The Oozing Skull

[ColinBlair]

Here it is, the

un-Official The Oozing Skull Comment Thread

<cheesy announcer voice>The place where you, or someone who stole your identityy, can post  reviews and commentary of the first Cinematic Titanic release. </cheesy announcer voice>

<fast legal announcer voice>There may be posts in the thread with unprotected spoilers. If you have not seen The Oozing Skull then you have been warned
Warning: Pregnant women, the elderly and children under 10 should avoid prolonged exposure to The Oozing Skull. Caution: The Oozing Skull may suddenly accelerate to dangerous speeds. The Oozing Skull Contains a liquid core, which, if exposed due to rupture, should not be touched, inhaled, or looked at. Do not use The Oozing Skull on concrete.Discontinue use of The Oozing Skull if any of the following occurs: Itching, Vertigo ,Dizziness,Tingling in extremities,Loss of balance or coordination, Slurred speech, Temporary blindness, Profuse sweating, Heart palpitations. If The Oozing Skull begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head. The Oozing Skull may stick to certain types of skin. When not in use, The Oozing Skull should be returned to its special container and kept under refrigeration... Failure to do so relieves the makers of The Oozing Skull, Cinematic Titanic, and its parent company Visual Story Tools, of any and all liability. Ingredients of The Oozing Skull include an unknown glowing substance which fell to Earth, presumably from outer space. The Oozing Skull has been shipped to our troops in Saudi Arabia and is also being dropped by our warplanes on Iraq. Do not taunt The Oozing Skull. The Oozing Skull comes with a lifetime guarantee. The Oozing Skull ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES! </fast legal announcer voice>

[ColinBlair]

The riffing was very high quality and it really felt like the riffing from a joel-era MST3K episode. One thing I noticed it that there was a lot of sound effect riffing that Rifftrax doesn't do at all. Making OOooo noises and things like that. I am very puzzled about the introduction though. They pretty much go right into the movie with no explanation at all of what is going on and who is where on the screen which distracted me for awhile. I am a long time fan but even I found it confusing. If I tried to show this to a non-fan they would be completely lost so that is one place they could improve in the future.

[MrTorso]

premise? we don't need no stinkin' premise!

[Rude]

...

So this whole thread is spoiler land, right? We don't have to say that we plan on talking about the movie in a thread that's actually dedicated to the movie, do we? Well, i'm gonna' talk about the movie, so: Spoiler Alert and stuff.

Anyway, this was a pretty good first attempt. It had me laughing out loud a coupla' times. And it kind of had that old MST3K vibe, mostly due to the movie itself. Although it was a little more gory and R-rated than anything on MST3K. But i'm always excited to see anyone do a good job riffing on these old kind of B-movies.... or Z-movies, i suppose~ Even reminded me of a film called Night Of The Bloody Apes, which featured actual heart surgery footage as well. Gross.

I'm not sure what's going on as far as Cinematic Titanic itself, though. Nothing was really set-up or explained... just BAM! - here's the movie, and away we go. Maybe they'll eventually use the website a little more to explain any sort of back story, or premise or whatever. Why scaffolding? What's up with the timetube? But the visual gags were pretty funny. Now i can see why they needed such a big set for filming.

Oh yeah. Did anyone else notice that Stephen Hawking was actually in the credits? For Cinematic Titanic that is, not The Oozing Skull~

-Rude

[MrTorso]

I didn't notice the Stephen Hawking credit!!  If it was actually him then the joke is not as bad as I though it was. 

[shutterbun]

premise? we don't need no stinkin' premise!

How about at least a little intro, then?  Rifftrax has no real premise, but at least they take a minute or two to "set the stage," which I like.

[MrTorso]

premise? we don't need no stinkin' premise!

How about at least a little intro, then?  Rifftrax has no real premise, but at least they take a minute or two to "set the stage," which I like.

A little bit of exposition wouldn't be bad.

[bratpop]

One thing I noticed it that there was a lot of sound effect riffing that Rifftrax doesn't do at all.

Maybe because Rifftrax doesn't do cheesy movies with cheesy music or sound effects or that seem to call for cheesy music or sound effects?

Sounds really disappointing re: no premise. What the hell was the whole point of the SOL-esque time capsule, the title, and scaffolding? Did they run outta money? Even Film Crew had host segments since they made the DVDs themselves. Sounds rushed to me. I thought they said it was easily accessible. That to me means... catchy theme song... 2 minute intro... I dunno, call me crazy. I think accessible would be either MST3k, or if you somehow hated sci-fi, Rifftrax i.e. popular movies. Or by more accessible did they just mean the movie can be accessed without any intros? Huh.

Thing is, I doubt I would buy this unless I already owned every Rifftrax, Legend, and Film Crew DVD. Not unless I'd heard of the movie or everyone said it was amazing amazing amazing. And I don't see how it could be. MST was an easy sell. All you really had to do was get up at 11.

[Artie]

I watched it last night, and I have to say that I was underwhelmed.  There were some times where they were pretty funny, and times where they weren't.  There seems to be a lack of cohesion in the group and doesn't feel like they click, which became especially obvious during the skits as they felt forced.

I've wondered since this endeavor was announced whether 5 people is too many, and the first released hasn't assuaged that at all.

But it was just the first movie.  I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt on this, and I'll ready to pony up for the 2nd release.

[Darth Geek]

I'm still waiting for a full review of this. You say they just "get right into the movie", and "no premis", yet there are skits?

[bettertomorrowamy]

I liked it a lot.  They actually do have breaks where they do "skits".  They freeze the movie and do funny things with props that I thought was innovative. 
It would have been nice to have a little Intro with everybody or just Joel introducing everything.  I don't think a premise is absolutely necessary.  Film Crew's premise was pretty weak, maybe they were trying to avoid that.  It was the "pilot" though so maybe they will come up with something for the next one.  Did anybody else hear the "Get picked up by the Bravo Channel" reference?  That would be great.

[annearchist]

Just finished watching Oozing Skull, and I'm underwhelmed. Maybe I was expecting too much, but it seemed so slow. The energy levels were kinda sedentary, and I kept waiting for riffs that never came.  Perhaps it's because it's the first movie and a new format, but the gang didn't seem comfortable, like they hadn't really gelled as a team yet. Which is weird because they've all known each other a long time, so you'd think they'd have this down. But the fact that they're using 5 people may make it trickier.

I agree with the folks saying an Intro would have been nice. When I think back, there was no interaction with the viewer whatsoever. It was never acknowledged that there was an audience of any kind. Did MST3K ever do that? It's been a long time since I watched, and I can't go back through god knows how many videotapes to check.

I think I'm digging RiffTrax so much these days because the 1, 2 and sometimes 3 person audio format is more intimate. When I'm watching Phantom Menace or whatever, I feel like I'm in on the joke with Mike and the gang because they explain themselves up front, set the scene, introduce the movie, and occasionally address comments to "those of you watching at home".

Get this. I've been using RiffTrax so much, I actually caught myself going to check the sync a few times while watching Oozing Skull. 

I liked it a lot.  They actually do have breaks where they do "skits".  They freeze the movie and do funny things with props that I thought was innovative. 
It would have been nice to have a little Intro with everybody or just Joel introducing everything.  I don't think a premise is absolutely necessary.  Film Crew's premise was pretty weak, maybe they were trying to avoid that.  It was the "pilot" though so maybe they will come up with something for the next one.  Did anybody else hear the "Get picked up by the Bravo Channel" reference?  That would be great.

The skits were a cute enough concept, but I didn't find the actual freeze-frame moments that funny.

Cable would be great, but I think they were referencing the fact that Trace had just done a "makeover" on the screen, and makeover-type shows are pretty much all Bravo does.

[RVR II]

I thought some 'Beyond Thunderdome' cracks would've been used for sure..

"Who Runs Barter Town?! Master Blaster!!"

[Natureboy]

So, for those that have seen it.....how did J. Elvis do?  He was never my favorite on the early MST3K episodes, so I am curious.

[bettertomorrowamy]

So, for those that have seen it.....how did J. Elvis do?  He was never my favorite on the early MST3K episodes, so I am curious.

Ah, he totally dropped the ball...pissed the whole show down his leg.  No just kidding.  He did one of the "skits".  He was going to play on his guitar some love music for the couple in the movie...before he does he explains why they need a song, but before the explanation is over he ends up smashing his guitar.  It was funny, not just cute.