#mst3k

[mst3kgifs]

Special effects by Billy.

[theanxiouswombat]

The skeleton appears

[frank-bennedetto]

I don't have a name for it but to me all these are all in the same genre of something

Like its a vague but distinct flavor of sureal, pseudo-childish, low-fi/indie/low budget, high effort pulp nerd goodness (feel free to add)

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

Laserblast | 1978

[stumpyshocky]

[gameraboy2]

Mystery Science Theater 3000, "Godzilla vs. Megalon"

[crumb]

HOBGOBLINS 1988 | dir. Rick Sloane

[hibernobritonicdrunk]

[bananacorn-limeade]

A tale they said was TOO SHOCKING for the screen.

Ladies and gentlefolk, American International Pictures presents the CINEMATIC EVENT of 1961:

A SONG of ICE and FIRE!

A Roger Corman production. Music by Albert Glasser.

Starring... well, you'll see. (Will this be a "good" movie? Absolutely not. Will costumes and hairstyles be woefully anachronistic? For sure. Will many casting choices be questionable? Indeed. Will major plot points be changed to comply with the morality clauses of the Hayes Code? You betcha!)

Starring

RICHARD CARLSON as EDDARD STARK - an HONORABLE man caught in a WEB of political intrigue!

MARIE WINDSOR as CATELYN STARK - the mother who will do ANYTHING to protect her own!

COLEEN GRAY as CERSEI LANNISTER - the BEAUTIFUL QUEEN with a TERRIBLE SECRET!

JOHN AGAR as JAIME LANNISTER - the DASHING SWORDSMAN who SHOULDN'T be TRUSTED!

MICHAEL DUNN as TYRION LANNISTER - the HALF MAN with BIG APPETITES!

BASIL RATHBONE as Tywin Lannister - the STRATEGIST with a HEART of ICE!

RAYMOND BURR as ROBERT BARATHEON - the king who LOVED WINE - almost as much as he LOVED WOMEN!

JUNE KENNEY as DAENERYS TARGARYEN - the PRINCESS from an EXOTIC LAND!

ROBERT REED as RENLY BARATHEON - the HANDSOME KING all of Westeros WANTED!

GLENN LANGAN as STANNIS BARATHEON - the HEIR who WOULDN'T BACK DOWN!

ALLISON HAYES as MELISANDRE - the sultry RED WOMAN no king could deny!

With...

ANTHONY DEXTER as the SCHEMING Petyr Baelish!

LON CHANEY JR as the TERRIFYING Sandor Clegane!

and TOR JOHNSON as THE BROTHER who MADE him a MONSTER!

...And Introducing...

MICHAEL LANDON as JON SNOW - a TORTURED SOUL at the EDGE of the WORLD!

JOHN ASHLEY as ROBB STARK - the BOY KING marching to his DOOM!

DOLORES FAITH as SANSA STARK - the fair princess TRAPPED by a WICKED queen!

DAWN BENDER as ARYA STARK - a LITTLE GIRL with LOTS OF FIGHT!

and newcomer JACK NICHOLSON as THEON GREYJOY - the rogue who HIDES behind a SMILE!

THE INTRIGUE

THE SUSPENSE

The Song of Ice and Fire!

[seizethedeansofproduction]

they're like the Beatles for people obsessed with one specific aspect of pop culture

[mst3kgifs]

Let's get this toy outta here, quick!

[chetart]

"Mystery Science Kabuki" by Chet Phillips

[frank-bennedetto]

Homestar Runner, Mystery Science Theater and Space Ghost Coast to Coast is superwholock for people who listen to They Might Be Giants

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

It Conquered the World | 1956

[sweaterkittensahoy]

One of the greatest lessons I've ever learned from MST3k is that people will always find a way to make art.

Is it always art I want to see? No. is it art I personally consider good? No. Is it something I would even personally call art? Nope.

But here's what MST3k made clear: There are so many fucking movies that exist because they MATTER to someone. Sometimes only ONE someone, but they cared so fucking much, a piece of art exists.

Is Monster A Go-Go good? Not from any way you could measure it. But is it art made by someone who loved what they were doing? YES. To the point that the script got re-written when after years of trying to finish it, a star went bald, and the writers went, "Okay, well now you're your own brother."

Eraserhead, a b-movie classic, was created on a similar timeframe.

But David Lynch is a fucking master of weird and confusing, and the team behind A Go-Go were not.

But at the end of the day, there's still a movie, goddamnit.

And there are so many "bad" movies that exist because they were made by people who simply loved their art. Ed Wood couldn't cut anything he ever filmed because he loved all that film. Bert I. Gordon had no budget but made his special effects interesting and fun. Russ Meyer loved titties, and he fucking delivered on titties.

Are any of these works a masterclass in film making? No. But a masterclass in love and devotion? Yes.

And, truly, MST3k falls under the same umbrella. A cheap, weird little show that has maintained and grown while keeping its overall sensibility. A love letter to bad movies by ribbing them to a level they deserve. By loving them so much they can't stop ribbing them.

MST3k taught me more about loving art than so many of the things that were meant to teach me about loving art.

[hellyeahmst3k]

RIP Paul "Pee Wee" Reubens, aged 70.

Beez McKeever, longtime Wardrobe, bot costume maker, and Prop Mistress of MST3k (even in the new seasons) shared a nice memory of him on her IG bezzworx:

"Paul Reubens was my comedy hero. After receiving my fan letter back in the 80s, he called me on the phone, he upgraded my seats to his show at the Guthrie where he called me on stage for a bit of improv. He coaxed me to do my rendition of his "Hand Monster Game", an impersonation that I'd boasted about in my letter. The crowd ROARED with laughter and Pee Wee pretended to stamp away having been upstaged. I've never been so happy. That beautiful moment lit a fire in me, an aspiration to find a place in comedy for myself. It's no exaggeration to say he helped shape my life. I'm absolutely gutted that he's gone."