day Kurt Russell is Santa Claus in another Netflix show. He can wait, but see that guy, too.

Stuffing or Potatoes? Nope! Feast on New MST3K Instead

Good news! Jonah Heston survived the "wedding" that ended season eleven of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
After that, his fate is up in the air.

Netflix FINALLY revealed the show will have six new episodes on Thanksgiving, November 22nd, instead of the usual Friday release.

It was done because the show started on Thanksgiving 1988, so it was the perfect exception.
The start of season 12 will be the first fresh episode since April 14, 2017, or about 18 months. It's the longest period between shows since Comedy Central dumped the show in May 1996 and SyFy brought it back eight months later.
This also means the new six-pack will be unveiled after the live tour, which starts in less than two weeks and will run until just before the holidays.

The previous season ended when Kinga tried to "marry" Jonah just for the ratings. He hesitates, figuring he may not survive the reception. Actually, Max made a new friend by suddenly finding a metallic Reptilicus, and tells it to eat Jonah. She thinks Jonah was killed, but apparently only for a little while. Jonah does survive, but Kinga decides he must die (or suffer) via exposure to cheesy movies, the worst she can find (la-la-la).
The only question is how Max is not killed by Kinga over this. At least Clayton needed Frank as a friend/victim, and she doesn't see Max that way....but should. It's certain the Boneheads wouldn't put up with this.
We'll also see if Synthia has "matured" after being Pearl's clone for a while, There are signs in the comic book that she has.

Some photos were unveiled by the AV Club, which broke the news:

There's also this picture where Jonah confronts Kinga and Max, which is unheard of compared to the old days.

It seems to be set just after "At The Earth's Core", but it's safe to say while Jonah gets the drop on the Mads and their Boneheads, the bad guys'll figure out how to keep the experiment going. At least Waverly is rebuilt and he'll have a new friend.
Still, why a band? Will they take on "Don't Knock the Rock" or something like that?

The great thing is that fans can decide how long the annual Turkey Day marathon can last. It can be ten hours as it was at Shout Factory's website or YouTube in previous years, or four days if the NFL games are actually must-see. It's best to see the episodes in order, then maybe mix them up later. As Joel said at the Revival League podcast, he'll start the season with his second-best joke and finish it with his best joke, as stand-ups do.

Hopefully, the show will have a six-pack of cinematic sludge every six months, and ease eager fans.
Of course, MST fans have satisfied their bad movie heckling need thanks to Rifftrax. Wouldn't it be a good idea for Kinga to "wage war" with Rifftrax, but nothing comes of it for a while? Since "Pearl" is with Rifftrax now, at least we should have that.

Until then, the tradition resumes in the not too distant future, Thanksgiving A-D.

UPDATE:  Joel Hodgson just announced Shout Factory's annual MST3K Thanksgiving Marathon will be held on November 18, which is the final night of the live tour in Minneapolis. As usual, it'll have six classic shows.

FINALLY! Mystery Science Theater 3000 Will Return On Netflix in 2018

It is almost time.

Thousands of fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 switched off their computers, streaming sticks and tablets when the annual Turkey Day Marathon ended this past Thanksgiving. They missed a Rifftrax ad and a Shout Factory ad about new MST3K swag that's now available, including JOIKE sweatshirts.

Maybe they should have stuck around a little longer. Here's why:



That's right, guys. Netflix realized there is lots of room for Shonda Rhimes, Daredevil, young Queen Elizabeth and Stranger Things...and the Satellite of Love.
PRAISE THE LORD!

So, probably after next Easter or more likely around the summer, we will know what happened after Jonah was "eaten" by the Reptilicus Metallicus at the end of "At the Earth's Core" when Max had to stop Kinga from "marrying" Jonah for ratings. It's been all but confirmed the big worm has no stomach, so Jonah will be stuck there for a while. I'd be surprised Max isn't forced to take over for Jonah for a week or two, then he tries to do the same to Kinga. Then, eventually, it'll be back to normal.

What movies will be next aren't picked yet. It's hoped we'll see Lou Ferrigno as Hercules, since Shout Factory has those movies now. However, in this interview in Brooklyn Vegan, it's unlikely Argoman will also be on the list because it's considered a "concert film" kind of movie. That means it'll be tough to turn a live show movie into a regular episode. Maybe that also explains why "World Without End" wasn't chosen for a regular episode after it was also done live.

The point is, the saga of the third test case, Jonah Heston, will continue. How what happened at the end of season eleven will affect Kinga and Max, and whether we'll get ten or 13 episodes, is still up in the air. Still, having her shove Max into the SOL seems like a natural. Then again, we'll get something else, but we'll get something.

Thanks for pushing the button, Netflix.

MST3K Live Conquers Comic-Con

In the not too distant past, last Saturday A-D...
Mystery Science Theater 3000's live tour stopped off at the annual center of the pop culture universe known as San Diego Comic-Con. It was a big hit as both shows were slightly hotter tickets than Hall H on Marvel Day. That's pretty good, since they were competing with all the parties, screenings of Atomic Blonde, and a major Doctor Who bash.

Jonah Ray, Joel Hodgson and Felicia Day, along with lots of other cast members stopped by the Shout Factory booth to sign assorted things. Here's a look:

Clearly Jonah has a future in retail. since he accidentally sold several copies of Fargo.

As for the Saturday show, they had problems with the pre-recorded clips with Felicia and Patton Oswalt, but we could always pretend the feed from Moon 13 got scrambled a bit due to solar winds.
The live part with Synthia (Rebecca Hanson) and Terry the Bonehead worked much better.
UPDATE: Someone somehow got this recorded by iPhone or such...



Joel even appeared to announce there will be a comic book where the SOL gang will suddenly find themselves in bad comic books. They also lived up to the "Watch Out For Snakes Tour" name by shooting some really big snakes from a bazooka on some guy. At least they should have given him one to take home.

As for Netflix, still no word. That's odd, considering Comic-Con is the time for big news, like announcing certain shows will be back next year. Heck, it said all four Defenders will be back next year with new shows..and that The Punisher will even have his own show. It may be waiting until after the tour ends next month in Atlanta before we finally get the word.
Besides, Jonah didn't really...you know...at the end of season eleven, right? (If you don't know, that's what Netflix is for).

Also, since I had the "bronze" VIP level at a hundred bucks, I was supposed to get a VIP lanyard along with a tote bag and poster. Well, no lanyard, but I did get this...

May not be able to wear it, but it's a good consolation prize.
As for the souvenir stand, the snakes were pricey, but the t-shirts were reasonably priced along with the mugs and even pins. Chances are the choices will be different depending on the city. They also have a very nice photo book of the cast behind the scenes. Considering the tour is in its third week, it's impressive they got it out so quick.

So, what was the not-Eegah movie like?
Since the movie will be shown a few more times, we'll keep it vague. Let's say it involves a lot of Swinging Sixties stuff, constant changing of robes, and a completely stupid "plot". Oh, and it was interrupted a couple of times by a "Watch Out For Snakes" warning...but not long enough. We'll actually name the "movie" once the tour is done in a month. It's safe to say it's bound to appear in season 12.
The live segments were great, including a fashion show that even used Synthia and Terry quite well (this is not from San Diego, but this is what happened).



Maybe those two will turn on Kinga, or convince her there's a better way to make the experiment her cash cow....just as long as they don't use the word "Rifftrax".
Not only that, the Shout Factory booth showed trailers of upcoming movies the company will be selling soon. Two of them are Hercules movies with Lou Ferrigno. The first one, judging from this trailer, has got to be a guaranteed choice for season 12.

The live tour should be a success, but it should convince Netflix to give the Satellite of Love more episodes. After all, shouldn't Luke Cage, President Underwood or young Queen Elizabeth have a good laugh? MST3K would give them that.