The Oozing Skull

[darkside]

So, did you like the silhouettes?

Meh. They are okay.   

I like the way they are handling the host segments which to me is the shaky part of the equation.  We all love the riffing from this, Film Crew or Rifftrax, but it is the host segments that can fail badly.  They avoid them in Rifftrax due to the format so that is fine, but with a project like this you will need some breaks during the movie.  With the Film Crew they did out of the movie skits and set up a back story that was by and large not very good.  I've just never been entertained by the Film Crew on camera though these guys were funny as hell holding puppets.  The way Joel handled it with CT seems to have a lot more potential and is also quick so they move on quickly if something doesn't work.  The vomiting Jazz musician apparently didn't work for everyone. 

The on camera skits in MST3K had a charm about them because of the bots and I think you get a little of this with CT because they are just shadows throughout the movie.

[jetjaguar15]

I'm about 1/2 throguht the first episode. I've reallt enjoyed it so far. Is it better or worse than Rfiftrax? No. It's different. Like Film Crew was different from MST, which is different from Rifftrax. I like 'em all, in different ways.

[Junkyard]

Overall, I liked it. The side- of- screen arrangment works, the jokes are funny, and the movie pauses allow for some really nice gags.
The lack of preamble or other introductions, at least with names, is something they could work on. However, they may just be going for an anonymous feel to it, and then i suppose it works.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

 After a second viewing my opinion has gone up a few notches, first time I was was watching the movie too much and not focusing on the riffing.  Still no side splitting moments, I'd rate it equivalent to an average MST3K episode or RiffTrax.

 I think the movie, while very, very bad, is still too interesting, it actually has a plot that makes sense.  For the first CT movie they should have gone with something much worse...

 I guess they had to change the name very late, Mary Jo's car at the end must have been made before they changed the name, the joke only works if you know the original name of the movie.

[MarkAndrew]

I got mine last night (no jewel case though....makes storing the disk a bit awkward) and watched it.

I really enjoyed it, just hearing Trace and Joel again make my eyes light up.  The riffing was good, I give it a 8/10.

[mlcorcoran]

yeah the vomiting Al Hirt, i could've done without. but at the same time i think it cleverly mocked how excessively gory the movie was.

the riffs were hilarious, and the skits are a great idea. the host segments were one of my favorite things about mst3k, because it was nice to get a break in the non-action of the movie.

i'm hoping that we'll get more explanation/exposition from the cast in the next show. i understand that as a sort of pilot this first episode is more or less a prototype. i'm not saying the show should have a premise like mst3k did, but if we saw the cast introduce themselves briefly and a quick rundown of what they're watching and what the "Time Tube" is (i'm still fuzzy on that), i think it would only enhance the experience.

[Raven]

Just watched it last night and I really enjoyed the whole experience.  Josh was excellent and even though we are all used to Kevin as Servo it was good to hear his voice again.  The Stephen Hawkings credit had an actor across the screen who played him.  It wasn't actually him but that joke made me laugh.   I really like the addition of visuals again to the riffing.  Even if you didn't like the freeze frame segments remember that there were a lot of bad host segments throughout mst3k as well.  There were usually one or more per episode that I could take it or leave it on.  I thought these were all at least kinda funny and none of them were too long.  Looking forward to the next one. 

[Bob]

Got my DVD in the mail yesterday and watched it..... and was very pleased.

I like the Shadowrama setup and the interaction with the movie it lets them create. For older..... cheap..... movies like this that is needed as there can be a lot of dead air time on screen. It would NEVER work with Rifftrax as they tend to do more "active" movies and the Shadows would get lost in the film. So, what is good for one is not good for the other. So fans of both have something!

The riffing was damned funny. The "my name is Hedly" (from Blazing Saddles) in the opening credits was a good omen for me and I was not disappointed. Lots of big laughs, small laughs and smiles.

Great to hear Joel and Trace again. I knew Mary Jo could be a riot from her Glitter Rifftax and it would be good to get her some more lines. I was not real familiar with Josh's year one work so it was good to hear a new voice (new for me anyway) as well.

The Stephen Hawkings bit was good and it also showed that they can use the "guest cameos" as a substitute for the old SOL commercial break visits back to the crew. It helpf break up the movie. Pausing the film to talk also works.

The "time tube" is a bit of a mystery to me, but I am sure that will be explained over time. Hey, I dont need everything fed to me at once.

I am looking forward to more!

[darkside]

I would also mention the MS3K fanboy in me was smiling big when they pulled out the dickweed riff.  Something about that one is kind of classic.
Trace sounded so much in Crow mode a couple of times I was expecting a "by this time my lungs were aching for air" riff at any moment.

Wtih this and everything Mike, Bill and Kevin are doing it is an amazing time for MST fans.

[Brak]

I watched this last night and i would rank it as a standard MST3K episode. It has some really great laughs and then some chuckles here and there. I wouldn't rank it as high as Pod People or Manos, but it still was great to see the guys at it again.  I found myself trying to find Crow sometimes when Trace was doing his lines. I think that it was worth the wait to finally get a copy. I'm excited to see what they will have in store for us next. It will be a lot of fun to see what they have once they get into the "grove" of working together.

And im with all of you in the need of having some type of intro or something to explain why they have to watch these terrible movies and what the Titanic thing at the end was for. 

[RoninFox]

It will be a lot of fun to see what they have once they get into the "grove" of working together.

Orange grove?

Anyway, finally got mine today and just finished it.  I loved it, even though this wasn't the live version, it was just some crowd noise away from a live show feel.  I liked the freeze frames and the creativity with the silhouettes.  The guitar bit really got me.  I even like that it jumped right in, you want a concept, we're watching a bad movie and you get to watch too, there's your concept.

[DoctorZ]

OK I've watched it twice now.  I just can't get over the lack of an intro host segment. Without some explanation and a set up up front about what is going on here the whole thing seems..I don't know.. decapitated and incomplete.  Once into the movie I didn't have a problem.  The stopping the movie for skits was great and the riffing was at times brilliant and shows promise of greater things to come.  I wish them every success, but I still want some explanation up on the screen as to why they are there and some motivation explained for riffing the movie.  I'd also like to see them as well.  OK they are older. So are we all.  Well, some of us anyway.  Joel's Riff about The Mod Squad was clearly an indication about how he feels about his age ("I'm so old")  Hey, Joel, I remember first run Ding Dong School and Kukla Fran and Ollie...how do you think I feel!  Show yourselves!  These are just minor points.  My two bits.  I plan on buying more.  First show like a first marriage doesn't really count.

[RoninFox]

Rifftrax doesn't have an explanation on why they're riffing on movies beyond "these movies are here and they need to be riffed."  Does the fact that there are riffers visible on screen immediately mean we need one?

[Insert Coin(s) to Continue]

I had fun trying to figure out who was where on screen. I was about 20 minutes into the movie before I was confident that I had figured out who was where.

[RoninFox]

Frank and Mary Jo were easy, but I totally had Joel Trace and J.E. mixed up.  I could have sworn Joel was upper left, Trace was below him and J.E. was upper right at the begining, then I realized I needed to rotate 'em one spot counter clockwise.