Cinematic Titanic update: Tour dates and new live DVD

Josh sent out an update on the current state of affairs at Cinematic Titanic Central today. In addition to dropping in a new tour stop in Massachusetts this April, he also announced a new DVD release. Like the previous DVD, this one is  comprised of live footage, this time of their assault on The Alien Factor. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or two more live releases this year, since it’s a relatively easy way of releasing new, well-received content with minimal effort involved.

The DVD is set for release on February 23rd, which is… next Tuesday? Really? I hate the passage of time. As I said, the CT crew has also added an extra tour date. I’ve listed it below, along with what I believe is a complete list of their upcoming shows.

2/19 @ Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI — 1st show: War of the Insects, 2nd show: Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World

2/20 @ Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI – 1st show: sold out, 2nd show: Samson

4/15 @ The Calvin Theatre, Northampton, MA — Danger on Tiki Island (NEW DATE)

4/16 @ The McCarter Center, Princeton, NJ — Movie undecided; vote here!

4/17 @ The Nokia Theatre Times Square, New York City — Danger on Tiki Island

Wait, a New Jersey show? You’d think I’d be better at finding out about these things. I am not. Anyway, go see them live, if you can. As I’ve said before, it’ll be well worth the time, effort, and cash-moneys. It’s a fantastic experience.

Next on Rifftrax: Paranormal Activity

The next Rifftrax commentary, out today, is Paranormal Activity. In other words, it is something I will never watch, because I’m a huge pussy when it comes to horror films. As such, I have selected a header image to encourage happy thoughts and not evil ghost-demon-monster thoughts. You’re welcome.

You can pick up the DVD here… IF YOU DARE!

Woot has Shout Factory’s MST3K DVDs cheap, today only

I just wanted to throw up a quick post to let you know that Woot.com has Shout Factory’s first three MST3K DVD box sets for sale today (and today only) as a set of three — for only $50 total. That’s right. Twelve episodes for the retail price of four! Billy Mays himself (God rest his soul) couldn’t give you a better deal.

Make sure you pick them up quickly. Woot operates on a first-come, first-serve basis, offering up a great deal on a different product every day. Once they sell out, the sale is over and, either way, these DVDs will definitely be gone by midnight tonight, at the latest. So if you’re going to buy, buy now!

Deep Reviewing: Cinematic Titanic, live in Philly!

I had a brief, 30-second conversation with MST3K creator Joel Hodgson. I had a brief conversation with Joel Hodgson. I talked with Joel Hodgson. I came into contact with Joel Hodgson. Joel… Hodgson.

On June 13th, my 26th birthday, I traveled to the city of Philadelphia to see the Cinematic Titanic crew do a live riffing of Danger on Tiki Island. Let me go ahead and spoil the article for you: It was amazing and you need to go see them live. Seriously. Now. Sell the kids, break out the rollerblades, do whatever it takes to get to a live show. Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, it doesn’t matter — the Brains and their work were meant to be experienced live. Click past the break for the full report.

(Please note: Due to my lack of a working camera, the header image came from Katy Beaulieu’s cell phone, hence the low quality. [That's a comment on cell phone cameras, not Katy's abilities as a photographer.] In case you can’t tell, that’s Trace on the left and me on the right. I look awful, but I photoshopped in a close approximation of how I felt at the time.)

Another monotonous post, plus MST3K XV reminder

The announcement of my return may have been a little premature. Anyway, I’m going to try to keep up with things as much as I can. Which is probably not very much, but I’ll at least finally fire off that Cinematic Titanic Live report from last month. I may try to focus less on news and more on reviews and articles, now. As you probably know, Satellite News is always your best bet for the latest in MST3K-related news.

Also, just a quick reminder that the absolutely fantastic new MST3K DVD set, Volume XV, was released recently. It contains three of the series’ most amazing episodes (The Girl in Lover’s Lane, Zombie Nightmare, and Racket Girls — plus season one’s weak The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy) as well as some good extras. If you’d be kind enough to pick it up via this link, my (almost literally) penniless self would appreciate it. Thanks.

Rifftrax DVDs hit Amazon

Those aforementioned ten Rifftrax DVDs have been up for sale on Amazon. They’re quite affordable, at just under $10. If you feel like picking them up, please do so via this link. It would help feed the children — or more specifically, me — and I would appreciate it muchly. (Sorry for the short post. It’s hot and my back hurts and stuff.)

Oh hi, Deep Ape — I’m back!

Did I ever tell you guys (that is, if anyone is still reading) that I was going to be Internetless for a while? Well, I was, and now I’m back! Try not to get too excited! I managed to make it out to a Cinematic Titanic live show in Philly, so you can expect a recap over the next couple of days. I’m in the process of moving, so bear with me, but I hope to return to normal operations soon.

In the meantime, the guys from Rifftrax recently released a commentary for The Room, a movie that I (somehow) didn’t even know existed. It looks glorious, as you can see in the above preview clip. Enjoy!

Where derivative hacks dare: Another Clonus rip-off?

What is the deal with these Clonus rip-offs? It looks like yet another film is in the works that borrows liberally from Robert S. Fiveson’s b-grade classic, Parts: The Clonus Horror. The movie, which now has Keira Knightley attached, will be based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel, Never Let Me Go. The book tells the story of a dystopian society in which people are cloned for the sole purpose of being organ donors, but are kept in the dark about the nature of their existence. Sound familiar?

In fact, this is more like a case of double deja vu. Also in 2005, Michael Bay directed The Island for Dreamworks, a Ewan McGregor-Scarlett Johansson action flick about — guess what! — clones raised for the sole purpose of organ donation. In that case, Fiveson & Co. raised a stink about what amounted to outright plagiarism and filed a lawsuit, which was ultimately settled out-of-court.

Despite the basic similarities, there may actually be more to Ishiguro’s particular variation than Bay’s movie, according to the descriptions that I’ve read, with a lot less action and a bit more intrigue. Still, the similarities are extremely noticeable. We’ll have to see how itchy Fiveson’s trigger finger is, this time around.

Josh Way has DVDs out, and you should buy them

Hardcore MSTie and Rifftrax contributor Josh Way is continuing his transition into the world of professional riffing, with the release of three actual, proper, real, professional-looking, feature-length DVDs. Last week, Josh released Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet, Phantom From Space, and his take on Corman’s The Wasp Woman, part of his “Fun With Flicks” series. They’re $12.99 each and on Amazon.

Josh is a really good guy and he’s pretty darn funny, so I definitely recommend checking out his stuff and supporting him. You can sample his wares on his YouTube account. (And if you want to purchase his DVDs, I’d love you like a ho’ if you’d buy them via this link, or the above ones. Thank ye.)

R.I.P. Beverly Garland

This is a little late, but I need to post about it. Last week, actress Beverly Garland passed away at the age of 81. Beverly was beloved amongst the cast of MST3K for her ballsy characters in such films as Gunslinger and It Conquered The World. She also proved to be a good sport, appearing at the first official MST3K convention. She seemed like a real treasure, and it’s an absolute shame to see her go.

Shout Factory’s “MST3K XIV” extras unveiled

Satellite News recently caught wind of the list of extras, from Shout Factory’s forthcoming Mystery Science Theater set. There appear to be three extras and, while none of them are as exciting as volume thirteen’s, they’re pretty substantial and sound quite fun. Here’s the list:

• A new interview With “Soultaker” star and MST3K favorite Joe Estevez.
• Mike, Tom and Crow’s appearance on ESPN Classic’s “Cheap Seats Without Ron Parker.”
• A new interview with “Final Justice” writer/director Greydon Clark.

Joe Estevez? That alone is worth the price of admission. But the infamous Greydon Clark, as well? Sold. I’m also, admittedly, not that familiar with the Cheap Seats appearance, but it’s a fairly well-known appearance among MSTies, so that’s likely a good thing, too. Should be an entertaining set. Now, if Shout Factory can score an interview with Joe Don Baker, then they will have truly bested Rhino.

Satellite News also mentions that there is apparently a false list of extras being circulated around the interwebs. The above list comes straight from the mouth of Shout Factory, so trust no one else.

Shout Factory announces “MST3K XIV” set

Hot on the heels of the sexy 13th MST3K DVD set, the first released by Shout Factory, a 14th DVD set has already been announced by the new DVD rights-holders. You can see the basic but tasteful cover art above, but one can safely assume that the discs’ individual cases will look a little more unique and interesting, as was the case with volume 13. If the image isn’t clue enough, the included episodes are:

#0103 Mad Monster
#0413 Manhunt in Space
#1001 Soultaker
#1008 Final Justice

So, now all of you Joe Don Baker fans can own his complete MST3K collection on proper DVDs. Not a stellar selection of episodes, in my opinion. Still, it’s one step closer to getting the full series on DVD. The set is scheduled to fall to earth on February 3rd, 2009, provided that Barack Obama’s inauguration doesn’t cause the universe to implode, as many suggest.

Pardon the large image, but what can you do?

Cinematic Titanic releases new “Santa Claus” trailer

Josh just sent out this hilarious trailer for the November 20th release of Cinematic Titanic’s take on the old MST3K classic, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Judging from the riffs included in the trailer, this episode is looking like a good one. (Especially the last line. Ell-oh-ell, indeed.) I can’t wait to see their take on it.

Deep Reviewing: Cinematic Titanic’s “The Wasp Woman”

In September, when DVD Talk reviewer King Stuart Elderberry Galbraith IV gave Cinematic Titanic’s The Wasp Woman a surprisingly vicious, scathing review, most of us reacted with appropriate rage. However, after spending some time with the crew’s take on Roger Corman’s 1959 snoozer, I have to admit that I’m not nearly as offended by Galbraith’s bile and ire as I used to be.

While I certainly don’t wish death and destruction upon the Brains and all their works now (as some seem to), Wasp Woman was definitely not the ideal DVD to show to someone who clearly has a bias against MST3K and its descendants. How bad is it? Well, it’s not “half-a-star” bad, I can tell you that much in the pre-review blurb. For the saucy, tantalizing specifics, hit the jump and read. You know you want to.

Cinematic Titanic to riff Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Looks like Trace’s vague hints weren’t red herrings: The CT cast will be riffing a movie previously featured on Mystery Science Theater. And it also looks like this episode and their Christmas episode will be one and the same, as they’ll be taking on Santa Claus Conquers the Martians once again. Joel and Trace  (and Frank, from the writing room) previously stared down this cinematic fever dream in season three of MST3K. (Mary Jo joined the cast right after the episode.)

When Joel announced it on the CT blog yesterday, he made it clear that this would be a fresh batch of riffs, and not a rehash. They seem to be treating it as an “experiment,” to see how different the modern version is. Admittedly, they’ve got some big shoes to fill, even though those shoes actually used to belong to some of them. The DVD will be available on November 20th, along with some e-cards.

If you’re in the St. Louis area, you can get a sneak peek at the episode: Cinematic Titanic will be performing it live at The Family Arena on Saturday.