Disc One: Catalina Caper
Catalina Caper is a Joel episode from 1990. At the
beginning the robots offer prayers for other robots, including R2-D2 and
Twinkie. Usually the invention exchange is one of the weaker sections of the
show, but this episode’s “Tank Top” is perfect. And during one of the breaks,
Tom Servo sings a delightful love song to the creepy girl in the film. But of
course it’s the main feature which is the focus. The gang jokes, “The best
beach party ever was the one at Normandy.” Little Richard performs in this
movie, which is great. But it doesn’t stop the gang from poking fun. Regarding
Little Richard’s outfit, Crow says, “Hey, we have a chair downstairs with
that upholstery.” But they also say, “Little Richard: the only genuine
talent in this film.” When some characters are about to take a guy scuba
diving for the first time, Bunny tells him: “There’s a trick to it. Just
remember one thing.” Tom Servo jumps in, “You’ll be under water.”
Later, when a horrible band is performing, the camera focuses on one member,
leading Tom Servo to quip, “I’m gonna quit this band and start a career in
music.” When one character tells another, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to
embarrass you,” the gang jokes, “Isn’t this movie enough?” This
episode contains references to Gilligan’s Island, The Dukes Of
Hazzard, The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane, Westside Story
and Five Easy Pieces.
Disc One Special Features
The first disc includes The Crown Jewels: The Story Of
America’s Oldest Independent Film Company, which is about Crown
International and Newton “Red” Jacobs. It includes stuff on the biker movies.
This disc also includes the trailer for Catalina Caper.
Disc Two: The Creeping Terror
The Creeping Terror is one of the worst films ever
made (several years ago I posted a Good Things About Bad Movies review of it),
but as is often the case, the worst movies make some of the best MST3K
episodes. This is a Mike episode from 1994. The movie opens in darkness,
leading Crow to say, “The point of view of Helen Keller.” Tom Servo
comments on the pace of the monster: “Well, it is creeping. You’ve got to
give it that.” And later Mike says, “The Creeping part is apt, but the
Terror part is just not happening.” When the sheriff stares at the rocket,
the gang jokes, “If I could find a windshield, I’d give it a ticket.”
When the sound and picture don’t quite synch up, they ask, “Which one of us
is talking?” The film is heavily narrated, and when the narrator begins
blabbing on about marriage, Crow says, “He’s a renegade narrator on the
loose.” Tom Servo shouts, “You want to get back to the script?”
There is a scene of the world’s worst mother, and when she says, “Poor baby,
you’ll feel better soon,” Mike says, “How about picking him up or
feeding him?” And Crow adds, “My love deprivation experiment is going
well.” And when a guy attacks the monster with a guitar, Tom Servo jokes, “Only
Tom Paxton can save us now.” And I love the jokes every time we see a
soldier standing strangely close to the rocket shop.
Disc Two Special Features
The second disc includes a Q&A for The Creep
Behind The Camera from Screamfest 2014, as well as an extended trailer for The
Creep Behind The Camera and The Creeping Terror trailer for
Screamfest 2014.
Disc Three: Bloodlust
The third disc is Bloodlust, a Mike episode from
1994. Before the feature, the gang suffers through a short titled Uncle
Jim’s Dairy Farm. As the family eats dinner, Mike quips, “Repressed
emotions help the evening pass without incident.” Crow jokes, “Despair
was the bumper crop.” When a character in the main feature says she still
doesn’t know what is going on, Crow replies, “Neither do we.” And when a
nerdy character goes exploring the house, Crow says, “Indiana Nerd And The
Temple Of Dork.” After body parts turn up in a laboratory, the gang jokes,
“Bad news – the kitchen’s not up to code.” And they point out how the
lead female character seems to change heights several times. When one of the
villains grabs that girl, Crow jokes, “Bob Packwood goes a-courtin’.”
Remember that bastard? This episode includes references to Lifeboat, Citizen
Kane, Cagney & Lacey, Monty Python’s Flying Circus and
John Steinbeck. By the way, Maria Bamford is credited as fiddler at the end of
the episode.
Disc Three Special Feature
The third disc includes the trailer for Bloodlust.
Disc Four: The Skydivers
This episode opens with some obvious but still hilarious
jokes about Uranus. Crow says, “Uranus is big and gassy, isn’t it?” Like
Bloodlust, this episode has a short film before the feature. Why
Study Industrial Arts is one of the funniest short segments the series ever
did. The boy who narrates the short tells us, “I like the smell of fresh wood
chips and sawdust.” The gang teases, “I put them in my underwear.”
The boy continues, “Or the dull tap tap of tools on leather,” leading
Crow to joke, “I keep Popular Mechanics under my mattress.” The main
feature is a terrible movie with little if any plot, and the gang turns it into
one of the most enjoyable episodes of the series. After a dull plane incident,
a character asks, “What happened?” The gang answers, “I saw my hair
in the mirror and panicked.” When another character tells her she is
prettier every day, Tom Servo determines, “She must have written the
dialogue.” The film is a mess, and at one point Crow says, “Someone with
Attention Deficit Disorder edited this film.” When one character asks
another if she’ll see him tomorrow, Mike responds, “You have to ask the
editor.” And when she lights a candle, Crow quips, “They’re going to
invoke the spirit of the continuity man.” At one point, as the plane starts
to move, Crow jokes, “Roger, tower, which way’s the sky?” Mike asks, “The
actors do their own skydiving?” Crow answers, “No, the skydivers did
they own acting.” Regarding the plot, Mike observes, “Seems like they
forgot to have things happen in this movie.” This is one of the funniest
episodes. The scene about the coffee had me in tears, I was laughing so hard.
Sure, I’d had a few beers, but still, this is one hell of a good episode. And
the gang refers to the opening short film throughout the episode.
Disc Four Special Feature
This disc includes the trailer for The Skydivers.
This special re-issue of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Volume One is scheduled to be released on DVD on September 1, 2015 through
Shout! Factory. I hope Shout! Factory plans on re-releasing more of the
out-of-print volumes soon.
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