You are currently browsing the monthly archive for June 2008.
I finally got to see CT’s “Doomsday Machine,” and I shall post my thoughts, but before I do I’d like to just go back and to what I wrote of the first installment: “The Oozing Skull”
January 15, 2008
“The Oozing Skull”
What can I say, it IS the closest thing I have seen to the original show vibe, particularly amongst the uprising of interest to bring the concept back. Rifftrax, The Film Crew, The ‘Bots Are Back…..Cinematic Titanic is what we’ve been waiting for!
The riffing has very much a “Joel era” feel. It’s funny, silly, cute, and sometimes downright puny! I would go so far as to say a family friendly venture, much more then The Film Crew and Rifftrax for sure. Joel was not lying when he called it “gentle riffing.” And speaking of Joel, he and the gang seem like they are really getting back into the swing of things, shrouded in a new kind of Shadowrama, they seem to fit well on the side of the screen rather then the theater seating we were used to. I have no problem adjusting myself to it, though my TV does. No matter, doesn’t hurt the enjoyment one bit!
My favorite riffers, in just the way they were in this installment, are probably Joel, Trace and Josh.
The movie was prefect, just the right blend of crap and fun, without making it just crap! Enjoyably bad!
The downside?
No premise, to explanation, “in between” segments were forgettable to okay. (The “Visitor” seemed to have no point, and the first segment with the throwing up trumpet legend was just a little pitiful.) I’ll give it to them for knowing their strength at least. They spent very little time with this stuff and stuck mostly to their fun’n the movie.
All and all, it was a great first CT. The next is coming out sometime in February by all accounts, so look forward to that one. I wish I could say I’ll be renting it, but as of now I must buy. Ah, well, I can deal with that. So far so good.
Story -n/a
Riffing – A
Content – B
Overall – B+
Now to the present: “Doomsday Machine.”
It was sort of a disappointment, I’m not beating ’bout the bush with this. I found it far from good, far from passing. The riffs were their strongest at the very beginning, before the setting changed to outer space in the “movie,” after that it felt as though they were just throwing comments at the screen, good, bad, or indifferent, they just said anything. It all seemed at times too rushed, like they were in a hurry not to repeat the tedious wait as last time, trying to get on a schedule more then getting out good quality.
The movie was, well, almost too bad. See, when a movie is bad like, “Manos” bad, they’re is just SO much bad, it’s funny. But “Doomsday,” it got into it to a formula and almost stayed there for the whole “movie.” Towards the end, it was like going blank, coming to, and it was a totally different “movie.” It almost came to a full stop, the pace slowing down so unbearably, even our riffers sort of gave up. But it wasn’t fun, just boring as hell and you felt relief with the end in sight.
The host segments, I’m starting to believe they’re just aren’t any. “Oozing Skull” didn’t leave me with a very optimistic outlook, and this was worse. The first one was annoying, the second one was dull, and the third, did the third even happen?
Lastly, what people bitched about last time, a premise. Granted it’s always nice to have a firm foundation, gving the thing depth and structure, albeit “goofy” like mst3k, but it’s a nice fuzzy sort of familiarity you build with. CT stated, premisless. (I can’t say I’ve minded it with returned viewing.) This time they tried to fit something in the very beginning, and it’s really hard to say what that is. Mostly, they made reference to the past, but it was vague and overall they may as well have forgotten ii. I did.
It had potential, it did. But the gang just wasn’t there. Maybe doing three at a time is not the best, maybe a preview audience, and time to polish was the best recipe. Whatever, it just didn’t work for me this time.
Hopefully, we’ll see better the third time around.
Story -C-
Riffing – B-
Content – C
Overall – C-
Later Notes: After second viewing, I guess I can ease my review by saying at least half of “Doomsday Machine” is alright, not as good still as “Oozing Skull,” but better the next watch around.
Riffing – B
By the way, one of the best riffs, in my opinion: “You are ruining the Apocalypse for EVERYONE!”
Very nice, Mary Jo!
CT is loading on my toolbar. *sigh* It’s going to be awhile, but hopefully it will be worth the wait!
Review to come!
The air conditioner is full blast as the heat is finally climbing more consistently this week. The first day of Summer, ah, I can feel it. It’s already about 100 outside, the animals (well, the ones that weren’t making themselves scarce,) are nicely sealed in with us for the day. Hey, unless you’re going to live in the pool, why submit to unneeded hear stroke? Come on!
But this heat is nothing compared to the absolute misery of a couple of years ago. I talked about it in my former blog, but it was daffy! After midnight and it would cool off to the low 100’s! We would swim at 1:00 sometimes until 2:00 in the morning, desperately trying to cool. But as they say, it’s the humidity, and we had that! Argh, just makes me grateful for dry Summer’s, that desert scorch, anything but heavy moisture. How do people like to live in that, and not have some toys in the attic?
It’s almost time for the 2nd installment of CINEMATIC TITANIC!!
Alright, well, it’s been a wait, but the next CT, “The Doomsday Machine,” is due to be out for sale tomorrow night! I will most likely try and download, but I’m sure I’ll not be the first in line. I’ll write my review once I see it! Hopefully, I will love it EVEN more then the last one!
Here’s some another preview from Cinematic Titanic’s presentation of, “The Doomsday Machine”:
From imdb.com:
Lanky, popular TV comedy veteran with a flair for broad comic characterizations, who shone for a decade as leading man and second banana par excellence on “The Carol Burnett Show”(1967) but failed to find much success in his own projects. A persistent TV presence since the early 1960s, Korman’s first big break was a stint as a featured performer on “The Danny Kaye Show”(1963), a lively musical variety series. Here Korman began working in the format which he would soon master–providing sturdy support to a multi-talented star in a wide variety of comedy sketches. Boasting large, expressive features and a wonderfully mutable voice, Korman could play a wide assortment of characters. Perhaps his first classic characterization was provided for “The Flintstones”(1960) wherein he was the distinctively snooty voice of The Great Gazoo, a little helmeted space man from the future consigned to the Earth’s past in punishment for his crimes. Korman garnered four Emmys for his work with Carol Burnettover the years. Her show never recovered from his departure in 1977 to pursue other projects. Ironically Korman would never again find such a successful showcase for his talents though he certainly tried, appearing in several busted pilots and short-lived sitcoms. Like ‘Dan Aykroyd’, a later somewhat comparable talent, he fared best in sketch comedy. Almost exclusively a comic actor, he stretched a bit to play straight man Bud Abbott opposite Buddy Hackett’s Lou Costello in the disappointing TV biopic Bud and Lou(1978 ) (TV). Korman also directed and/or produced sitcom episodes and TV comedy specials. An occasional actor in films, Korman made his feature debut with a supporting role in The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966). Several film roles followed until he gained his widest exposure with a major supporting role in ‘Mel Brooks’’s classic Western spoof Blazing Saddles(1974). Korman also fared well in Brooks’ High Anxiety (1977) and History of the World: Part I(1981). Korman acted in two 1994 features: the blockbuster live-action version of The Flintstones(1994) (providing the voice of the Dictabird) and the poorly received but lavishly produced Radioland Murders (1994).
They say that dying is easy. Comedy is hard. For us, the death of a comic legend is truly the hardest.
Harvey Kormen passed away last week, and I felt I should post something to express a little of my fondness over the years for him. But far from getting depressing about how “he was one of the last,” or “there will never be another,” I thought I’d post a scene from my favorite Korman film, “High Anxiety.” He played the evil Dr. Montaque, and he was just about as brilliantly funny as any human being should be allowed! Korman had such a knack for playing just along the edges of ludicrous, while making it totally believable. In “High Anxiety,” he was cruel and greedy yet, Korman still had such a cartoon kind of villainy that makes him one of the most likable parts of the movie. Here’s one priceless scene with Brooks:
Of course, we will all love him for his years on “The Carol Burnett Show.” The Lovely way they would crack up, they’re laughter contagious, and we call caught what they had. Here’s Harvey losing it in The Dentist sketch:
Thank you, Mr. Korman. We love you, and we’ll miss you….
Well, it was finally announced last month, we now know what the next installment of Cinematic Titanic is to be, and it’s coming out middle of this month! Here’s a taste…
