Romana-5

As an avid watcher of MST3k since February 14, 1994, I have to say that this movie was a fabulous effort on the part of Best Brains production company. I saw this movie in a tiny theater in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. Just being around other MSTies and laughing together at this extension of the show we all loved was a thrilling experience. Since then, I have watched this movie so many times that I have most of it memorized. There is no doubt that some of the jokes are tamer and some of the humour is not quite up to the par of the show; this is all because of the big studio that was marketing the movie. Apparently, many of the jokes were considered too "obscure" for audiences and the original ending was cut. The big money-grubbing studio that took over control of this movie must have decided that we weren't smart enough to handle all of these "in-jokes". All they did was take away one of the main reasons people love this show. The more obscure the comment, the funnier it is if you understand it; if you don't understand it now, there's always the chance of discovery later. What I hate most is that major control over this movie was literally taken away from the creative geniuses who best know the show. As great as this movie is, I know that it could have been better if Best Brains had been allowed to retain complete control over THEIR movie. All complaints aside, this movie is still one of the best motion pictures ever made in my opinion. The wit and creativity of Mike Nelson and Co. still shines through in all of the skits and movie segments. The movie This Island Earth was an excellent choice for ribbing. As a very colorful movie to begin with, it afforded endless oppurtunities for quipping. One thing I don't understand is the fact that, at one point in the movie, Ruth's dress changes between two scenes that are supposed to be minutes apart, and Mike and the 'bots don't say anything about it. This isn't something that would normally slip by these guys so I guess we can just chalk that one up to bad editing. True, the movie may not be as funny or as well-acted as such classic episodes as "Pod People" or "The Day the Earth Froze", but it is still a blast to watch, and offers no end of quoteable lines. A must-see if you're a die-hard fan, a casual viewer, or haven't yet been introduced to the wonderful world of Deep 13 and the SOL.

I don't even know where to begin. The Scooby-like music. The frumpy male lead who, apparently, was Johnny Depp before there was Johnny Depp. The stiff, wooden females. The guy making the puzzle (I mean, what the heck does that prove?) This movie makes me want to puke whenever I see it and for some reason I see it often. You have to wonder why it is that every woman in town is unaccountably attracted to Adam. The edges of this guy's mouth are turned down so far, that even when he smiles it looks like he's frowning. But what can I say? The theme song is very catchy. It sticks to you like painful, prickly brambles. Basically, the whole movie is like a bad high school play, and obviously had the budget of one. All in all, I recommend this movie to fans of truly horrible cinema. Like me.

Well, okay, maybe not perfect, but it was pretty close. This movie jumped from crime drama to romantic goofball comedy and back again so quickly all the way throughout that it seemed like two different movies that played simultaneously and then joined up again at the end. But they did it smoothly, and some in the theater found the bloody parts (like the scalping scene) to be funny as well. I just about threw up, but I guess that's just me. Greg Kinear is perfect as a soap opera actor. He has the ability to perform those over-dramatic soap scenes with just the right facial expressions and voice intonations. His scenes with Betty seem like something out of "Sleepless in Seattle" or some other romantic comedy like that. You almost forget that Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock are searching Betty down. Morgan Freeman's fascination with Betty was rather creepy, considering that he could practically be her grandfather, but the scenes where he is conversing with her photograph are definitely worth a few laughs! Chris Rock's performance seems rather wooden, but he has his moments. Renee Zellweger is so sweet as Betty, the lovable waitress with the crude, unfaithful husband who treats her like dirt. It's very unlikely that she would have actually gotten a job at a hospital without any real credentials, but, hey, it's a movie, just go along with it! Her roommate, Rosa, shines as well, as a woman who cares about Betty, but doesn't quite know how to deal with Betty's sickness. And, lastly, there is Crispin Glover. As a fan of his, I, naturally, thought that the movie could have been funnier had he been in it more. No one else has the same style of acting that Crispin has, and the argument between Chris Rock, Crispin, and the sheriff about the soap opera is hilarious. I guess I'm saying that I liked this movie quite a bit! If you can stomach blood, violence, and a lot of foul language, it's worth the watch and will give you plenty of laughs!