Mystery Science Theater 3000
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'Mystery Science Theater 3000' is back on a dedicated streaming platform
The world never run out of bad 'B' movies to mock, apparently, because Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) is back for a 13th season.
MST3K's latest kickstarter is funding a new streaming platform
Mystery Science Theater 3000 returns to Kickstarter to fund its latest comeback, with greater aspirations this time around.
Netflix won't back a new season of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'
After Mystery Science Theater 3000 made its comeback via crowdfunding, Netflix backed a second season of the show's "Return" that arrived around this time last year. Unfortunately, their partnership will apparently end there, as host Jonah Ray announced via Twitter that the streamer decided against doing another season. Of course, as he notes, the show "always figured out how to survive," and series creator Joel Hodgson said "It's not the end of MST3K, It's just the end of the first chapter of bringing back MST3K." With a proven capability to raise millions on Kickstarter and new streaming outlets opening every week, the possibility of new episodes is wide open. For now, fans can look forward to the annual Turkey Day Marathon with six classic episodes starting at noon ET on Thursday.
Twitch's latest marathon is a six-day 'MST3K' binge
B-movie lovers rejoice, for social video platform Twitch is set to air a Mystery Science Theater 3000 marathon lasting a mind-numbing six days. The stream, which features 38 classic episodes, will air on Shout! Factory TV's new Twitch channel from June 26 to July 3. The comic sci-fi show, which emerged as a cult favorite despite two network cancellations, follows hapless host Joel Robinson as he's trapped by mad scientists in space and forced to watch some of the worst B-movies ever produced. Viewers are not only treated (subjected?) to the appalling films in their entireties, but also to the running commentary of our sorry protagonist and the two robot sidekicks he's built to keep him sane (which, in the face of absolute fiascos such as Manos: The Hands of Fate, is no mean feat).
Watch an episode of 'MST3k,' with or without the jokes explained
Ordinarily, people talking during a movie is our idea of hell, but in Mystery Science Theater 3000's case, we're more than happy to allow it. The thing is, unless you've got a pop culture brain that'd make Tarantino blush, you're not going to know enough to get the joke. That's why a group calling themselves The Annotated MST have been painstakingly researching and explaining every single gag from the show so you don't feel left out. Thankfully, the group has teamed up with Shout! Factory, MST3k's DVD label, to release a fully-amended and legitimate copy of Mitchell onto YouTube (after the break) that you can switch on and off depending on if you need a joke explained. Just be glad they don't have this sort of thing in real life, or else no-one would go to the cinema ever again.
Vimeo snags 'MST3K' catalog and exclusive access to future releases
If Vimeo's determined to develop a pay-per-view streaming service, then the outfit is going about it in a rather strange way. The website has signed a deal with Mystery Science Theater 3000's distributors to bring 80 "cleared" episodes to the site's on-demand platform. Because of the myriad rights issues that surround the show, more than half of the episodes aren't legally available. Of course, that doesn't mean that you can't find them if you've got some time, a lax attitude to intellectual property and don't mind typing in phrases like "mst3k.s08.e20" into YouTube. If, however, you'd prefer to get your stuff through legitimate channels, you'll be able to rent each movie for $3, buy them for $10 or purchase the whole collection for a heavily discounted $300.
The Gunstringer gets level commentary (a la Mystery Science Theater)
Twisted Pixel is taking a page from the script of TV's Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- and its web heir, Rifftrax -- for some of the bonus content in its upcoming Kinect shooter, The Gunstringer. Designer Dan Teasdale dropped the news on the developer's blog, saying that the team was inspired to create "full commentary for the entire game" by the spirited online riffing given to Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). "It's not just us talking about making the game," Teasdale says of the commentary. "Much like how some of the best Rifftrax are the ones that have special guests, we've asked some special friends of ours to comment on specific plays in the game." The identities of the guests may be a secret, but we already know one possible candidate: Troma's Lloyd Kaufman, who's already been signed to play the role of a reporter in the game's live-action sequences. Of course, the developer could go all out and get the master of riffing, MST3K and Rifftrax's Michael J. Nelson, to contribute -- something sure to get fans of his work all MSTy-eyed. Whoever's involved in them, the commentary tracks will be unlocked using in-game currency, after which, Teasdale says, "you'll be given the option to turn on the soothing voices of either us, or (more likely) our awesome special guests!" [Note: not an actual gameplay image]
The Game Archaeologist's fear and loathing in the Kingdom: Joshing with Jick
Here at the Game Archaeologist Labs, we've been dissecting just what it takes to make a hit MMO that defies normal conventions -- a homemade startup that loves its wordplay long time even in an age when only about 12% of internet forum posters are fully literate. Kingdom of Loathing is an anomaly for all these reasons and more, and yet it's succeeded when MMOs boasting $100+ million budgets have bit the dust. Like Batman and Robin, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Taco Bell and grease, and "That's what" and "she said," the two creators of Kingdom of Loathing are absolutely inseparable. Where there is Jick, there is Mr. Skullhead, and vice-versa. The pair comprise the public face of the game and are so adored by Kingdom of Loathing's fans that I received a ransom note the other day telling me that I'd never see my cat again if I didn't lavish enough praise on the duo. This was weird to me, as I don't own a cat, but that's neither here nor there. In our final week of plumbing the depths of Kingdom of Loathing, I had the pleasure of probing Zack "Jick" Johnson's mind, and I haven't quite recovered yet. I have looked into the abyss, and it looked into me -- and winked. Oh, you flirty abyss! So let's do this thing -- hit the jump and find out just what makes KoL tick from the inside out!
MST3K crew appears during the Summer Olympics broadcast?
Now look, we're not sure if this was someone's drug-induced fever dream or not, but if it did really go down, it might be the best thing that's happened at the entire 2008 Summer Olympics. According to the Dirty Red Commie, sometime on August 17th between 2:00 PM and 3:13 PM Mountain Time, Joel, Tom Servo, and Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000 appeared on NBC's broadcast of the summer games. The DRC says they were simply static -- no hilarious jokes or animated banter -- but cut out during local commercials, giving him the impression that this was coming from the NBC mothership rather than his local station. Apparently a video of the action was set to go up on YouTube, but was "copyright-killed before it was even done processing." If anyone out there on the interblogs is able to confirm this, we'd love to hear from you. Update: While not exactly proving the authenticity of this, we've now got video of it after the break. Update: Aaaaaand... the video has been taken down.
