The technically unnecessary due to pluto.tv, twitch streams etc. if you want to relive that early 2000's period of pre-youtube Shoutcast streaming, a guy has kept a number of low-rez streams going for posterity and nostalgia - including two MST3k streams. You can control-n these right into VLC:
All, if anyone is interested in the classic episodes without ads, I believe that the official MST3K/Gizmoplex channel on Roku/AndroidTV/Apple TV etc and gizmoplex.com website are still ad-free for the classic episodes. You have to register, but it's free. Note, I used the Roku app (I do not use any ad-blocking software/infra) and did not encounter ads, but have no experience with the website or other app platforms.
Something about the way they aggressively released all their content, streaming it 24/7 on all platforms, removed the magic for me completely.
I used to love these, but now I can't sit through more than 5 minutes, because that sense of "oh this is special" is gone. I think for slow burn/buildup art, you have to kind of keep it special.
I'm not trying to be a dick, but there is nothing stopping you from self regulating.
We watch one episode of mst3k as a family Sunday night. Popcorn, lights off, huddled under blankets on the floor.
If anything, it's more special for my kids (than it was for me) because they can see what we'll watch next week, and enjoy looking up random trivia about the terrible movie throughout the week.
I get the parent's point though. There's a certain late night weekly thing that, for many of us, is hard to replicate with anytime/anywhere even if you could in principle.
There are shows like "Twin Peaks" that, if you first introduction to them is binge watching, you'll wonder what all the fuss was ever about. (Some shows seem to need some water-cooler time in order to keep you on the edge of your sear, wondering, trying to make the connections yourself.)
While it had its flaws, Babylon5 was like that as well. Probably Lost even if it IMO went downhill latterly. I'm not really a fan of binge-watching. A lot of shows are constructed in a way that rewards a slow rollout even if that's not the modern style.
I remember enjoying quite a bit of MST3K but also have been burned by revisiting nostalgia too many times so I tend to just leave things alone now. I know it's subjective and not a fair question, but is the newer MST3K worth following up on?
The host segments with Jonah aren't too bad. I don't care for the host segments with Felicia Day & Patton Oswalt; but, I didn't care for Pearl and Bobo, either. I don't care for the changing voices and characteristics of the bots, either.
I think the riffs are more "generalized." In the original, there were riffs that were regional or more obscure (e.g. Hamdingers).
I don’t like them as much, but Jonah at least feels like a legitimate third human on the satellite after Joel and Mike. Starcrash is one from that Kickstarter season to check out.
At this point it sees the fans are split into people who follow whatever MST3K and Rifftrax do, “keep sharing the tapes,” and people who liked MST3K because it was funnier and scrappier than other shows and tapered off when it lost that. I lean toward the latter, but I’m friends with the former and we make it work.
The vibe is not the same, but Jonah is likeable, Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt are good as the Mads, and the movie selection is fantastic: Reptilicus? Munchie? The Christmas Dragon? Every film is a magnificent slice of different B-movie territory.
pluto.tv has the older "Joel" episodes and I've been enjoying them occasionally. The newer stuff for me has a bit too much "drama kid" energy, if that makes sense.
The technically unnecessary due to pluto.tv, twitch streams etc. if you want to relive that early 2000's period of pre-youtube Shoutcast streaming, a guy has kept a number of low-rez streams going for posterity and nostalgia - including two MST3k streams. You can control-n these right into VLC:
https://www.pracdev.org/channel99/pls_files/channel_3000.pls
https://www.pracdev.org/channel99/pls_files/channel_3000_hal...
from his site: https://www.pracdev.org/channel99/
All, if anyone is interested in the classic episodes without ads, I believe that the official MST3K/Gizmoplex channel on Roku/AndroidTV/Apple TV etc and gizmoplex.com website are still ad-free for the classic episodes. You have to register, but it's free. Note, I used the Roku app (I do not use any ad-blocking software/infra) and did not encounter ads, but have no experience with the website or other app platforms.
https://mst3k.com/gizmoplex-visit/
I loved their spin off Rifftrax.com, a bit tricky to get working, but worth it to hear the same guys trashing blockbuster movies instead of B movies.
Both have 24/7 twitch channels
https://www.twitch.tv/rifftrax
https://www.twitch.tv/mst3k
I think one or both also have Roku channels as well
Cinimatic Titanic is also great, with a mix of the original mst3k cast doing studio and live shows. The live show of Alien Factor is hilarious!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematic_Titanic
Worth mentioning that RiffTrax has a large catalog of riffed shorts (and a few lousy films) that don't require that.
E.g., two of my favorites: "Shake Hands with Danger" and "More Dangerous than Dynamite".
And the ones dubbed by Bridget and Mary Jo are great! Before them, the only narrator group I really liked was Mike+Kevin+Bill.
Jurassic Park with Weird Al is hilarious.
“Save the bones!! The fat kid can fend for his or her self!”
The effort they put into the cover art for the blockbuster riffs is always impressive, also Big McLargeHuge.
They just launched a Kickstarter for an MST3K table top game. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cze/mst3k-the-game
Something about the way they aggressively released all their content, streaming it 24/7 on all platforms, removed the magic for me completely.
I used to love these, but now I can't sit through more than 5 minutes, because that sense of "oh this is special" is gone. I think for slow burn/buildup art, you have to kind of keep it special.
I'm not trying to be a dick, but there is nothing stopping you from self regulating.
We watch one episode of mst3k as a family Sunday night. Popcorn, lights off, huddled under blankets on the floor.
If anything, it's more special for my kids (than it was for me) because they can see what we'll watch next week, and enjoy looking up random trivia about the terrible movie throughout the week.
Isn’t that just “I can’t regulate my media intake” problem?
Why wife and I watched the entire series over a year and loved every minute.
I get the parent's point though. There's a certain late night weekly thing that, for many of us, is hard to replicate with anytime/anywhere even if you could in principle.
That's just basically, "Don't binge watch."
There are shows like "Twin Peaks" that, if you first introduction to them is binge watching, you'll wonder what all the fuss was ever about. (Some shows seem to need some water-cooler time in order to keep you on the edge of your sear, wondering, trying to make the connections yourself.)
It's like ST:TNG Season 3 Episode 26 and Season 4 Episode 1.
You had to wait a whole ~four months to see Episode 1 when Episode 26 ended in a "holy shit!" moment on top of one of the best TNG episodes to-date.
If you watch the subsequently, you miss that feeling of build-up; there's no school-yard discussion about what could happen next.
Doesn't keep me from watching it roughly once per year, but the original impact of the cliffhanger was incredible.
While it had its flaws, Babylon5 was like that as well. Probably Lost even if it IMO went downhill latterly. I'm not really a fan of binge-watching. A lot of shows are constructed in a way that rewards a slow rollout even if that's not the modern style.
Meeeeemories... manos hands of fate, what an era
(2014)
Which is funny, because since then, MST3K had a wildly-successful Kickstarter, and managed to bring back 3 more seasons.
I remember enjoying quite a bit of MST3K but also have been burned by revisiting nostalgia too many times so I tend to just leave things alone now. I know it's subjective and not a fair question, but is the newer MST3K worth following up on?
I prefer the broadcast editions on YouTube. Complete with commercials!
The host segments with Jonah aren't too bad. I don't care for the host segments with Felicia Day & Patton Oswalt; but, I didn't care for Pearl and Bobo, either. I don't care for the changing voices and characteristics of the bots, either.
I think the riffs are more "generalized." In the original, there were riffs that were regional or more obscure (e.g. Hamdingers).
There were definitely some Philly area jokes in there :)
I don’t like them as much, but Jonah at least feels like a legitimate third human on the satellite after Joel and Mike. Starcrash is one from that Kickstarter season to check out.
At this point it sees the fans are split into people who follow whatever MST3K and Rifftrax do, “keep sharing the tapes,” and people who liked MST3K because it was funnier and scrappier than other shows and tapered off when it lost that. I lean toward the latter, but I’m friends with the former and we make it work.
The vibe is not the same, but Jonah is likeable, Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt are good as the Mads, and the movie selection is fantastic: Reptilicus? Munchie? The Christmas Dragon? Every film is a magnificent slice of different B-movie territory.
pluto.tv has the older "Joel" episodes and I've been enjoying them occasionally. The newer stuff for me has a bit too much "drama kid" energy, if that makes sense.
Regardless, I suspect we all agree it would be a poorer world without MST3K.
(And happy "thousand" got shorted to "K" — perhaps the early USENET nerds coined that.)
Absolutely, if nothing else it's a fantastic entry point for new people to watch the show (especially kids).
Note also, there's another season that's on the streaming services as individual movies post the Netflix reboot with much of the same team.
The live stuff stands out as particularly good… I suppose because you get audience feedback and they seem to lean into it.
I helped fund that kickstarter. The first season released on that kickstarter was such a disappointment. As if they forgot to be funny.