With New Funding Model, MST3K Attempts Online Comeback, Live Tour (mst3k.com) 19
Long-time Slashdot reader destinyland writes: Mystery Science Theatre 3000 will be coming back in 2022 with thirteen new episodes, plus 12 additional shorts and 12 monthly live events. "And this time, we're doing it without a network," explains the web page for their successful comeback campaign on Kickstarter. "Season 13 will be released exclusively in MST3K's new online virtual theatre, THE GIZMOPLEX."
36,581 backers pledged $6,519,019 to fund their own dedicated MST3K venue online, and most contributors to their 2021 Kickstarter campaign received 2022 passes to the online theatre as a thank-you. Now through December, fans who want to buy or gift a 2022 pass can get them discounted to $95. (Normally'll they cost $120.)
Starting on March 4, 2022, assorted MST3K zanies and their puppet robots will be watching (and heckling) 12 carefully-chosen weird movies, including one 1970 Gamera movie that they haven't gotten to yet, a 1968 Italian movie about a professional wrestler called The Batwoman, and Jack Palance's 1979 film, HG Wells' The Shape of Things to Come. And series creator Joel Hodgson will return when they all watch the 2014 movie The Christmas Dragon. The Den of Geek site has all the details on the 13 movies (gleaned from last week's traditional "Turkey Day marathon" of fan-favorite episodes — this year broadcast on YouTube, Twitch, and various web pages and streaming apps).
But in addition there's also a live touring show that will take them all across America. Next week fans can catch shows in the midwestern U.S. — specifically Youngstown Ohio, Nashville Indiana, Madison Wisconsin, and Chicago — before the crew moves on to Salt Lake City, Reno, and Seattle. Then it's on to California — San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego — and then dozens of other major cities in the U.S. (Portland! Denver! Austin! Atlanta! Durham! Worcester! New York City!)
"We know that many of you are understandably concerned about COVID and the Delta variant. We are too," explains a special announcement on the tour's web site, promising the tour "will adhere to the same standards as touring Broadway shows in effect at the time of your performance... [E]very theater on the tour will have its own policies."
In 2008 the show's creator Joel Hodgson answered questions from Slashdot readers.
36,581 backers pledged $6,519,019 to fund their own dedicated MST3K venue online, and most contributors to their 2021 Kickstarter campaign received 2022 passes to the online theatre as a thank-you. Now through December, fans who want to buy or gift a 2022 pass can get them discounted to $95. (Normally'll they cost $120.)
Starting on March 4, 2022, assorted MST3K zanies and their puppet robots will be watching (and heckling) 12 carefully-chosen weird movies, including one 1970 Gamera movie that they haven't gotten to yet, a 1968 Italian movie about a professional wrestler called The Batwoman, and Jack Palance's 1979 film, HG Wells' The Shape of Things to Come. And series creator Joel Hodgson will return when they all watch the 2014 movie The Christmas Dragon. The Den of Geek site has all the details on the 13 movies (gleaned from last week's traditional "Turkey Day marathon" of fan-favorite episodes — this year broadcast on YouTube, Twitch, and various web pages and streaming apps).
But in addition there's also a live touring show that will take them all across America. Next week fans can catch shows in the midwestern U.S. — specifically Youngstown Ohio, Nashville Indiana, Madison Wisconsin, and Chicago — before the crew moves on to Salt Lake City, Reno, and Seattle. Then it's on to California — San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego — and then dozens of other major cities in the U.S. (Portland! Denver! Austin! Atlanta! Durham! Worcester! New York City!)
"We know that many of you are understandably concerned about COVID and the Delta variant. We are too," explains a special announcement on the tour's web site, promising the tour "will adhere to the same standards as touring Broadway shows in effect at the time of your performance... [E]very theater on the tour will have its own policies."
In 2008 the show's creator Joel Hodgson answered questions from Slashdot readers.
Cast. (Score:4, Informative)
This is not the real MST3K. [mst3klive.com]
Most of the real people are at Rifftrax [rifftrax.com] where they've been for years.
Joel tried to do his own shit with Cinematic Titanic, it sucked.
What's the deal with Joel? (Score:2, Insightful)
He was originally on the show that was a hit, then made a big stink and left and failed miserably. Then he comes back to do the same thing that he was complaining about? Why do people do this? Why can't they see where their bread is buttered and ride it till the horse dies? Make your bank when you can, there will ALWAYS be time to do the crappy vanity projects that will fail later.
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Ego.
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Are you talking about the Netflix originals because I thought a number of those episodes were amongst the best MST3k I've seen?
Different tastes I guess...
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MST3K's time has passed. Let's move on (Score:3)
For me and probably most people here who remember it when it first was broadcast, it was something to watch in the early '90s when you got home from work (as we all worked crazy hours), have a few chuckles and go to bed.
Maybe the next day you'd talk about different parts around the water cooler or maybe not. It was like pizza - never as good the next day so after one or two so I never recorded it (although, to be fair, I did buy a few DVDs when they came out of what I remembered as the best episodes - "Mitchell" being a big one).
What made it special was Joel, Mike and Dr. Forester and it went down hill at the end (Pearl, I'm talking to you). The reboots were terrible as they didn't have the same cast and the fact you could stream them any time rather than only having one coming out a week at a specific time ruined the fun.
MST3K was a product of it's time and the broadcast technology available - it doesn't work the same way now.
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That must explain why when I tried watching it on Netflix I was left wondering what all the fuss was about. It wasn't even that funny and I found myself more interested in the bad movie they were watching.
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I watched one episode of MST3K, and was mildly amused, I got the joke (the heckling of bad movies with robot puppets), but that was enough. Doing the same routine over and over with different ad libs and a different terrible movie does not make keep making it funny.
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If you are only there for the puppet routine then you missed the point.
What you are looking for is reaction videos or some shit. You want highlights of highlights.
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The reboots were terrible as they didn't have the same cast and the fact you could stream them any time rather than only having one coming out a week at a specific time ruined the fun.
In addition to Joel, Mike, Dr. Forrester and Frank, the performances of the bots were key. What also made the show a real cult item in its early days was the uneven distribution on cable systems, and the show's exhortation to "circulate the tapes."
Movie buffs drooling over matinee features (Score:1)
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Most movie buffs (one here) do not drool over Saturday matinee dreck. There are far too many good and interesting movies to see to waste time on the rotten stuff. And not many people here are watching these "for the memories" - a mid-teenager in 1955 who might go to see them is 80+ years old today.
Awesome! (Score:1)
INVENTION EXCHANGE!! (Score:1)