There was a Republican Debate or something in Iowa last night. I think it was on the cable.
I don't have cable. I watch all my TV over the Internet. That's how the cool kids do it, anyway.
Not having cable means no Fox News Channel. Sure, there's a Website or something I can go to, but not having a channel already set up on the Roku makes it easy to decide to just skip the debate.
Besides, there's always the Twitterz.
The Twitter feeds are always much more fun than watching a bunch of politicians stand around and make smart statements (Newt Gingrich & Mitt Romney) or stupid statements (RONPAUL!!!1!!). Besides, I've already picked out who I'm voting for: Not Obama.
Maybe I should go through the trouble of watching the debates. After all, one of those men will be the next president. Okay, I shouldn't eliminate Michele Bachmann from that. Unless I want to be realistic. And I do. So, one of those men will be the next president.
Ron Paul (RONPAUL!!!1!!1!!) said something stupid. He also said some smart things. And, I'm sure, some of his idiot supporters will stop by here and tell me all about the smart things Ron Paul (RONPAUL!!!1!!11!) said, or why the stupid things Ron Paul (RONPAUL!!!1!!11!) said are really smart and I'm a corporate tool or something. Oh, and FEDERALRESERVE!!!1!!
Newt stepped in it early on, but got better, and by the end of the debate, was rolling along.
Romney said some good things early on, then said some stupid stuff, and had leveled off by the end of the debate.
Rick Perry showed a bit of a sense of humor, said some okay stuff and some not okay stuff.
Huntsman was there. Or Gary Johnson. One of them. I'm not sure which. I don't think anyone else was sure, either.
Rick Santorum was there. I think he brought the bean dip.
I mentioned Michele Bachmann. She lit into Gingrich a few times. He didn't unhinge his jaw and devour her, but thought about it.
The Fox News moderators asked some good questions at times, but were trying to prod the candidates into fighting each other for much of the time.
If you watched the debate, let me know if I didn't sum it up accurately. Because, as I mentioned, I didn't watch the debate. I didn't have to. The accuracy of my summary shows that.
Now, does this mean the debates are useless? No, not at all. It's a good way to get smart people and raving lunatics in the same room and watch the fun. Like a reality show.
I'm thinking if we can do this every week and ask Ron Paul a bunch of foreign policy questions, he'll eventually get an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy. Maybe that will be a good consolation prize, and he'll let one of the candidates with some smarts run for president.
Anyway, I didn't go through the trouble of launching a browser on my TV setup and watching the debate. I have a large supply of Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVDs to go through, so I did something productive with my time.
Maybe I'll watch the next debate.
Nah. I have Joel and the 'Bots watching Manos. Told you I was one of the cool kids.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
MST3K: Episode K09 - Phase IV
For some reason, I decided to watch all of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes. I was wondering why, but as best as I can tell, the reasons are listed here and here.
Episode K09: Phase IV
First aired: KTMA on 15 January 1989
Availability: MST3KVideos.com
All of the KTMA episodes that are available are from over-the-air recordings done in 1989. Sometimes the quality isn't all that great. Jim Mallon, who owns Mystery Science Theater 3000, says he has the tapes from the KTMA shows, but there appear to be no plans to release them. So, we are stuck with what we're stuck with.
In these early episodes, when they finally introduced the Mad Scientists who are running the experiment on Joel, the "lair" of the scientists is shown in a skewed angle, much like as done in the old Batman episodes.
Though the skewed angles was a common device before Batman, I first became aware of that during the '60s TV show, when I was a kid. I've since seen it used in all kinds of earlier films (some good, some bad), but I always think about Batman.
The Mads don't have a turtle movie to send, so they send an ant movie instead. While I'm relieved that it won't be a turtle, I was hoping they could find a way to include a couple of hot Japanese she-villains. Instead, the she-villain is an ant. The 20-year-old Lynne Frederick, who shows up about 20 minutes in, plays the hot Japanese she-villain. Only she's not a villain. Or Japanese. But, she's British, and that's close enough.
When "Movie Sign" hits, this is the first time that Joel runs directly through the doors and gets run over by Cambot in the process.
The recording I have for this episode is a little dark, and sometimes, it's hard to make out bits of it. I suspect it would be harder to make things out if the movie was black-and-white, so there's that much for which to be grateful. Still, bits are hard to see at times.
The movie was directed by Saul Bass, who did a lot of famous movie title sequences in the '50s and '60s, including the Hitchcock classics North by Northwest, Vertigo, and Psycho. It's actually an okay movie, not a horribly bad film. About half the film looks like a nature documentary because, well, it has a lot of sequences that were shot by Ken Middleham, who was cinematographer for some National Geographic films in the '60s.
The acting isn't bad. Michael Murphy, Nigel Davenport, and Lynne Frederick are good actors. Sad note about Lynne Frederick: she stopped acting after her husband, Peter Sellers, died. She became addicted to alcohol and drugs and drank herself to death in 1994, at age 39.
The ending of this movie is one of those trippy, 1970s kind of endings. Being made in 1974 helps. About the ending (*SPOILER ALERT*) I think the ants won. It's almost like they started filming it and didn't have the ending written.
Or, worse, they did, and this is what they had in mind the whole time.
There is a report that Bass was unhappy with post-production edits the studio made. I've heard his original ending was worse.
The ending host segment was a better ending, even though it never ended:
[Direct link]
See?
Episode K09: Phase IV
First aired: KTMA on 15 January 1989
Availability: MST3KVideos.com
All of the KTMA episodes that are available are from over-the-air recordings done in 1989. Sometimes the quality isn't all that great. Jim Mallon, who owns Mystery Science Theater 3000, says he has the tapes from the KTMA shows, but there appear to be no plans to release them. So, we are stuck with what we're stuck with.
 |
| Mad Scientists in their lair |
Though the skewed angles was a common device before Batman, I first became aware of that during the '60s TV show, when I was a kid. I've since seen it used in all kinds of earlier films (some good, some bad), but I always think about Batman.
The Mads don't have a turtle movie to send, so they send an ant movie instead. While I'm relieved that it won't be a turtle, I was hoping they could find a way to include a couple of hot Japanese she-villains. Instead, the she-villain is an ant. The 20-year-old Lynne Frederick, who shows up about 20 minutes in, plays the hot Japanese she-villain. Only she's not a villain. Or Japanese. But, she's British, and that's close enough.
 |
| Joel is trampled by Cambot |
The recording I have for this episode is a little dark, and sometimes, it's hard to make out bits of it. I suspect it would be harder to make things out if the movie was black-and-white, so there's that much for which to be grateful. Still, bits are hard to see at times.
The movie was directed by Saul Bass, who did a lot of famous movie title sequences in the '50s and '60s, including the Hitchcock classics North by Northwest, Vertigo, and Psycho. It's actually an okay movie, not a horribly bad film. About half the film looks like a nature documentary because, well, it has a lot of sequences that were shot by Ken Middleham, who was cinematographer for some National Geographic films in the '60s.
 |
| L-R: Davenport, Frederick, & Murphy |
The ending of this movie is one of those trippy, 1970s kind of endings. Being made in 1974 helps. About the ending (*SPOILER ALERT*) I think the ants won. It's almost like they started filming it and didn't have the ending written.
Or, worse, they did, and this is what they had in mind the whole time.
There is a report that Bass was unhappy with post-production edits the studio made. I've heard his original ending was worse.
The ending host segment was a better ending, even though it never ended:
[Direct link]
See?
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Making Obama dance
Do the Republicans have the power to control Obama?
Remember when Obama was planning that 17-day vacation in Hawaii? You know, he needed a break from screwing things up; that can be tiring if you do too much of it.
Well, last week, it was suddenly decided that he'd have to stay in town after all. This, right after GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticized the president for taking the vacation:
Now, maybe he thought it was Christmas. His calendar does seem to be about 12 days off. Or, he reacted to Perry's attack. Let's go with the latter, because it fits with his reaction to Romney's attack.
This means that Republicans can attack Obama about something, and he'll then react to it.
If we have Gingrich say that the president doesn't understand what it's like to have to flip burgers or wash cars, will we see Obama behind the counter at a Hardee's or working at the car wash?
If Michele Bachmann says the president doesn't know what it's like for families to shop for food on a budget, will we see Obama pushing a shopping cart at the Piggly Wiggly?
It's possible.
So, what can we criticize Obama about and get him to do in response?
Criticize him for not understanding how hard it is to catch a Road Runner. Then, he'll put on some ACME Rocket-Powered Tennis Shoes and go running through the desert.
Say he doesn't understand the plight of bucket inspectors. Then, he'll stick his head in a bucket.
Slam Obama for not understanding how hard things are for Irish Folk Dance performers. Then, he'll dance a jig.
Bring up that people who ride shopping carts down hills are having a difficult time in this economy. And there's only one way for him to understand what they're going through.
Point out how doesn't relate to 1950s motorcyclists from Milwaukee who visits Hollywood with his friends. Then, he'll ... no, never mind this one. Obama jumped the shark a long time ago.
Remember when Obama was planning that 17-day vacation in Hawaii? You know, he needed a break from screwing things up; that can be tiring if you do too much of it.
Well, last week, it was suddenly decided that he'd have to stay in town after all. This, right after GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticized the president for taking the vacation:
“I just think it’s time to have a president whose idea of being ‘hands on’ doesn’t mean getting a better grip on the golf club,” Romney told potential caucus voters in Iowa.Then, last week, GOP candidate Rick Perry took aim at Obama by way of religion:
As President, I'll end Obama's war on religion. And I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage.What did Obama do this weekend? He went to church. First time since Easter.
Now, maybe he thought it was Christmas. His calendar does seem to be about 12 days off. Or, he reacted to Perry's attack. Let's go with the latter, because it fits with his reaction to Romney's attack.
This means that Republicans can attack Obama about something, and he'll then react to it.
If we have Gingrich say that the president doesn't understand what it's like to have to flip burgers or wash cars, will we see Obama behind the counter at a Hardee's or working at the car wash?
If Michele Bachmann says the president doesn't know what it's like for families to shop for food on a budget, will we see Obama pushing a shopping cart at the Piggly Wiggly?
It's possible.
So, what can we criticize Obama about and get him to do in response?
Criticize him for not understanding how hard it is to catch a Road Runner. Then, he'll put on some ACME Rocket-Powered Tennis Shoes and go running through the desert.
Say he doesn't understand the plight of bucket inspectors. Then, he'll stick his head in a bucket.
Slam Obama for not understanding how hard things are for Irish Folk Dance performers. Then, he'll dance a jig.
Bring up that people who ride shopping carts down hills are having a difficult time in this economy. And there's only one way for him to understand what they're going through.
Point out how doesn't relate to 1950s motorcyclists from Milwaukee who visits Hollywood with his friends. Then, he'll ... no, never mind this one. Obama jumped the shark a long time ago.
Monday, December 12, 2011
MST3K: Episode K08 - Gamera vs Guiron
I'm watching all the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes. Background on this little adventure can be found here and here.
Episode K08: Gamera vs Guiron
First aired: KTMA on 8 January 1989
Availability: MST3KVideos.com
At the end of the previous episode, they said they'd have another Gamera movie on the next show. They've RETCONned the storyline to have the Mad Scientists suddenly discover "one more" Gamera movie. But, as fans, we have to ask, is that proper for them to do that? Well, it's just a show, we should really just relax.
The voices of the Mads are a little more relaxes from the last episode. The show is settling down and refining the format, and it's more like what we remember.
The quality of the recording I have isn't great, but it's not a series of dubs. Considering the original source (remember, these are over-the-air VCR recorings from 1989) it's not too bad.
Joel's character is still "Joel Hodgson." Early in this film, Crow makes mention of "the Robinson family," because of a special effect's similarity to the Jupiter 2 from Lost In Space. I'll be making the effort to notice when Joel adopts the last name "Robinson" for his character.
I laughed out loud at the "We're having Beef-A-Roni" song. The really poor dubbing of voices is almost laugh-out-loud-worthy. All the references I've seen say that the KTMA season (Season Zero) was ad-libbed. I don't doubt them when they say that, but that song sure seemed like they had written the lyrics ahead of time. On the other hand, they did step on each other's lines a few times, which does support the whole "ad-libbed" thing.
Speaking of laugh-out-loud funny, Joel really cracked up when Crow said, "Well, you gotta shave 'em."
Again, the human-like villain is a hot Japanese babe. Two of them, actually. But *SPOILER ALERT* one is more villainous than the other.
They mentioned "without war or traffic accidents" more than once during the film. I wonder if the screenwriter has a thing against traffic accidents.
The political leanings of Joel, et al, are revealed with the Dan Quayle joke. Remember, this episode aired 12 days before Quayle was sworn in as Vice-President.
Though Joel has already gone through three non-Gamera movies, I haven't -- at least not during the KTMA season. I'll find out what that's like during the next episode. At least, it won't be some silly animal monster. I hope.
I won't miss the silly turtle. But, the hot Japanese she-villains? Those I'll miss.
Episode K08: Gamera vs Guiron
First aired: KTMA on 8 January 1989
Availability: MST3KVideos.com
 |
| Guiron: the monster villain. |
The voices of the Mads are a little more relaxes from the last episode. The show is settling down and refining the format, and it's more like what we remember.
The quality of the recording I have isn't great, but it's not a series of dubs. Considering the original source (remember, these are over-the-air VCR recorings from 1989) it's not too bad.
Joel's character is still "Joel Hodgson." Early in this film, Crow makes mention of "the Robinson family," because of a special effect's similarity to the Jupiter 2 from Lost In Space. I'll be making the effort to notice when Joel adopts the last name "Robinson" for his character.
 |
| We're having Beef-A-Roni! |
Speaking of laugh-out-loud funny, Joel really cracked up when Crow said, "Well, you gotta shave 'em."
 |
| Once again, hot Japanese she-villains. |
Again, the human-like villain is a hot Japanese babe. Two of them, actually. But *SPOILER ALERT* one is more villainous than the other.
They mentioned "without war or traffic accidents" more than once during the film. I wonder if the screenwriter has a thing against traffic accidents.
The political leanings of Joel, et al, are revealed with the Dan Quayle joke. Remember, this episode aired 12 days before Quayle was sworn in as Vice-President.
Though Joel has already gone through three non-Gamera movies, I haven't -- at least not during the KTMA season. I'll find out what that's like during the next episode. At least, it won't be some silly animal monster. I hope.
I won't miss the silly turtle. But, the hot Japanese she-villains? Those I'll miss.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
MST3K: Episode K07 - Gamera vs Zigra
I've taken up the task of watching all the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes. If you want some background on this little adventure, you can read this and this.
Episode K07: Gamera vs Zigra
First aired: KTMA on 1 January 1989
Availability: MST3KVideos.com
If I hadn't seen lots of other MST3K episodes over the years, I might think the show was just about Gamera movies. This is episode seven. The first three episodes are "lost" -- no copies are known to exist -- and all the ones we've covered during this project to date have starred that flying turtle from Japan, Gamera.
Since Trace Beaulieu is back, they thaw out Crow, and he joins Joel and Servo in the theater. Oh, and I enjoyed the "oil can" joke. And, we finally get to meet the Mad Scientists. And, it seems, there's some sort of Pepsi placement things going on -- but maybe that's an equal-time provision because of the movie brat's obsession with Coke. We do get to hear Crow say "dickweed" for the first time.
The riffing is beginning to resemble the type of riffing I remember. Fewer "Well, that's stupid!" kind of comments and more verbal interaction with the screen: Character: "Don't you look at television?" Riff: "Yes, it's like radio with pictures."
It's a Japanese Silly Monster Movie. With a head villain named Zigra on the planet Zigra and a monster names Zigra. Or something. And a lot of other silly stuff, not much of it good.
Then again, any silly plotline that finds a way to get Eiko Yanami into a bikini can't be all that bad.
The copy of the movie I have had several bad VHS spots in it, making it painfully obvious that it was an over-the-air recording.
The show, though, is beginning to flow. Not as many "dead spots" -- stretches without a riff -- and good interaction between the riffers.
Oh, and they finally sang part of the "Gamera" song. It played in the background during a Gamera rescue of the snot-nosed kids in the boat, and they picked up on it.
The local commercials in the show are a throw-back to the old days of TV, like George & Gracie suddenly telling the tax assessor about Carnation milk. It's also a reminder that Season Zero was truly local TV.
Looking at the schedule, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is the next movie is another Gamera movie. The good news is the next movie is the last Gamera movie of the season. And, maybe more of the Gamera song.
Episode K07: Gamera vs Zigra
First aired: KTMA on 1 January 1989
Availability: MST3KVideos.com
If I hadn't seen lots of other MST3K episodes over the years, I might think the show was just about Gamera movies. This is episode seven. The first three episodes are "lost" -- no copies are known to exist -- and all the ones we've covered during this project to date have starred that flying turtle from Japan, Gamera.
 |
| The Mads make an ad |
The riffing is beginning to resemble the type of riffing I remember. Fewer "Well, that's stupid!" kind of comments and more verbal interaction with the screen: Character: "Don't you look at television?" Riff: "Yes, it's like radio with pictures."
 |
| Something for the dads that took their kids to see the movie. |
Then again, any silly plotline that finds a way to get Eiko Yanami into a bikini can't be all that bad.
The copy of the movie I have had several bad VHS spots in it, making it painfully obvious that it was an over-the-air recording.
The show, though, is beginning to flow. Not as many "dead spots" -- stretches without a riff -- and good interaction between the riffers.
Oh, and they finally sang part of the "Gamera" song. It played in the background during a Gamera rescue of the snot-nosed kids in the boat, and they picked up on it.
The local commercials in the show are a throw-back to the old days of TV, like George & Gracie suddenly telling the tax assessor about Carnation milk. It's also a reminder that Season Zero was truly local TV.
Looking at the schedule, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is the next movie is another Gamera movie. The good news is the next movie is the last Gamera movie of the season. And, maybe more of the Gamera song.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
History lesson
Rosie O'Donnell, the wunder gehirn that says fire can't melt steel, now suggests that Newt Gingrich read a history book.
I agree.
Gingrich is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, and, given Obama's current approval rating, could very well be our next president.
I've put together a list of history books Newt Gingrich should read
-- some history, some historical fiction, but all worthy of consideration.
The last thing we need is an uninformed person trying to play president. It happened before. Remember the 2008 election? We don't want to go through that again.
I agree.
Gingrich is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, and, given Obama's current approval rating, could very well be our next president.
I've put together a list of history books Newt Gingrich should read
-- some history, some historical fiction, but all worthy of consideration.The last thing we need is an uninformed person trying to play president. It happened before. Remember the 2008 election? We don't want to go through that again.
Friday, December 9, 2011
MST3K: Episode K06 - Gamera vs Gaos
I'm watching all the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes. Background on this little adventure can be found here and here.
Episode K06: Gamera vs Gaos
First aired: KTMA on 18 December 1988
Availability: MST3KVideos.com
This was the third episode in a row that featured a Gamera movie.
In the previous episode, Joel mentioned about "raiding the movie vault" (or something like that) and finding the first Gamera movie, which was then shown. In this episode, though, he's playing up the premise of the Mad Scientists forcing him to watch the movie.
Crow is still frozen, which, according to some MST3K fan Websites, was because Trace (Crow's voice and operation) was not available. Though Josh (J. Elvis) Weinstein was present (he's the voice of Servo), neither Mad Scientist were seen, except in a still (and, of course, the opening theme).
Servo gets a new voice during the second host segment. The older one must have been hard for Josh Weinstein to do for the long haul. I like the new voice much better than the older voice. I wonder if, when Trace returns, if Crow will get a voice adjustment.
The movie was ... a Japanese Silly Monster Movie, complete with Silly Kid, as well as Silly Dialogue and Silly Villain Monster. Plus, it was silly.
I noticed that Joel went "Shhhh!" to Servo a couple of times. Everything I've read about the KTMA season indicated it was all ad-lib riffing, so the "Shhhh!" may have been Joel really wanting Josh to hush. The interaction between Joel and Josh in the theater is a definite improvement over the solo Joel riffing the previous episode.
Joel makes a "They Only Come Out At Night" joke, but refers to Joe Walsh, instead of Edgar Winter. That's one of the problems with ad-libbing, rather than scripting, the riffs.
In the three episodes I've covered to date (remember, episodes 1, 2, & 3 are "lost," so I've only covered 4, 5, & 6), the entire cast of characters have not appeared.
We haven't seen the Mad Scientists in character, just in the show opening and in a couple of still shots. Crow has been absent from two of the three shows, and Servo (finally called "Tom Servo" in this episode) didn't riff one of the movies.
The full crew is supposed to appear in the next episode. That's the good news. The bad news? It's another Gamera film. I hates me some turtle.
Episode K06: Gamera vs Gaos
First aired: KTMA on 18 December 1988
Availability: MST3KVideos.com
This was the third episode in a row that featured a Gamera movie.
 |
| The Mad Scientists |
Crow is still frozen, which, according to some MST3K fan Websites, was because Trace (Crow's voice and operation) was not available. Though Josh (J. Elvis) Weinstein was present (he's the voice of Servo), neither Mad Scientist were seen, except in a still (and, of course, the opening theme).
Servo gets a new voice during the second host segment. The older one must have been hard for Josh Weinstein to do for the long haul. I like the new voice much better than the older voice. I wonder if, when Trace returns, if Crow will get a voice adjustment.
The movie was ... a Japanese Silly Monster Movie, complete with Silly Kid, as well as Silly Dialogue and Silly Villain Monster. Plus, it was silly.
I noticed that Joel went "Shhhh!" to Servo a couple of times. Everything I've read about the KTMA season indicated it was all ad-lib riffing, so the "Shhhh!" may have been Joel really wanting Josh to hush. The interaction between Joel and Josh in the theater is a definite improvement over the solo Joel riffing the previous episode.
Joel makes a "They Only Come Out At Night" joke, but refers to Joe Walsh, instead of Edgar Winter. That's one of the problems with ad-libbing, rather than scripting, the riffs.
In the three episodes I've covered to date (remember, episodes 1, 2, & 3 are "lost," so I've only covered 4, 5, & 6), the entire cast of characters have not appeared.
We haven't seen the Mad Scientists in character, just in the show opening and in a couple of still shots. Crow has been absent from two of the three shows, and Servo (finally called "Tom Servo" in this episode) didn't riff one of the movies.
The full crew is supposed to appear in the next episode. That's the good news. The bad news? It's another Gamera film. I hates me some turtle.
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