Mystery Science Theater 3000 XIX

Usually with the MST3k volumes, there's always one lesser episode included with the two or three good ones, but with Vol XIX, ALL FOUR EPISODES are very very good! Here's the breakdown:ROBOT MONSTER: From the first season, this movie is highly regarded among fans of awful, inept films, usually ranking right up there with Ed Wood's PLAN 9. I had never seen ROBOT MONSTER (MST version or otherwise) til I bought this set and I must say it's definitely deserving of its fame as one of the worst movies of all time. The monster is a guy in a Gorilla suit wearing a divers helmet. He's Ro-Man, one of the Ro-Men from the planet Ro-Man (yes, the movie specifies exactly that). His mission is to kill the last remaining human family on Earth so his race can inhabit the planet Earth. Ro-Man sets up shop (which includes a bubble machine on a wooden desk and a wood framed viewing screen which he uses to communicate with his superior Ro-Man) in a cave, then wanders around trying to find the family even though the hole in the ground that they live in is RIGHT NEXT TO HIS CAVE!!! All this is exceptionally silly stuff, though the film does get dark in places when Ro-Man kills a little girl, then captures the older daughter of the family whom he inexplicably lusts after (even he finds it inexplicable, and articulates as much!). Even though its barely an hour long, the movie is still massively padded; you'll see "dinosaurs" fight endlessly at the beginning and end of the movie, as well as countless scenes of Ro-Man walking around the desert scrub, looking rather like Yogi Bear as he waddles about. I've seen the worst movies MST has ever took on (MANOS, MONSTER A-GO-GO, THE CREEPING TERROR, WILD WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN, the Coleman Francis Trilogy, etc.), and ROBOT MONSTER is about as bewildering as they come. The first time I watched it I just turned off the DVD player while scratching my head, wondering what the heck it was that I just saw. Being a first season episode, this one has slow riffing, and two COMMANDER CODY shorts to compensate for the brief runtime of the movie, but honestly those things don't matter one bit this time around. You'll watch this one just for the insanity of the film itself. Its seriously that odd of a movie.BRIDE OF THE MONSTER: Its an Ed Wood movie. Its an Ed Wood movie that features an aged Bela Legousi, Tor Johnson, and that fat guy that's missing a finger from TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE. If you've seen PLAN 9 you'll find a similar, lovably inept approach to BRIDE OF THE MONSTER. You get people rolling around on a motionless rubber octopus as its "attacking" them, tons of stock footage of animals, a guy stuck in "quicksand" that he just hops right out of, a deeply inaccurate stand-in for Bela (featuring platform shoes!), and a nuclear explosion where the surviving characters muse philisophically while standing mere feet away from the blast. Its almost too easy for Joel and the bots. Really, a stellar episode, though with all that the movie has going for it, how could it not be? It also has the first part of the HIRED short, which is quite fun, though I felt the 2nd half was slightly funnier.DEVIL DOLL: This Sci Fi era episode features a movie thats actually not that bad for what it is. Its set in England (or, as Servo puts it, the "land of jug-eared, chinless, stomach-eaters.") and is about a ventriloquist named the Great Vorelli and Hugo, his evil, sentient dummy. The movie is atmospheric to a degree and the story is competently told. That said, the movie IS paced a little slow, but there's still plenty to make fun of, from all the potshots directed at the British to the dour, serious tone Vorelli has throughout all his performances (he's hired to ENTERTAIN, isn't he?!). The back and forth riffing Mike and the Bots provide for Vorelli and Hugo is awesome, starts at the movie's very first scene, and never lets up from there. This is also the episode where Servo transfers his soul into a Toaster Strudel, so the last quarter of the film has a rectangular shadow bobbing around next to Mike in the theater. It all makes for a truly excellent episode.DEVIL FISH: Another good Sci Fi episode. Its kinda a Jaws rip-off about a proto-shark, which is a gravely skinned shark with octopus tentacles, apparently. The movie itself reminds me of WEREWOLF in that its very very 80's, stars many obviously European people despite being set in America, and attempts a serious tone while having way too many goofy characters to actually be taken seriously. DEVIL FISH also has some soap-opera antics going on which fuel the riffing fires as well. Like BRIDE OF THE MONSTER, this movie just has too much weird stuff going for it to be a bad episode, and Mike and the gang really do a great job with it. Another great episode.So you get 3 excellent episodes, and a fascinating season 1 ep with this set. All 4 dvds don't have any glitches or tape hits either, so its clear, easy veiwing the whole time. A very good box set, one any fan shouldn't be without.

At the San Diego Comic Con Shout Factory announced the latest Volumewhich is # 19 much to the delight of many MST3K fans.First off as you can see by the photo it will contain a Gypsy Figurine which is slightly bigger than Crow and Tom ServoNow for the episodes in this set# 107 ROBOT MONSTER - This movie is about a group of survivors being stalked by Ro-Man - a man in an ape costume and fish tank helmet.One of the all time most well known iconic B movies - ultra cheap, lousy acting and pointless. See stock footage of dinosaurs ( lizards with glued on fins) from One Million BC. See Roman chase George Nader around. See Roman chase women, children all over the place. See Roman attack kids, see him try to satisfy his urges with the ladies..see it in utter disbelief.This is one of what most Season 1 fans would call a better Season 1 episode. It is well done. This is another title owned by Wade Williams which Shout has licensed which is why we've seen Beast of Yucca Flats, Lost Continent and others.This has a riff at the end that I really like " Is this the End of the Film Joel" watch for it. And listen to Tom Servo sneeze during the Commando Cody serial..You get 2 chapters of Radar Men from the Moon in this because Robot Monster is a short filmJ. Elvis Weinstein gets to do the intro to Robot Monster & was pretty insightful and fun to hear what he had to say ..# 423 BRIDE OF THE MONSTER - An Ed Wood classic. Bela once again plays a mad doctor trying to create a race of atomic supermen to take over the world. Along with his assistant Lobo - Tor Johnson - who was Lobo in the Unearthly as well as the Beast of Yucca of FlatsAnother incompetent mess with super poor effects / editing and a very low budget. All sorts of bad editing including a rubber Octopus (leftover from a John Wayne film) blended with stock footage of a real Octopus swimming in a tank. Bela has a stunt double in this one - Eddie Parker - watch for this. You cant miss it.This contains the short Hired ! Part One (Part 2 of Hired is the short on Manos the Hands of Fate) About a car salesman needing advice from his pop on how to get his salesmen to sell cars. And Joel & the Bots do a nice musical about it.Another Wade Williams title & long over due for release - the transfer of this is just fantastic and should blow away any VHS copies..very well done# 818 - DEVIL DOLL We jump to Mike during the sci-fi era in this film which in my opinion is not that bad. Bryant Haliday (the Projected Man) as a hypnotist/ventriloquist The Great Varelli - with his dummy Hugo performing acts on stage. Haliday uses his powers to control people, the dummy puppet to get what he wants.Also in this is the lovely Yvonne Romain from Curse of the Werewolf.This has some atmosphere and is for me a fun one to watch.I own the Image DVD of this which has the uncut version - with some nudity.This film is a feature length movie based on one of the short stories from the original 1945 classic Dead of Night (check this one out)As an MST3K episode it is a lot of fun of course with segments that have to do with the movie. Mike Nelson as Hugo - Watch and see it to believe it. This is a solid episode during the scifi era.# 911 - DEVIL FISH (aka Monster Shark) This monster/horror film has a Shark Octopus eating Italians who decide to swim where the monster is. This one is directed by Lamberto Bava (son of Mario) Lots of killing and what to do about the monster. There is a subplot in this film as well to keep things moving along between the monster attacks. This is your basic standard MST3K episode during the scifi era with Pearl, Bobo and Brain Guy torturing Mike, Crow and Servo from Castle Forester. It to me was a the surprise of this set.The riffs when the monster swims underwater are especially funny.BONUS FEATURES :* New introduction to Robot Monster by J. Elvis Weinstein* Cult Filmmaker Larry Blamire Geeks Out on Robot Monster* Citizen Wood: Making `The Bride,' Unmaking `The Legend'* Inventing the "Invention Exchange" with Joel Hodgson* The Puppet Master: Richard Gordon on Devil Doll* MST3K: Origins and Beyond at CONvergence 2009* Original Theatrical Trailers* Exclusive Mini-posters by artist Steve Vance* Collectible Gypsy figurineOverall Shout has done great things for the releases of these episodes, and once again they are to be commended for their efforts. Good stuff and cant wait for more volumes

This limited edition set is wonderful - you get 4 films on 4 discs, 4 mini posters by Steve Vance and a Gypsy figurine to brighten up your life.Disc 1 - Episode 107 - Robot Monster - 1953, B&W, 98 mins, with 2 Commando Cody shorts, extras: new introduction by J. Elvis Weinstein (6:41), Larry Blamire Geeks Out (11:01), theatrical trailer (1:29)Disc 2 - Episode 423 - Bride Of The Monster - 1955, B&W, 92 mins, with Hired!: Part One short, extras: Citizen Wood: Making The 'Bride', Unmaking The 'Legend' (27:07), Inventing The Invention Exchange (6:08), theatrical trailer (1:31)Disc 3 - Episode 818 - Devil Doll - 1964, B&W, 92 mins, extras: The Puppet Master: Richard Gordon On Devil Doll (9:28), theatrical trailer (2:01)Disc 4 - Episode 911 - Devil Fish - 1984, colour, 92 mins, extras: MST3K: Origins And Beyond At CONvergence 2009 (58:34), theatrical trailer (2:21)

This was a Christmas present for a fan he loved it , shipping on this item was very fast.