Heck, I didn't even know this was coming, but Netflix has produced 14 brand-new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, with comedian Jonah Ray playing the hapless captive, Felicia Day as Dr. Forrester's daughter Kinga, and Patton Oswalt as Max (aka TV's Son of TV's Frank).
And you know what? They've done a great job. It's updated, sure, but all the essentials are there: the terrible movies; Gypsy, Cambot, Crow and Tom Servo; and the good old Satellite of Love, complete with a nifty new set of mechanical doors that lead us into the theater. The main set is (thank goodness) still cheap, although they did spend some money (about $400, I'd say) on Kinga's lair, Moon 13.
Now, when the first episode got to the actual movie, things did bog down considerably. The jokes just were not funny. Not sure what to attribute this to, but the gags did get a lot better in subsequent episodes. The last one I just watched, "The Beast of Hollow Mountain", was hilarious.
Anyway, I'm loving it. I know this was mentioned in the "binging" thread, but I thought it deserves its own topic.
And you know what? They've done a great job. It's updated, sure, but all the essentials are there: the terrible movies; Gypsy, Cambot, Crow and Tom Servo; and the good old Satellite of Love, complete with a nifty new set of mechanical doors that lead us into the theater. The main set is (thank goodness) still cheap, although they did spend some money (about $400, I'd say) on Kinga's lair, Moon 13.
Now, when the first episode got to the actual movie, things did bog down considerably. The jokes just were not funny. Not sure what to attribute this to, but the gags did get a lot better in subsequent episodes. The last one I just watched, "The Beast of Hollow Mountain", was hilarious.
Well, in the first episode we're introduced to how Jonah was kidnapped and taken to the dark side of the moon. This plays out over the opening theme. ("In the not too distant future..."). The second episode starts with a cold open, and while Jonah is talking to the 'bots, this giant tube comes down and sucks him up and plops him down into the opening credits, where we see Jonah's kidnapping all over again. At the end Jonah is back on deck and Tom asks, "WHAT...the heck...was that?" Jonah replies, "Oh, Kinga's liquid recording technology is useless, so basically I have to act out the opening theme every time, or I get hit with a cattle prod."
Anyway, I'm loving it. I know this was mentioned in the "binging" thread, but I thought it deserves its own topic.
