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Movie-riffing for the masses
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ON THE BIG SCREEN: Kung fu comes to California in “East Meets Watts,” one of the low-grade movies to be screened — and riffed — with the cast of “Cinematic Titanic” next weekend in Mesa. CINEMATIC TITANIC
A couple of wisecracking robots and a janitor-astronaut stranded in a spaceship controlled by mad scientists back on Earth hardly sounds like the stuff of great TV, but “Mystery Science Theater 3000” was exactly that.
The show that verbally shredded bad movies to bits achieved cult status in the 1990s.
Now, much to the delight of diehard “MSTies” everywhere, “MST3K” (as the show is often abbreviated) has been reincarnated as “Cinematic Titanic,” and it comes next weekend to Mesa Arts Center.
Made up of MST3K’s original creator and cast – minus the robots – “Cinematic Titanic” mocks lousy films in direct-to-DVD releases and live performances. The cast will screen — and riff — two movies Friday and Saturday in Mesa: the abysmal “East Meets Watts” and “Danger on Tiki Island.”
Like all films to face the cast’s ribbing over the years, the movies are so bad viewers might think they never should have been made in the first place. But that’s the point: With the quick-witted derision of the crew, awful movies become not only sufferable but funny. It’s a formula that turns below-B-grade flicks like “The Brain that Wouldn’t Die,” “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” into movie-riffing masterpieces.
Cinematic Titanic’s cast includes creator Joel Hodgson (“MST3K’s” Joel Robinson), Trace Beaulieu (“MST3K’s” Crow and Dr. Forrester), J. Elvis Weinstein (“MST3K’s” Tom Servo and Dr. Erhardt), Frank Conniff (“MST3K’s” TV’s Frank) and Mary Jo Pehl (“MST3K’s” Pearl Forrester).
“MST3K,” which aired on Comedy Central and The Sci Fi Channel, earned a Peabody Award and appeared on Time magazine’s list of the 100 best TV shows ever.
Autograph signing
What: The “Cinematic Titanic”/”MST3K” cast signs your stuff.
When: 3 p.m. May 22
Where: Hoodlums Music and Movies, 6434 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe
Cost: Free
Information: (480) 775-2722 or www.hoodlumsmusic.com
Watch a bad movie
What: Riff lousy movies with the cast of “Cinematic Titanic.”
When: 8 p.m. May 22 and 23. “East Meets Watts” will be shown Friday; “Danger on Tiki Island” is Saturday.
Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St.
Cost: $48 per night
Information: (480) 644-6500
or www.cinematictitanic.com
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