What a way to celebrate Turkey Day than by finding out the titles for the next MST3K boxset, due out in March?
The titles are:
Episode 101 - The Crawling Eye
Episode 415 - The Beatniks (w/short "General Hospital Part 2")
Episode 910 - The Final Sacrifice
Episode 1005 - Blood Waters of Dr. Z
Your eyes do not deceive you! This set gives us the first nationally broadcast episode of the series, the episode that gave us "Shut up Iris", the infamous broadcast of ROWSDOWER!, and some creepy fish men.
In an interview a few months ago, a rep from Shout! Factory (the company now releasing the sets) said that obtaining the rights to release The Final Sacrifice were nigh impossible. So why is it here now? “Well, to be frank… We offered them more money.” Good plan.
MSRP: $64.99
Amazon: $45.49 (plus free shipping)
Release: December 1st
Episodes:
105 - The Corpses Vanishes (w/short "Commando Cody Part 3")
501 - Warrior of the Lost World
521 - Santa Claus
701 - Night of the Blood Beast (w/short "Once Upon A Honeymoon")
Cool Stuff:
- The limited edition set includes a Tom Servo figurine. I don't know how long they'll be selling this version, so I'd recommend pre-ordering it if you want the figure.
- Last year, we watched the Turkey Day version of Night of the Blood Beast in Movie Sign, which included different host segments pertaining to Thanksgiving. By popular demand, Shout! Factory is including both sets of host segments on the set, so depending on your mood, you could go the festive route or the normal road.
Extras:
- Interview with Warrior of the Lost World director David Worth
- "Santa Claus Conquers the Devil": A 50-Year Retrospective
- Santa Claus original radio spot
- Santa Claus still gallery
- Teaser for “Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray in Colorscope”
- Turkey Day ‘95 bumpers
- Original theatrical trailers
- 4 MST3K lobby cards
Verdict:
A very solid set, split half-and-half between Joel and Mike, though the season one episode might deter some folks. Still, it's worth having both Santa Claus and Night of the Blood Beast, plus the boatload of extras. Shout! Factory is doing a wonderful job on the boxset releases. And now with the Servo figurine, my Crow won't be so lonely.
The 'Main Movie Sign' trope as used in popular culture, with a list of examples from all media.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Read the full post »
It's a lazy afternoon and you need some entertainment. You figure, hey, why not pop in an episode of MST3K? It's high in fiber, low in fat, and tastes great with any beverage.
Problem: Where do you go?
Mystery Science Theater 3000 can possibly be credited for what we do today with anime - streaming, torrenting, downloading. In the days of the early internet and obscurity of the show, fans would "circulate the tapes" in order to spread the fun and get more people into it. People would literally mail tapes to one another across the country and around the world to expand their collection or get a hold of their favorites.
Nowadays, we have tricky copyright laws, and MST3K definitely falls into a strange middling ground. Although the series is being released on DVDs and collective boxsets, most of the show is still unavailable, and some episodes will never be released.
But what if you need your fix now? There are a few solutions:
YouTube: Don't count on this being your best bet anymore. In February of '09, Viacom, who at one point owned Comedy Central, did a massive sweep of nearly all MST3K episodes posted on the popular video site, claiming copyright. Fan outrage was high, as even Sci-Fi Channel-era episodes were gone. MSTies are valiant, doing their best to re-upload episodes, but the pickings are, sadly, few and far between. Many of the shorts are still up, and episodes are cropping up...
Google Video: A total roulette wheel. What made Google Video massively appealing to MSTies was the freedom given to videos. Unlike YouTube, Google didn't care if a video was 9 or 90 minutes, allowing for uploads of complete episodes. Many favorites are up on the site, along with whatever random episodes were posted up. Sadly, Google has stopped allowing uploads to their server (since they own YouTube), so whatever's up there is all we've got.
Other streaming sites: There are a handful of other video streaming sites, but as I have not researched them, it'll take some trial and error to see what's what.
Torrents: If you don't mind downloading and waiting, then Mininova is the way to go, as every episode of the series, plus shorts, specials, and other artifacts, have been uploaded here. They are in the seeds marked "DVD [x] of 35", with each link providing a list of what "DVDs" have what episodes.
Justin.tv: A live video streaming site, this particular channel is devoted entirely to MST3K. It's like watching TV - in other words, you have no control of what's on - but there is always a constant feed. The schedule is posted at the bottom of the page. At night (around 8pm EST), the channel sometimes airs a riffable movie or a movie that has been given the RiffTrax treatment.
DVDs: Oh no, BUYING things?! Come on now, this is an excellent show, so why not invest some money in it? The price of each boxset may seem a bit outrageous (MSRP $60 for 4 episodes), however one has to look at the statistics: Not only do they have to negotiate TV rights, but also movie rights. But if you're a smart shopper, then you'll never have to pay the full price. Bookstores and other places have the sets available, but if you want a good deal, then check out DeepDiscountDVD, where you'll pay $20-$30 less than the MSRP. And hey, free shipping.
Movie Sign: The weekly watch-and-chat right here at theOtaku is not only a nice way to get your scheduled fix (every Sunday at 8pm EST/5pm PST), but to meet fellow fans and just have fun. New to the show? We're here to lend a guiding hand. Just make sure you read the Commandments of Movie Sign before coming. Check out the Watercooler for information for each week's meeting.
He learned almost too late that man is a quoting creature...
Essentials:
-Again from Movie Sign number 34, It Conquered the World. A pickle monster from Venus attempts to take over the world, but is thwarted by Peter ...
Read the full post »
