tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post3699926135517860597..comments2023-11-03T11:37:13.579-04:00Comments on Something Old, Nothing New: It's Only a Model!Jaime J. Weinmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128500411119962998noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-40985849883798457912009-11-04T11:03:34.605-05:002009-11-04T11:03:34.605-05:00For me, MST3K has (oddly enough) helped me appreci...For me, MST3K has (oddly enough) helped me appreciate "bad" movies even more. I have a number of movies in my collection that many would consider bad (some that were on the show, many that weren't), and that show is probably a big reason for that. Pointing out the flaws in these movies helped me realize just how imaginitive some of these people had to be with extremely limited budgets.<br /><br />To me, the only "bad" movie is a boring one.Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14333852079858137553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-90769338489129175552009-10-30T19:19:07.546-04:002009-10-30T19:19:07.546-04:00... Said the anonymous chickenshit.... Said the anonymous chickenshit.Thadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04443425643665474645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-20652995354450911962009-10-30T19:17:37.184-04:002009-10-30T19:17:37.184-04:00Well, Thad, if it's as easy as that then....yo...Well, Thad, if it's as easy as that then....you're wrong, and you don't <br />know what you're talking aboutAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-4813084938259673972009-10-28T14:28:26.523-04:002009-10-28T14:28:26.523-04:00OK, one is stormy and one isn't, which you cou...OK, one is stormy and one isn't, which you <i>could</i> argue, but whatever. The matte still sucks, as does the movie.Thadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04443425643665474645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-31836769011119375632009-10-28T14:26:25.466-04:002009-10-28T14:26:25.466-04:00Hate to burst the illusion of Hitchcock being mode...Hate to burst the illusion of Hitchcock being modest about the genius [sic] of MARNIE, but I call your attention to:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/1000/49/0084.jpg" rel="nofollow">Shot A.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/1000/49/0087.jpg" rel="nofollow">Shot B.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/1000/49/0999.jpg" rel="nofollow">Shot C (final shot in the movie.</a><br /><br />A and C are almost identical. So why? Sorry, man, but Hitch had it right. It was just a shitty matte painting.Thadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04443425643665474645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-60162020766139365352009-10-28T11:17:34.724-04:002009-10-28T11:17:34.724-04:00Just a follow-up. I actually saw Marnie in a theat...Just a follow-up. I actually saw Marnie in a theater when I was 7, and what freaked me out were those very creepy shots of the street & backdrops, with the strange children playing nearby. (Followed closely by all the RED and those knocks on the window.)<br /><br />Not a happy movie experience. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-10670598850619533312009-10-28T10:54:43.817-04:002009-10-28T10:54:43.817-04:00Back to Marnie.
Hitchcock made many stupid commen...Back to Marnie.<br /><br />Hitchcock made many stupid comments, intentionally trying to hide the fact that he was one of great artists of the 20th Century.<br /><br />If the Marnie backdrops were the result of merely careless production, why -- after she is "cured" -- is the backdrop suddenly not a backdrop, but crystal clear, bright reality?EJKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08057325915784712643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-43447886344710848082009-10-28T10:52:58.273-04:002009-10-28T10:52:58.273-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.EJKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08057325915784712643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-4466071416763120312009-10-27T22:57:04.544-04:002009-10-27T22:57:04.544-04:00I will admit that one unfair criticism I see in a ...I will admit that one unfair criticism I see in a lot of MST3K criticisms is "why don't they make fun of big-budget movies instead of easy targets?" (Fujiwara isn't the only one who said this; Jonathan Rosenbaum's review of the MST3K movie suggested that they should mock Woody Allen's <i>Interiors.</i> Which would indeed be a great subject for MST3K-type treatment.) That wasn't the mission statement of the show and the rights issues were complicated enough without trying to get the rights to any movies of actual value.<br /><br />I think it's fair to say that the selection of <i>This Island Earth</i> for the movie was one of the franchise's bigger mistakes. Mocking a pretty good movie (and Nelson has made it clear that he has no idea why people consider it good) made them look mean, whereas in their better episodes they did seem to be kind of rooting for the movie instead of against it.Jaime J. Weinmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128500411119962998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-16507057854815286862009-10-27T22:27:55.318-04:002009-10-27T22:27:55.318-04:00I will concede there are arguments to be made agai...I will concede there are arguments to be made against MST3K (though I am a fan), but Fujiwara comes off as a humorless prig from a world without laughter.<br /><br />As other commenters have noted, MST included some affectionate jabs as well as contemptuous ones. And the movie had a disproportionate share of cheap jokes (it was intended for a broader audience, after all) and fewer clever or obscure ones.<br /><br />However, there have been times when I've found Mike Nelson's comedy of contempt (usually post-MST3K, in book or Rifftrax form) overly curdled, even curmudgeonly, making you question exactly what, if anything, he could actually enjoy. In other words, not unlike Fujiwara.Kennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02125259992970822694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-89481753446862327342009-10-27T21:14:03.582-04:002009-10-27T21:14:03.582-04:00Thad: What was so inane about the story ? It's...Thad: What was so inane about the story ? It's very clear cut and well directed. Man finds drug money and he is on the run from a killer who wants it back. And Tommy Lee Jones as Sherrif Ed Tom Bell was terrfic as the sheriff overwhelmed by the murders. His whole life POV changes.My only complaint is Javier Bardem's stupid voice.Ricardo Cantoralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00518171797365794688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-68933982815390137082009-10-27T20:08:22.249-04:002009-10-27T20:08:22.249-04:00Just discovered your site: some great topics; I lo...Just discovered your site: some great topics; I look forward to reading further. <br /><br />I agree with Rick Roberts: when I see that as much work as possible under the circumstances has been done, I accept the effects: I noticed on some of the Netflix reviews of Bogie's The Caine Mutiny--a flick I think we could all say could be called a "classic"--complaining about the SPFX for the typhoon sequence. So what? Suspend your disbelief (if you can). <br /><br />Some movies deserve an audience snarkfest, but most don't, I think.Ivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16443946766217092846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-38337576300540790932009-10-27T19:17:49.786-04:002009-10-27T19:17:49.786-04:00To address the comments in the prev post re Marnie...To address the comments in the prev post re Marnie, I recall a story of a fan discussing w/Hithcock the brilliance of using the rather cheesy matte paintings of the street end to signify whatever psychology they were supposed to signify, and Hitchcock replying: "No, they were just bad matte paintings."<br />Also, the models in Lady Vanishes, Young and Innocent, and even Number 17 never bothered me, I thought they were rather charming, and compared to anything else coming out of Britain at the time, the were virtually state of the art.<br />ChrisboAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-1053188920196159442009-10-27T17:47:01.717-04:002009-10-27T17:47:01.717-04:00Fair enough. The jokes do get old after awhile, w...Fair enough. The jokes do get old after awhile, which is why I'm only a 'casual' fan.<br /><br />And BTW - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is a terrible movie, and not just for the incessantly inane story. Anybody off the street could have played Javier Bardam's character and done just as well.Thadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04443425643665474645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-54616279416712183082009-10-27T16:35:13.729-04:002009-10-27T16:35:13.729-04:00We were about 11 years old at the time when my fri...We were about 11 years old at the time when my friend turned to me during the Saturday matinee and said "You can tell it's a movie from the fake background." I responded, "You can tell it's a movie because we paid our 50 cents and we're eating popcorn." I wonder at some people's expectations.Caftan Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05936895555808823221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-85849959982281256172009-10-27T16:11:07.649-04:002009-10-27T16:11:07.649-04:00I'm glad I wasn't the only one who found t...I'm glad I wasn't the only one who found that Bob Gale "No Country for Old Men was so unrealistic!" rant ridiculous. I dismissed it when I realized that a Coen Brothers movie with some minor plot holes is by far a better, more stimulating aesthetic experience than, oh, say a 1941/Bordello of Blood double bill. Sort of in the same way that I no longer read Armond White, because if you honestly went to see films based on White's pans/raves you'd have tickets to Transformers 2, High School Musical and Marlon Wayans' Little Man, turning down Adaptation and There Will Be Blood. Sometimes a track record answers all questions.Chicago Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-58799458079175792592009-10-27T14:27:06.907-04:002009-10-27T14:27:06.907-04:00It's not so much a question of whether the mov...It's not so much a question of whether the movie deserves to be mocked, as what they choose to mock. I find a lot of the jokes fall into the "their clothes are different from my clothes" or "that flying saucer is so fake" category.<br /><br />Granted that this seems less pronounced in the earlier episodes, so maybe it got out of hand when Hodgson was replaced by Nelson.Jaime J. Weinmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128500411119962998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-65245171587830491922009-10-27T13:04:17.047-04:002009-10-27T13:04:17.047-04:00The movies they usually run deserve to be shit ove...<i>The movies they usually run deserve to be shit over. Get over it.</i><br /><br />For every classic they did ("This Island Earth," "I Was a Teenage Werewolf," etc) MST3K did about 30 others that were truly bottom of the barrel. <br /><br />I'm still waiting for someone to defend "Werewolf."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-40641128468751305592009-10-27T12:35:46.488-04:002009-10-27T12:35:46.488-04:00Dislike MST3K all you want (I'm not a 'fan...Dislike MST3K all you want (I'm not a 'fan', but I think it can be really funny), but come on. The movies they usually run deserve to be shit over. Get over it.Thadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04443425643665474645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-4875252505173436312009-10-27T10:14:17.711-04:002009-10-27T10:14:17.711-04:00What a great piece, Jamie. Thanks very much. Would...What a great piece, Jamie. Thanks very much. Would love to have Fujiwara jump in here.<br /><br />BTW(and no I'm not his agent), lots more of Chris here:<br /><br />http://www.insanemute.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-82868492723753558432009-10-27T02:34:04.534-04:002009-10-27T02:34:04.534-04:00If you study MST3K's history, you'll find ...If you study MST3K's history, you'll find that there were two different camps among Best Brains (the show's production staff). In fact, the two current MST3K spinoffs are a perfect reflection of the split: Cinematic Titanic, led by creator and original star Joel Hodgson, and Rifftrax, led by head writer and later star Mike Nelson. The Cinematic Titanic group had some genuine affection for the movies they featured, and their humor was focused more on playing around with the absurdities of those movies than pointing out their faults. The Rifftrax group tended to have genuine contempt for the movies, and they were the ones who took a lot of "cheap shots". Fujiwara's piece is extremely unfair because it seems like he's basing his entire opinion of MST3K on the movie, which was a poor representation of what the show was about.Chris L.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-82407175436130743732009-10-27T00:00:14.162-04:002009-10-27T00:00:14.162-04:00To judge special effects is judging workmanship. I...To judge special effects is judging workmanship. I can many a time point out models in old films but I admire how well it was built. <br /><br />"Why do you think most movies today are too long? Because they waste inordinate time on answering questions that won't even be brought up by anyone who actually enjoys the movie."<br /><br />Exactly. Movies today take forever to get to the point. They want some long, drawn out exposition of character development and story but it's not adding to the film, as a matter of fact, it subtracts from it. There should be one, an air of some mystery which should be left to the viewer to deduce. If a film like The Letter was made today, a modern day pretentious film maker would take about 40 minutes to just establish the relationship of all the main characters. Even, worse we would have seen all of conflict Bette Davis and her lover played out on screen. And in Anatomy of a Murder, would have seen the rape scene and the murder of the rapist. The director thinking for the sake of "realism" and emotional impact but really, a waste of time. Nothing would be left to the viewer to imagine of if Lt. Manion did or did not deserve a guilty or not guilty verdict.Ricardo Cantoralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00518171797365794688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-46464854838948852522009-10-26T21:41:36.525-04:002009-10-26T21:41:36.525-04:00I watched three Val Lewton movies over the weekend...I watched three Val Lewton movies over the weekend and done of the nice things about them--The Seventh Victim blew me away as its always does--is how much they accomplish in eighty minutes. Too many of today's movies, even some of those I enjoy and admire, go on at least half an hour too long. It's like an endurance contest--please get to the final scenes and for God's sake stop talking.Ed Gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06126267358266480356noreply@blogger.com