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Reviews
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)
There is nothing that I can say..
.. that would do this show justice. You will consistently hear and see people calling this 'the greatest show of all time', and believe me, it is no accident. The humour is incredibly intelligent, pumped full of obscure pop-culture references that sometimes only hit home on the 3rd or 4th viewing of a particular episode (and to the serious MSTies out there, 3 or 4 viewings is about average).
As with all things this good, the true genius of the show will only become apparent to the masses once it is long gone, cancelled by yet another profiteering TV station, but as long as there are passionate MSTies out there willing to share the good word, and perhaps a tape or two, we have nothing to worry about.
Thanks to the Best Brains crew for making it interesting.
Terror from the Year 5000 (1958)
a whole lot more fun...
..if you watch this movie in the company of Servo, Crow and Mike Nelson: The crew of the satellite of love, home to Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
"Don't go bobbing for french fries!"
With MST3k: 9/10 - Without MST3k: 2/10
84C MoPic (1989)
Mo' Pic for your money
This "mockumentary" was a forerunner to films like The Blair Witch project, and the tension and fear that the soldiers feel, trapped behind enemy lines with a broken radio and a dead comrades body, is a lot more believable than that felt by those three annoying kids running away from things that go "bump" in the night. You really do get a feel for what it must have been like. When the group are ambushed, you hear the gunshots, and the screams, but you just can't see where the enemy are. It must of been hell, getting shot at but not knowing where it was coming from.
The cast of relative unknowns really impresses, especially Nicholas Cascone as "Easy" ("soon to be promoted to PFC: Private F***ing Civilian") and Richard Brooks as "OD", the group's black leader.
The spirit of camraderie and brotherhood echoes strongly throughout this film, exemplified by scenes such as the one where Sgt. "Cracker", a self confessed redneck, is interviewed by the "Lessons Learnt" crew and is asked: "Coming from South Carolina, how do you feel about being led by a black man?". After a strained silence he answers: "Those are real-world questions. They don't have any place here in the Nam. Why don't you ask if OD is the best damn GI I have ever humped a ruck with, or if I would risk my life for him, and I have, or if he would risk his life for me, and he has. Those are the kind of questions you should be asking."
The action is interspersed with long periods of waiting, boredom, and contemplation. The futility of their mission, and indeed the entire war, is brought to the fore. They feel distanced from their loved ones, and long for some time "in the rear with the gear", away from the front lines, which are plagued by a shadow-like enemy and viciously effective booby-traps, not to mention the seemingly endless nights, when trees move just like Charlie.
This movie is recommended not only to War flick fans, but to anybody interested in seeing how a pseudo-documentary should really be made.
7 out of 10