From: ejanss1@nospam.verizon.net   
      
   mcelhaney@hotmail.com wrote:   
   >>   
   >>I've tried to be a good sport, got out a whole list of mildly amusing   
   >>riffs, and talk about what they could still do right--But when I had to   
   >>sit down and post it, I realized, four Film Crews in four months, and I   
   >>just DON'T CARE ANYMORE whether they could resurrect MST3K or not..   
   >>Knocking heads together just didn't work:  We gave them all the benefit   
   >>of the doubt, their own old-school bad movies, and an almost identical   
   >>show format, and they're *still* ignoring the movie so they can tell   
   >>their own Ren-Fest, LOTR and ugly-actress jokes.   
   >   
   > Wow, one Ren-Fest joke in "Giant of Marathon" and THIS is how you   
   > feel?   
      
   Not so much the joke itself, as context--   
   Ie., "Maybe in a fantasy movie, Kevin, but what the HELL did your own   
   personal urges have to do with Ancient Greece?  0_o?? "   
      
   > In fairness, I felt that there were plenty of references to the movie   
   > itself in all four DVDs.   
   >   
   > You're certainly entitled to your opinion and how you feel about their   
   > recent efforts. I will make no attempt to change your mind, but I will   
   > say that it was obvious from the beginning the approach "The Film   
   > Crew" was going to take. To expect anything else to me seems a bit   
   > odd.  Yea, some of their remarks could've been funnier but I can say   
   > that about ANY comedy.   
      
   At the time, most of us took Shout's act of public charity as an excuse   
   to get MK&B away from the Bad Company of hanging around with shady   
   public-domain vultures and cheap recent-movie jokes, and get down to the   
   business of Reviving the Series (without having to nag AMC about   
   it)...One basement, bad *OLD* psychotronic movies, and a host sketch.   
      
   And with all said resources in hand...they STILL tried to figure out   
   ways to wishfully cram LOTR-geek jokes into a sandal epic, even if it   
   didn't make any danged sense in context.   
   It's getting to the point now that You Just Can't Teach a Sneetch.  -_-   
      
   > Considering the condition of "Wild Women of Wongo", the fact that we   
   > could even see this film is good enough...:)   
      
   The credits hadn't even been translated; I suspect we're seeing a   
   widescreen vault-dub that hasn't seen the light of video for years.   
   (And it's "La Battaglia/Bataille [Battle] di Maratona", so that's why   
   "there's no Giant in it", guys...Sorry to waste the default "C'mon, the   
   movie supposed to be about the title!" gags.)   
      
   Unlike the other three movies, I confess I was more wrapped up in   
   wondering what the heck Jacques "Curse of the Demon" Torneur was doing   
   directing an Italian pecs-pic, and too busy watching the movie, to see   
   whether there were any Val Lewton influences among the body oil.   
   (Although some of the dark-cinematography shots of temple silhouettes on   
   top of the hills called out for riffs of "Norman?...Normanicus?")   
      
   > As for "Giant of Marathon", I thought it was a good effort, nice   
   > "Lunch Break" skit, and a couple of really good zingers.  The "Bonus   
   > Features" were a bit weak as Mike's "apology" became tiresome and who   
   > couldn't see where the "Ferguson" bit was going after the first   
   > minute?   
      
   ...Yeah, the apology alone was pretty self-indulgent--   
   But fifteen minutes of the "Commentary" (see, aren'tcha DVD geeks who   
   pay money to listen to washed-up actors going to get all mad 'n stuff,   
   and write in now?) either felt like a Mike bit that'd snapped its   
   tethers, ran rogue and trampled a trainer, or else like he thinks this   
   really *is* "a Rifftrax gig that couldn't afford new movies".   
      
   If there was an excuse for wrapping this one up now, it's the threat of   
   getting another--That one was...just kinda disturbing.  0_0   
      
   > Still, if the DVDs sell enough to warrent making more of   
   > them, I'll buy.   
      
   Good question:  Did they?   
      
   They weren't advertised mainstream, were pitched as a cult item for   
   MSTies, and most bought them sight-unseen before the reviews came in.   
   If it's a "test market", a test's always allowed to fail.   
      
   Derek Janssen   
   ejanss@comcast.net   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)