It's Not Your Older Brother's ICWXP, But Still Funny

If you miss the days of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in its original form, namely seeing a guy and two robots mock bad cinema while dealing with some intergalactic problem or other, those days are back.

Rikk Wolf and his movie-riffing epic, Incognito Cinema Warriors XP, has returned for a second season with a new DVD that was released this week. While Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic are both content with MST3K alumni mocking movies, good and bad, young and old, without a B-plot in between the movie segments, ICWXP revives the old MST3K version with its own mix of comedy and lousy movies.

For the uninitiated, the jist: Rikk is a soldier named Commander Rick Wolf who's trapped in a zombie apocalypse that has nothing to do with The Walking Dead. He finds refuge in an abandoned movie house where he finds two robots, Johnny Cylon (Zach Legler) and TopsyBot 5000 (Nick Evans, 3rd guy to do this). Anywho, they were forced to watch bad movies sent to them by a mad scientist, but he got replaced by Kincaid, an evil agent from the Ludivoco Corporation who had his own evil iPhone. Now HE'S gone (maybe), and the theater sends its unholy films automatically. A comic book based on the show will be produced to explain what happened. The Satellite of Love never did that.

Apparently there was a five year gap between the fourth DVD and the new one, and Rick doesn't remember what happened, although it did involve battling zombies finally. He was also put in an evil chair where he was forced to riff on Bride of the Gorilla, the first movie of the series.

Once he gets cleaned up, Rick and the bots are back riffing. They first see an Alka-Seltzer commercial that features a pie-eating contest and is described as "the Morbidly Obese Olympics". Then, they see a short about Victory Gardens, which is duller than the dirt the garden grows on. Rikk says in the audio commentary they had to add music to make it easier to watch. Some of the choice riffs:

The short is about the Holder Family and their Victory Garden from 1942. The son is named Dick.

Cylon: So his name is Dick Holder. Ouch!

After some more tips on how to grow a garden...

Rick: Yes, soon you'll be wishing you were old enough to be drafted

A couple more from Rick:

Why, just look at this nutritious crop of crabgrass
Farming's a breeze with your Hitler Youth Pocket Knife.

They get pretty bored after a while (Cylon: How about instead of this we just go bomb Hiroshima?), and instead come up with the names of Professional Eating Teams. The Chicago Oprah Thighs and the Buffalo Wild Wings were very popular.

Afterwards, the gang is greeted by a strange image who calls itself Bottomless Epiglottis. Whoever it is hates Ludivuco ("the enemy of my enemy is my...frenemy"), and wants them to help it bring them down. It helps the guys find a back-up back-up back-up back-up generator to keep the theater going. They also meet a new robot called Flux Namtani (Dave Thompson), who has the ego of Buzz Lightyear.

We also get a preview of the next DVD, which apparently features an intruder being attacked by a super-snowblower. It's called "Where's Your Big Bad Apocalypse Now?"

The extras are also pretty good. You see the whole show with commentary by Rikk and newcomer Nick Evans. They talk about how much work goes into the show, and they also thank the fans for keeping this show together. They even mention a few fans who want the show on Adult Swim. However, with the recent success of online shows, The Guild and Dr. Horrible especially, who needs networks? There's also behind-the-scenes stuff about the new set and Cylon getting legs. We also see Rick re-riff the first five minutes of Bride of the Gorilla, apparently while he was in that chair.

While the show will only riff on educational shorts for now, they do plan to go back to full-length features. They even plan a season finale, and let's hope Kincaid will be around for that. In the show's forum, it was mentioned the original actor, Gregory Wyatt Tinnen, couldn't make it for the new season.

You can learn more about the show, and buy DVDs and event direct downloads at www.icwxp.com. For those who are a little impatient for new Cinematic Titanic DVDs, the return of Rikk and the gang is more than enough to satisfy your movie riffing needs. Welcome back, guys!

Wondercon Heads South

San Francisco is usually Nerd Central every Spring, because it's Wondercon season. I loved going here because it's easier to get to than Comic-Con, and it's in my neck of the woods.

Well, in 2012, that will change. Wondercon is headed to Anaheim around St. Patrick's Day weekend. With the beer flowing, and NCAA March Madness about to emerge, it would be a heck of a time to have the event.

Now, I've been to the Anaheim Convention Center when I went to one of those Wizard World cons. It wasn't too bad, but it had less events compared to Wondercon. You also had to walk a mile and a half to get to a grocery store. You were surrounded by other hotels, chain restaurants and Disneyland. If only there was a Ralph's.

Hotel prices weren't too bad, if you stayed for a weekend. I'd need four days: three for the con and an extra day to get use from my Universal Studios Annual Pass. If I suddenly got a Disneyland pass, I'd reconsider. Also, there's only one multiplex at Downtown Disney. That's not a big problem, since Wondercon used one multiplex, too.

To afford this, I will have to make some sacrifices. I was thinking about going to the annual Doctor Who convention in February, but that is now out the window.
Of course, I could skip this con and save all my cash for Comic-Con, but that wouldn't be a wise idea. The con would be an ideal spot to start the buzz for The Avengers, especially since Joss Whedon is directing. The Cabin In The Woods, also a Joss production, would be a month off. There's The Hunger Games a week after the con, Dark Shadows, Men In Black 3, and Battleship. It would be wise to be there, especially if they throw in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I should be there, and I hope to add an extra day for my Universal Studios pass. If I can squeeze in a quick L-A trip in December, especially if Southwest Airlines has another cheap air sale, I can adjust.

I've also learned that Wondercon will go back to San Francisco in 2013. It's just that I've been used to going there every fall for this event, it will be quite different to be in the same con but about 425 miles south. I would skip this, but the new location will make it easier for the movie studios to start summer buzz with this event, especially since Joss will be involved, too. So, I gotta go!

Well, March is still two seasons away, but I should be thinking about it.

Broken Stars On The Walk of Fame

This isn't exactly news but more of a tourist observing that one of Hollywood's most popular attractions isn't perfect.
It started when I looked for Neil Patrick Harris' new star on the Walk of Fame.



It's between the Frolic Room and the Pantages Theater.
While walking around, I noticed not all the stars are shining as bright as they should be. I know the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce knows about this, and it takes big bucks to make sure all of the stars are in good shape. Still, it's a sad sight to see broken stars, like Michael Landon...



I'm guessing construction work caused this problem, but what about this star of Rodney Dangerfield? No respect, after all these years? Not cool...



or the star of The Three Stooges...



This is the star for Arthur Kennedy. You can barely see which category his star was from. This is probably due to millions of people walking over it over the years.



Still, there is hope: I saw this guy making sure the star of actress Hillary Brooke stays shiny. She may not have been as well-known as the others, but she's important enough for this guy...



In fact, she takes care of a lot of stars every day. I saw him the next monting hard at work near Hollywood and Vine.

There's also a piece of game show heaven: Allen Ludden and Betty White's stars, side by side.



For the most part, the Walk of Fame is in good shape, honoring the best in entertainment properly. A little more maintenance would be great, but I am sure that is being planned. Meanwhile, there is the sign of a coming attraction, like this one at Hollywood and Highland



For the record, Melissa Etheridge will be on that spot. let's hoe a fan will keep her star shiny in the future.

My Talk Show Double-Header

Usually, a person has to make a choice when heading to Warner Brothers: either attend a taping for Ellen DeGeneres at 4 PM or Conan at 4:30.
Tough choice. Not today, I got to see both. Thanks, Ellen.

For the first time in six years, she decided to do a live show at 11 AM to talk about the Emmys, and basically hang out with Harry Connick Jr. Makes sense. She was concerned about the temptation to swear...and fell into it a couple of times. So did Harry, basically because he objected to a couple of things she wrote about him in her new book coming next month. They had a guy with a delay button, but he may not have made it on time. Of course, if Ellen did this on cable, she wouldn't need a delay button. Just ask Conan.

Aside from that, it was a great show. They threw in a live interview with Emmy Prom Winner Melissa McCarthy, coming soon to SNL. Ellen liked doing a live show, and may do it again...and she should. Now that Oprah has retired, someone has to do a post-Oscar show at the Kodak or El Capitan. Why not Ellen? Do that for the Grammys and Golden Globes, too.

After that, I walked down Forest Lawn Drive to head to gate 8 to get my Conan ticket. I had so much time left I walked to get a Subway sandwich.The show was unusual. First, I got a FRONT ROW SEAT! I got a great view of Conan in the monologue, but got blocked by cameras once we got to the guests.

No matter. This was pretty unusual because it revealed a deep, dark secret: they tape guests out of sequence, just like other talk shows. That's why I had to see tonight's show to see how Ryan Gosling really did when they taped the interview a few days ago. I am ticked off I wasn't there, because he was weird...in a good way. Especially when he accused Disney of breeding a new species of cats. He also gave Conan a replica of the jacket he wore in Drive. It was too small for Conan. Gosling will get Oscar buzz by interviews alone, especially how he did with Conan.

So who did we see instead of Ryan? Taylor Lautner, who taped his interview for Abduction a week early. He was OK, but what really made the interview was a clip from a movie he made when he was 8. Imagine Tayor as a male version of Hanna, eight years old, taking down a nasty bald guy twice his size..and yet he smiles like an eight year old. Funny! It airs next Monday.
This was also the second time I saw him with Conan. The first time was at the Tonight Show two years ago.

Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls was actually pretty good, especially when she chided Conan for staring at her breasts, and delivered a killer Britney Spears impersonation.

So, after three days, I have seen celebrities, a very good movie and two talk shows. Not bad. Tuesday is Universal Studios, Kimmel with Simon Cowell, and a social media mixer. Wednesday is the last day when anything I want, including buying new Guild stuff, and maybe being at a red carpet.

Drive, he said..is what you should see

It makes sense that a quarter mile away from the Regal L-A Live Theater, you'd see a really big billboard for what may be the hottest film around. In this case, the movie would have been more effective than the billboard.
Ryan Gosling has been many things from a romantic lead in The Notebook to a ladies' man in Crazy Stupid Love. He was even Young Hercules a long time ago.

That's why seeing him in Drive will blow your mind. He is a driver for hire. You have him for five minutes, no questions asked, whether it's being part of a robbery or even doing a movie stunt. He's a man of few words, bit he is focused and intense. Just look at the opening scene, where he tries to hide from the cops after a robbery. There's a good reason why he's paying close attention to the Clippers game on the radio. The camera also looks at the back of his jacket, a scorpion embroidered in gold. It is symbolic of what he is: cool and collective until it's time to act.

He crosses paths with Irene, a young mom played by Carey Mulligan. It seems her role isn't that much, but she is also conflicted about things. Her husband is about to leave prison, and she wonders if they can be a real family again. It's safe to say Ryan, known only as The Driver, is keeping an eye on them.

The Driver also has hopes for the future. He and a fellow mechanic named Shannon (Bryan Cranston) hope to get into NASCAR, and figure the Driver can do it for them. They get help from a local hood played by Albert Brooks. Now, forget Brooks' comedies. He ca play a real bad-ass guy you don't want to make angry.It's amazing he never got a chance at this before. It's quite a journey how he starts as a possible sponsor for the Driver's dreams, and winds up as his enemy. He's an easy Oscar nominee only because he does a great job here.

Anyway, the Driver decides to help Irene's husband with a robbery to get him away from the hoods that are threatening him. Everything goes wrong, and it happens so suddenly you'll wonder what happened. That's the thing about this movie: when people get killed, it's done very quickly and very suddenly.

Another unforgettable scene happens in an elevator where the Driver and Irene kiss while a suspicious looking guy is with them. You will not believe what happens after that, but it defines who the Driver is, in every way.

This is a fantastic crime movie that may seem slow, but once something happens, you won't forget it.

I had a chance to see Drive in the "Premiere Cinema" section, which I guess is the "big room" at the L-A Live Multiplex. Still, the #2 screen is also very big and comfortable. So, that's how I spent my first day in Los Angeles. I'll have a busy Sunday and Monday for different reasons, but I expect them to be enjoyable.